Hairypod Cowpea - Vigna luteola

There are a great many beans/legumes native to Florida and quite a few that are not native. It is a widespread family and members can be found in nearly every habitat type found here. Some are difficult for me to tell apart on first glance as they are various shades of pink and light lavender and have the typical 3-parted compound leaf. A few are white, but very few are bright canary yellow. That is the attribute that aids me with this one when I encounter it in the field.
Hairypod cowpea, (Vigna luteola), is essentially found statewide, though it has not been vouchered in the Ocala/Lake Wales Ridge counties and a few in the Panhandle. This may well be an oversight as small, somewhat less-grandiose, species do not seem to be collected as avidly as the showier ones. Besides Florida, it is known throughout the Southeast Coastal Plain from Texas to Virginia and seems to also occur in Pennsylvania. Throughout this extended range, it is most common in mesic open sites.
Hairypod cowpea is a weak-stemmed vining perennial. Its many stems twine through the adjacent vegetation - it does not have tendrils. As it twines, it can partially smother the plants it climbs upon. Normally, its blooms rise an inch or two above the foliage. Both the leaflets and the bean-shaped seed pods are "hairy".
The flowers are bright canary yellow and quite attractive. Like most legumes, the lower petal is fused into a keeled lip and the petals above it are fused into "ears".  Flowering can occur during most months, except winter in the northern half of the state.
Most twining legumes are difficult in a mixed wildflower planting because of their bad behavior and, thus, they are rarely propagated for the home landscape by native nurseries affiliated with FANN - the Florida Association of  Native Nurseries. They tend to have value to the hardcore butterfly gardener, however, and should be made more available because of that. Hairy cowpea is a known larval host plant for the gray hairstreak, dorantes skipper, and long-tailed skipper. Although each of these butterflies also oviposits on other, less rambling species, adding hairy cowpea is useful to a butterfly garden where these three butterflies are to be considered. Finding plants from nurseries may be very difficult so look for the ripening beans during most months, harvest a few before they are completely dry and keep then in a closed paper bag until they split open. Such ripe pods burst open vigorously and you may actually hear them inside the paper bag. Sow the seed just below the soil surface and germination should occur within 2-3 weeks.

I have a few extra seed that I will share

I am mostly done planting seed for the 2019 season at Hawthorn Hill and I have a few seed left over of a very few species that I would share with you on a first come / first served basis. Let me know which species you are interest5ed in AND send me a SASE of sufficient size and with sufficient postage. The only catch is that the seed ONLY be used for your personal gardening efforts - NO COMMERCIAL use is warranted. I do not sell seed and I don;t expect you to make a profit off of it either....... Thanks

1. Chrysoma paucifoculosa - Woody goldenrod
2. Dalea pinnata - Summer farewell
3. Carphephorus corymbosus - Florida paintbrush
4 Liatris gracilis - Graceful blazing star
5.Liatris savannensis - Savanna blazing star

I have recently moved to Holiday, FL - which is just over the Pinellas border in Pasco County. I hope to have my annual Spring Sale in April or early May. I will post this when I set a date.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to all of you.

Email me first about availability - huegelc55@aol.com
Then send your SASE to my new home address:
1648 Paragon PL
Holiday, FL  34690

 Woody goldenrod

Savanna blazing star

 Graceful blazing star

 Summer farewell

Florida paintbrush

Fall Open House - Saturday September 29

 

I will be holding what may well be my final Open House at Hawthorn Hill this coming Saturday, September 29. My wife and I are parting ways and she is putting our home on the market shortly. Until I find a new residence and have the ability to propagate plants, I will be forced to (temporarily) shut down this aspect of my life. EVERYTHING must go except for my stock plants - so there will be deals to be had.  I would love to have my plants find a new home where they can flourish.

I hope to be back by spring, but there is a lot of uncertainty right now..........

My address is: 9900 133rd St, Seminole, FL  33776
My email (if you have questions or wish to get an updates list is: huegelc55@aol.com
My phone (should you wish to speak to me directly is: (727) 422-6583

Hours: 9 am - 1 pm.

I plan to take everything that goes unsold to a local native plant nursery.

Coastalplain Hawkweed - Hieracium megacephalon

Coastalplain hawkweed (Hieracium megacephalon) is one of many such Asteraceae members that get mistaken for dandelions.  It is not one, of course, and is the sole member of this genus found in Florida.  It is found nearly statewide here, but is not an endemic as it also has been vouchered in Georgia.
Some might also call this a "weed", and it fits that description a bit since it is common in a wide variety of upland habitats and tends to reseed well into disturbed areas. "Weeds" are not necessarily unattractive or undesirable, however. Coastalplain hawkweed produces showy flower heads that can be up to 1 inch in width. The lemon yellow petals open in the morning and close by mid-afternoon. They attract a variety of pollinating invertebrates.  Flowers can be produced year round in frost-free portions of the state, but elsewhere are visible from spring to late fall.  The stalks are about  18 inches tall when grown in sunny locations.
Coastalplain hawkweed is a perennial forb. The leaves are elliptical in shape and normally 2-3 inches long. The leaves and stems are covered by coarse "hairs". 
This is not a species I've ever seen offered by commercial nurseries, but it would be easy to propagate from seed. As mature seed is available most months, collect a few from sites where this would be legal, and sow them slightly below the soil surface. Just realize that it is likely to spread once established.

Pineland Pinklet - Stenandrium dulce

Pineland pinklet (Stenandrium dulce) is a low-growing perennial wildflower reported from most of the southern half of peninsular Florida. It also has been reported from Georgia and Texas as well as much of Central and South America to Chile.  Throughout its range, it prefers moist open habitats such as seasonally wet savannas and pinelands.
Pineland pinklet is diminutive in stature. Normally its ovate to somewhat linear leaves hug the ground as a basal rosette. They are deep green in color and somewhat fleshy. Flowering in south Florida can occur in most months, but is limited to summer and fall further north.  The flower stalk typically stands 3-4 inches in height and the deep pink blooms measure about 1/2 inch wide. The center is white and some white streaking may occur on the 5 petals.  As its Latin name implies, they are sweetly fragrant. 
Currently, few south Florida native wildflowers are being propagated by members of FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries. To me, the reason is unclear as most of the endemic and locally native woody species have found their way to market. Pineland pinklet would seem to be a wonderful wildflower for cultivation. Its low stature and beautiful blossoms would make it an ideal candidate for the outer border of a wildflower planting. It also is a reliable reseeder and spreads in sunny moist locations where it is most comfortable.  Regrettably, I rarely see it offered and none of the nurseries associated with FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries, currently list it for sale. Hopefully, this will change soon as more demand for south Florida wildflowers (and wildflowers in general) increases.

Pineland Alamanda - Angadenia berteroi

Pineland alamanda (Angadenia berteroi) is a distant cousin to the commonly propagated wild alamanda (Pentalinon luteum). Both are in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), but the latter is a robust vine while the former is a vine-like herbaceous perennial  Pineland alamanda is a state-threatened species found only in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys. It also occurs in much of the Caribbean. Throughout its range, it occurs in open pinelands.
Pineland alamanda can reach a total length of 30 inches tall, but is often much shorter. The leaves are opposite on the stem, linear in shape and curl under along the leaf margins. They also are 1-2 inches long. It is reported that the sap of this plant can cause minor skin and eye irritations.
Flowering can occur throughout the year. This plant was photographed in late May in Everglades National Park in open pine rocklands. The flowers are similar to wild alamanda, but are much smaller in size. Each bloom is about 1 inch long and about 1/2 inch in width. They are a bright canary yellow in color and they attract a variety of pollinators.
Although state listed, this species is often locally common. Although wild alamanda is relatively common in cultivation, pineland alamanda is not. Currently, no one associated with the Florida Association of Native Nurseries (FANN) is listed as propagating it. This is regrettable as it has much to offer the home landscape in south Florida - where so few other wildflowers are being grown. It can be hoped that this situation will someday be rectified and this species, among so many others, will be made available.

Southern Colicroot - Aletris bracteata

Southern colicroot (Aletris bracteata) is a state-endangered species reported only from Miami-Dade and Collier Counties in extreme south Florida. It also is reported from parts of the Bahamas. Throughout its limited range, it occurs in pine rockland habitat where the soils are intermittently wet and in sunny locations.  The plants photographed above were found in May 2018 in Everglades National Park.
South Florida ecologist, Roger Hammer, reports that it can bloom throughout the year, but I have very limited experience with this specie's ecology.  Like other members of the genus, it is a perennial herb with thin leaves that emerge as a whirl from a central growing point. Each wiry leaf is less than 1/4 inch wide and may be up to 4 inches long. As the Latin name implies, the flowers are subtended by small leafy bracts.  The stalk itself can be up to two feet tall and the white flowers arise on the upper 12-18 inches. They bloom from the bottom up. Each is about 1/4 inch long and "mealy" in appearance.
This is one of five colicroot species native to Florida and the one with the most-limited distribution. None of them are currently offered commercially by members of FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries.  It is very unlikely that this one will ever be a serious candidate for the home landscape. If you hike any of the pine rocklands within its range, however, look for it and admire it for its distinctiveness.