March 2009
Long Anticipated Spring Ephemerals
The Leonard J. Buck Garden, Far Hills, NJ
In the wake of the first warm days of spring, ephemerals penetrate the ground, sharply affecting the mood of the garden and the emotions of the gardener. Winter has ended; spring is on its way.
Spring ephemeral describes the life habit of a perennial woodland wildflower. They develop aerial parts early in the spring and then quickly bloom, go to seed and then quickly die back underground for the remainder of the year. They complete their life-cycle within approximately two months. This is very common in herbaceous communities of deciduous forests where plants take advantage of the sunlight reaching the forest floor prior to the leaf-out of woody plants.
Germination of ephemeral plants occurs in early winter. When an inch or more of rain falls in late September or early October, water-soluble inhibitory chemicals leach from the seeds and mass germination occurs, resulting in carpets of wildflowers. This past year Buck Garden recorded over 3 inches of rain from September 27 to October 10.
Ephemerals starring in this spectacular spring show include:
Claytonia virginica, Dicentra cucullaria, Dicentra eximia, Dodecatheon media, Erythronium americanum, Jeffersonia diphylla, Sanguinaria canadensis, and Trillium sp.
Claytonia virginica, spring beauty
Spring beauty is a bulbous plant belonging to the purslane family. They have succulent grass-like foliage and delicate white to pink flowers. The bulb was eaten by early settlers for its starchy contents. This attractive spring ephemeral sends up 2 opposite, dark green, linear leaves on a stem which is topped by a loose cluster of 2–8 flowers. The flowers are ½ - ¾ inches wide, and are pink with veins of deeper pink. It makes an excellent spring ground cover and grows in a variety of soils from central Canada through much of eastern U.S. You probably noticed it growing in moist woods, thickets and clearings. Spring beauty forms offsets readily, so in time they can form large patches that blend with other spring ephemerals. As soon as the warmth of the summer draws on they will quickly die back. Spring beauty grows 6 – 12 inches tall and can be propagated in spring either by seed or by division.
Dicentra cucullaria, Dutchman’s breeches
A native of North America, Dutchman’s breeches is easily recognized by its soft mounds of finely, pinnate foliage and pantaloon-shaped flowers. The generic name of this delicate spring ephemeral derives from the Greek for two-spurred.
Held high above its feathery foliage, a leafless stalk bears a row of double-spurred, fragrant white flowers in early spring. The flowers are pollinated by early bumblebees, whose proboscis is long enough to tap the nectar. Honeybees, with a shorter proboscis, can gather only the pollen with their front feet.
This delicate, woodland perennial can spread to cover considerable areas and is typically found on forest floors, rocky woods, slopes, ledges, valleys, ravines, and along streams throughout the Midwest and Eastern US
Propagate by division of crowns and tubers in fall or early spring, or by seed. Plant large tubers 1 inch deep, smaller ones ½ inch deep. Seeds should be planted immediately or stored in damp sphagnum moss and require 2-3 months of moist chilling before germination.
Dicentra eximia, wild bleeding heart
Bleeding heart is one of our longest blooming wildflowers, blooming in flushes from spring to fall. Native to North America bleeding heart occurs mainly in the southeastern half of the continent, from Pennsylvania south to Georgia. It typically grows in rocky woods and ledges.
Bleeding heart has several deep pink, drooping, heart-shaped flowers hanging on the end of a leafless stalk 12 inches long. Its feathery foliage is very striking making it a wonderful ground cover even when not in bloom. It grows in sun or shade. It seeds freely, but seedlings are easy to remove where unwanted. Propagate by dividing the clumps.
Dodecatheon meadia, shooting star
A spring wetland plant native to Eastern North American, shooting star has strongly swept-back pointing petals held high above its leaves. Related to the fabulous primrose, they are lovers of moisture when in active growth, drawing on spring rainfall to produce a flush of thin, dark green, succulent leaves in a basal rosette. In May, a leafless flower stalk 8–20 inches high appears, surmounted by a cluster of pale pink to white flowers. Waving ever so slightly in the wind, shooting stars create an awesome display.
Shooting star grows equally well in lightly shaded woodland or open garden. Its chief pollinators are bees. After maturing their seeds, the plant goes dormant. Propagation is easy from root cuttings. The plant was far more abundant during the days of the prairie settlers, who called it prairie pointers.
Erythronium americanum, trout lily
Native to eastern North American, trout lily can be found in small groups or large colonies inside the garden. This herbaceous perennial prefers rich woods with slightly, acidic well drained soil in semi-shade. It’s best identified by two distinctive basal leaves, shiny dark green and mottled purple. The leaves grow approximately three inches long and one inch wide. Overall, trout lily grows 4-10 inches tall. The flower is yellow with brownish streaks on the sepals and can be up to three inches across with six tepals (3 petals and 3 sepals) folding upwards. When the petals are fully reflexed, the bloom is approximately one inch across.
The name trout lily derives from the speckled leaves, which remind us of a speckled trout. Dogtooth violet is another common name referring to the shape of the bulb; this plant is definitely a member of the lily family (Liliaceae) and not a violet. Other common names include adder’s tongue, yellow fawn-lily and yellow snowdrop.
Propagation is by seed or transplantation of the corm in fall. In nature, the trout lily is pollinated by ants that also may disperse the seed. However, a plant grown from seed may take up to eight years to mature and reproduce. If propagating by corms, plant them three to five inches deep; colonies will multiply from the offshoots of this corm.
Jeffersonia diphylla, twinleaf
Named in honor of Thomas Jefferson by his friend and fellow botanist William Bartram, twinleaf is another North American native. You’ll find twinleaf growing in rich, damp, open woods, usually with limestone. The real beauty of twinleaf is its blue-green leaves. The leaf blades are divided into two equal halves resembling sets of butterfly wings floating above the ground. The foliage emerges with a solitary white flower, similar to bloodroot, atop a leafless stalk for just a day or two.
Twinleaf reaches 5–10 inches when in flower and increases to 18 inches as the fruit matures. The foliage grows in clumps, up to 24 inches wide and stays attractive all growing season long, a very unusual attribute for such an early spring wildflower. Flowering early gives the seeds of the twinleaf time to ripen and be scattered before the canopy closes and the sunlight dims.
During mid-summer the large cinnamon-toned seeds develop in a pear-shaped pod with a tiny hinged lid. Grasp below the pod when it turns yellow and squeeze, the lid will open and the seeds will pop out. Twinleaf makes a bold ground cover for a shady spot.
Sanguinaria canadensis, bloodroot
Bloodroot heralds the welcome of spring. The solitary flowers are star-like and fragile with 8-12 snow white petals and numerous yellow stamens. The satiny flowers are short-lived but their beautiful, bluish-green, palmate leaves remain throughout most of the summer. When the plant first appears the budding flower is enclosed in the curled leaf and then, as if by magic, the petals spring from the unfolding leaf, opening in the sun and closing at night. Bloodroot grows 3-10 inches tall from a thickened, elongated rhizome which, when broken, exudes a red sap, hence the common name bloodroot. The red sap was used by Indians as a dye for baskets, clothing and war paint.
Bloodroot likes soils rich in humus, and a pH of 4.5-7. Remove the leaf litter surrounding the plant to expose bare soil, encouraging bloodroot to self sow. Bloodroot is gone by the end of May, and a month later the seed pods turn from green to a darker color. Place the pods in a paper bag; the fruits will dry and expel their seeds. Clean the seeds by separating the seed from the chaff and sow at once.
Trillium sp.
Trilliums are among the most beautiful and beloved wild flowers in America. Their diversity is far greater than we are aware of. Trilliums belong to the lily family and bear a name based on the Latin tres, three. There are three leaves on each stem, three sepals, and three flower petals. They have rhizomes from which come erect stems, leafless except at their summits which have a circle of three net-veined leaves. The solitary blooms are large and terminal, stalked or stalkless, and erect or nodding. Typically they have three spreading or erect leafy sepals, three petals that remain as they age, and six, short-stalked stamens.
The showiest trillium is one of the easiest to grow,
Trillium grandiflorum, large-flowered trillium. This trillium has 2–4 inch showy, white petals that fade to pink. Its flower is funnel-shaped at the base and flares outward from the middle. The large, green leaves are veined but not mottled.
T. grandiflorum grows to 12 inches tall.
Trillium sessile, toadshade trillium, has a stalkless maroon flower which sits directly above the three whorled mottled leaves. Its narrow, erect petals give the impression that the flower is closed. Toadshade trillium grows 4–12 inches high.
Trillium erectum, red trillium or stinking Benjamin, is one of the most common eastern Trilliums. It has 2 inch long chocolate to reddish purple petals. The foliage is solid green with pointed tips and sits atop 14–20 inch stalks. If you put your nose right into the flower you may notice a slightly unpleasant odor. Its foul smell attracts carrion flies that act as pollinators.
Trilliums are readily propagated by division. The best time to divide them is while they are dormant. Plants can be grown from seed, but can take up to two years to germinate and another 5–7 years to bloom.
Trilliums require full to partial shade and rich, moist, well-drained soil with a neutral to acidic pH. Trillium species vary in USDA hardiness with zones ranging from 4 to 9.
These spring ephemerals are among the most beautiful of nature’s works. Please visit the Leonard J. Buck Garden this spring, and enjoy the rich display of nature’s gems.
- Tricia Scibilia, interpretive gardener
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