Tag Archives: Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty)

3-31-24: First Wildflower Walk of 2024…

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. We finally had a good soaking on Monday! Lighting, thunder, and lots of rain! The rain gauge said 1 3/4″ in the end.

I went Moral mushroom hunting on Saturday and found around 20, but most of them were on the small side so I left them behind. I found a few that were big enough to fill a 9″ skillet.

Then on Sunday, the day before it rained, I went to my friend Kevin’s secluded woods to look around. I didn’t go in 2023, so I was glad to get back in the woods again. This woodland isn’t really that secluded since it is along the highway, but it is very healthy. Normally, the creek is running but it was mostly dry this time. This rain will get it going and likely wash out a few areas along the hillside. Even though 1 3/4″ doesn’t sound like that much, a little goes a long way in a downpour when the water is going down a steep hillside.

Cardamine concatenata (Cut-Leaved Toothwort) on 3-31-24, #981-1.

There were A LOT of Cardamine concatenata (Cut-Leaved Toothwort) growing on the hillside along the creek. Many were blooming quite well, while even more hadn’t started yet. Most of the flowers were wide open this time.

Cardamine concatenata (Cut-Leaved Toothwort) on 3-31-24, #981-2.

I need to go back to the woods to get photos when they set fruit, dry, and split… I have to replace the ones I borrowed. 🙂

Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty) on 3-31-24, #981-3.

There were loads of Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty) in several areas along the creek and on the hillside in Kevin’s woods. In 2020 I found a single plant growing close to the fence in the southeast pasture (where I live), and about 20 feet away there A LOT more.

Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty) on 3-31-24, #981-5.

Then in 2022, I found hundreds in Kevin’s woods… And again in 2024.

Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s Breeches) on 3-31-24, #981-11.

The Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s Breeches) were just as plentiful as the Cardamine cucullaria and they grow together in many areas. I am going out later to dissect a flower because they are very interesting… Not only do the flowers have nectar glands in a weird place, but the seeds have masses of elaiosomes which ants use as food. They carry the seeds back to their nests and discard them which aids in the spread of the plants.

Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s Breeches) on 3-31-24, #981-10.

I wrote descriptions for this species on March 5 and really learned A LOT. If you want, you can click on the link to its page above to check out the detailed photos I borrowed. I want to dissect a flower to check its inside out for myself and hopefully get a few good close-ups… Practice makes perfect. 🙂

Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy) on 3-31-24, #981-12.

I climbed the steep hillside and crawled under the fence to look for a certain plant and ran across several colonies of a species I hadn’t identified before. I took a few shots and uploaded them on iNaturalist for an ID and they turned out to be Ellisia nyctelea, commonly known as Aunt Lucy… Hmmm… It is currently the only species in the genus. There were none with flowers, but the Missouri Plants website says they bloom from April to June. Maybe next time I go out there will be flowers.

Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy) on 3-31-24, #981-13.

The common name will be easy to remember since I had an aunt named Lucy. Once I find flowers, I will be able to write its own page. 🙂 You can check out the species page on the Missouri Plants website by clicking HERE.

Erythronium albidum (White Fawnlily) on 3-31-24, #981-14.

Almost everywhere I looked along the creek and on the hillside were hundreds of Erythronium albidum (White Fawnlily/White Dogtooth Violet). They start flowering sometime in March and continue through May but I haven’t seen any YET. I am determined to find flowers so I can finish its page… The flowers are supposed to be really neat… Check out the page for the species on the Missouri Plants website by clicking HERE.

Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii (Wild Blue Phlox) on 3-31-24, #981-15.

There were several Phlox divaricata subsp. laphamii (Wild Blue Phlox) but not as many as before. They were also very short this time…

Triosteum perfoliatum (Perfoliate Tinker’s Weed) on 3-31-24, #981-16.

The main reason I climbed up the hillside and crawled under the fence was to see if I could find the Triosteum perfoliatum (Perfoliate Tinker’s Weed). I couldn’t find it the last several times I checked because the brushy undergrowth was too tall and thick. I knew where to look, and to my surprise I found it!

Triosteum perfoliatum (Perfoliate Tinker’s Weed) on 3-31-24, #981-17.

I was very excited! This amazing plant grows fairly tall and has odd flowers, similar to a honeysuckle (in the same family). I went earlier than usual so it was only maybe around 8″ tall and there was only one…

Triosteum perfoliatum (Perfoliate Tinker’s Weed) on 3-31-24, #981-18.

Of course, the perfoliate leaves are one of the highlights of this plant. I like the way they clasp the stem making it look like there is only one with the stem running through the center.

Viola pubescens (Downy Yellow Violet) on 3-31-24, #981-19.

There are several spread-out colonies of Viola pubescens (Downy Yellow Violet) in Kevin’s woods but I only found one with flowers. It’s the fuzzy fruit that is unique to this species… Or was unique…

Viola pubescens (Downy Yellow Violet) on 3-31-24, #981-20.

Due to a taxon split, it is possibly now Viola eriocarpa (Smooth Yellow Violet)… On the list of synonyms for V. pubescens is Viola pubescens var. eriocarpa. Viola pubescens was named by William Aiton in 1789 and the variety was named by Thomas Nuttall in 1818. Viola eriocarpa was named by Lewis (or Ludwig) David von Schweinitz in 1822.

Two more attempts were made to make it part of Viola pubescens with Viola pubescens f. eriocarpa by Oliver Atkins Farwell in 1923 and another V. pubescens var. eriocarpa by Norman Hudson Russell in 1965. The last two are synonyms of V. eriocarpa… Just a little extra (useless) information. 🙂

I just found out about the taxon split when I was writing this post. I added the photos to its page and then clicked on the link on iNatualist for the species. To my horror, their page said it is an inactive taxon! While Viola pubescens is still an accepted species (with a different assigned number), apparently it was discovered most of the observations for V. pubescens are now Viola eriocarpa… My former observations for V. pubescens were automatically transferred to V. eriocarpa. Hmmm…

According to iNaturalist, V. eriocarpa differs from V. pubescens by having a virtual absence of basal leaves and having 2-3 cauline leaves clustered in the upper 2/3 of the stem, etc. They further state, “Viola eriocarpa is by far the more common of these two species, occurring over a wider geographic range, and in a greater variety of habitats. When it was included in V. pubescens sensu lato, it was sometimes differentiated as V. pubescens var. scabriuscula. Ummm… They also state “Viola pubescens is very uniform in morphology while V. eriocarpa is much more variable which it is often confused.” Hmmm… Well, according to my photos, it is likely the Viola pubescens I identified are likely Viola eriocarpa. That means I have to check the leaves and stems on the plants in Kevin’s woods. In the past, I found several in the woods behind this farm (the neighbors), and in 2022 I found a few on my side of the fence. I didn’t see them last year, and I noticed “something” has been digging in the ground where they were growing along the fence. Possibly that darn Armadillo!!!

At any rate, I will likely be overhauling the Viola pubescens page…

Hopefully, I will be going back to Kevin’s woods in a few days. The Green Dragon and Jack-In-The Pulpit weren’t up yet.

Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful. It’s almost time for me to get my hands in the dirt. 🙂

Wildflower Wednesday (Identified on 4-11-20)…

Chaerophyllum procumbens (Spreading Chervil) observed on 4-11-20, #686-8.

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all well and virus free. As I mentioned in the last Six On Saturday post, I went on a walk in the late afternoon and took another 138 photos. I always take multiple photos and it was windy so a lot of photos were kind of blurry. Plus, some of the flowers, as usual, were very tiny and didn’t cooperate well.

This post will be for newly identified plants only on April 11 except for one… It was a WOW moment and I am sure you will agree when you see it! It is not a newly identified plant but it definitely got my attention.

To date, I have identified 197 species of wildflowers mainly on this 38 acres. 🙂 T thought there were only around 130 but iNaturalist says I have listed 197 different species. I think I have Identified 10 or so already this spring but I am waiting for a few to flower before they count.

Chaerophyllum procumbens (Spreading Chervil) on 4-11-20, #686-11.

First off is Chaerophyllum procumbens (L.) Crantz (kee-roh-FIL-um pro-KUM-benz) commonly known as Spreading Chervil or Wild Chervil. It shares the latter name with Chaerophyllum tainturieri which is its twin. One of the only ways to tell the difference is by their seeds. Hmmm… Both species are Missouri natives are only found in North America. Plants of the World Online lists 70 species in the genus which are spread throughout much of the world. The species was named by Heinrich Johann Nepomuk von Crantz in 1767.

No doubt, most of you have encountered this Chervil in your yard, gardens, flower beds, on walks in the woods, or somewhere. Of course, it has been here for YEARS but I just now properly identified it… 🙂 Some species are edible and even used as a root crop. Chervil rings a bell for some reason. Oh yeah. CHERVIL! It is not the same plant you use in recipes. That is apparently Anthriscus cerefolium commonly known as Garden Chervil or French Parsley. They look very similar but are not native to the U.S. and not found in Missouri in the wild. Both are members of the Apiaceae Family with a total of 444 genera… Just in case you were wondering. I feel like a plant nerd. 🙂

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Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty) on 4-11-20, #686-15.

I found this cutie close to the fence near the swampy area in the back southeast section of the farm. It was a single solitary plant and the flower wasn’t open. I took several photos of it then walked about 12 feet away and found A LOT more… With open flowers.

Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty) on 4-11-20, #686-25.

I identified this species as Claytonia virginica L. (klay-TOH-nee-uh vir-JIN-ih-kuh) also known as Virginia Spring Beauty. Both the genus and species were named by Carl von Linnaeus in 1753. This is the only plant I have identified in the Montiaceae Family which is known as the Miner’s Lettuce Family.

According to Wikipedia, the Iroquois used Claytonia virginica as a cold infusion or a decoction made of the powdered roots for children to treat convulsions. They also ate the roots because they believed they permanently prevented conception. The Iroquois and Algonquin people cooked their roots like potatoes. The leaves and stem are also edible… 

Claytonia virginica (Spring Beauty) on 4-11-20, #686-15.

Even though the leaves are edible you would starve because there are very few leaves, usually only one pair about halfway up the stem. Some stems didn’t even have basal leaves.

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Viola bicolor/V. rafinesquei (American Field Pansy) on 4-11-20, #686-73.

There are a lot of Viola sororia (Common Blue Violet) here and there on the farm but this IS NOT that plant. I found THIS PLANT close to where I previously stored hay at the edge of some trees close to the ditch that drains into the pond. GEEZ! I feel like I need to draw a good map and letter the locations. This Viola bicolor, and a few others, was happy swaying in the wind making it somewhat difficult to get a good shot. Its common name is American Field Pansy or Johnny Jump-Up. It doesn’t look like the Johnny Jump-Ups I have seen before. Hmmm… That would be Viola tricolor. Anyway, the species was named by Frederick Traugott Pursh in Flora Americae Septentrionalis in 1813. Plants of the World Online lists this species as Viola rafinesquei with Viola bicolor as a synonym.

Viola bicolor/V. rafinesquei (American Field Pansy) on 4-11-20, #686-76.

Their leaves are a lot different but while looking at the Missouri Plants website there are several different species of Viola found in Missouri with many different leaf types.

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Viola missouriensis (Missouri Violet) on 4-13-20, #687-3.

Then, after I found the highlight of this post, I found a clump of another species of Viola in an area behind the chicken house. This is Viola missouriensis, commonly known as the Missouri Violet. You may also notice the date is different because I had re-take photos of this clump. The 11th was kind of windy and its photos didn’t come out the very best. Even so, it was still first identified on the 11th.

Viola missouriensis (Missouri violet) on 4-13-20, #687-4.

This species was named and described by Edward Lee Green in 1900. While various species of Viola can come in multiple shades of blues and violets, this one was different because…

Viola missouriensis (Missouri Violet) on 4-13-20, #687-5.

It has longer leaves. The normal violets around here have leaves that are approximately 3″ wide x 3″ long. The Viola missouriensis has leaves that are longer than they are wide otherwise it would be a different shade of Viola sororia. Several species are very similar, and like I said, all of them can have various shades of flowers. It is a breakthrough when you do find one that has something to distinguish them from the others besides the flowers.

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Lamium purpureum (Deadnettle) on 4-11-20, #686-33.

IT’S AN ALBINO!

Tony, I realize you are excited about the Mulberry cuttings but in my neck of the woods finding a white Lamium purpureum tops Mulberrys any day. 🙂 Seeing the first one stopped me dead in my tracks!

Lamium purpureum (Deadnettle) on 4-11-20, #686-34.

There are THOUSANDS of Lamium purpureum here and countless hundreds of millions throughout the countryside. It was quite a moment finding several clumps with white flowers in this one area.

Lamium purpureum (Deadnettle) on 4-11-20, #686-35.

Even the leaves are a paler shade of green.

Observing and identifying new wildflower species has been very enjoyable. When I say “new”, they aren’t “NEW”, just new to me. They have been here all along I am just now noticing them. Without cows grazing in the pastures, there is no telling how many I will find. Finding plants that have weird flowers is also exciting, like the pink Achillea millefolium (Common Yarrow) and Daucus carota (Queen Anne’s Lace) last year on Kevin’s farm.

I think that is all for now. Until next time, be safe, stay positive, and always be thankful.