Southern Stoneseed - Lithospermum tuberosum

 

Thanks to my brilliant naturalist friend, Lily Byrd, I have the photos of this wonderful wildflower to share with all of you. Southern stoneseed or tuberous gromwell (Lithospermum tuberosum) is a native member of the borage family and found sporadically in nine counties in north-central Florida.  It is a perennial that dies back to the ground each winter and emerges in early spring from a very thickened tap root as a set of "hairy" basal leaves. It is a common wildflower of the Piedmont region of Georgia to the Carolinas and north to Virginia and extends west to east Texas. In this region, it is most common in the understory of rich deciduous woodlands.

The flower stalks emerge in mid-spring and can reach a mature height of about 2 feet. The leaves along these stems are much reduced in size, but remain elliptical in shape and alternate on the stems. Flowering occurs from mid-March to early June in Florida. It has the typical borage inflorescence - flowers open in sequence along a flower stalk that curves as it grows. The individual flowers are a light lemon yellow in color and decidedly tubular in shape.  I have not seen pollinators using it firsthand, but suspect that they are favored by a variety of bees while the woodland canopy remains open - like other borage species.

Southern stoneseed has never been propagated for sale by any of the nurseries affiliated with FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, to the best of my knowledge. It would be an interesting plant to add to a deciduous woodland planting in north to central Florida, but that would have to wait for someone to propagate it. I do not grow it here at Hawthorn Hill.  For now, we must simply admire it if we are lucky enough to come across it while hiking in those counties where it does occur.

Round-lobed Liverleaf - Anemone americana (FKA Hepatica americana)

Round-lobed liverleaf (Anemone americana) is an exceedingly rare plant in Florida - found only in two counties (Jackson & Gadsden) in and around Torreya State Park in the central Panhandle.  It is classified as a state-endangered species. It also has recently undergone a taxonomic change as I learned it as genus Hepatica. This change has been back and forth over the years and you are just as likely to find it referenced as Hepatica as you are Anemone if you search for it online.  The two genera are very closely related.

This spring-blooming ephemeral perennial wildflower is a relic in Florida of earlier geologic time. Like so many of these types (bloodroot, columbine, mayapple, etc.) they are indicative of rich woodland soils of the type you might find in more-northern states. It is, in fact, native to every state east of the Mississippi River and Canadian provinces from the maritime east to Manitoba west. Throughout its vast range it makes its appearance in the early spring, blooms and "disappears" soon after for the remainder of the year.

As its common and former Latin name suggest, its foliage is comprised of rounded lobed leaves - somewhat suggesting the thalli of liverworts.  These leaves are arranged in a cluster that rarely stands taller than 8 inches above the ground.  The margins of these leaves are without teeth, but have hairs on the leaf stems.  Each leaf is 1-3 inches wide and 1-3 inches long.  They are easy to miss when this plant is not in bloom.

Blooming in Florida occurs in early March. Flower color can be variable - from nearly white to a rich purple.  Each is about one inch wide and composed of 6 tepals - the petals and sepals look alike. Although this is a characteristic of many monocots, the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) of which this species is a member is considered to be a dicot.  

This is an easy wildflower to find in wildflower catalogs from states to our north. Such plants are very unlikely to thrive in Florida, however. The Florida ecotype has never been offered for sale here to the best of my knowledge.  It would have to be grown in a deciduous woodland understory in rich soil.  If you are lucky enough to witness it here in Florida, simply admire it for its perseverance. Not everything beautiful in Florida makes a good landscape choice.

The photos of this wildflower were taken by my friend, Lilly Byrd, who is active on both Facebook and Twitter. I encourage you to follow her.