AMERICAN BEECH

Fagus grandifolia 

Photo by Helen Hamilton

January 2010 Wildflower of the Month

AMERICAN BEECH

Fagus grandifolia 

Photo by Phillip Merritt

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January 2010

Wildflower of the Month

AMERICAN BEECH

Fagus grandifolia 

American beech is one of the easiest trees to recognize in the winter, with slender, sharp-pointed cigar-shaped buds at the tips of somewhat zigzag branches.  Also distinctive are the dark green leaves which are edged with even, sharp teeth and pointed at the tips.  From the midrib, veins extend to the edge of the leaf in straight, parallel rows.

Turning yellow and tan in the fall, many faded leaves persist on the lower branches until spring.  In April, yellow-green flowers appear with the leaves in small, drooping clusters on male trees; the female flowers are separate and arise directly from the young stems. The fruit is an angular, spiky husk with an edible “beechnut.” 

American beech is a very large tree, growing to 60-75 feet with a trunk diameter of 2-3 feet. Specimens in virgin forests were more than 100 feet tall with trunk diameters up to 4 feet.  Few other large trees have smooth gray bark, often carved with initials and dates.  With the combination of smooth bark, pointed buds, and prickly fruits, American beech can easily be identified in all seasons. 

This tree prefers moist rich soils of uplands and well-drained lowlands but will grow in a variety of situations.  American beech ranges from southern Ontario, south to Florida, west to Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, and is common in all counties of Virginia.

The colonists recognized this tree, who already knew the famous, closely related European Beech.  The words “beech” and “book” come from the same root, because ancient Saxons and Germans wrote on pieces of beech board.  The wood has been used for cheap furniture and fuel, and the tree is planted widely for ornament. 

Although the kernels of beechnuts are small, they are sweet, edible, and nutritious, and are consumed in quantities by wildlife, especially squirrels, raccoons, ruffed grouse and wild turkey. 

Helen Hamilton

AMERICAN MISTLETOE

Phoradendron serotinum (leucarpum)

Photo by Phillip Merritt

December 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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December 2009

Wildflower of the Month

AMERICAN MISTLETOE

Phoradendron serotinum (leucarpum)

American or Christmas Mistletoe is our only shrub which is parasitic on the branches of broad-leaved trees.  The thick green leathery leaves are evergreen and wedge- to egg-shaped, 1-2 inches long.  Tiny yellow flowers bloom on smooth, jointed stems in late fall, followed by round, white berries -- only the female mistletoe plant will produce berries.

Mistletoe plants are correctly a hemiparasite of trees, taking water and nutrients from the plant they grow on, but also producing some chlorophyll and drawing energy from the sun.  Having no true roots, they produce structures called “sinkers” and “haustoria” which penetrate host tissues.

Native to nearly every county in Virginia, American Mistletoe is found on many species of trees from New Jersey to southern Ohio, southern Indiana and southern Missouri and south to Florida and Texas.  In any given area, the plant tends to occur on only a few favored species.  In some areas it exploits only hickories; in others oaks and hickories; in others either or both of those as well as other species. 

For hundreds of years, the sprig of mistletoe hung in the house in late December has been a traditional stopping place for couples to kiss—a zone to linger in or scrupulously avoid, depending on the company.

But there’s more to mistletoe than Christmas kissing—the plant has a long and interesting history in human tradition and lore that continues today: Celtic druids believed that European mistletoe contained the spirit of the tree in which it grew: this was the only part of the tree that stayed green all winter. In herbal lore, mistletoe is associated with communication, self confidence, romance, and an end to violence.  Mistletoe has been used in exorcism and thanksgiving.

In medicine, European mistletoe has been used as an antidote to poison, and to treat seizures and headaches. It’s currently being investigated as an anticancer treatment.  However, all parts are poisonous to cats and dogs and some humans, causing gastrointestinal upsets, and even death. 

Seeds are distributed by birds in any of three ways:  they are eaten and passed in droppings, swallowed and then regurgitated, or they get stuck to the birds’ beaks and are rubbed into crevices on trees when the birds clean their beaks on the bark.  The seeds are covered with a sticky substance poisonous to man, but relished by birds.  The plant provides important food and nesting sites for birds such as cedar waxwings and bluebirds.

While a very heavy mistletoe infestation (dozens of individual plants on separate branches) can be fatal to the host plant, the decline takes many years, and if the host dies, the mistletoe dies also.  A few of these parasitic plants on a tree is not harmful. 

Helen Hamilton

TALL GOLDENROD

Solidago altissima

Photo by Phillip Merritt

November 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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November 2009

Wildflower of the Month

TALL GOLDENROD

Solidago altissima

Blooming profusely in late autumn, Tall Goldenrod is unmistakable with tall plumes of golden-yellow. The small yellow flowers are arranged along the upper side of branches, forming a feathery, pyramidal plume.  The plant can grow over six feet tall and will self-seed prolifically.  The downy grayish stem carries leaves that are usually toothed, rough, and finely downy beneath, with a pair of prominent lateral veins.

Tall Goldenrod can be seen along roadsides, open woods, and other dry open places.  This vigorous perennial is found across the U.S. and most of Canada, and in nearly every county in Virginia.  Requiring little care, Tall Goldenrod grows in any soil, dry to moist. It will grow very tall in optimum conditions, and requires staking.  Several species of bees can be seen pollinating the flowers.

There are a lot of goldenrod species in Virginia, many widespread and some with restricted distributions.  They may have flowers in plumes or in branching, club-like, slender and wand-like, or flat-topped arrangements, depending on the species.  Although Goldenrods are commonly blamed for hay fever, this discomfort is usually caused by the pollen from Ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) which is wind-borne.  The pollen of Goldenrods is carried by insects as it is too heavy to be airborne under ordinary circumstances.

Helen Hamilton

CROWNBEARD

Verbesina occidentalis

Photo by Phillip Merritt

October 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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October 2009

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CROWNBEARD

Verbesina occidentalis

Related to sunflowers, this member of the aster family has flower heads with only a few yellow ray flowers, usually 2-4, often bent backward from a mop-like center of small yellow disk flowers.  The wide, oval leaves, positioned opposite each other on the stem, have irregularly toothed edges and flow into “wings” on the stem.  The plant grows to 6 feet tall.

Grows in woodlands, fields and pastures from Maryland south to Florida and Texas, and over most of Virginia.  Crownbeard grows best in full sun and moist soil.  The plant is a prolific, long-blooming native perennial, adding a mass of golden color to the late fall garden.  Blooms August-October. 

Comments.  Yellow Crownbeard can be confused with Wingstem  (Actinomeris alternifolia), since the flowers are similar, but the leaves of Wingstem occur alternately along the stem.

Helen Hamilton

SHINING SUMAC 

Rhus copallina

Photo by Helen Hamilton

September 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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September 2009

Wildflower of the Month

SHINING SUMAC 

Rhus copallina

Glossy dark green compound leaves suggest the common name of this desirable landscape plant, often planted for its shiny leaves which turn scarlet in the fall.  The leaves are 8-12 inches long with 9-21 leaflets, carrying wings on either side of the midrib.

In summer Shining Sumac is topped with striking white 4 to 6-inch flower pyramids, which produce clouds of dark red fruit.  The shrub is large and spreading and not suited to small areas.  However, it is very useful for new homes where the developer has denuded the property; the leaves are acid and help rebuild soil that has been stripped of its organic matter.  In an established landscape, it could be planted on the edge of a lawn or driveway to attract birds.  This plant is fast growing, generally pest and disease-free, and drought tolerant.

Shining Sumac grows in open, dry places from southern Maine to Florida and west to Indiana, southeast Nebraska and Texas.  The shrub grows wild in nearly every county in Virginia, and furnishes winter food for many upland gamebirds, songbirds, and large and small mammals.  Wildlife eat the fruit, and deer also browse the twigs.

The sour fruit can be nibbled or made into a drink like lemonade. 

Helen Hamilton

CAROLINA WILD PETUNIA 

Ruellia caroliniensis

Photo by Helen Hamilton

August 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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Ruellia caroliniensis

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August 2009

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CAROLINA WILD PETUNIA 

Ruellia caroliniensis

Resembling the annual garden petunias, wild petunia produces a single 5-lobed, trumpet-shaped flower, 1-2 inches long and wide, emerging where each leaf joins the stem. Although it superficially resembles a garden petunia, which is in the potato family, wild petunia is a member of the Acanthus family, to which the cultivated “shrimp plant” and “black-eyed-susan” also belong.  The flowers of wild petunia vary in color from pale lavender to medium bluish-purple.  On some plants the stems and the paired, egg-shaped leaves are hairy.  The plant grows 1-2 feet tall, although a little scraggly.

Wild petunia can be seen along roadsides, moist or dry woods across most of Virginia. Although the species name refers to its occurrence in the Carolinas, the plant is found in the U.S. from New Jersey to Iowa and south to South Carolina, Alabama and Texas.  Blooming June through September, the blossoms last only a day or two, but new flowers form in succession.

The plant self-seeds, and new shoots can be seen throughout the garden from a single planting. They are easily transplanted.  Germination from seeds is low, but summer stem cuttings will root well.  This plant was named for an early French herbalist Jean Ruella (1474-1537).  

Helen Hamilton

BROWNEYED SUSAN

Rudbeckia triloba

Photo by Helen Hamilton

July 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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Rudbeckia triloba

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July 2009

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BROWNEYED SUSAN

Rudbeckia triloba

Browneyed Susan is distinguished from its close relative, blackeyed Susan, by smaller, more numerous flowers with shorter and fewer rays.  Also, the central disk is purplish-brown, not black, and the lower leaves are 3-lobed.  The plant is much branched with hairy stems 2-5 feet tall. 

Found in woods and moist soil from Connecticut to Michigan and south to Florida and Texas.  In Virginia, browneyed Susan is recorded from all western and central counties, and most coastal areas. 

Although full of flowers, browneyed Susan is not dense and overpowering.  The plant grows nicely along the sunny edges of a woodland garden, and is not fussy about soil or light conditions, growing in sun or shade, moist or dry soil.  It is drought tolerant, and adapts to several hours of shade. This native perennial is short-lived, but self-sows readily, and is easily propagated from seed sown in fall or spring.  The gray seeds are mature after blooming, usually 3-4 weeks later.  

Flowers are visited by butterflies and bees and seeds are eaten by birds.     

Helen Hamilton

DEERBERRY

Vaccinium stamineum

Photo by Phillip Merritt

June 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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June 2009

Wildflower of the Month

DEERBERRY

Vaccinium stamineum

Deerberry is a member of a large genus which includes blueberries, and cranberries.  This species is a tall (to 10 feet) deciduous shrub with variable foliage, mostly egg-shaped.  Leaves are thin and not toothed, typically whitish underneath. 

Unlike the closed, tubular buds and flowers of blueberry, the flowers of deerberry are open, and dangling along the stem.  The petals are flaring with the stamens and styles extending outside.  Greenish-white, pink-tinged flowers appear May-June; in late summer and fall greenish-purple fruits, sometimes white-powdered, appear, furnishing food for birds and small mammals.

Found over eastern U.S. and Canada, Deerberry is native to all counties in Virginia, growing in dry woods.  “Vaccinium” is the classic name for blueberries; “stamineum” refers to the prominent stamens.  While edible, the berries are not as flavorful as those of other species.

Helen Hamilton

REDBUD

Cercis canadensis

Photo by Helen Hamilton

May 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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Cercis canadensis

REDBUD

Cercis canadensis

Photo by Jan Newton

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May 2009

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REDBUD

Cercis canadensis

Those showy pink-magenta blossoms along the roadsides are one of the sure signs of spring.  Instantly recognizable, this small understory tree brightens the gray days of the vanishing winter months.  Eastern redbud is a strikingly conspicuous tree in the spring because it flowers before other tree leaves form.  Pollination is usually accomplished by long-tongued bees.  Two or three weeks later, the flowers drop off and smooth, heart-shaped leaves appear, which are eaten by the caterpillars of some species of moths and butterflies. 

Widely planted as an ornamental, redbud wood is heavy, hard, and close-grained, but because of the small size and zigzag branching, it is of no commercial value as a source of lumber.  Typically, redbud is a small tree 15-30 ft. tall, growing best on moist, well-drained sites.  The tree is prevalent on limestone outcrops and on alkaline soils, is tolerant of nutrient deficiencies, and of a wide pH range, but grows best where the pH is above 7.5.  It is normally more abundant on south-facing slopes where sunlight is more intense and there is less plant competition.  It is a short-lived tree, young trees bearing more flowers than more mature specimens.

Bark of the stems is reddish-brown; older branches have a scaly dark brown bark that shreds, revealing orangish inner bark.  The flower bud, flowers and young pods are edible, added to salads or cooked as a vegetable.

Eastern redbud grows in rich woods from New Jersey and southern Pennsylvania northwest to southern Michigan, southwest into southeastern Nebraska, south to central Texas, and east to central Florida.

Redbud is also known as Judas-tree. According to legend, Judas Iscariot hanged himself from a branch of the European species Cercis siliquastrum.

Helen Hamilton

SPRING BEAUTY

Claytonia virginica

Photo by Jan Newton

April 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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Claytonia virginica

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April 2009

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SPRING BEAUTY

Claytonia virginica

Spring beauty, well named, is a delicate spring ephemeral with loose clusters of star-like white to light pink flowers; the petals are striped with pink veins and the anthers are also pink.  This small plant is spectacular in large patches.  Flowers bloom in April on top of  thin stems 4-6 inches tall; dark green grass-like leaves continue to grow after bloom and may eventually reach 9-12 inches tall before the leaves disappear in late spring as the plants go into dormancy.

Spring beauty grows from an underground corm, similar to a small potato, which has a sweet, chestnut-like flavor. Native Americans and colonists used them for food and they are still enjoyed by those interested in edible wild plants, but are time-consuming to collect in quantity sufficient for a meal. Spring beauty appears in The Song of Hiawatha  as “Miskodeed,”  according to author Timothy Coffey.

Growing naturally in all Virginia counties except those in the extreme southwest, spring beauty prefers organically rich, moist, well-drained soils, in full sun to part shade.  The plant naturalizes easily by corm-offsets and self-seeding.

The genus name honors John Clayton (1686-1773), Clerk to the County Court of Gloucester County, Virginia, from 1720 until his death, and regarded as the greatest American botanists of his day.  He was one of the earliest collectors of plant specimens in Virginia.

Helen Hamilton

CORALBERRY

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

Photo by Phillip Merritt

March 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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March 2009

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CORALBERRY

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

There is a lot to like about River birch, especially in the winter when its cream to

The fruit of Coralberry is its most outstanding ornamental attribute.  From fall throughout the winter, long, cascading branches carry clusters of brilliant reddish purple berries, eaten primarily by robins and bobwhite quail.  Coralberry loses its leaves in the winter; the bare branches with berries can be used for cut arrangements.

The shrub is dense and low-growing and can be used as an informal hedge or for erosion control on slopes. Coralberry forms extensive colonies and spreads by rooting at the nodes where it touches the ground. This plant is drought-tolerant and will adapt to full sun or part shade, moist to dry conditions, and a loamy or rocky soil; it is a good choice for xeriscape and woodland gardens. 

Songbirds, ground birds, small mammals, and browsers use this plant for food, cover, and nesting sites, because of its dense branching habit and abundant leaves.  A member of the honeysuckle family, another common name of Symphoricarpos orbiculatus is Buckbrush, because the shrub is a favorite food plant of white-tailed deer, and is often heavily browsed.

Small pink-white flowers bloom June to July which attract bees, wasps, and flies primarily. These insects suck nectar from the flowers, although some of the bees also collect pollen.

This native shrub is a good alternative to Japanese barberry and cotoneasters.

Found all over Virginia, Coralberry ranges from Connecticut south to Louisiana and west to Michigan and Colorado.

Helen Hamilton

RIVER BIRCH

Betula nigra

Photo by Helen Hamilton

February 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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February 2009

Wildflower of the Month

RIVER BIRCH

Betula nigra

There is a lot to like about River birch, especially in the winter when its cream to peach-colored inner shredding bark is so visible without the summer leaves.  This medium-sized tree tolerates compacted clay (within reason), summer heat and drought, but grows best in average to humus-rich acidic soil in full sun or partial shade.  The trunk can be single or multi-stemmed, with finely textured branches and toothed, triangular light green leaves becoming yellow in the fall.

River birch is found naturally along stream and river edges from Massachusetts and southeastern Minnesota, south to northern Florida and east Texas, and is native in nearly every county in Virginia.  The tree is fast-growing when young and slows with age, living not more than 70 years.

Each tree houses both male and female flowers, formed as brown catkins in the summer.  The male pollen-bearing catkins are elongate and the female, fruit-bearing catkins are cylindrical.  The fine seeds are eaten by small birds including chickadee, goldfinch, purple finch, titmouse and nuthatch.  River birch is resistant to many pests and diseases that plague other birches. 

While yellow birch and sweet birch have the flavor of wintergreen when crushed, river birch is not aromatic.  Native Americans used the boiled sap as a sweetener similar to maple syrup, and the inner bark as a survival food.

Helen Hamilton

INKBERRY

Ilex glabra

Photo by Jan Newton

January 2009 Wildflower of the Month

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January 2009

Wildflower of the Month

INKBERRY

Ilex glabra

When conditions are too wet for most non-native evergreens, our native Inkberry will thrive.  This useful shrub is long-lived, slow-growing, and fine-textured – all characteristics that make it desirable for formal hedges in traditional gardens.  But it is also invaluable as screening and as winter bird food in more natural landscapes.  When it gets lots of sun, it will become dense without shearing or pruning.  Inkberry can tolerate part shade, as well.

This evergreen holly produces black fruits in the summer which persist over the winter, furnishing food for many birds, including bluebird, brown thrasher, hermit thrush, bobwhite, and wild turkey.  The leaves are without prickles, usually blunt-tipped with a few wavy-edged teeth above the middle. 

An attractive landscape plant, Inkberry grows only to ten feet, and can colonize to furnish an effective screen.  Inkberry prefers acid, sandy soil, near a wet source, but will do okay in dry conditions.  Companion plants are blueberry, winterberry, wax myrtle; nearby pine trees can furnish the necessary acid soil conditions.

Inkberry grows in bogs and wet woods of the coastal plain from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Louisiana.  In Virginia it is found primarily in the southeastern counties.  This mound-shaped shrub is an attractive alternative to non-native invasive plants such as privets and heavenly bamboo.

Helen Hamilton

PARTRIDGE-BERRY

Mitchella repens

Photo by Helen Hamilton

December 2008 Wildflower of the Month

PARTRIDGE-BERRY

Mitchella repens

Photo by Helen Hamilton

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December 2008

Wildflower of the Month

PARTRIDGE-BERRY

Mitchella repens

One of the most adaptable and easy-to-grow groundcovers for the home gardener in the Southeast, partridge-berry displays edible, but insipid berries ten months of the year.  An 18th century writer reported “The leaves are much celebrated by the common people as a diuretic and sweetener of the blood, but are of very little efficacy. The berries are rather of an agreeable taste.”  Native American women took frequent doses during the few weeks before giving birth.

Partridge-berry is a creeping, delicate vine, does not climb and is often covered by fallen leaves.  The stems take root at the nodes and form a mat. It transplants easily, grows quickly, but rarely becomes a pest.

In late spring, the two paired white flowers at the tip of each shoot open their four-petaled buds.  At flowering time, the two flowers are already partially fused. Both flowers must be pollinated to produce the red “double-berry”, which stays on the vine until after blooms appear in the spring.  Look closely and you will be able to see on the top of the “double-berry” the scars marking the attachment of both flowers.  Also known as “twinberry”, the plant is evergreen, and grows well in rich, dappled shade.  It most often occurs on small knolls in the woodlands.

Linnaeus named this plant Mitchella for his friend John Mitchell, a resident of Urbanna, Virginia, who was a physician, naturalist, plant lover, and cartographer.  Dr. Mitchell developed a method of treating yellow fever victims and saved thousands of lives.  “Repens” refers to the plant’s trailing or creeping growth pattern.

Helen Hamilton

ASTERS

Symphyotrichum spp.

Photo by Helen Hamilton

November 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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November 2008

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ASTERS

Symphyotrichum spp.

Easily recognized in summer and fall by their daisy-like flowers, the genus Aster represents over 250 species, most of which botanists have re-categorized into other genera such as Symphyotrichum and Eurybia.  Like milkweeds and most goldenrods, Asters need not be pampered other than providing good drainage and full sun.  They can also tolerate some shade.  Asters are seen most often along woods edges and roadsides in the fall, blooming until deep frost.  Some are branching and sprawling, others tall and still, forming big clumps.   

Planted in drifts either in the border or in the wild garden, with the smaller types used as edging, asters should be in every gardener’s collection.  They even succeed in a rock garden and make especially attractive combinations when mixed with ornamental grasses, also blooming in late fall.  Asters make good cut flowers.

Propagation for all is usually by division, either in spring or fall.  They easily hybridize, and many bees and insects will be seen on the blossoms until the air is too cold.

Calico aster (Symphyotrichum laterifolium) is a late-blooming species; while the blooming season is best August-October, the plant can be seen well into November, when the fall weather is relatively mild.  This species grows wild in nearly every county in Virginia, south to Florida, and west to Minnesota, eastern Kansas and Texas.

Helen Hamilton

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE

Helianthus tuberosus

Photo by Phillip Merritt

October 2008 Wildflower of the Month

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE

Helianthus tuberosus

Photo by Phillip Merritt

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October 2008

Wildflower of the Month

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE

Helianthus tuberosus

This large sunflower is one of the few food plants that grow wild in the great prairies of northern United States and southern Canada, and one of the plants the Native Americans gathered for the nutritious tubers.  In 1805 Lewis and Clark reported seeing the squaws collect them from the burrows of gophers or prairie dogs, where they had been hoarded. Imported to England in the early 1600’s, they were usually boiled, peeled, sliced and stewed with butter and a little wine.

Growing to a height of 3 feet, and blooming from August through October, Jerusalem artichoke is a nice addition as drifts in the back of a perennial border or in a wildflower garden. It is a member of the Aster family and grows best in a loose loam, and in full sun, but can tolerate some shade. It can survive in poor soil and tolerates hot to sub-zero temperatures. Jerusalem artichoke grows wild in moist thickets and fields in nearly every county in Virginia, every state in the U.S. except for the southwest and eastern and central Canada.

The golden rays of the 3” wide flowers are long and pointed; leaves are egg-shaped, coarsely toothed, very rough and thick, stems are rough and hairy. The first frost kills the stems and leaves, but tubers withstand freezing for months. The large, crisp tubers, often as large as a medium-sized potato, begin to form in August and terminate slender runners or branches radiating from the base of each plant. Fresh tubers can be substituted for potato in most recipes, or sliced thin and added to salads, or boiled briefly and pickled with wine vinegar. Soaking fresh tubers in cold water for a few hours in the refrigerator, makes them very crisp and good for slicing and serving in salads like water chestnuts. If harvested after the first frost, they are said to be nuttier in taste. To propagate, plant whole tubers or pieces as early as possible in the spring. It forms a large colony quickly and is sometimes considered aggressive.

Jerusalem artichoke is a folk remedy for diabetes and rheumatism.  Native Americans drank leaf and stalk tea or ate flowers to treat rheumatism.  The edible tubers may aid in treating diabetes.  Like those of beans, the roots are known to induce intestinal gas.

“Jerusalem” is from the Italian girasole, the sunflower which “turns to the sun”; it has nothing to do with the city of Jerusalem.

Helen Hamilton

FALSE SUNFLOWER

Heliopsis helianthoides

Photo by Helen Hamilton

September 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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September 2008

Wildflower of the Month

FALSE SUNFLOWER

Heliopsis helianthoides

“A glorious salute to the sun” is one way of describing these relatives of sunflowers which burst into bloom in July and continue well into autumn.  On stout stems, 2-4” flowers with 10-16 bright yellow ray flowers surround orange disk flowers.  Unlike sunflowers, both the ray flowers and the disk flowers of false sunflowers will set seed. And the centers are domed as in Black-eyed Susans while the centers of sunflowers are flat.

The flowers are excellent for cutting.  Not only are they undemanding but they will bloom the first year from seed with a floriferous output.  If the spent flowers are removed, false sunflowers will continue to bloom until frost.

These plants are found in woods and woodland margins, largely in the mountain and Piedmont provinces.  Overall, the plant is large and coarse with dark green leaves; varieties are smooth or rough-leaved.  Very undemanding, false sunflowers do best in full sun with good, well-drained loam, but will tolerate clayey soils.  Butterflies love the blossoms, and the plant is deer and vole resistant.  Insect pests are negligible; a strong burst from a hose will dislodge visiting aphids.

Propagation is by seed, and division in spring or early fall.  False sunflowers will self-sow and while some gardeners consider them invasive, they are easily removed when young.  Cultivars are available in local nurseries, with variations in the color of the flowers and leaves.  The leaves were often used in folk remedies, especially for lung congestion or fever reduction. 

Helen Hamilton

ROSE-MALLOW

Hibiscus moscheutos

Photo by Phillip Merritt

August 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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August 2008

Wildflower of the Month

ROSE-MALLOW

Hibiscus moscheutos

The wide showy flowers of Rose-Mallow signal the start of summer, as they bloom profusely in moist areas until September. Each flower is open for only a day, but they follow sequentially over time. The bloom is a larger version of okra, cotton or hollyhocks which are also members of the mallow family.  The flowers are usually white or pink, but may be a pale yellow.  All have a red or maroon center and a projecting column of stamens.  Many cultivars are available at nurseries, with color variations.

“Hibiscus” is the Greek name for mallow, and “moscheutos” means “scented like the musk rose”.  Many of the hibiscus are called “marshmallow” because of their family relationship to Althaea officinalis, a plant introduced from Europe from which marshmallows were made (now produced from corn syrup and gelatin).

In folk medicine, a poultice of the leaves and roots was used on breast tumors and for gastrointestinal, lung, and bladder problems, as it produces a locally soothing effect.

Rose-mallow grows in all regions of Virginia, and is found in the coastal plain.  The plant prefers full sun, and moist to average soil, but will tolerate clay soil.  Propagation by seed is easiest, as division requires a cleaver or machete and a person with a strong back.

Many species of butterflies and hummingbirds seek nectar from hibiscus.  Rose-mallow is deer resistant.

Helen Hamilton

ELDERBERRY

Sambucus canadensis

Photo by Helen Hamilton

July 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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July 2008

Wildflower of the Month

ELDERBERRY

Sambucus canadensis

A large, sprawling shrub growing 5-12 feet tall, elderberry or American elder is a showy ornamental ideal for the garden, producing attractive flowers and berries all season long.  It will tolerate a wide range of soils, but prefers moist, humusy soils in full sun to part shade.  The yellow compound leaves turn golden in the fall, if planted in full sun.  The plant will spread by root suckers to form colonies, so is best massed in naturalized areas or in shrub borders, roadside plantings, or as a screen, particularly in wet or low areas.  Elderberry is found in all counties of Virginia, and is native throughout eastern U.S. and south to Mexico.

Large, flat-topped clusters of fragrant, star-shaped white flowers appear in June through July and are followed by clusters of reddish-purple to black, berry-like fruits (drupes) in late summer to fall.  Ripe fruits are eaten by 43 species of birds, including pheasant, mourning dove, and wild turkey.

In West Virginia, concentrated fruit syrup is made as a wintertime remedy for colds and flu.   Studies in Israel and Germany reinforce the fruit extracts for treatment of colds and flu.  The bark, root, leaves and unripe berries are toxic, producing hydrocyanic acid, which causes cyanide poisoning and severe diarrhea.  The fruits are edible when cooked, and may be used to make preserves, jellies, pies and wine.  The flowers, not toxic, can be eaten in pancakes and fritters.

Helen Hamilton

BUTTERFLY WEED

 Asclepias tuberosa

Photo by Helen Hamilton

June 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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Asclepias tuberosa

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June 2008

Wildflower of the Month

BUTTERFLY WEED

 Asclepias tuberosa

Butterfly weed is a favorite food source for both adult and larva forms of the Monarch butterfly, which is reason enough for adding this species to your garden!  Definitely not a weed, this 2-foot tall, sturdy plant bears wide, flat-topped clusters of vibrant orange all summer.  Other butterflies such as tiger, spicebush, eastern black and pipevine swallowtails and the giant sulphur also love the nectar.  Bees use the plant for a food source and are important pollinators.

Beware of planting the popular “butterfly bush” – Buddleja [Buddleia] sp.  While this shrub attracts many butterflies, it is non-native and on the noxious weed list in several states.  Buddleja has a tendency to spread and can become invasive, out competing native plants.  Further, as with many nectar-producing plants, the adult butterflies must find other sources of food for their eggs and growing larva.

Cut off the flower heads before setting seed and a second bloom will result. In autumn, the seedpods break open to release ranks of seeds, each with a powder-puff of silky threads which the wind carries to new locations. 

Because of their long taproots, butterfly weed should only be moved when a young plant.  Once established, you can forget most care because this plant is extremely drought-resistant.  It will do well in ordinary well-drained garden soil, poor or rich, in sun or shade, forming vigorous clumps.

Helen Hamilton

FOAMFLOWER

Tiarella cordifolia

Photo by Helen Hamilton

May 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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Tiarella cordifolia

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May 2008

Wildflower of the Month

FOAMFLOWER

Tiarella cordifolia

A very pretty flower, with a light, airy character, foamflower blooms across Virginia from April through July, in habitat simulating its native moist woods.  It can tolerate sun to shade, but needs moisture and rich, loamy soil.  Using a few rocks at the site helps to maintain cool roots.  If the plant appreciates its site, there will soon be a colony of foamflowers thanks to wandering rhizomes.   A perennial with maple-like leaves, in the spring the flowers bloom in a spike up to six inches long on a leafless stalk up to 14 inches high. 

Foamflower makes a great groundcover for the shade garden.  The white flower spikes are pyramidal and float above the leaves, which are mostly clustered at the base of the plant. When planted in mass it resembles a sea of foam.  This semi-evergreen perennial has great fall interest when its leaves have turned to burgundy hues. Plant it in moist shade with ferns and colorful counterparts such as cardinal flower, geranium, phlox, fire pink, celandine poppy and crested iris.

In the 1850s, country people used its leaves for healing purposes, placing them on scalds and burns.   The Shakers prepared the herb for sale as a diuretic and tonic.  Native Americans prepared a tea for use as a mouthwash and treatment of eye discomforts.

The genus name is Latin for “little tiara”, referring to the shape of the fruit and the species name refers to the heart-shaped leaf base.

In Virginia, foamflower is well-represented in the mountain provinces and adjacent Piedmont. It has been documented only from James City Co. in the coastal plain, where it grows along creek banks in deep ravines.     

Helen Hamilton

GOLDEN RAGWORT

Senecio aureus

Photo by Phillip Merritt

April 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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Senecio aureus

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April 2008

Wildflower of the Month

GOLDEN RAGWORT

Senecio aureus

Golden ragwort is a welcome sign of spring, covering swampy areas with bright yellow from mid-March through early summer.  The buds are purple, and open to display yellow disc and ray flowers, unusual for the genus Asteraceae, where the rays are white.  Growing naturally in bogs, wet woods, floodplains and meadows in eastern North America, golden ragwort thrives in acid, rich soil, zones 3 to 9.  It will also grow in drier soils.  The plant can be aggressive, and will grow under trees where nothing else thrives.

A smooth perennial growing from one to three feet tall, the long-stalked leaves are deeply cut.  When the blossoms are gone, the heart-shaped basal leaves spread to form a nice groundcover, persisting over most of the winter in the south.   Butterflies love the nectar.  Propagation is by seed and division.

The genus name “Senecio” for “old man” refers to the hoariness of many species or the white hairs around the flower buds, and the species name for its golden flower.  “Ragwort” means a plant with ragged leaves, and “wort” is an Old “English word for “plant”. 

Also known as “squaw-weed”, the plant was used in Aboriginal medicine to control bleeding, and for various forms of uterine trouble.

Helen Hamilton

RED MAPLE (female)

Acer rubrum

Photo by Helen Hamilton

March 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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Acer rubrum

RED MAPLE (male)

Acer rubrum

Photo by Helen Hamilton

February 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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March 2008

Wildflower of the Month

RED MAPLE

Acer rubrum

Truly a spectacular sight in winter – long whips of red berries against a white background, or any place where a spot of bright red is welcome.  This holly loses its leaves in late fall and until eaten by songbirds, the sharp red

One of the first signs of spring is the red haze over the bare limbs of our local maple trees.  This would be the male and female flowers of red maple.   Typical of many species, the male flowers appear first as a yellowish pink, closely followed by the darker pink blossoms of the female trees.  When fertilized, the familiar maple “keys” form and drop from the twigs like miniature helicopters.

Red maple is a medium-sized tree with smooth gray young trunk bark and broken darker older bark.   The highly variable leaves have 3 to 5 lobes and are whitened underneath.   It is aptly named, as its flowers, petioles, twigs and seeds are all red to varying degrees.  However, this tree is most well known for its brilliant deep scarlet foliage in autumn.   Many cultivars are available with varying shades of red and leaf shapes.

One of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern North America, red maple ranges from Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and southwest to Texas.  Usually occurring in low, wet sites, this tree is adaptable to a very wide range of site conditions.  It can be found growing in swamps, on poor dry soils, and most anywhere in between. 

Red maple will tolerate some air pollution and is easy to transplant.  With striking fall foliage and pleasing form, it is often used as a shade tree for landscapes.  Maple syrup and lumber production occur on a small scale from red maple.

This is the State Tree of Rhode Island.

Helen Hamilton

WINTERBERRY

Ilex verticillata

Photo by Phillip Merritt

February 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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Ilex verticillata

February 2008

Wildflower of the Month

WINTERBERRY

Ilex verticillata

Truly a spectacular sight in winter – long whips of red berries against a white background, or any place where a spot of bright red is welcome.  This holly loses its leaves in late fall and until eaten by songbirds, the sharp red berries are a standout in the winter landscape.  Winterberry likes soil somewhat wet and grows to 15 feet tall.  It does well in light shade to full sun.  Tiny white flowers appear in June, hidden among rich green leaves with coarse teeth. 

Helen Hamilton

WITCHHAZEL

Hamamelis virginiana

Photo by Helen Hamilton

January 2008 Wildflower of the Month

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January 2008

Wildflower of the Month

WITCHHAZEL

Hamamelis virginiana

A crooked, multi-trunked, low-branching shrub or small tree, 15-20 feet tall, witchhazel is grown mostly for its winter flowers.  Common witchhazel blooms after the leaves fall, usually in deep winter.  Depending upon the location, blooming occurs November through February.  The strap-like yellow blossoms are often the only color in a snowy landscape.  Vernal witchhazel, Hamamelis vernalis, produces coral flowers in February. 

Witchhazel leaves are aromatic, and in the fall show yellow, orange or purple colors.  This plant likes rich, acid soil and moist to dry drainage.  Seeds are eaten by ruffed grouse and squirrels.  Witchhazel is pollinated by winter moths that fly when temperatures are above freezing.  Leaf litter protects the moths during cold nights.

A widely used medicinal herb, the North American Indians used witchhazel bark to heal wounds, treat tumors and for eye problems.  The bark is astringent and hemostatic; a homeopathic remedy is made from fresh bark and used to treat nosebleeds, hemorrhoids and varicose veins.  The bottled witchhazel is a steam distillate, used as an external application to bruises, sore muscles, and inflammations.

Helen Hamilton

VIRGINIA CREEPER

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Photo by Helen Hamilton

December 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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Parthenocissus quinquefolia

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December 2007

Wildflower of the Month

VIRGINIA CREEPER

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Virginia creeper is often confused with poison ivy which has three leaflets.  The species name quinquefolia refers to its five palmately compound leaflets.  A vigorous climber, the stems’ aerial rootlets have disks that fasten onto wood or masonry.  Trimming is necessary to keep it away from windows and roofs. 

A member of the grape (Vitaceae) family, this native perennial woody vine is found in mature forests in nearly every county of Virginia.

The flowers, which appear in late spring, are tiny and inconspicuous.  But all spring and summer the vine is covered with bright green leaves.  In late summer the leaves turn brilliantly red, and the blue-black “berries” (drupes) are fed upon by a wide variety of songbirds during fall and winter. 

Virginia creeper also functions as an important groundcover, especially in post oak woods.  It grows well in any soil, including slightly salty, moist to dry, and prefers part shade. 

Helen Hamilton

GROUNDSEL TREE

Baccharis halimifolia

Photo by Helen Hamilton

November 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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Baccharis halimifolia

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November 2007

Wildflower of the Month

GROUNDSEL TREE

Baccharis halimifolia

The groundsel tree, also known as sea-myrtle or silverling, has silky white tufts which appear on the female shrub in late summer.  Earlier, the male shrub was covered with small golden flowers which disappear as the female tree produces the cottony fruit.  The long white tufts help the seeds disperse by wind.

A small upright shrub, growing to 15 feet, groundsel tree has numerous branches forming a rounded crown.  Tolerant of drought, heat, and salt spray, this is a plant of coastal areas, along with marsh elder (Iva frutescens) to form the “saltbush zone” on the margin of marshes.  The shrub will grow in poor soils and wet sites.   In Virginia, groundsel tree is found only in the eastern counties.

Leaves are alternate, wedge-shaped and semi-evergreen, with a few coarse teeth.   Twigs are green and angled.  While the leaves do not change color in the fall, the striking silvery appearance of the female plant persists into winter, as the colors goldenrods and other fall flowers fade. 

Groundsel tree is called oil-willow because in Texas oil has been found by drilling in the areas where these bushes are abundant.  Early in South Carolina, the plant was used as a palliative in consumption and cough, and known as “consumption-weed.”

Helen Hamilton

SWITCHGRASS/PANIC-GRASS

Panicum spp., 'Dallas Blue'

Photo by Helen Hamilton

October 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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Panicum spp.

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October 2007

Wildflower of the Month

SWITCHGRASS/PANIC-GRASS

Panicum spp.

These native clump-forming grasses are in full bloom in October, with showy loose flower clusters.  Like all grasses, they are deer resistant.  Switchgrass was one of the dominant species of the tallgrass prairie that once blanketed the middle of the continent.   As such, this North American native is extremely easy to grow and is well adapted to the vagaries of our climate, tolerating both wet and dry sites.  Switchgrass will withstand poor drainage and flooding, so it makes a great erosion control, and can tolerate salt spray. 

Growing 3 to 7 feet tall in narrow, erect clumps, these sturdy plants can screen undesirable views.  They also add rich, long-lasting fall color and winter interest to perennial borders.   This grass is simply magnificent in the fall after a touch of frost, and the seedheads make great additions to dried bouquets.

Many cultivars can be found in local nurseries.  The shortest and most colorful is the 3-foot tall ‘Shenandoah’ with reddish leaves and stems; other red cultivars have originated in Germany, with foliage from orange-red to deep burgundy.

‘Heavy Metal” grows in a straight stunning column of metallic blue foliage and yellow fall color, maintaining its form all winter.  The seed heads of ‘Dallas Blue’ are a feathery, powder blue that is stunning against pine woodlands or a white fence.

As a perennial, when switchgrasses are planted in the fall, they can make root growth over the winter, and form nice growth the first year.  Subsequent years will see an increase in the height and width of the plant.  In March when the new growth appears, the tan stems and leaves can be cut off, and left as mulch around the plant.

Helen Hamilton

JOE-PYE-WEED

Eupatoriadelphus (Eupatorium) spp.

Photo by Jan Newton

September 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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Eupatoriadelphus (Eupatorium) spp.

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September 2007

Wildflower of the Month

JOE-PYE-WEED

Eupatoriadelphus (Eupatorium) spp.

These tall, majestic plants are real butterfly magnets.  Blooming in late summer until frost, they range from 3 to 10 feet tall with dense heads of fluffy pinkish flowers that are usually covered with butterflies, bees, beetles and wasps, all feeding and pollinating.  When in flower, Joe-Pye-weeds can be the star of the garden, but a little rough for a formal garden.  These plants can grow very large and are great in a wild garden, or placed to the rear or where a strong accent is needed.

Joe-Pye-weeds are meadow plants; most require full sun, acid, rich soil and moist drainage, although some can tolerate shade, less moisture, coastal conditions and clay soil. Clump-forming, they will not form extensive drifts.  

The genus Eupatorium was name for Eupator, king of Parthia, 120-63 B.C. who was supposed to have discovered the medicinal virtues of these plants.  “Joe-Pye Weed” comes from a tale about a North American Indian called Joe Pye, who walked the streets of Boston, selling a cure for typhus, using an elixir of this plant to induce profuse sweating, thus breaking the fever (although this story is in some doubt among authors).

Several species are called Joe-Pye-weed.   Leaves of the Joe-Pye-weeds are lance-shaped to ovate (E. dubium), toothed, and generally in whorls of 3-6.  Generally, the flower cluster of Joe-Pye-weeds is rounded on top.  

Helen Hamilton

CARDINAL FLOWER

Lobelia cardinalis

Photo by Helen Hamilton

August 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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August 2007

Wildflower of the Month

CARDINAL FLOWER

Lobelia cardinalis

One of the most spectacular and beloved of all our wildflower species, cardinal flower was named for its resemblance to the intense red worn by cardinals of the Catholic Church.  Each flower is about one and a half inches long, with the lower lip of each flower divided into three spreading lobes while the upper lip is two-lobed.  The blossom is unusual among our native wildflowers, producing a true red color.  The flowers are sources of nectar to butterflies and attract hummingbirds which are the principal pollinators.

Cardinal flower needs moist rich soil.  While it will tolerate average garden soil and moderate moisture, it loves to have its roots bathed in the wet, and will grow taller with optimum conditions.  However, only one blooming stalk will develop per plant, so they should be clustered together.  In rich soil with lots of water, as many as 50 flowers will bloom on each stalk.  Planted with a continual source of water, such as a little stream in the garden, and plenty of mulched organic material, cardinal flower will bloom from midsummer to frost.

Although neat gardeners like to remove the spent stalks, always leave at least one to set seed and self-sow.  Then in the fall or early spring, transplant the seedlings to new sites.

A relative, the blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), is an even bigger favorite of the hummingbirds; it grows where conditions are a little drier.  Red cardinal flower can be planted at a pond’s edge, while blue lobelia thrives a little distance from the edge of a pond. 

The brilliant red flower was one of the first plants sent back to France by the French colonists.  It has been reported that “The root has been chiefly employed in decoction by the Cherokee Indians in syphilis and against worms.”  But be careful – the plant can be deadly!  It contains at least fourteen alkaloids similar to those found in nicotine, and can cause vomiting, sweating, pain, and death.

Helen Hamilton

BLACK-EYED SUSAN

Rudbeckia hirta L.

Photo by Phillip Merritt

July 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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July 2007

Wildflower of the Month

BLACK-EYED SUSAN

Rudbeckia hirta L.

Would you like to see flocks of goldfinches in your garden?  Growing Black-eyed Susans is a sure guarantee of their presence.  One author says they are as American as hot dogs, root beer, and the dog days of summer.  Goldfinches love the brown-black centers and will feed on the seed heads long after the yellow rays have fallen.    This biennial or short-lived perennial sometimes blooms the first year and drops so many seeds that you never know where it will come up next year.  A close relative, Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida), behaves better for those who want a more orderly garden.  

Black-eyed Susan usually grows 2-3 feet tall.  It is a tough, drought-resistant species that revels in full sun and seems to bloom forever.   It works well with ornamental grasses either in the formal border or the wild garden.  This workhorse species ranges throughout the eastern U.S.

The genus name honors Olaf Rudbeck (1660-1740), and his son, both professors of botany at Upsala University in Sweden.  Species names often describe characteristics of the plant:  hirta means “hairy”, referring to the stems and leaves, fulgida indicates the shining and brightly colored flowers.  Many cultivars are available; ‘Goldstrum’, 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year, has large golden-yellow flower heads 3-5 inches across, blooming on 2-foot high stems.

Helen Hamilton

SUNDROPS

Oenothera fruticosa

Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)

Photo by Helen Hamilton

June 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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June 2007

Wildflower of the Month

SUNDROPS

Oenothera fruticosa

Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae)

This bright little early summer plant blooms in the morning and closes in the evening.  It is one of those “pass-alongs”—perennials that are easy for everyone to grow and so get passed from one garden to another.  The 2-inch four-petaled flowers are lemon yellow, start to appear in early June and will continue blooming until August; they look marvelous planted with orange butterfly weed and dark-blue spiderwort. 

The scientific name of the family is derived from onager, the Greek word for wild ass, beasts who threw stones with their hind legs when agitated.  In ancient times, a stone-throwing catapult became known as an onager.  The biennial sundrop flings its seeds far and wide.  The genus name Oenothera comes from a Greek word meaning wine, since extracts from the roots of some members of this family were combined with wines.

Sundrops prefer moist, well-drained soil in full to part sun.  Colonies of the basal rosettes will eventually form colonies. 

Helen Hamilton

JAMESTOWN (ATAMASCO) LILY

Zephyranthes atamasca

Photo by Helen Hamilton

May 2007 Wildflower of the Month

 2007 VNPS Wildflower of the Year

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May 2007

Wildflower of the Month

JAMESTOWN (ATAMASCO) LILY

Zephyranthes atamasca

Found in most of the counties in Virginia, and widely distributed across eastern and central U.S., this bright little plant often grows in lawns that are not mowed too often nor too high.  While Virginia Tech lists this violet as “primarily a weed of turfgrass and landscapes”, their deep purple-blue color is a welcome sign of spring. 

Jamestown lilies were among the first of many beautiful wildflowers to be noticed by the Jamestown colonists.  A writer in 1629 reports:  “The Indians in Virginia do call it Attamusco, some among us do call it Lilionarcissus Virginianus, because of the likeness of the flower to a Lilly (sic), and the leaves and root to a Daffodil.”  The Indian name refers to the location of the bulb under grass-like leaves. The genus name comes from the Greek, zephyros, meaning west wind, a reference to their origin in the Western Hemisphere from which they were first introduced to European gardeners in the 1800's.

Many species of Zephyranthes live in dry regions where they emerge from dormancy and quickly burst into bloom after infrequent heavy rainstorms.  Hence, other common names are “rain lily”, “fairy lily”, and “zephyr lily”.  With a flower form like a trumpet, an alternative common name is “Easter lily”, although it is not closely related to the Easter lily of florist shops.  A member of the amaryllis family, the Jamestown lily is related to the familiar daffodils, amaryllis, and snowdrops. 

The bulb may have been used medically by some southern Native American tribes for toothache but all parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten.  It is also called “stagger lily” because horses eating the leaves or bulbs succumb to a cerebrospinal disease. 

The fragrant flowers are white with a yellowish center, growing and may reach a length of 12-18 inches long.  They grow well in shade to part shade to full sun, preferring a low, damp location.  Rafts of these lovely white lilies announce the arrival of spring in moist open woodlands, meadows and along country roads throughout the southeastern U.S. from Virginia to Mississippi and the northern half of Florida.  Another of its habitats is on low ground adjacent to brackish marshes, such as at Jamestown Island.

Jamestown lily is hardy in zones 7-10.  To propagate, divide the small bulblets from the mother bulb. The seeds can be planted as soon as they ripen, and will germinate quickly, but it will be 2-3 years before seedling plants produce their first flowers. Jamestown lilies look best in masses. They can be grown right in the lawn where they will rise and flower in early spring before you have to begin mowing the grass, or in a woodland garden.

Helen Hamilton

COMMON BLUE VIOLET

Viola sororia

Photo by Helen Hamilton

April 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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April 2007

Wildflower of the Month

COMMON BLUE VIOLET

Viola sororia

Found in most of the counties in Virginia, and widely distributed across eastern and central U.S., this bright little plant often grows in lawns that are not mowed too often nor too high.  While Virginia Tech lists this violet as “primarily a weed of turfgrass and landscapes”, their deep purple-blue color is a welcome sign of spring. 

The flowers and leaves are on separate stems, all growing no more than 8 inches tall.  Only a few insects visit the flowers which are self-pollinating.  However, the caterpillars of fritillary butterflies feed on the leaves.

Spreading easily by rhizomes and seeds, many gardeners use this common blue violet as groundcover.  The plant distributes seeds by mechanical ejection from the three-parted seed capsules, immediately after flowering.  Zillions of tiny, heart-shaped leaves appear only weeks later, radiating out from the mother plant. 

Common blue violet prefers partial sun or light shade and moist to average conditions.  The soil should be a rich silty loam or clay loam with above average amounts of organic matter.  The flowers and young leaves of violets are edible, and can be added to salads in small amounts. The taste is bland.

There are several forms of Viola sororia with differently colored flowers; these often grow in close proximity to each other in a given area.  A variety with whitish petals and violet markings is known as Confederate Violet.  Common blue violet is the state flower of New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island & Wisconsin.

Helen Hamilton

BLOODROOT

Sanguinaria canadensis

Photo by Helen Hamilton

March 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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March 2007

Wildflower of the Month

BLOODROOT

Sanguinaria canadensis

Bloodroot is one of the earliest, and most interesting, flowers in the spring.   Sometime in March, a brown tip emerges from the soil with a leaf inside wrapped around the stalk.  Delicate white flowers appear above the still-folded leaf.  Sometimes two flowering stems will sprout from only one underground stem (rhizome).  After the flower is done, the petals drop and the leaf with 5-7 wavy lobes slowly opens.  Once expanded, the bright green heavily veined leaf shades the developing fruit.  The appearance and actions of the leaf are as interesting as the satiny white flower petals.

Bloodroot is named for the red juice that can be extracted from the rhizome.  The root juice or powdered root can destroy tissues and has been used to treat skin conditions such as ringworm, warts, fungal growth, etc.  Researchers are investigating the root’s value in cancer treatment.  An extract has long been used in toothpaste and mouthwash to fight plaque and gingivitis, a use now sanctioned by USFDA.  Native Americans used the juice as war paint and to dye fabrics.

Bloodroot is found in moist but well-drained woodland soil in all but a few counties in the state of Virginia.  Populations of bloodroot are somewhat limited to soils containing high amounts of calcium from fossil shells.   Growing 6-8 inches tall in part shade, this plant is one of the spring ephemerals, appearing for only a short time in early spring.  Bloodroot will self-sow to form larger colonies each year.  The plant goes dormant in mid-summer, and is a good companion to ferns which emerge later in the spring.

The range of bloodroot extends throughout the mid to eastern states.

Helen Hamilton

SKUNK CABBAGE

Symplocarpus foetidus

Photo by William S. Justice

(courtesy of USDA -Plants Database)

February 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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February 2007

Wildflower of the Month

SKUNK CABBAGE

Symplocarpus foetidus

One of the few plants blooming in February, skunk cabbage is well-named because all parts, when crushed, smell of skunk.  Children love to be repulsed by this plant!   Growing in swamps and moist low ground, the flowers appear first, in a knob-shaped cluster inside a purple-brown and green mottled hood 2-5 inches long.  The flowers generate enough heat to melt the surrounding snow.  Biologists have found the flowers produce warmth over a period of 12-14 days, remaining an average of 36 degrees F about the outside air temperature, day or night.  Like a warm-blooded animal, they can regulate their warmth.  The heat and foul smell attract the first pollinating insects of the year (usually flies).

The large oval leaves resemble cabbage.  They unfold after the plant blooms, and can grow 3-4 feet long.   By mid-May a wetland can be covered with skunk cabbage leaf rosettes.  By June the leaves begin to decay; since the plant forms no woody fibers, a large part of the leaf and stem is water, and the leaves simply dissolve.   By mid-June the fruit heads are roundish balls, wine-red, about two inches in diameter.  In August the fruit head falls apart, leaving seeds on the ground to be eaten, to decompose, or to germinate.

By the end of summer no trace of the plant is left, but a fully-grown skunk cabbage has a massive root system, with several years’ reproductive parts partially formed within.   Skunk cabbage is widely distributed in the state of Virginia, its range extending to Georgia and West Virginia.   A truly remarkable, unusual plant!

Helen Hamilton

YAUPON HOLLY

Ilex vomitoria

Photo by Phillip Merritt

January 2007 Wildflower of the Month

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January 2007

Wildflower of the Month

YAUPON HOLLY

Ilex vomitoria

This native evergreen shrub or small tree may be oval to rounded in shape and single-stemmed or clump-forming.  Yaupon can form dense screens of foliage and the female plant produces outstanding berries.  The leaves are small, dark green and glossy with wavy edges.  The fine-textured foliage makes it a perfect screen or tall hedge to contrast with bold plants. 

From late summer through winter the graceful branches are lined with copious scarlet berries.  Plant the female in a sunny location for good fruit production; the male trees can go in dark spots where you need foliage to fill in blank spaces.  While male and female plants are needed for fruit set, this species is cross-fertile with other hollies. 

Cold-tolerant, yaupon is widely tolerant of soil types and moisture levels, as well as salt and pollution.  This holly grows in any soil, and likes full sun or partial shade.  From coastal Virginia west to Missouri, south to Florida and Texas, yaupon grows in low woodland edges, fields and marshy spots.

A strong medicinal “black drink” once brewed by Native Americans is believed to have been of yaupon leaves.  The caffeine-containing dried leaves reportedly make a desirable tea.  Seeds are eaten by cedar waxwing, mockingbird and other songbirds after several freeze-thaw cycles.

The species name “vomitoria” refers to the emetic qualities of the fruits.  

Helen Hamilton                             

 2006

BAYBERRY, WAX MYRTLE

Myrica cerifera

Photo by Helen Hamilton

December 2006 Wildflower of the Month

NORTHERN WAX MYRTLE

Myrica pensylvanica

Photo by Helen Hamilton

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December 2006

Wildflower of the Month

BAYBERRY, WAX MYRTLE

Myrica cerifera

For fast, easy-care screening in southern gardens, wax myrtle is unbeatable.  This shrub or small tree is nonfussy and fast growing, and has attractive light olive-green, fragrant foliage.  To get a soft, natural look, plant the shrubs in a random, nonlinear pattern.  Or prune to encourage dense foliage and to create wildlife-friendly screens and hedges, providing food and shelter for wildlife.  It is winter-hardy and usually evergreen.

Flowers are tiny, before the leaves appear.  In the fall, pale blue, waxy berries appear on female trees which are eaten by a wide variety of birds, many of whom require the fat as fuel for migrations.  The wax was a source for the colonists’ bayberry candles.

Like legumes, wax myrtle fixes atmospheric nitrogen and so is able to thrive in infertile soils. The aromatic compounds present in wax myrtle foliage seem to repel insects, particularly fleas.  It was traditionally planted around southern homes to help keep living spaces pest free.  A sprig of wax myrtle in a closet or drawer is reputed to keep cockroaches out!

Wax myrtle grows in acid to neutral soil, which is wet to dry – easily adaptable to many different home landscapes.  This Virginia native is a dependable shrub found growing wild in southeastern U.S. pinewoods, swamps and bogs.  Relatives are northern wax myrtle, Myrica pensylvanica, which is deciduous and prefers soil that is somewhat drier.  Black bayberry, Myrica heterophylla, has black-hairy twigs and leathery, evergreen leaves.

Helen Hamilton

PURPLE MUHLY GRASS,

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Photo by Jan Newton

November 2006 Wildflower of the Month

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November 2006

Wildflower of the Month

PURPLE MUHLY GRASS

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Few plants rival the breathtaking beauty of purple muhly in the fall -- clouds of purple wisps waving in the autumn sun.  From March until mid August, the thin spiky blades add interesting contrast to broad-leaved blooming perennials and annuals and evergreen shrubs.  In early fall, the seed heads begin to form where the blade bends at a right angle, and by the end of September, the tip of each blossoms into a 10 x 6-inch filmy purple haze.  

In winter the purple stems and seed heads dim to tan, providing a lovely contrast to evergreens.   Cut back the stems in March, when the new growth emerges, and drop the spent blades as mulch and groundcover.

Muhly grass is tough and loves the heat; many nurseries are now offering this plant for sale.

This grass is a native of moist pine barrens near the Atlantic coast and parts of Mississippi and Texas.  In Virginia it will grow in full sun or light shade and prefers well-drained soil.

The genus was named in homage to G.H.E. Muhlenberg, a self-taught botanist of the 18th century, called by his contemporaries the American Linnaeus.  “Capillaris” means “hair-like or delicate”, referring to the tufted purple flowers.

Helen Hamilton

MARYLAND GOLDEN ASTER

Photo by Phillip Merritt

October 2006 Wildflower of the Month

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October 2006

Wildflower of the Month

Maryland Golden Aster

Chrysopsis mariana

Maryland golden aster has a rosette appearance until late summer when it sends up 12"-16" stems displaying clusters of 1-inch, golden yellow, daisy-like flowers.  The stems and leaves are cobwebby-hairy early, but later become smooth.  Maryland gold aster has a whitened midline on the upper surface of its leaves, making it distinguishable before it flowers from other herbaceous species with similarly-shaped leaves.  It is drought tolerant and easy to grow.  It grows well in full sun with dry, poor soil and can also handle light shade.  One of the reasons Maryland golden aster is not classified as a true aster (genus Aster) is because its ray flowers are yellow, rather than white, pink, blue, or purple like true asters.  Maryland golden aster can be found from S. New York to Ohio and E. Kentucky, and south to Florida and Texas.

IRONWEED

Vernonia spp.

Photo by Helen Hamilton

September 2006 Wildflower of the Month

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September 2006

Wildflower of the Month

IRONWEED

Vernonia spp.

These are handsome plants of imposing stature and marvelous floral color.  Hardy from Maine to north Florida, ironweed is found in all regions of Virginia   The tall stems grow three to ten feet tall, and maintain an upright posture throughout the fall.  Leaves are lance-shaped and finely toothed.  Blooming August-October, the brilliant, deep purple flowers are powerful butterfly magnets, especially attracting the tiger swallowtail.

Ironweeds are usually found in moist or wet areas of fields and stream banks.  In the home garden, place them in the wild garden or back of a designed border.

Some explanations of the common name:  one refers to the difficulty of pulling the plant up by the roots – battling a plant with a will of iron; another refers to the plant doing well in areas of old fires, especially with rusted metal nearby; or the “iron” could describe the tall and sturdy stems.  The genus was named for William Vernon, an English botanist who collected in Maryland in the late 1600s.

Helen Hamilton

MEADOW BEAUTY

Rhexia mariana; R. virginica

Photo by Helen Hamilton

August 2006 Wildflower of the Month

MEADOW BEAUTY (Seed Pods)

Rhexia mariana; R. virginica

Photo by Denise Greene

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August 2006

Wildflower of the Month

MEADOW BEAUTY

Rhexia mariana, R. virginica

Meadow beauties bloom profusely from June to September on sunny, moist roadsides, and in ditches, seeps, and boggy spots.  Their four-petaled flowers range in color from almost white to deep pink and bear prominent curved yellow anthers.  The leaves are distinctive, too, because the main veins are parallel to one another.  Although found in wet acidic spots in the wild, this low-growing plant does well in an average soil that is irrigated during extreme drought. Even after its long bloom season ends, the plant remains attractive as the numerous urn-shaped seed pods retain their rosy color.

Rhexia is the only genus of the mostly tropical Melastoma  [Melastomataceae] family north of South Florida.  Six species are found in eastern Virginia, but R. mariana and R. virginica are the most widespread.  Rhexia mariana is blooming in the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and along the ditches of the entrance roadway.  Its flower is paler in color than that of Rhexia virginica, which has vivid rose-purple petals and conspicuously winged stems.  

Rhexia virginica is available for sale at Sassafras Farm in Gloucester, the Colonial Nursery on Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg and at the Virginia Living Museum's Fall Wildflower Sale.  It is the hardier of the two species although both are found in our area. It over winters as a tuber-bearing rootstock.

Helen Hamilton

BLAZING STAR, GAYFEATHER

Liatris spp.

Photo by Helen Hamilton

July 2006 Wildflower of the Month

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July 2006

Wildflower of the Month

BLAZING STAR, GAYFEATHER

Liatris spp.

Blazing Star is a tall and stately plant for bed or border, attractive to the three B’s:  birds, butterflies (especially swallowtails), and bees.  The flowers, unlike most plants, bloom from the top down.  Usually growing 1-2 feet tall, some species and cultivars reach 5 feet.  The tubular florets range from pink-purple to white; stems are covered with narrow, thin leaves.

Remember to provide full sun and well-drained garden soil; Blazing Star cannot adapt to wet earth.  Blooming in summer to early autumn, these plants look fantastic combined with Butterfly weed or Orange Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and ornamental grasses.  Cultivars available in nurseries usually bloom in midsummer. 

In sandy soils of dry, open woods, especially among pines, you will find Grass-leaved Blazing Star (Liatris graminifolia).  It is the only species of blazing star known to occur natively on the Middle Neck and the Peninsula. Give it rich organic matter and too much water, and its upright posture becomes floppy.  Sessile Blazing Star (L. spicata) grows in wet meadows and other moist habitats in counties south of the James River.  This species is more robust than grass-leaved Blazing Star and is used more often in cultivation. 

Helen Hamilton

WILD BLUE INDIGO

Photo by Helen Hamilton

June 2006 Wildflower of the Month

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June 2006

Wildflower of the Month

WILD BLUE INDIGO

A member of the pea family, this 2-3 foot tall spring-blooming legume does well in sun or shade, moderately well in poor soil and are excellent for holding banks in check and general erosion control.

The genus name comes from “bapto”, meaning “to dye” – early settlers thought these plants could substitute for the indigo dye from another genus, which was poisonous.  Unfortunately, the color provided by baptisias wasn’t fast and quickly washed out.

Helen Hamilton

WILD COLUMBINE

Aquilegia canadensis

Photo by Helen Hamilton

May 2006 Wildflower of the Month

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May 2006

Wildflower of the Month

WILD COLUMBINE

Aquilegia canadensis

VIRGINIA BLUEBELLS

Mertensia virginica

Photo by Helen Hamilton

April 2006 Wildflower of the Month

April 2006

Wildflower of the Month

VIRGINIA BLUEBELLS, VIRGINIA COWSLIP

Mertensia virginica

This beautiful spring wildflower produces funnel-form pendant flowers that begin as pink but turn blue as the flowers open.  The genus is named in honor of F.K. Mertens, a professor of botany at Bremen, and the species honors Virginia. 

Early on this lovely flower made the trip to Europe, where it quickly became a regular in English gardens.  William Robinson, writing in “The English Flower”:  “…handsomest of all is the Virginia cowslip.  It is a charming old garden plant, and one which unfortunately has never become common.”

These plants are spring ephemerals, dying back by the end of June.  Plant something like turtleheads (Chelone glabra) or native ferns to take over after the bluebells fade.

The leaves are large, entire, and alternate which disappear in fall and winter.  Propagation is by seed or division after the flowers fade, but do so before the leaves disappear entirely, or you won’t find the roots.

Natural range is New York to Michigan, and south to Alabama and Missouri.  It is a plant of Virginia’s mountain and piedmont areas, rather than coastal regions, so it must be given a moist, shady environment.

Helen Hamilton