The bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is blooming now and spreading nicely through the patridgeberry (Mitchella repens) after a warm spell this week. I can just see the Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) pushing up nearby. Anyone else starting to see the spring ephemerals yet?
We are a few days behind you here, I think. On my walk through the woods yesterday I saw lots of emerging foliage, but flowers were only in bud. The Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum?) and Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum?) are just about to open. Trilliums are just starting to come up, but no sign of the Arisaemas yet. We need more warm days...but the weather has turned cool again. Sigh!
Hi June,
I have 2 blue cohosh (caulophyllum thalictroides) in the garden and the leaves are up but not a bud in sight. You seem to be ahead of me in this case. It's wonderful you're finding them in the woods, too much deer browsing here to see many natives. As for cooler weather a storm and colder temperatures are headed this way tonight. Maybe the weather report will be wrong.
I finally have one tiny flower on the Twinleaf plant (Jeffersonia diphylla).
Lovely picture! I must put Jeffersonia on my "plants wanted" list. I notice that your label is out of the ground...like all of mine. The frost heaved all my plastic labels, and then the wind and the rain moved them around, so now I'm trying (with not much success) to match them up with the plants as they appear.
The Bloodroot in my garden is in bud today, but there's no sign of any in the woods. I broadcast fresh seed in the woods last year (at the height of the mosquito season, which was not fun), and I hope that in time I will have a naturalized patch of them. Our 60-acre woodland is re-establishing itself on land that was cleared in the 1800's and used for pasture until the mid 1950's. Because it is isolated from other woodlands, native species have been slow to re-colonize. I'm adding Hepatica acutiloba and Stylophyllum diphyllum this spring. I just hope I put them in the right place, as I have never seen them growing in the wild.
I have one lonely rue anemone blossoming. My foamflower should be by next week. My triilium recurvatum is in bud. It is very small this year though. My shooting stars are budded and should send up the flowering stalk next week. My bluebells(mertensia) have set buds and should also be coming out next week
I also see lots of emerging foliage here too. Soon for me, very soon! Everything should probably start popping any day.
Very little blooming right now. So far Nodding Trillium, Bloodroot, Hepatica, and Toothwort for me from what I can see out there but it's been raining for a while and I haven't had the time to walk around out there since last week.
Out here in New Mexico, most of the spring ephemerals at lower elevations are (or already have) dying back. Dimorphocarpa & Phacelia are hanging on pretty well. Astragalus and Physaria are pretty much gone except for fruit.
Patrick Alexander
This is my favorite time of year. There will be a wave of blooms hitting my woodlands very soon.
I planted some Canadian Milkvetch but I don't recall where. That should be coming up by now. I had to look up Physaria, Dimorphocarpa, and Phacelia. I know I don't have any of those and don't think I've ever seen them before. Have you any photos?
trillium,
I have the rue anemone blooming also.
Equil,
It's my favorite time for plants too. I'll have to look up toothwort. I don't have that one.
Patrick,
I'd also like to see photos of your native spring flowers. Your area is so different from the northeast I don't know any of the plants you mention.
June,
You're very observant. All my labels are on the ground. The twinleaf has lovely foliage all summer.
"That should be coming up by now. I had to look up Physaria, Dimorphocarpa, and Phacelia. I know I don't have any of those and don't think I've ever seen them before. Have you any photos?"
Yup, I've got photos. Here's Dimorphocarpa wislizenii:
http://www.polyploid.net/swplants/images/Dimorphocarpa_wisl_3Feb07_3219.jpg
Phacelia integrifolia:
http://www.polyploid.net/swplants/images/Phacel_integ_4-204_5901.jpg
And here's Physaria fendleri:
http://www.polyploid.net/swplants/images/Lesquer_fend_8-2304_6520.jpg
Patrick
Really neat to see those plants growing in the wild. Very different landscape than that which I have grown accustomed to. I particularly like the photo of the Phacelia. I can't help but wonder what some of these plants look like taken with flash at night with the backdrop of the sand.
I walked around a little bit in the drizzle. I found something that somewhat surprised me as it is a tad bit early for these plants in my region. They are native to the southeastern US and I have quite a few growing in a bog on my property-
Can you guess what they are? No telling paalexan ;)
It's too soggy and mushy out there for me but I did get a few photos without sinking.
Here's Wild Leek (Allium tricoccum). I thought these plants were toast last year but I am finding quite a few popping up. The blooms on these will be really dainty and they remind me of white fireworks.
I never have been able to photograph anything white well so please excuse the photo.
I went out specifically looking for some of my Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) after seeing sempervirens' photo. I found my double although it's closed up nice and tight because of the rain-
Here's one you don't see all that frequently-
Guess what it is!
Better picture of the above plant-
Sorry, I don't do whites well.
This is definitely one of my favorites. It's another white but the flowers aren't open. I could see quite a few of these out there which tickled me pink!
White Trout Lily (Erythronium albidum)
The classic Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)-
My Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) appears to have bloomed already. Bummer, nothing left to photograph of them. I don't recall them having been this early in subsequent years.
I have Rue Anemone here but can't get to it to photograph. Here's one that is drooping from the rain and it's not a bad photo as it isn't white-
Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens)
Equil, I want to take a guess at the bog plant. Is it carnivorous?
Yes! And I know you must know what it is to have been able to ask that question! Way to go branches!
Equil,
I'll take a guess at the 2nd plant and say maybe Cut-leaved toothwort?
Here's a photo of a cultivar of Trout Lily, I can't grow the white one.
Can anyone guess what this plant is?
WAGing from KY...one of the Geranium?
sempervirens--
I know that plant. Out here they tend to look more like this, though.
The pink flowered plant is not a Geranium VV, (hint-this one smokes.)
paalexan,
Is your photo of Erodium cicutarium, Storksbill ?
Yup, that's Erodium cicutarium. And if that's not what your photo is, well, I can't tell it from here. :-)
I'll give you another hint, it's in the rose family and is a prairie plant.
Or you can just say "uncle" and I'll tell you the answer.
When somebody says the word smokes, Prairie Smoke comes to mind which is Geum trifolorum but your plant is Erodium carvifolium?
Ding ding ding! You got my plant sempervirens. Only thing is that we call that one Crinkleroot not Cut-Leaved Toothwort around here, Cardamine concatenata (formerly Dentaria laciniata). There are people out there who call C. diphylla Cut-Leaf Toothwort and there are people out there who call C. diphylla Crinkleroot too so it gets sort of confusing. Very different leaf from the other one I have here which is Cardamine maxima. There's also a Slender-Leaf (C. angustata) and one I don't know a common name to called C. pratensis that I'd really like to find some day and I'd also like to get my hands on some more C. diphylla.
This is the one we call Cut-Leaf Toothwort around here-
http://www.nearctica.com/flowers/brassic/cardam/Cconcat.htm
I pretty sure, not positive, that I have some straight species trout lilies here. Erythronium americanum. I forgot where I planted them. The flowers are yellow like your cultivar above but they are mottled.
I call Uncle. I can't think of any native prairie plant that looks like that and I don't even think Erodium is native.
Equil,
You win the prize, it is Geum triflorum, Prairie Smoke. It is actually going to bloom for me this year. The erodium cicutarium is what paalexan had pictured, sorry if that was unclear, it's not native to North America.
I am a little confused with the toothwort, do you have Cardamine concatenata, and call it crinkleroot not cut leaf ?
This message was edited Apr 28, 2007 6:54 PM
I have both Cardamine concatenata (we refer to it as Crinkleroot not Cut-leafed Toothwort) and C. maxima growing here. I also have Geum triflorum. Nothing more beautiful then a field of Prairie Smoke ablaze-
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/111995/
I took this photo last year at the Chicago Botanical Garden. I only have three of these plants and am sort of hoping to add more some day.
Does anyone want to guess what this yellow flowered plant next to the twinleaf is?
It is very likely Uvularia grandiflora. Mine are in bloom too.
Also on a sunnier side of my woods I have Dodecatheon meadia just about to open.
Arisaema triphyllum is blooming closer to the house and just unfolding in the woods.
Editted to get latin name write.
This message was edited May 7, 2007 5:02 AM
This message was edited May 7, 2007 5:06 AM
Yes, enya, it is Uvularia grandiflorum (merry bells). That was quick. Lucky you to have shooting star growing wild in the woods. I can't seem to grow it successfully in my garden.
How about this plant? The leaves give it away.
What are you all doing up at 3/4am in the morning? I have sleepless nights like that too. Usually when I fall asleep too early. Viola pedata. Mine haven't begun to bloom yet. Very nice plant. I love your Uvularia too.
My Arisaema triphyllum are just barely poking their heads out of the ground.
Several of the Dodecatheon meadia I have that are in more sun are blooming however the plants that are deeper into the woods have not bloomed yet. Interestingly enough, the plants I have are from two different locations. Some were seed grown and were from a nursery that is now gone that went by the name of Enders and the other plants were picked up thanks to a tip from an excavator who told me he was going to be working at a site that had lots of weird plants. I stopped in and ran into the builder and saw what was growing there and asked if I could dig up a few before they began clearing and digging the foundation for a new house. He said sure. I took home three "weird" plants which was really nice. I rarely ever get the chance to pick up anything I's actually want to plant over here for free.
Love this thread!
Equilibrium,
Thank you for posting the picture of the wild leak. I've WS some this spring and
am hoping to get some plants this season.
sempervirens,
What is the ginger in the picture that you posted on Apr 26, 2007 at 5:25 AM?
I'd love to add this one to my garden if it's hardy to my zone.
I's successfully propagated Dodecatheon meadia last fall by root divisions.
Now I have some to trade for something on my ever growing want list (I've added two more
from this thread ;) ) Transplanting Shooting stars was trickier to me.
I remember Equilibrium saying something to that extend too.
This message was edited May 7, 2007 6:04 PM
Here are the three "weird" plants I dug up from that site I mentioned. Please ignore the noxious weeds and such as that is an area of the property that I haven't gotten to yet. These Shooting Stars did not rebound for three years after transplant however the plugs that were grown from seed did great the very next year. The plugs are in a different location and haven't bloomed yet this year.
These are beautiful! They are such an eye catcher for me every spring.
Equlillibrium,
Did you grow your ramps from seed? Do you know how long it would take
for them to reach mature size from seed? I've winter sowed these.
I was convinced those three plants were dead. They died back real fast right after transplanting them. Then the year after I was convinced they had rotted from all the rain we had. Then there was another year of rain followed by drought and there they were again limping along... then look what I got this year. Those plants will set seed this year.
The wild leeks above were purchased as 2-year old plants I believe. I'd have to check my records to see who I ordered them from but I believe I ordered them from the same person I ordered my Wild Ginseng from. If you want me to find out who they came from, I will. I have grown Wild Leek from seed for a friend named April but I didn't keep those plants so I haven't a clue how long they took to reach maturity and although I've been over to her house quite a few times, I never noticed the plants growing anywhere. I can tell you that this is a weird seed though. It needs heat to break the embryo dormancy and then it needs cold to start shooting up. This normally means that in the wild, the seed will drop to the ground in late fall and if there is an Indian Summer, some will germinate the next spring while the rest will start shooting up growth the following year. Most of the seeds I germinate require cold/damp stratification first to be able to break embryo dormancy once the sun begins to raise the soil temps to above 70 but this seed is backwards I guess. This isn't exactly a double dormancy seed and I never did take the time to read up on what purpose this adaptive trait served but that's the way it goes with Wild Leek based on my personal experiences. If you are going to try some from seed, I'd either try to get tips from others who have grown it from seed or I wouldn't winter sow this in favor of marking off an area and direct sowing it right where you want it to grow.
Maybe paalexan knows more about germinating Wild Leek seed based on his field observations.
Hey enya, I went poking around on the Internet. Please read this because it sums up what I was trying to say about Allium tricoccum better than I could-
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-133.html
DIRECT SEEDING
Although ramp seeds can be sown anytime the soil is not frozen, late summer to early fall is usually considered the best time for seeding ramps. Fresh ramp seeds have a dormant, under-developed embryo. The seed requires a warm, moist period to break root dormancy and a subsequent cold period to break shoot dormancy. Some years there is enough warm weather after sowing in late summer or early fall to break root dormancy. The following winter cold breaks shoot dormancy and the plants emerge in spring. If there is not an adequate warm period after sowing, the seed will not germinate until the second spring. Thus, ramp seeds can take 6 to 18 months to germinate. Case in point, in Fletcher, N.C., ramp seeds sown in fall 1999 and spring 2000 all germinated in April 2001. Being able to provide adequate soil moisture and protection from wildlife are other key factors in determining where and when to sow seeds. Production from sowing seeds to root harvest can take 5 to 7 years.
To plant under a forested canopy, rake back the leaves on the forest floor, removing any unwanted weeds, tree sprouts, or roots. If the soil is not naturally high in organic matter, incorporate organic materials such as composted leaves and other decaying plant material from the forest. Loosen the soil and rake to prepare a fine seed bed. Sow seeds thinly on top of the ground pressing them gently into the soil. Cover seeds with several inches of leaves to retain moisture in the soil and to protect the seeds from wildlife. In a field site under artificial shade, add organic matter if needed, till the soil, sow the seeds, and cover with composted leaves or other similar natural materials.
