Goldencrest - Lophiola aurea

Goldencrest (Lophiola aurea) is an erect perennial herb native to the central and western portions of the Florida Panhandle. Originally included in the same genus as redroot (Lachnanthes caroliana) there are superficial resemblances between the two, but also significant differences. For one, goldencrest has whitish to brownish roots - not red, and there are also differences in their chemical and pollen structure. Goldencrest, therefore, has been put in its own genus and this is the only species worldwide. It is found throughout the Deep South with disjunct populations being reported from New Jersey and Prince Edward Island. Goldencrest is a species of wet savannas, bogs and ditches where it gets full sun and nearly constant wet soil.

It dies to the ground each winter, and reaches a mature height of 1-3 feet in late spring.  The leaves are small, linear, and less than 1/4 inch wide. Flower heads are produced at the top of the stalk. They are open cymes with the stems and the flower heads covered by white wooly hairs.  The individual flowers are tiny with a yellow crest emerging from the top of the bud. Each of these flower buds ripens to a dry capsule in late summer.

Goldencrest has never been offered for sale commercially in Florida, to the best of my knowledge.  It is a common plant of the open savannas of Apalachicola National Forest (where these photos were taken), in the same types of habitats where pitcher plants, sundews, and grass pink orchids occur. Look for it in late spring.

Purple Coneflower - Echinacea purpurea

 

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a common wildflower throughout much of the eastern half of North America, but exceedingly rare in Florida.  Resident to only a few limestone glades in Gadsden County, purple coneflower is listed here as a state endangered species.

In these glades communities, it occurs in open to partially sunny openings, in well-drained soil that has a rather high pH.  These are not the same conditions this plant is found in further north. Purple coneflower is a perennial that dies back completely to the ground in winter. A basal rosette of noticeably toothed, arrow-shaped leaves emerges in spring. Each leaf is deep green and up to 6 inches long.  They are rough to the touch. Multiple flower stalks arise from inside these rosettes in spring and flowering occurs over a protracted period in summer.  The large showy blooms are several inches across with pink to lavender ray petals and a central disk of spiky greenish brown ones.  Purple coneflower attracts a very diverse assortment of pollinating insects and there is always someting nectaring on it. In sunny areas, these flowers stand several feet tall, but in the shade (like the photos taken above) they can reach 3-4 feet tall.

The vast majority of purple coneflower being propagated here in Florida does not come from Florida stock, which is why so many people tell me that their plants act like annuals. Seed and plants from areas to our north do not perform well in Florida and should be avoided if you do not wish to replant it each spring. Dan Miller, of Trillium Gardens in Tallahassee, has been propagating his purple coneflower from Florida plants. My stock came from his and it has done well in Pinellas County and has lasted now for 2 years without sign of wasting away. The same is true of the specimens photographed above in the landscape of a friend in Gainesville.

In Florida, purple coneflower seems to do best when used in partly sunny locations. It is drought tolerant and does not require limey soils, but do not plant it anywhere that does not drain well.  I like it mixed with other medium-tall wildflowers, in patches of no less than 3 plants, preferably more than 5.  Just make sure your plants come originally from the Florida population. Don't be fooled by those who tell you it came from plants grown in Florida - most of those are not Florida genetic stock, but out-of-state stock grown in a Florida garden. I have tried plenty of those in the past and every time I have, the plants died after the first year.

Coastal Bog Asphodel - Triantha racemosa

Coastal bog asphodel (Triantha racemosa) is a member of a very small family that also includes the rare endeminc Harper's beauty (Harperocallis flava). Coastal bog asphodel is the only member of this genus native to Florida. It is an obligate wetland plant, found in wet savannas and open bogs across much of the Florida panhandle and in a few counties around the Jacksonville area.  It also is present in most states in the Southeast - from Texas to Maryland.
Coastal bog asphodel is a perennial member of the monocot group of flowering plants and has thin linear basal leaves like many lilies, grasses, and others that comprise this group. It dies back to the ground in winter and produces its basal rosette in early spring.  The flower scape arises from the center of this rosette and reaches its mature height of about 2 feet in early summer. The photos above were taken in mid-June in Apalachicola National Forest in an area that also supported yellow pitcher plants and sundews. The flowers are produced one per node, not in small clusters, and each is comprised of six petals.
This very attractive wildflower is not likely to ever be sold commercially due to its restricted habitat requirements. Look for it during the summer months if you are in open wet prairies in north Florida.  It deserves a close look.

Erect Dayflower - Commelina erecta

Erect dayflower (Commelina erecta) occurs throughout Florida and nearly all of the United States except the extreme Northeast and Far West.  This is a native species, common to a wide variety of dry upland sites. Most other native dayflowers are found in moister habitats and are not erect.
This is a perennial species, a close relative of the spiderworts and roselings, and shares the typical 3-petal flower shape. Dayflowers, as the common name suggests, have blooms that open for only one day, but produce a succession of flowers that keep plants in bloom for many weeks in the summer.  Another common name for this species is "white mouth dayflower", so named because the lower petal is white instead of blue. It also is greatly reduced in size.
Dayflowers have a somewhat complex pollination strategy, but the blooms attract many kinds of bees and other pollinators.  The seeds are produced in large numbers by late summer. The larger upper petals are a bright sky blue in color. This color is typical for this genus.
This is only 1 of 2 native dayflower species, but a great many nonnative species are common lawn weeds and residents of disturbed habitats.  All possess foliage that is somewhat elliptical, with the sessile leaves clasping the main stem. This species is the only one likely to be encountered in xeric conditions, full sun, and upright in nature.  Mature specimens bloom in mid to late summer. They typically reach a height of 18- 24 inches. 

Florida Scrub Roseling - Callisia ornata

Florida scrub roseling (Callisia ornata) (fka Cuthbertia ornata) is endemic to the scrub and sandhill habitats of the Florida peninsula, south to Collier County. Roselings are very close relatives of the spiderworts (Tradescantia spp.) and the dayflowers (Commelina spp.), both very common almost weedy genera, but roselings are diminutive in comparison and not likely to ever be encountered in your lawn. The four native species in Florida are somewhat difficult to tell apart at first glance. Florida scrub roseling is distinguished by its very thin, grasslike leaves all the way up the stem and the fact that its flower scape is held well above the nearest leaves.
Roselings are annuals. Large numbers of seed are produced the previous fall. The tiny, grasslike plants emerge in the spring and eventually they form a basal rosette of bright green leaves. Each rosette is about 2 inches across.
In Florida scrub roseling, the flower stalk eventually reaches a height of about 12 inches. The bright 3-petal pink flowers each open for one day, in succession for several weeks. These blooms are visited by a wide variety of pollinators and the ripened seed is scattered below the parent by late summer/early fall.  The flowers, above, were photographed in late June.
Roselings are not uncommon, but are difficult to distinguish when not in bloom.  Their attractive pink flowers should lend them the qualities sought for landscape purposes, but their annual nature makes them very difficult to keep in a typical mixed wildflower bed.  To persist, they need open, sandy soil and the ability to move about the bed. Since they aren't currently being propagated, it is best to simply admire their simple beauty as you hike Florida's most xeric habitats in mid-summer - a time too few of us get out to explore this amazing state of ours.

Godfrey's False Dragonhead - Physostegia godfreyi

Godfrey's false dragonhead (aka Godfrey's obedient plant) (Physostegia godfreyi) is a rare endemic, found only in the wet open savannas of the Apalacicola National Forest area - Wakulla County west to Walton County.  It is classified as a state threatened species, and it requires moist to wet soils and open sunny areas.
Like other members of this genus, it is an herbaceous perennial that develops networks of underground rhizomes. As these branch and divide, they put up multiple above-ground stems and these form extensive colonies.  Each stem arises in the spring, is quite thin and tends to blend in with the grasses and other graminoids it frequently occurs with.  The leaves of Godfrey's false dragonhead are very thin and alternate along the stem.  By early summer, they have reached a mature height of about 18 inches.
Flowering occurs in June and the weight of the blooms tends to bend the thin stalks over. As the common name implies, the individual flowers look a bit like those of snapdragons. The other common name for this genus, obedient plant, is derived from the curious trait of the blooms along the stem. If you push them 90 degrees from their existing angle on the stem, they will stay in their new position - making them "obedient." The flowers of Godfrey's obedient plant are a pale pink  with darker venation within the throat. Each is about 1/2 inch long.  Obedient plants are mostly pollinated by bees.
Though some obedient plants make excellent landscape specimens (we grow P. virginiana in our landscape), Godfrey's will never be a target for commercial production. Look for it if you are in the open wiregrass savannas and pitcher plant bogs of Apalachicola National Forest in June and early July - and then simply admire it for its rarity and simple beauty. This is one of many beautiful wildflowers found only in Florida.

Chapman's milkwort - Polygala chapmanii

Chapman's milkwort (Polygala chapmanii) is one of 23 species of this widely variable genus in Florida. It has a very restricted distribution here, occurring only from the central Panhandle west.  In this region, it can be found in open wet savannas and flatwoods.  Outside of Florida, it is found from Georgia to Louisiana.

Polygalas generally are annuals. This species emerges in early spring and forms an erect stem that eventually reaches a height of 1-2 feet. It is very difficult to see, however, until the flowers open in early summer because it blends in perfectly with all the grasses, sedges, and other graminoids it occurs with.  The leaves are tiny, occur sparingly and solitary along the stem, and are filiform (grasslike) in shape.

The photographs above were taken in mid-June in Apalachicola National Forest, in an area that also included pitcher plants and Calopogon orchids..  The flowers are typical of the species, forming clustered racemes and blooming from the bottom up. Each bloom is a pale pink in color with bright yellow reproductive parts in the center. Plants in flower are pretty, but their relative small size makes them a bit less showy than many others in this genus.

Milkworts, as a genus, are not offered commercially for the home landscape. Because they are annuals, they need planting beds that allow them to reseed. I have not had success keeping any of the other more common species past one growing season, and I suspect Chapman's milkwort would be even more difficult because of its restricted habitat requirements.  Look for it during the early summer in open wet savannas, in areas where pitcher plants might be present, and admire it for its simple beauty.