Swamp Twinflower - Dyschoriste humistrata

Swamp twinflower (Dyschoriste humistrata) is a wetland relative of the nearly ubiquitous upland twinflower (D. oblongifolia). Unlike its close cousin, swamp twinflower is confined to the peninsula, from the Georgia border to DeSoto County in the south-central region.  Here, it occurs mostly in the partially shaded edges of forested wetlands.  This twinflower has also been reported in Georgia and South Carolina.
Swamp twinflower is a deciduous perennial. It emerges in early spring and produces a large number of weak decumbent stems.  Each reaches a length of several feet and and they root in various places as they touch moist soil. The deep green almost-succulent leaves are opposite each other on the stem, somewhat ovoid in shape, and about 1/2 inch long.  The foliage is attractive and the plant's habit makes it an interesting ground cover for somewhat shady and moist locations.
Flowering can occur in most months, but is most common from late spring to early summer.  The flowers are a pale lavender with a deeper lavender throat.  They are less showy than those of its more common cousin and smaller; typically half the length of D. oblongifolia.
Swamp twinflower has never been offered, to my knowledge, by anyone associated with FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, though it has potential as a flowering ground cover if planted in the right location.  Use it in partly sunny to mostly shady locations where the soil maintains some moisture.  I am told that it has good tolerance for occasional drought, but it won't persist if not kept frequently moist. We are currently experimenting with swamp twinflower at Hawthorn Hill.  As we learn more about its adaptability, we will keep you posted.

Two Big Plant Sales Fast Approaching

If you are looking for any of the wildflowers I am currently propagating at Hawthorn Hill, I will be a vendor at 2 large native plant sales over the next few weeks:

Morningside Plant Sale, Gainesville - April 26/27
Florida Native Plant Society Annual Meeting, Jacksonville, May 17-18

Flyr's Nemesis - Brickellia cordifolia

Bartram's ixia - Calydorea caelestina

 

I have added a number of very beautfiful aster family species to my list. If you are interested, let me know by email and I will send you a current list of the plants I have available.  Regardless, happy gardening!

Golden Alexander - Zizia aurea

Golden alexander (Zizia aurea) is a short-lived perennial member of the carrot family. In Florida, it is confined to various northern counties, south to Levy County.  It is widespread elsewhere, however, and occurs in every state and province along the Eastern Seaboard north to Quebec.  Its range extends west to Manitoba and then south to Texas.  In all of this region, it prefers moist to average sites in partial to dappled sun.

Golden alexander has deeply dissected foliage - like so many other members of the carrot family.  The basal leaves are divided twice into three leaflets while the upper leaves are single.  These leaves are maintained in warmer climates, but are deciduous where temperatures drop to below freezing.  They are maintained as a mound and this is quite attractive. As a "carrot" they are also attractive to the caterpillars of the eastern black swallowtail butterfly. 

Flowering occurs in the spring.  Like other members of this family, they are borne in flat clusters, called umbels, at the top of each stem. Each flower is tiny and bright yellow.  Normally, the flower stalks stand 1-2 feet above the basal leaves, but in the plants featured above, they are much shorter.  They are pollinated by tiny bees and flies. The ripened seeds in summer are purplish.

Golden alexander would seem to be an ideal landscape plant for Florida butterfly gardeners interested in feeding eastern black swallowtails as it does not require wet soils like so many other of its larval plants do.  It is rarely propagated in Florida, however.  I purchased my plants from Dan Miller of Trillium Gardens, Tallahassee and as far as I know, he is the only nursery in the state to offer it.  We have had our plants for about a year and I am not yet prepared to recommend it too far south of its native range.  I suspect it is adaptable to at least central Florida from what we have experienced so far. I would welcome your comments if you have tried it in your landscape.

Yellow/Carolina jessamine - Gelsemium sempervirens



Yellow, or Carolina, jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is one of the most familar native vines to those of us that use natives in our landscape.  It is found nearly statewide in a wide variety of upland conditions, from pinelands to scrub.  It also is found throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain from Texas to Virginia. 
As its Latin name implies, it is evergreen. It is a twining vine and it grows a great many feet in all directions from its central growing point.  Often, it grows up and over the adjacent vegetation, and can climb quite high into the canopy of trees.  In more xeric conditions, it sometimes grows more like a ground cover. The elliptical leaves are opposite each other on the stem.
Blooming occurs in late winter to early spring, though it is sometimes possible to see flowers at other times of the year.  They are a bright canary yellow and highly fragrant.  It is often easy to detect the presence of yellow jessamne well before it is seen.  The flowers attract a wide variety of pollinators, including hummingbirds. The pollinated flowers ripen to dry seed capsules.  The seeds have a prominent wing along the outer edge, a feature not present in its close cousin, swamp jessamine.
Yellow jessamine is widely propagated and normally easy to locate from commercial sources, even ones that don't specialize in native plants.  It is quite adaptable and will tolerate a wide variety of sites as long as it is not kept too wet.  As a vine, it will tolerate shade if allowed to grow up into the canopy of nearby trees. It also does well in full sun.  I believe that yellow jessamine is best used on a trellis or fence where its bright yellow, fragrant, flowers can be admired.  If used as a ground cover, it often becomes a tangled mess that is very difficult to walk through. If planted near the base of a tall tree, it will venture up into the canopy, but the flowers cannot be easily seen or smelled.
The one drawback to this species is that it tends to sucker.  In a more formal landscape, it should be placed in a setting where the suckers can be controlled by judicious pruning. If used in a naturalistic setting, it will spread and will be difficult to control. But, in such a setting, control may not be needed.

Swamp Jessamine - Gelsemium rankinii

 

Swamp, or Rankin's, jessamine (Gelsemium rankinii) is a wetland version of the more ubiquitous yellow jessamine (G. sempervirens). In fact, the two species would be very difficult to tell apart were it not for the types of habitat they occur in.  Swamp jessamine is a wetland specialist and occurs in bogs, acid swamps and floodplain forests.  Yellow jessamine is most often encountered in dry uplands.  There are other noticeable differences if you catch the plant in flower or seed.  Swamp jessamine is not fragrant.  The seeds do not have noticeable wings, like yellow jessamine does, and the calyx (the old sepals of the flower bud) persists on the base of the fruit.
Swamp jessamine is the only jessamine you might encounter in a swamp.  This is a north Florida species and is present only in the Panhandle counties as well as Hamilton and Nassau Counties along the Georgia border.  It also occurs in the states of the Southeast Coastal Plain - from Louisiana to North Carolina.
Like its close cousin, swamp jessamine is an evergreen vine without tendrils. It climbs throughout the adjacent vegetation by twining up and over it.  The lanceolate leaves are opposite each other on the stems.
Blooming occurs in late winter/early spring.  These photos were taken on March 8 in Tate's Hell State Forest, Franklin County.  The blooms are a rich yellow, but without the characteristic fragrance that makes yellow jessamine so spectacular as a home landscape plant.  Despite this, they are visited by much the same pollinators.
Swamp jessamine has not been offered by nurseries associated with FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries.  I do not have expereince with it in my landscape and do not know how adfaptable it might be to non-wetland conditions or regions of the state outside its natural range.  This is a beautiful wildflower for wetland sites in north Florida.  For other situations, yellow jessamine is a better choice.

Hairy Clustervine - Jacquemontia tamnifolia

Hairy clustervine (Jacquemontia tamnifolia) is a pioneer species most likely to be found in disturbed sites nearly anywhere in Florida. It also occurs throughout the Southeast and north to the southern Midwest.  This is a sprawling annual vine, likely to root at regular intervals where it comes into contact with bare soil.

Plants emerge in early spring and grow quickly.  It sometimes masses into clumps that can reach several feet across and more than 1 foot tall.  It also sends runners out in all directions, each up to 12 feet long.  As those stems root, they form additional clumps. The foliage is heart shaped. Each leaf is about 1 inch across and 2 inches long. 

Flowering occurs during the summer. Clusters of buds form on the stems at the axils of the leaves. From these, sky-blue flowers open - a few at a time each day for several weeks.  As this is a morning glory, the blooms do not last long; never more than a single day.  Eventually, the pollinated flowers form small capsules, and the clusters of these take on a somewhat fuzzy appearance.

Hairy clustervine produces beautiful flowers, but the plant's somewhat weedy appearance and its definite weedy nature do not lend itself well to cultivation in a home landscape, and because it is an annual it would only prosper in settings where some disturbance or bare soil was present. I do not recommend it for a mixed wildflower garcen, even on a trellis. Other, less weedy clustervines, are grown commercially and are better behaved.

Skyblue Clustervine - Jacquemontia pentanthos

Skyblue clustervine (Jacquemontia pentanthos) is a south Florida native, naturally found only in Collier, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Broward Counties.  It is not a Florida endemic, however, because it is also found in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and Hawaii.  In Florida, it is listed as a state endangered species. 

This is a species of lower elevation, moist habitats - hammock and wetland edges, and it performs much better as a landscape specimen when given ample moisture.  It can withstand extended drought, but eventually declines under such conditions. It also cannot withstand extended periods of inundation.  As a coastal plant, it has some salt tolerance, but it is not a coastal dune plant and is not the best choice for such conditions.

Skyblue clustervine is a sprawling herbaceous evergreen vine.  The multiple stems coil upwards on adjacent vegetation (or trellises) and may reach lengths of 6-10 feet.  Older stems become somewhat woody, but remain thin.  The leaves are oval and heart shaped, with deep veins.

Flowering occurs mostly in the winter months, but can occur at any time.  Large numbers of sky-blue flowers are produced in the leaf axils. As this is a member of the moring glory family, each flower opens in the morning, but they remain open throughout the day and may be pollinated by sphinx moths active around dusk (according to Roger Hammer).  Individual plants can have hundreds of flowers open at one time and are spectacular when they do.

Although quite rare in Florida naturally, skyblue clustervine is widely propagated by commercial nurseries.  In the landscape, it is relatively easy to maintain and it makes a wonderful wildflower on a trellis or fence. It is cold sensitive, so don't attempt it too far north of its natural range. Give it good moisture and plenty of sun.  It also is not long lived.  Thankfully, if it dies, it is not impossible to replace it with another plant.