Arkansas Native Plant Society

Know Your Natives – Yellow Crownbeard

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Yellow crownbeard (Verbesina helianthoides) of the Aster (Asteraceae) family is found in the US from Iowa and Kansas east to Ohio, and southward to Texas and Georgia. It is found pretty much throughout Arkansas except for some counties in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. This species is also known as yellow wingstem or gravel weed. The generic name Verbesina perhaps alludes to a Verbena-like appearance, although the exact etymology is unknown, while the specific epithet, helianthoides, relates to its yellow composite flowers which resemble sunflowers of the genus Helianthus.

Yellow crownbeard is found in moist soils of prairies, savannas, glades, forests, and roadsides in full sun to light shade. This colonial, herbaceous perennial has multiple stout hairy stems generally 2-3 feet tall. Stems are not branched except at the top in the inflorescence. Ovate-lanceolate, mostly alternate leaves with widely spaced small teeth, are up to 6 inches long and 2½ inches wide. The leaves have dense, short, white hairs, and feel soft to the touch. Leaf tips taper gradually to long slender points (attenuate), while the leaf blade tapers more abruptly at the base.

Photo 1: Yellow crownbeard in mid-April showing new growth directly from roots.

Photo 2: Yellow crownbeard in mid-May with budded flower heads set on top of unbranched stems.

Leaves are sessile, and leaf blade tissue extends onto and down the stem as narrow “wings.” One of the two wings connected to each leaf extends straight down-stem to the next leaf where it ends immediately above that leaf. The second wing extends straight down-stem to the third leaf directly below. With this pattern, five wings radiate from the stem at any given point.

Photo 3: Leaf tissue that extends down-stem stops abruptly before reaching a lower leaf.

The inflorescences, occurring in late spring at the tips of stems, consist of two to five yellow composite flower heads on short, hairy peduncles arranged in corymb (flat-topped) fashion. Each composite head, 2 to 2½ inches in diameter, has up to about twelve yellow pistillate ray flowers surrounding 40 to 80 yellow tubular disk flowers each with five lobes. Involucres (the calyx-like structures at the base of the flower heads) are composed of 16 to 21 phyllaries (sepal-like bracts) in two to three layers. Phyllaries are narrow and fused at their bases while their bluntly triangular upper portions extend outward, loosely cupping the head. Dark brown, 0.2-inch, flattened achenes are oval-lanceolate in shape, with keels on their edges and two short awns at recessed ends.

Photo 4: Flower heads grow in corymb fashion at the tips of stems. Upper portion of phyllaries cup head.

Photo 5: Flower heads in the inflorescence range from those in bud to those fading.

Two other Verbesina species with unbranched stems may often occur throughout Arkansas in the same or adjoining habitats as yellow crownbeard; namely, frostweed or white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica) and yellow-ironweed or wingstem* (Verbesina alternifolia). Frostweed is a significantly larger plant with wider leaves and white flower heads. Yellow-ironweed, with coarser leaves, which are sometimes opposite on the lower stems, and with or without wings on the stems, generally has purple coloration on stems and yellow flower heads bearing scattered, drooping yellow ligules (ray flowers) and a single row of reflexed phyllaries. Frostweed and yellow-ironweed bloom much later in the year than yellow crownbeard. Of the three species, only frostweed reliably produces frost flowers, although yellow-ironweed is also reported to produce them occasionally.

For gardens or naturalized settings, yellow crownbeard should be welcomed. It is a hardy, attractive perennial of modest height with upright stature and nice character. The yellow composite flowers of yellow crownbeard bloom earlier than those of sunflower species. Yellow crownbeard may form colonies, but it has not been noted to be weedy.

*With Verbesina helianthoides and Verbesina alternifolia both having yellow flower heads and winged stems, the common name “yellow wingstem” has been used for both species. Photos and plant descriptions found on the internet are sometimes not correctly aligned.

Article and photographs by ANPS member Sid Vogelpohl

Posted in Know Your Natives, Native Plants, Wildflowers, Yellow | Tagged Asteraceae, Know Your Natives, Verbesina, Verbesina helianthoides, Yellow Crownbeard | 3 Comments

Neat Plant Alert – Pinesap

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One of North America’s most intriguing native plants is in bloom now in Central Arkansas.

Pinesap (Monotropa hypopitys) is a parasitic plant found in high quality forests in scattered counties throughout Arkansas. You’re most likely to find it along the Arkansas River Valley and in Ouachita and Ozark mountain counties. It is in the blueberry family (Ericaceae).

Hikers encountering the plant frequently confuse it for a weird looking mushroom.

These photos were taken the last weekend in May at the Arkansas Audubon Center at Gillam Park in Little Rock.

Article and photographs by ANPS member Eric Hunt

Posted in Native Plants, Plant Alert, Wildflowers | Tagged Ericaceae, Monotropa, Monotropa hypopitys, Neat Plant Alert, Pinesap | Leave a comment

Know Your Natives – Rattle Weed

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Rattle weed (Astragalus canadensis) of the Pea (Fabaceae) family, occurs throughout the US except for Arizona, Florida and the far Northeast. It is also found throughout Canada. In Arkansas, rattle weed occurs in scattered counties across the state, with most occurrences in the Interior Highlands of the northwestern half of the state. Also known as Canadian milk vetch, rattle weed is an herbaceous perennial. It is found in sunny and wet to somewhat dry prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, thickets and stream banks.

The plant has shallow, widely branched near-surface roots. Spring growth sprouts at numerous points along the roots. Early leaves develop from erect, light green stems that eventually grow to 1½ – 4 feet tall. Plants in strong sun may develop reddish stems. The plant’s long slender stems, which have similar girth from ground to inflorescence, may recline later in the growing season. The stems are hollow and somewhat square in cross-section, with minor ridging all around. Secondary stems arise from leaf axils, and leaf scars occur all around the stems. The stems may be smooth or pubescent.

Photo 1: New stems of rattle weed emerge in early spring from various points along branched roots. With age, colonies may form.

Medium-green, odd-pinnate compound leaves may be a foot long with up to about 31 widely spaced leaflets. Opposite (mostly) leaflets decrease in size towards leaf tips. Insignificant stipules are triangular and pointed. The rachis is grooved along its upper length. The smoothed-edged, oblong to elliptic leaflets on short petiolules are up to about 1½ inches long and ¾ inch wide, with rounded bases and rounded to emarginate tips. Leaflets are generally smooth or slightly hairy on upper surfaces, with stiff short hairs on lower surfaces.

Photo 2: Ten-inch mid-stem leaves of rattle weed in late spring. Leaflets are normally opposite, but may occasionally be alternate (see upper leaf).

The inflorescence of rattle weed, occurring in late spring, consists of multiple upright racemes of densely clustered white to pale greenish-yellow, pea-shaped flowers which grow from axils of upper leaves along primary and secondary stems. Racemes, on long stems (peduncles), have an elongated cone shape with 50 to 120 or more flowers whorled evenly all around the upper two-thirds of the stem. Each flower bud is subtended by a bract which withers as the flower opens. Raceme and stem combined are up to 7 inches long.

Photo 3: Raceme with flower buds inclined upward. Each bud is subtended by a bract.

Flowers of rattle weed open in succession from the bases of the racemes to tops. Open flowers toward the bottom of the racemes tilt downward while higher flowers are horizontal and then tilted upward. Flowers, ½ to ¾ inch long with a greenish-white, hairy calyx with five triangular pointed lobes, have a tubular corolla composed of five creamy greenish-white petals. The flowers are pea-like and elongated with a petal forming the upper banner, two lateral petals and with two petals forming the keel. The stamens, pistil and style are enclosed by the keel.

Photo 4: Rattle weed racemes grow from multiple leaf axils near tops of long, slender stems.

Flowers are replaced by inflated, smooth and oval green pods with long pointed tips. The pods, about ½ to ¾ inch long, become dark brown and woody in texture with maturity. The dozen or so seeds in a dry pod become loose and rattle when stems are shaken, thus the common name “rattle weed.” The pods are persistent.

Photo 5: Maturing seed pods. All flowers do not produce seed.

Rattle weed, as a fairly tall specimen plant, can be a good garden plant. Its compound leaves add textural variety and multiple attractive flower clusters are born at the top of the plant. It is not known to be aggressive either from seed or root. The nectar is used by various butterflies and other insects. Seeds are eaten by song birds and turkey. The foliage may be eaten by deer and other herbivores.

Article and photographs by ANPS member Sid Vogelpohl

Posted in Know Your Natives, Native Plants, White, Wildflowers | Tagged Astragalus, Astragalus canadensis, Fabaceae, Know Your Natives, Rattle Weed | 1 Comment

Know Your Natives – Jack-in-the-Pulpit & Green-Dragon

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Jack-in-the-pulpit and green-dragon, in the Arum (Araceae) Family, are herbaceous perennial monocots that occur throughout the state in similar habitats. Both are smooth overall and hairless. Plants range from 2 inches to 2 feet in height. Habitats include mesic (well-balanced moisture) deciduous woodlands and thickets and hillside seeps with light shade and humus-rich soil. Both are dioecious; that is, the flowers are unisexual, staminate or pistillate, such that two plants are required for cross-pollination and fertilization. In general a plant will be staminate for several years, contributing only pollen to the reproductive process, until enough energy has accrued in the corm to produce seeds and fruits. The sex change may be brought about by age or health of the plant. Corms, about an inch below the surface, may grow to 1½ inches across with a few fibrous roots. Both species produce an elongated cluster (corn-cob-like) of bright shiny red berries that appear identical for both plants (photo 1). One- or two-year-old plants of both species have a single leaf with three leaflets and appear identical. Both species produce clonal plantlets, and thick-standing colonies of varying sized plants can develop. Leaves and flowers unfurl initially from a pointed sheaf arising from each corm. Inflorescences, on top of stout fleshy upright stalks, emerge at the same time as leaves.

Photo 1: Mature cluster of green-dragon berries. Cluster on Jack-in-the pulpit would appear identical.

Berries (¼ inch across) enclosing one to several seeds, at first green, become bright red as female plants begin to wither in late summer and fall. Berries remain attached to the dry spadix, resulting in an ovoid mass of showy berries up to 2 inches long which stay on the stem even when stem has dried. A cluster can consist of up to 150 berries, each with 1 to 3 rounded flat-sided light tan seeds.

Either plant is an excellent woodland garden plant, being easy to cultivate and requiring little care. Along with the interesting characteristics of the vegetation, the cluster of berries in late summer and fall is attractive. Birds and mammals eat the berries, but berries of both plants should be considered poisonous to people.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum [formerly Arisaema atrorubens]) is also known as Indian-turnip because cooked corms were eaten by Native Americans. A mature corm produces one or two large glossy compound leaves on stout fleshy stalks. Typically, three smooth-edged leaflets emanate from a common point at the top of each leaf stem (photo 2), though leaves can occasionally have five leaflets (photo 3). Leaflets, up to a foot long and up to 8 inches wide, are broadly oval to elliptic with tapering points. Leaflets of both plants have pinnate venation which stops near leaf edges.

Photo 2: Characteristic shape of Jack-in-the-pulpit’s compound leaves. Typical plants have only three leaflets. Note venation.

Photo 3: Occasional Jack-in-the-pulpit plants have leaves with five leaflets each.

The inflorescence, initially wrapped by stipules at the base of leaf or leaves, has a spathe (widened hood or pulpit) rising above the central protruding spadix (Jack) (photo 4). Exterior of the spathe is usually green or purple and the inside usually striped greenish white (along veins that parallel flower stalk) and purple (between veins). The lower portion of the spathe is a tube-like sheath wherein numerous tiny male and/or female flowers, tightly bound to the spadix, are hidden. Structures on the spadix standing above male and female flowers are infertile. Pollinating flies are trapped in the lower portion of the spathe (photo 5).

Photo 4: Inflorescence of Jack-in-the-Pulpit showing over-arching spathe and post-like spadix.

Photo 5: Developing berries of Jack-in-the-pulpit. The spathe has begun to dry. Insect carcasses litter the base of the spathe.

Green-Dragon

Green-dragon or dragon-root (Arisaema dracontium) is very similar to Jack-in-the pulpit, with main differences being in leaves and inflorescence. Green-dragon usually has only one large compound leaf with 7 to 15 lance-shaped leaflets (photo 6). Green-dragon has a greenish spathe that is less prominent and the spadix is considerably longer, thinner, and tapered, extending upward (the dragon’s tongue) around the top of the spathe (photo 7). Mature green-dragon leaves have the central and largest leaflet unfurling first. At the base of the central leaflet, other leaflets branch off, forming a semi-circle parallel to the ground [the dragon’s wings?] (photo 8).

Photo 6: Leaves of green-dragon. The largest central leaflet ties directly to the leaf stalk while other leaflets grow from a “branch” on either side. Note venation.

Photo 7: Green-dragon inflorescence. Spadix is several times longer than spathe. (Plant seen behind green-dragon is May-apple.)

Photo 8: A new leaf and flower of green-dragon. Leaf may suggest dragon’s wings. (Plant seen behind green-dragon is celandine poppy.)

Article and photographs by ANPS member Sid Vogelpohl

Posted in Green, Know Your Natives, Native Plants, Wildflowers | Tagged Araceae, Arisaema, Arisaema dracontium, Arisaema triphyllum, Green Dragon, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Know Your Natives | Leave a comment

Neat Plant Alert – Scarlet Beardtongue

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The recent ANPS field trip to Poison Springs Natural Area and nearby back roads was very productive! Trip leader Meredith York took us to see some great plants, many of which are rare in Arkansas.

The most spectacular sight of the day was without a doubt Scarlet Beardtongue (Penstemon murrayanus).

Scarlet Beardtongue photographed along County Road 423 in Nevada County

Found only in Nevada and Ouachita counties in southwest Arkansas, Scarlet Beardtongue is more common to the southwest in the eastern half of Texas.

Our largest Beardtongue – the blooming stalks can reach over 6 feet in height by the end of the bloom season

The bright red flowers are a favorite of Ruby-throated hummingbirds

Article and photographs by ANPS member Eric Hunt

Posted in Field Trips, Native Plants, Plant Alert, Red, Wildflowers | Tagged Neat Plant Alert, Penstemon, Penstemon murrayanus, Plantaginaceae, Scarlet Beardtongue | Leave a comment

Know Your Natives – Goat’s Rue

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Goat’s-rue (Tephrosia virginiana) of the Pea (Fabaceae) Family occurs throughout the eastern U.S. from Texas and Minnesota to the Atlantic, except for Vermont and Maine. In Arkansas, it occurs mostly statewide except for counties along the Mississippi River. Other common names for goat’s-rue include Virginia tephrosia, catgut and devil’s-shoestrings. The genus name, Tephrosia, is based on the Greek word tephros meaning “ash-colored” or “hoary” due to the white or grayish hairs covering the plant. The name “goat’s-rue” is based on the plant having been fed to goats with the belief that it increased milk production, but that use has been discontinued. The name “devil’s-shoestrings” relates to the plant’s long, tough fibrous roots. This plant, as does many other plants in the Pea Family, has a symbiotic relationship with a soil bacterium (rhizobium) whereby the plant converts (fixes) atmospheric nitrogen to a usable form within root nodules.

Goat’s-rue is an herbaceous perennial legume favoring sunny sites with sandy to rocky, dry soils of glades, open woodlands and prairies, generally on acidic soils. Plants consist of sparingly branched stems bearing odd-pinnate compound leaves and that terminate with an inflorescence of pea-like flowers. Stems, from a caudex, can be several or numerous. Early growth of plants have an overall light green color which changes to grayish green with maturity due to plant hairs. Hairiness varies from a fine, soft pubescence on upper leaf surfaces to densely hairy on stems and seed pods. Plants, up to two feet tall, tend to recline later in the growing season.

Photo 1: Early spring growth of goat’s-rue in a rocky and sunny glade.

Compound alternate leaves are odd-pinnate, having 14 to 24 lateral leaflets and one terminal leaflet. Leaflets, up to an inch long and ¼ inch wide, are oblong to narrowly elliptic with entire margins and gradually terminate at a sharp tip. Lateral leaflets tend to be opposite, but may be offset across the rachis (main axis of leaf). Leaves have short petioles (attachment of rachis to stem) and leaflets have short petiolules (attachment of leaflet to rachis). The upper surface of the rachis has a central grove. Central veins of leaflets are prominent on the under sides.

Goat’s-rue blooms in late April or May, with the inflorescence consisting of dense racemes several inches long at the tops of the stems. Five light green sepals are fused to form a calyx with five teeth. The calyx is densely hairy on the outside, as are the pedicels and stems. Buds and flowers face in all directions around the inflorescence. Bicolored, pea-like flowers, ¾ inch long and across, have a broad upright petal (banner or standard) in shades of cream and yellow and a pair of lateral, forward projecting petals (wings) that are deep rosy pink. The wings enclose a pair of smaller petals fused at their apex to form a keel which encloses ten stamens and a pistil.

Photo 2: Close-up of goat’s-rue inflorescence showing hairiness of plant and bicolored flowers.

Photo 3: Goat’s-rue plant at peak bloom.

Fruit, which form in mid-summer, are flattened, 2-inch long hirsute pods situated on the stems in widely spreading fashion. They are initially light green, but later turn brown with maturity. The pods contain flattened, kidney-shaped mini-beans. When mature and dry, the pods split, with the halves twisting in a cork-screw fashion, ejecting seeds a short distance.

Photo 4: Densely pubescent seed pods of goat’s-rue firmly fixed in various directions from stem.

Goat’s-rue is a beautiful native plant that looks attractive in a natural setting or a sunny garden with well-drained soil. Nectar, pollen and leaves attract leaf-cutting bees and other insects. However, plants may be difficult to establish from seed or pots, and they are extremely difficult to transplant due to their large roots. The plant contains rotenone (used as an insecticide and to kill invasive fish) and should be considered toxic to people and many animals.

A second member of this genus also occurs in Arkansas: hoary-pea (Tephrosia onobrychoides). It is found in prairies and fields of the West Gulf Coastal Plain and Arkansas Valley. Flowers of hoary-pea are smaller and occur widely spaced in racemes on tall stems held well above the leaves. Leaves and leaflets, too, are more widely spaced than in goat’s-rue. The solid-colored flowers of this species start out as pale pink to almost white when flowers first open but then change to a deep rose-red as the flowers fade.

Article and photographs by ANPS member Sid Vogelpohl

Posted in Know Your Natives, Native Plants, Red, Wildflowers, Yellow | Tagged Fabaceae, Goat's Rue, Know Your Natives, Tephrosia, Tephrosia virginiana | Leave a comment

Neat Plant Alert – Copper Iris

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Today I pulled out my waterproof boots and went in search of Copper Iris (Iris fulva) in Little Rock. Mid-April is bloom season for Copper Iris, and I knew there was a population in the Fouche Creek bottomlands owned by the City of Little Rock in the area south of the I-30/440/530.

Lucky for me it was in bloom just a few dozen yards off the access road!

Copper iris growing in a seasonally wet bottomland forest in south Little Rock

The species is more common in counties closer to the Mississippi River and can be sometimes spotted growing in ditches along backroads in those counties.

Article and photographs by ANPS member Eric Hunt

Posted in Native Plants, Plant Alert, Wildflowers | Tagged Copper iris, Iridaceae, Iris, Iris fulva, Neat Plant Alert | Leave a comment

Know Your Natives – Wood-betony

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One of our more showy spring wildflowers is wood-betony (Pedicularis canadensis) in the Broomrape (Orobanchaceae) family.

Wood-betony can be found across much of eastern North America with some isolated populations in Colorado and New Mexico. In Arkansas it is found in most counties except those directly along the Mississippi River.

The foliage is hairy and lobed, almost resembling a fern but thicker, especially in early spring before the inflorescence emerges. It can sometimes have an attractive red tint to it.

Photographed in Boyle Park, Little Rock

Flowers are produced at the top of a short inflorescence. They are usually clear yellow but some populations are bicolored purple/white or yellow/white.

Photographed along the Lost Valley Trail, Buffalo National River, Newton County

Wood-betony grows in a variety of habitats, generally preferring woodlands, prairies, savannahs and riparian areas. It can become established in the artificial ‘prairies’ created next to roads where it takes advantage of abundant water runoff and no competition for light.

Photographed along Highway 9 in the Ouachita National Forest, Perry County

Long-tongued bees such as bumblebees and mason bees are a major visitor to the flowers.

Photographed along Highway 9 in the Ouachita National Forest, Perry County

Article and photographs by ANPS member Eric Hunt

Posted in Know Your Natives, Native Plants, Purple, Wildflowers, Yellow | Tagged Know Your Native, Orobanchaceae, Pedicularis, Pedicularis canadensis, wood-betony | Leave a comment

Native Plant Report – Ouachita National Trail – Perry County

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Spring is in full swing in the Ouachita Mountains! The first ANPS Native Plant hike of 2015 was on April 11. Seven enthusiastic participants enjoyed a spectacular spring day in the forest.

A full hike report will appear in the Fall 2015 Claytonia. Today’s post is a quick visual taste of what was seen along the Ouachita National Trail in Perry County.

Hike participants were leaders Virginia McDaniel & Eric Hunt along with Don Ford, Becky Hardin, Mary McDaniel, Lynna Schoenert, and John Simpson.

Perfoliate bellwort – Uvularia perfoliata

Dwarf Crested Iris – Iris cristata

Silverbells – Halesia carolina

Early Azalea – Rhododendron prinophyllum

Cinnamon fern – Osmundastrum cinnamomeum

Indian Pipe – Monotropa uniflora

Spiny Witch Hazel Gall Aphid – Hamamelistes spinosus – Growing on Common Witch Hazel – Hamamelis virginiana

Article and photographs by ANPS member Eric Hunt

Posted in Field Trips | Tagged Cinnamon Fern, Colchiaceae, Dwarf Crested Iris, Early Azalea, Ericaceae, Fern, Gall, Halesia carolina, Indian Pipe, Iridaceae, Iris, Iris cristata, Monotropa, Monotropa uniflora, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, Perfoliate bellwort, Rhododendron, Rhododendron prinophyllum, Silverbells, Styracaceae, Uvularia, Uvularia perfoliata | Leave a comment

Know Your Natives – Wild Hyacinth

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Wild hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) of the Agavaceae (Century Plant) family, formerly of the Liliaceae (Lily) Family, is also known as Atlantic camas and eastern camas. It is found in the U.S. from Texas to Wisconsin and eastward to Georgia and Pennsylvania, with scattered occurrences in the Carolinas and Virginias. In Arkansas it is found primarily in the highlands of the northwestern two-thirds of the state, with additional occurrences in the Grand Prairie and the western Gulf Coastal Plain. Favorable sites for wild hyacinth have light shade to full sun, with moist, rich, loamy soil along stream terraces, in bottomland forests, glades and prairies.

The genus name is a combination of Native American words “camas” and “quamash” for “sweet” in reference to its bulb which was an important food source for Native Americans.* The epithet “scilloides” is from Latin for “like Scilla” for a European plant with similar bulbs and leaves. Wild hyacinth has spikes of flowers somewhat similar to the introduced garden hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis).

Wild hyacinth, a long-lived perennial, consists of a rosette of long, arching to reclined leaves and a flower stalk 1½-2 feet tall growing from a bulb with fibrous roots. All parts of this ephemeral plant are glabrous (hairless). Leaves, less than one inch wide and 6-12 inches long, are medium to dark green with smooth margins. They have raised midribs on the undersides and are folded lengthwise in the lower halves. They are generally somewhat floppy and twisted.

An erect, slender, light to medium-green, 1-2 foot tall stalk terminates in a raceme of flowers along the upper third. The stalk is leafless except for several sterile bracts that may occur just below the raceme. Each flower initially grows from the axil of a bract, with most of the bracts in the inflorescence falling off as the flowers open. The bracts, linear and up to ¾ inch long, are the same color as the stem.

Photo 1: Wild hyacinth inflorescence stalk emerging in spring from rosette of leaves. The lower portion of leaves are often folded and twisted. The flowers occur in axils of linear bracts which are later deciduous.

Photo 2: In wild hyacinth, most of the bracts in the inflorescence have fallen by the time the flowers open. In this photo, only a few bracts below the raceme remain.

Flowering, in late spring, lasts about two weeks, with individual flowers lasting two to three days and opening successively from bottom to the top. Flowers, 3/4 to 1 inch across, each consist of three sepals, three petals, six stamens with bright yellow anthers, and a light yellow, ovoid ovary topped by a long, slender style. The light blue-violet to nearly white oblong tepals (sepals and petals) are widely flared. Slender anthers and styles are about the same diameter and length. Flowers, pollinated by bees, have a pleasant scent.

Photo 3: Wild hyacinth has relatively large ovaries with long slender styles. Note two possible pollinator insects can be seen in this photo.

Photo 4: Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on wild hyacinth. Note the lower flowers fading while upper flowers are still in bud or just opening.

Fertilized flowers are replaced by a three-loculed (chambered) capsule 1/3 inch long and wide. Locules appear somewhat inflated, with dark green lines demarking the locule junctions. Relatively large, shiny black seeds are limited to a dozen or so per capsule. Wild hyacinth reproduces readily by seed.

Photo 5: Seed capsules of wild hyacinth become brown as they mature and as the plant begins to goes dormant.

Wild hyacinth is a great ephemeral to have in a garden, especially in its own space where its character can be fully appreciated. Its appearance in late winter to early spring is a welcome sight. The flowers attract bees, flies, butterflies and wasps.

Footnote: Prairie wild hyacinth (Camassia angusta), also called prairie camas, is known to occur in Arkansas in Benton, Washington, Sebastian and Logan Counties. Prairie wild hyacinth can be differentiated from wild hyacinth in that its flowers bloom several weeks later and are slightly smaller, the bracts below the inflorescence are more numerous and persistent, and the capsules are longer than wide.

*Bulbs of wild hyacinth were a highly nutritional food for Native Americans and early explorers. Bulbs were used raw, baked, roasted, boiled or dried. Remains of wild hyacinth (and other plant species) have been identified in earth ovens (middens) used by Native Americans. For a detailed article relating to middens and plant remains studied at Camp Bowie, Texas, see: www.texasbeyondhistory.net/bowie/middentell.html. CAUTION: wild hyacinth bulbs and leaves look similar to those of the white-flowered death camas (Toxicoscordion nuttallii), a highly poisonous native plant.

Article and photographs by ANPS member Sid Vogelpohl

Posted in Know Your Natives, Native Plants, Purple, Wildflowers | Tagged Agavaceae, Asparagaceae, Camassia, Camassia scilloides, Wild Hyacinth | Leave a comment