Wildflower of the Week is written by Club member Jim Poling and features seasonal flowers. Jim is the coordinator of Black Mountain Easy Wildflower Walks. He started these walks in 2014 but skipped two years because of the Pandemic. He says easy because most of the walks will be 1-2 miles on mostly level trails with a few roots and rocks along the way. The walks will not be taxing for those of you who are ambulatory. We will be able to see a good selection of western NC Wildflowers including Lady Slippers, Trillium, Toothwort, Larkspur and many others.
Here is the schedule for the 2024 Jim Poling Easy Wildflower Walks, pending necessary revisions. The walks are scheduled to take advantage of the target wildflowers and to work around Jim’s vacation schedule. If the weather cooperates, we should have another magnificent summer of beauty and surprise. Jim will send directions later for where we will meet. All walks are on Thursdays from 9:00am to 12:00pm. See you soon. Jim Poling
Contact Jim at jnpoling @icloud.com for more information.
Next BMT Wildflower Walk will be Thursday, May 9, 2024, 9:00am-12:00pm. We will meet at the Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway (MM382) on the upper parking lot so we can carpool to the location for our walk at MM 279. We hope to find Lady Slippers, Showy Orchis, Yellow and Nodding Mandarin, and many other beauties. Easy
June 13: Mt. Mitchell State Park. Expect to see Purple-fringed Orchids & Bee Balm. Car trip
Aug 1: Craggy Gardens Picnic Area. Expect to see Turk’s-cap Lily, False Hellebore, St. John’s-wort, Twayblade Orchids, Wood Nettle. 2 miles with challenges
August 22: Big Ridge Overlook on Mountain-to-Sea Trail. Expect to see Gentians, Goldenrods, Turtleheads, False Sunflowers. Easy
May 5, 2024
For decades, until the 2010s, the historical Sioux City sarsaparilla bottle was sold at retail in the
United States. On previous wildflower walks, people often ask if the Sarsaparilla drink came from the sarsaparilla plant. According to Wikipedia, the answer is no. Sarsaparilla drink comes from sassafras and birch oil. “The classic sarsaparilla [drink] was not made from the extract of the sarsaparilla plant, a tropical vine distantly related to the lily. It was originally made from a blend of birch oil and sassafras, the dried root bark of the sassafras tree.” . . . . “In 1960 the FDA banned the use of sassafras oil in foodstuffs after evidence accumulated showing that the main constituent, safrole, was carcinogenic.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarsaparilla_(drink)#Singapore
In any case, finding a Sarsaparilla plant in the wild is always a thrill for me. It is actually a close relative of Ginseng. It blooms in our mountains in early May through July. This week I found some Sarsaparilla on the trail we will be walking on Thursday, May 9. Hopefully it will still be there. In my experience, it is unusual to see this wildflower in bloom.
Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
Ginseng Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: up to 2’ tall
General: Perennial herb with a smooth, erect stem.
Leaves: Single, compound leaf with 3 primary forks, each with 3-5 leaflets
Flowers: Greenish flowers in 3 small umbels on a separate stalk. May-July
Where Found: Rich woods from northern U.S. south in the mountains to GA.
Notes: Usually small, plants with large, aromatic roots were used by Native Americans to make tea and as a flavor for root beer. The roots were made into a poultice for treating cuts and bruises.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 206.
April 28, 2024
Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 7-13” tall.
General: Erect perennial. Stem hollow, unbranched, purplish to reddish-brown, smooth.
Leaves: 5-6 in a whorl at top of stem where flowering stalk begins, oval to oblong-lattice-
shaped, to 3” long (enlarging as fruit develops).
Flowers: 1, rarely 2, on stalk emerging from center of leaf whorl, to 2” wide, ; each flower consists of 3 widely-spreading, purplish-green, linear sepals (1.5-2.5” long), 2 greenish-yellow petals forming a small hood, and a yellowish to white, down-curved lip petal, bearing a fleshy ridge in the middle and purple streaks on lateral lobes. Apr-July.
Fruits: an erect, ribbed, elliptical capsule.
Where Found: acidic, moist to dry forests.
Cotterman, Watt, and Weakley, ˆWildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, 2019, p 326
April 21, 2024
Every year I search for the beautiful Gay Wings in early to mid April near Brevard. This beautiful pink, distinctive wildflower is stunning at close view, but easily overlooked because of its diminutive size. You have to get down on the ground and look closely to fully appreciated its uniqueness and dazzling colors. It is always part of my early spring excursion to go where I may find them, if I guess right on the calendar. Naturalist friends know of other sites where this flower can be found. We try to keep each other informed when it appears. If you wait too long, the flower has faded and it is almost impossible to locate. My mantra: Get out in nature and prepare to be surprised time and time again.
Gay Wings (Polygala paucifolia)
Milkwort Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-6” tall
General: Low-growing, rhizomatous, colonial perennial
Leaves: Leaves clustered at top of smooth s ten, oval, to 1.5” long, with hairy margins and mid vein.
Flowers: 1-4 from leaf axils at top of stem, dark pink (occasionally purple or white), 1/4-1.5” wide, with 2 pink, wide-spreading, oblong-oval “wings” (sepals) and a pink and white floral tube (3 joined petals) ending in a conspicuous pink or white fringe. Apr-Jun.
Fruits: A rounded, notched capsule.
Where Found: Moist to dry forests, mostly at mid to high elevations.
Cotterman, Waitt and Weakley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, 2019, p 318.
April 16, 2024
Asimina parviflora Dwarf Pawpaw. “Small-flower or dwarf pawpaw is a 6-8 ft. shrub. Its young shoots and leaves are covered with a rusty down, later becoming smooth. Thick, dark green leaves are heavily scented. Brownish-purple, six-petaled flowers are borne singly in leaf axils before leaf emergence. Cylindric, dark green or brown fruit.”USA: AL , AR , FL , GA , LA , MS , NC , SC , TX , VANative Distribution: Coastal plain pine forests from s.e. VA to FL & e. TXNative Habitat: Dry, piney or oak woods; thickets.https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASPA18
February 25, 2023
Toadshade Trillium T. cuneatum: One of my friends visited the Asheville Botanical Gardens on the UNCA campus this week and found a Toadshade Trillium like the one below. Unbelievable! — for this species to be already up in February! This means it is time to keep our eyes open for early wildflowers. In Black Mountain we already have daffodils, crocuses, primrose, and Lenton Rose in bloom! These are signs that we have survived another winter. Of course, it has been relatively mild without much snow except in the western counties and higher elevations. Climate change is dramatic in its effects. I hope that the plants and animals that depend on them can adjust quickly enough. Usually evolutionary change gives plant and animal life time to evolve new patterns that facilitate survival. The same is true for humans. The combination of population growth and technology are bringing crises of heat, water, storms that make human life difficult in many places. We should pray for wisdom.
November 23, 2023
The orchid leaf below has a story to tell. It arises from the ground in November and stays until May when it disappears. In a normal year this species should then produce a spike with many flowers in June. However, we have lived at our home for 13 years. Each year this orchid produces a small leaf but it has not yet bloomed. I hope that next June it will finally produce a spike of flowers.
Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale)
Orchid Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 10-12 inches tall.
General: Perennial herb from underground bulbs, flower stalks sheathed at the base.
Leaves: Solitary, wintergreen, pleated, bluish green, oval, 4-8 in. long with silvery lengthwise veins, emerging in autumn and withering by early May before flowers develop.
Flowers: Irregular, various shades of green, yellow, and brown, 2 arching petals, 3 spreading sepals, whitish lip has pale magenta markings and lengthwise crests, flowers in a loose cluster at the top of the scape. flowers often open only slightly. May-June.
Fruits: Hanging, ellipsoid capsules, 0.6-0.9 in. long.
Where Found: Rich, moist soils of alluvial floodplains and deep humus pockets of mature woodlands, from northern AL and AR to the Great Lakes in most of the eastern U.S. Frequent.
Notes: This plant gets its common name, Puttyroot, from a sticky paste made by crushing the bulbs and roots, that was used to mend broken pottery. The other name, Adam and Eve, refers to the underground bulbs or corms, which almost always occur in pairs. Technically, the Orchid Family is defined by the fusion of pistil and stamens into a solitary column. The family name comes from orchis, Greek for “testicle,” the name given to the European Green-Winged Orchid (Orchis morio) for the shape of its paired tubers. Based on the Doctrine of Signatures (the belief that whatever a plant looked like, it could cure), orchids were widely esteemed as aphrodisiacs.
Horn, Cathcart, and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 448.
November 12, 2023
Dedicated Wildflower-Lovers enjoy identification of plants in all seasons. For this reason, I visited the Wolf Mountain Overlook on October 18 to see how some of my favorite wildflowers are faring at the end of the season. Below is a photo of the fruit of Grass-of-Parnassus. While not as showy as its flower, the fruit has its own beauty. I try to remember that producing the seeds is the most important goal of a plant, because its whole life-span is dedicated to producing a new generation of its species. We prefer the beauty of the flower which attracts pollinators as well as humans. We stop and study the flower and show pictures to our friends. But we often ignore the fruit and seed phase of the plant. So our focus is different from the plant whose mission is achieved when it produces good seeds. Some plants are endangered because of climate change, habitat loss and other human-induced stressors. The plants that successfully produce seeds are more likely to survive and thrive for future generations of human admirers. This reflection suggests that maybe we should focus more of our attention on the fruits and seeds of our beloved native plants.
Kidneyleaf Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia asarifolia)
Saxifrage Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-16 in. tall.
General: Smooth, perennial herb.
Leaves: Kidney-shaped basal leaves, 1-2” wide, almost as long, entire, on long stalks; each flowering stem has 1 sessile leaf, similar but smaller, near the middle of the stem.
Flowers: Solitary flower on each stem, 5 white petals, about 0.5” long, prominently grayish-veined, narrow-stalked; 5 stamens with anthers are separated by 5 shorter, sterile ones, Sep-Oct.
Fruits: Capsules with 4 valves, numerous seeds.
Where Found: Swamps and seepage slopes. From AR and eastern TX, east to VA and GA.
Notes: Though these plants do not resemble grass, the Parnassia genus was named by Dioscorides, a botanist of ancient Greece, after grass-like plants that grew on the side of Mount Parnassus in Greece. This oddity comers from centuries of confusion over the translation of the word for “green plant.” The species name asarifolia means “leaves resembling Asarum or Wild Ginger,” and fortunately, this part of the name is appropriate. The distinctive lines on the petals acts as a guide to attract pollinators.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 142. L. Newcomb, Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown, and Co, 1977, 142. 
October 24, 2023
There are at more than ten species of Goldenrod (Solidago) growing in western NC, according to the Western Carolina Botanical Society (https://wcbotanicalclub.org/goldenrods/). Actually there are 70 species of Goldenrod in the state of NC. So many that I seldom take time to sort out the ID of each Goldenrod I encounter. I was especially intrigued when I found how much the Monarch Butterflies flocked to the Goldenrod at the Monarch Waystation at Veteran’s Park in Black Mountain, NC (https://www.facebook.com/groups/195921917425575). These Goldenrods were 8-10 feet tall and loaded with flowers that bees and butterflies seemed to love. The Monarch Super Generation was fueling up for their 3,000 mile migration to southern Mexico for the winter. These same insects will leave Mexico in the spring and come north to Texas and other southern states where they will lay eggs and finally die. Most Monarch adults live only 2-3 weeks, long enough to lay eggs for the next generation. But the Super Generation lives for months and many adults survive migration to start the cycle over again. If you are interested, check out the new exhibit on Monarchs at the NC Arboretum (https://www.ncarboretum.org/monarchs-and-milkweed-a-story-of-survival/). Goldenrods give so much color to our mountains in the fall. In spite of their complex taxonomy, I love the Goldenrods.
October 16, 2023
DBA—Damned Blue Asters. The bane of many who love wildflowers, sometimes even Botanists. In fact, the official plant list for the Western Carolina Botanical Society lists 22 species of asters in the Genus Symphyotrichum. For most of us, distinguishing these species is beyond our skill and and even interest. But the late blue asters are beautiful and incredibly common in the western NC mountains. So it is nice to identify at least one. I have picked the Heart-leaved Aster for this post with the description below. The chances of a correct ID for many of us is low, but it can give a handle for enjoying these hardy wildflowers that grow in the high mountains and survive the early frosts. They add to the beauty of the changing leaf colors and keep us going into the mountains during the chilly mornings when we are tempted to stay in bed.
Heart-leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)
Aster Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3’ tall
General: Stems are single or a few from the base, mostly erect to ascending but may flop over, usually hairless except for short hairs in the flower cluster, and becoming somewhat woody at the base with age.
Leaves: Leaves are thin, coarsely toothed around the edges, and mostly strongly heart-shaped.
Flowers: Branching cluster of 20 to 300+, stalked, daisy-type flowers at the top of the plant and arising from upper leaf axils. Flowers are about ½ inch across with 7 to 15 petals (ray flowers) surrounding a creamy yellow center disk that turns reddish with age. Ray color ranges from nearly white to pale blue to lavender. Sept.-Oct.
Fruits: Flowers become seed heads with tufts of light brown to pinkish hair to carry them off in the wind.
Where Found: Woods, thickets, floodplain forest, wooded bluffs, stream banks.
Notes: Asters can be hard to ID!
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/blue-wood-aster
October 7, 2023
Wildflower of the Week is slowly grinding to a halt for the fall and winter. Posts from now on will be sporadic till the spring wildflowers begin again in February and March, 2024. However, I found one new orchid this week with the help of Joe Standaert who found this, new to me, orchid in his back yard. He kindly allowed me to photograph the orchid. Autumn Coralroot is an orchid that I may have walked by dozens of time without noticing it. It is only 4-8” tall and blends in with the colors of the forest floor with its greenish and light brown stem and flowers that are less than 1/4” long. It grows in September-October, has no leaves, and lives parasitically off of a fungus underground. This is my 25th native orchid in Norther Carolina. Hopefully we will all see something new next year. Keep your eyes open!
Autumn Coralroot (Corallorhiza odontorhiza)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-8” tall.
General: Erect perennial. Stem leafless, the base strongly thickened and bulbous, greenish to light brown tinged with purple. A mycoheterotroph (a parasitic plant dependent on nourishment from a fungus).
Leaves: No true leaves; a few sheathing bracts may be present.
Flowers: Flowers in a terminal raceme 1-4.5” long and horizontally spreading or nodding. The predominant flower part a red and greenish-yellow ovary about 1/4” long, greenish-red petals and sepals form a short tube that often stays closed, though a white lower lip with purple spots may fold slightly outward. Sept-Oct.
Fruits: Fruit a drooping oval capsule.
Where Found: Grows in the humus of some moist to dry forests, especially under oaks.
Cotterman, Waitt, and Weakley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, Timber Press, 2019, p 247.
September 24, 2023
It’s almost October, and I am just now finding one of the most beautiful wildflowers in the high mountains — Showy Gentian. The flowers of the Gentian family are usually blue, 2-3” long, and are closed at the top. Bumblebees and other insects must burrow their way inside to get to the nectar and assist with pollination. But the Showy Gentian flower is mostly white with pale blue stripes, making it distinctive among the Gentian family. This year is the best ever and I have found dozens of plants on the Mountain-to-Sea Trail south of Asheville. Keep your eyes open as you hike. Seeing this wildflower will make your week and urge you to return again and again to see what surprises nature has in store for those who are observant.
Showy Gentian (Gentiana decora)
Gentian Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 11-25” tall.
General: Erect perennial, stems rigid, unbranched, densely hairy (especially on ridges).
Leaves: Leaves in 6-8 pairs below inflorescence, sessile to short-petioled, elliptical to oval, to 4” long.
Flowers: 2-12 in a leafy, compact, terminal cluster; each flower white streaked with blue or purple, 1-2” long, tubular, the corolla split into 5 lobes at the opening and surrounded by a shorter, cup-shaped calyx tube, which is densely hairy and split into 5 linear, pointed lobes. Sept-Oct.
Fruits: an elliptical capsule.
Where Found: dry and dry-moist, acidic forests, especially mixed oak, oak/heath, and norther red oak forests.
Cotterman, Waitt, and Weakley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, Timber Press, p 427.
September 17, 2023
Bidens is a genus that has escaped my attention in previous years. Some of the common names in this genus are Beggar-ticks, Tickseed, and Spanish Needles. This apparently means that the seeds readily attach themselves to the fur of larger mammals as a form of seed dispersion. We know them because they attach to our clothing and have to be removed one at a time when we get home. As you can see in the first photo below, these spiky needles use us as carriers to distribute their seeds far and wide. At about 3-4 feet tall, they are perfect for deer, bears, coyotes, dogs, and humans. Look for them in September and October when you are walking or hiking.
Spanish Needles (Bidens bipinnata)
Aster Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 1-5’ tall.
General: Erect annual, stem widely branched and smooth or minutely hairy.
Leaves: Leaves petiolate, 1 1/2–8” long, 2-3 times pinnately divided into lance-shaped or oval segments with blunt teeth or lobes, mostly smooth; leaves resemble fern fronds.
Flowers: Flower heads on short to long stalks or ends of stems and branches, heads about 1/2” long with 3-5 yellow, oval ray florets (often absent), encircling a center disk of dark yellow tubular florets, July-Oct.
Fruits: A very narrow, needlelike achene bearing 2-4 barbed awns.
Where Found: In floodplains, disturbed areas, gardens, fields, roadsides and ditches.
Cotterman, Waitt and Weakley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast. 2019, p 309
September 9, 2023
September is the time for red berries in western North Carolina. While you are hiking this month, watch for the color red. Plants cannot easily disperse their own seeds. They depend on wind (maple twirlies, dandelion), water (sycamore, willow), and insects, birds and mammals (fruit such as apples, cherries, etc.). The berries below turn from green to red, blue, and yellow to advertise that the seeds are mature and the fruit is sweet. Animals consume this fruit and then deposit the seeds with their own contribution of fertilizer. Some animals, such as squirrels and some birds, bury the seeds in the ground and then forget where they were stored. When you see the beautiful fruit and seeds below, think of them are the strategies that plants have devised over thousands of years to survive under varying weather conditions and geological epochs.
August 27, 2023
There are some wildflowers I learn year after year and then promptly forget. One of them is a member of the Mint family which blooms in late August and September—Horse Balm. When I asked for help with ID of this wildflower this year, one of my friends said: “JIM!! You should know this one.” Some wildflowers just slip through my memory hole. I hope by writing this essay, I will remember this plant next year so I can say: “Oh, I know that flower; it is Collinsonia or Horse Balm in the Mint family.”
Horse Balm (Collinsonia canadensis)
Mint Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-3’.
General: Erect to ascending perennial.
Leaves: Leaves petiolate (upper ones nearly sessile), oval, 2-8” long, coarsely toothed, smooth,
Flowers: Flowers in a loose, wide-branching panicle, pale yellow, 1/2” long, tubular and 2-lipped (lower lip prominently fringed), with 2 long-protruding stamens and an elongated style. July-Sept.
Where Found: In the understory of cove and the rich forests, esp. over calcareous or manic substrates.
Notes: Plant gives off a lemony scent when bruised or crushed..
Cotterman, Waitt, and Weakley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, Timber Press 2019, 225.
August 13, 2023
The flower of the Cranefly Orchid is all over the mountains and valleys in western NC. It is one of the prolific orchids with a flat leaf in winter that shows purple when turned over, and a multi-flowered stem in August that blends in smoothly with its environment. As you can see from the photos I took this week, the individual flowers are strange-looking and hard to get in focus. The photos below are stacks of 25 photos with different focus points that blend together to give more detail. Even so, the detail is amazing. Keep you eyes open as you hike this month. You may well suddenly discover a patch of many Cranefly Orchids in bloom that you have overlooked in the past.
Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-26” tall.
General: A slender scape arises in midsummer after the leaf has withered.
Leaves: Single, basal, elliptic, 3-4” long, pleated, dull green blotched with purple above, rich satiny purple beneath, unfurls in autumn and persists throughout the winter, withering in late spring.
Flowers: watery-translucent, purplish green (or bronze or yellowish); asymmetrical (lopsided), 0.6-0.75” wide, 3 sepals and 2 lateral petals narrow, similar, lip petal 3-lobed, middle lobe elongated, slender, tubular spur extends backward from the lip; numerous flowers in a terminal raceme. Jul-Aug.
Fruits: Hanging, ellipsoid capsules, 0.,5” long
Where Found: Upland or rich, damp, acidic woodlands in the eastern U.S.
Notes: The flowers of this species are asymmetrical (lopsided), with one petal overlapping the dorsal sepal, somewhat resembling a cranefly and giving the plant its common name. It can be very difficult to spot in the shady forest understory of midsummer after the leaf has disappeared as the flowers blend into the background of leaf litter on the forest floor.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 4
August 6, 2023
August is a great month for wildflowers in the high mountains. I always look forward to seeing Starry Campion and its hard-to-find cousin, Fringed Campion. Both of these members of the Pink family bloom along the Mills River North MTS trail that we will be walking on Thursday. Right now Starry Campion is abundant; in a few weeks, we might be able to find the Fringed Campion on the same trail.
Starry Campion (Silene stellata)
Pink Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 4’ tall
General: Perennial with sparsely hairy stems.
Leaves: Lanceolate to ovate stem leaves, 2-4” long in whorls of 4.
Flowers: Star-shaped, white, about 0.75” wide; 5 fringed petals are wooly at the base, petal blades have 8-12 segments; inflated, bell shaped calyx, formed in loosely branched terminal clusters. Jul-Sep.
Fruits: Capsules splitting into 6 teeth.
Where Found: Dry woods and clearings throughout eastern U.S.
Notes: The species name, stellata is derived from the Greek word, stella, meaning “starry,” and refers to the shape of the flower. Other common names are Widow’s Frill, King’s cure-all, and Thurman’s Snakeroot. Asa Gray (1810-88), a preeminent botanist, wrote that he was told the plant was an antidote to the bite of the rattlesnake and copperhead. The story goes that its use was indicated by markings on the root beneath the bark, where the likeness to the skin of the rattlesnake was seen.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 80.
July 28, 2023
The Aster or Sunflower family of Wildflowers (Asteraceae) is challenging for many Botanists, and they have been especially vexing for me and some of my friends. The reason is because of the complexity and diversity of the family — Sunflowers, Coneflowers, Joe-Pye-weed, Goldenrod, Daisies, Ragweed, and over 300 species in NC. The uniting characteristic is the presence of many flowers within a cone or on a stem. When you examine it with a magnifying glass you can see the many tiny flowers that give the appearance of one flower. The best I can do is learn to identify a few members of this family and try not to worry that I cannot identify more. For example, the Goldenrods have 100 species and the differences between them are best studied in a laboratory rather than in the field. So I give myself some grace with Goldenrods.
For today I am featuring Wingstem because is it one of the first members of the Aster family that I could recognize. It is blooming now and is a glorious yellow. The plant is often 6-8 feet tall with multiple flowers about 1” across. The stem has “wings” or wavy extensions that are distinctive. If you begin with Wingstem, eventually you will be able to give names to some other members of the Aster family.
Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia)
Aster Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-9 ft. tall.
General: Coarse perennial herb, stem leafy.
Leaves: Alternate, narrowly lanceolate, 4-10 in. long, margins serrate to entire; petioles with wings that extend down the stem.
Flowers: Ray flowers yellow, 2-10, irregularly spaced, reflexed, 0.4-1.2 in. long, disk flowers yellow, loosely arranged, forming a sphere 0.4-0.6 in. wide; involucral bracts narrow, smooth, reflexed, heads radiate, numerous, in an open, branched inflorescence. Aug-Sep.
Fruit: Achenes, 0.25 in. long, 0.15 in. wide, with broad wings, usually 0.1 in. wide, pappus of 2 short awns.
Where Found: Moist thickets and edges of woods through most of eastern U.S.
Notes: Wingstem is named for the winged petioles, which continue down the stem in a wing-like fashion. Wingstems are used as host plants and for nectar by Silvery Checkerspot butterflies.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 384
July 23, 2023
We are entering one of the most spectacular seasons of wildflowers in western NC. So many glorious and showy flowers in bloom for the next month, and the show is starting now! Turk’s-cap Lily, Bee Balm, Joe-Pye-weed, Wild Hydrangea, Coneflowers of all kinds, Evening Primrose, Phlox. You must get out into the mountains to witness this amazing time of year. As an example, I am featuring the Green-headed Coneflower. The first time I was amazed by this flower was at the top of Craggy Pinnacle. Every year there is a display of yellow petals right beside the stone wall. If you position yourself well, you can get the flowers in the foreground and Lake Burnet (the Asheville Reservoir) and Black Mountain in the background. It is one of the iconic scenes and thousands of people climb the rocky trail to see this vista. Look for them mixed with Black-eyed Susan, Daisies, and many other flowers of the composite family.
Green-headed Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata)
Aster Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-9 ft tall
General: Highly branched, smooth stem
Leaves: Alternate to 8” long, petioled, pinnately divided into 3-7 sharply pointed lobes, upper leaves smaller, ovate, often entire.
Flowers: Ray flowers lemon yellow, 6-16, drooping to 2.5 inches long; dish greenish yellow , 0.4-0.8” wide, rounded when young, several on long stalks, July-Sep.
Fruits: Brown achenes, 0.2” long, pappus a short crown, usually toothed.
Where Found: Rich, moist soils, throughout most of the U.S.
Notes: The genus Rudbeckia is named in honor of Olaf Rudbeck the Younger (1660-1740) and his father, Olaf Rudbeck the Elder (1630-1702), a Swedish botanist who taught at the University of Uppsala, Sweden.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 371.
July 8, 2023
It is always exciting to find the first blooming Turk’s-cap Lily like I did on Thursday along the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville. Within a day, friends were posting their own first-of-the-year Turk’s-caps. They are among the most dramatic and prolific of wildflowers. The plants often get 6-10’ tall and can have more than 50 bright yellow-orange flowers, 2-4″ across. They can be found all along the Parkway and in dramatic clusters in certain spots year after year. We know mid-summer is here and soon the mountains will be covered with equally dramatic coneflowers, asters, Bee Balm, and so many other beauties. It is the glory of summer in western NC and we must get out and take it all in.
Turk’s-Cap Lily (Lilium superbum)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-8 feet tall.
General: Perennial herb with a stout, erect stems, branched above.
Leaves: Mainly in whorls of 5-20, becoming alternate on the upper stem, lanceolate, widest at or below the middle, tapering to both ends, 3-7 in. long, 0.4-1.2 in wide, smooth or nearly so on the margins.
Flowers: Orange, yellow, to red, liberally spotted with purple and with a distinguishing green “star” inside the flower tube, 6 sepals lanceolate, 2.4-3.6 in. long, extremely recurved, stamens with anthers 0.6-1.0 in. long on spreading filaments extending well beyond the tepals; flowers usually 3-25 (potentially 65-70), nodding, on long ascending or erect stalks. July-September.
Fruits: Angular capsules to 2 in. long.
Where Found: Moist woods, meadows, and balds from NH and MN south to FL and AR, mainly in the uplands.
Notes: The species name superbum means “superb,” in reference to the striking flowers. Botanist Mark Catesby (1683-1749) reported that Native Americans boiled the roots for food.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 418.
July 4, 2023
Lysimachia (Loosestrife) is one of genera I look for every summer. Lysimachia quadrifolia (Whorled Loosestrife) is a common weed in our yards; Lysimachia ciliata (Fringed Loosestrife) is a tall plant that blooms at Craggy Gardens; Lysimachia lanceolata (Lanceleaf Loosestrife) is a ground hugging plant I first saw near Sam’s Knob south of Asheville. All the flowers of these plants are a beautiful yellow, an inch or more across, with reddish centers. I found a patch of Lysimachia lanceolata near my house in Black Mountain today. This week I will begin looking for this genus in the high mountains. Their beauty lights up the summer. Stop and enjoy the Loosestrife family whenever you see them, even if it is just a week in your yard.
Lanceleaf Loosestrife (Lysimachia lanceolata)
Primrose Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
General: herbaceous perennial plant is 1-2′ tall and more or less erect.
Leaves: The opposite leaves are up to 5″ long and ¾” across. They are lanceolate or narrowly ovate, and often fold upward along the length of the central vein. Their margins are usually smooth (although sometimes ciliate), and there are no hairs, except toward the base of each leaf. These leaves are sessile against the stem, or they have short petioles with a few coarse hairs. The uppermost leaves at the top of a plant are usually whorled. The underside of each leaf is light or whitish green, but eventually becomes darker with age.
Flowers: From 1-4 nodding flowers develop from the upper axils of the leaves, each with its own pedicel. Each flower is about ¾” across, with 5 narrowly triangular green sepals, 5 yellow petals, and 5 yellowish orange stamens. The petals are well-rounded, but their outer edges are often ragged and may have conspicuous tips. Toward the center of the flower, there is a patch of orange surrounding the upper portion of the pistil. July-Aug.
Fruits: Spheroid capsules with slender spike-like tips.
Where Found: Although widely distributed, it is an occasional plant. Habitats include moist to mesic black soil prairies, open woodlands, thickets, swamps, gravelly seeps, limestone glades, and old fields with hardpan clay or sandy soil.
Notes: The genus name Lysimachia literally means “loosestrife”; lysis “to release from,” and mache, “strife.”
June 27, 2023
Late June is the prime time for Purple-fringed Orchids. They are blooming now at Mt. Mitchell State Park and many other locations. Several years ago I took our granddaughter to see the Purple-fringed Orchids and I have a lovely photo of her among the flowers. It has become one of my favorites and I always try to visit during the last two weeks of June. It is one of the showy orchids that is hard to miss if you stumble across it on one of your hikes. In this message I feature two related species: Small and Large Purple-fringed Orchids (Platanthera psychodes and P. grandiflora). The plants and flowers look similar to most people, although the experts can find several differences. The primary way I have found is to examine the small opening at the center of the flower which is the route to the nectar. In the Small Orchid, the opening is hourglass or dumbbell shaped, never round or square. In the Large Orchid, the opening is round or square, never hourglass shaped. I have given some examples below. I found both of this blooming orchids on June 26 this year. I hope you get to enjoy them.
June 13, 2023
There is a special day each year when I find the Appalachian Fameflower in full bloom. It usually takes several trips to a particular spot along the Blue Ridge Parkway. These diminutive flowers (about 1/2” wide) only bloom in early summer on sunny days in the late afternoon. I was fortunate to find them yesterday, June 12, and they did not disappoint.
Appalachian Fameflower (Phemeranthus teretifolius)
Purslane, Portulacaceae Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-9 inches tall,
General: Low perennial with 1-3 stems from an enlarged base.
Leaves: Succulent, 0.5-1.5” long, linear, circular in cross-section; in a cluster near the base of the stem.
Flowers: Pink to rose red, 0.5” wide, 5 petals, 15-20 stamens, borne in a branched bracteate cyme of 2-20 flowers, June-August
Fruits: Capsules with minutely roughened seeds
Where Found: open sandstone outcrops.
Notes: Fameflowers are also called Rock Pinks and are able to survive in thin, rocky, dry soil by storing water in their thick, succulent leaves. The brightly colored flowers are short-lived, only opening in bright sunlight for a few hours, usually in mid-afternoon.
June 4, 2023
Yellow Clinton’s Lily is blooming this week in the high mountains. The photos below were taken on the trail up to Craggy Pinnacle on the Blue Ridge Parkway, north of Asheville, NC. We hope to find some on our trip to the Parkway South this week. The broad, thick leaves are distinctive and the yellowish flowers are showy. Later this herb will develop dark blue fruits from which it gets its alternative name — Bluebead Lily.
Yellow Clinton’s Lily (Clintonia borealis)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6-15 inches tall.
General: Erect perennial herb.
Leaves: Basal, entire leaves, 4-16 in. long, oblong to elliptic, margins fringed with a few hairs.
Flowers: Greenish-yellow, 6 regular parts, nodding, similar petals and sepals, 0.6-0.7 in. long, leafless inflorescence a short, terminal raceme of 3-8 flowers, May-June.
Fruits: Ellipsoid, bright blue berries, 0.3-0.4 in. long.
Where Found: A northeastern U.S. species extending south only at higher elevations, Infrequent.
Notes: Also called Bluebead Lily for its dark blue fruit. The genus Clinton is named for DeWitt Clinton (1769—1828), the 3-term governor of NY. He was responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal and was well known for writing books on natural history.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 411.
May 28, 2023
We are beginning the milkweed season. Four-leaved Milkweed, White Milkweed, “Chocolate” Milkweed; soon it will be time for Common Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, and Poke Milkweed. This family is important for insects and birds and is often part of a “Pollinator Garden.” Common milkweed is crucial for Monarch Butterflies for their larvae and during migration. I am featuring Four-leaved Milkweed because it is blooming this week on the Craven Gap North Trail and many other places. I hope you will get out on the trails and enjoy this family this summer.
Four-leaved Milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia)
Milkweed Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 12-20” tall
General: Slender, unbranched perennial herb.
Leaves: Lanceolate sessile, 2-6” long, slightly hairy underneath, middle leaves usually in whorls of 4, upper and lower leaves smaller and opposite.
Flowers: Light pink, 5 reflexed corolla lobes about 0.2” long, white “hoods”, 0.16-0.2” long, are longer than incurved “horns”. hemispherical umbels, 1.5-2.0” across, are terminal or from the upper leaf nodes (May-June)
Fruits: erect smooth follicles, 4-5” long, dehiscent along 1 suture; seeds have silky tufts of hair that aid in dispersal.
Where Found: Dry, upland woods and forest edges..
Notes: Goldfinches use the silken seeds to line their nests.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 229.
May 21, 2023
One of the my favorite of the Trilliums is Vasey’s Trillium, found in the higher mountains in late May and early June. I took these photos this week on the Big Ridge Trail where we will be walking in June. The first photo is a Vasey’s Trillium and the second photo is probably a hybrid between Vasey’s and Trillium rugelii. Notice the bicolored petals and the dark stamens in the second photo. These beauties can be found above 4,500’ in the high mountains.
Vasey’s Trillium (Trillium vaseyi)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 12-24’ tall
General: Erect Perennial Herb.
Leaves: in a whorl of 3, solid green, rhombic 4-8” long and wide, broad with a tapering base.
Flowers: Maroon 2-5” across with a strong funereal, rose-like fragrance, 3 broadly ovate petals, 1.2-2.5” long, veiny somewhat to strongly recurved; stamens far exceeding the length of the small, purplish maroon ovary, flowers solitary, staked, nodding beneath the leaves. April-June
Fruits: dark maroon, ovoid, many-seeded berries t 0.8” across.
Where Found: Rich woods..
Notes: This is the largest flowered of the Trilliums and the latest to flower..
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 433
May 14, 2023
I have a beautiful pink flower on a small shrub (Bristly Locust) in my yard, one that was already here on our undeveloped lot where we built our house. On Friday, I found a beautiful stand of this plant at Cherry Cove overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, MM413. The plant is not listed in any of my wildflower books. I found the following description on a webpage of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Apparently Bristly Locust is native to the southeastern United States, but considered a dangerous invasive in the Midwest. They urge farmers and homeowners in Missouri not to plant this shrub. In addition, it is poisonous. However, the Missouri Botanical Garden also says it makes a good ground cover or hedge. Go figure.
Bristly Locust (Robinia hispida)
Pea Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Appearance: Robinia hispida is a deciduous shrub, to 8 ft. The multiple stems are erect and covered with dense bristles. Caution: All parts of this plant are poisonous. It is native to the southeastern United States.
Foliage: The alternate, pinnately compound leaves have 7 – 19 leaflets about 1.5-2 in. long. They are densely hairy with smooth edges. Most leaves have a pair of long spines at their base.
Flowers: The dark to light pink pea like flowers are clustered in the leaf axils. The flowers bloom from May through June.
Fruit: The thin seed pods are 2-4 in. long and densely covered with bristly hairs.
Ecological Threat: Robinia hispida was planted for erosion control and can be found in disturbed areas such as old fields and along roadsides. It prefers full sun.
Midwest Noxious Weed: Do Not Plant. This plant is listed as a noxious weed in one or more Midwestern states outside Missouri and should not be moved or grown under conditions that would involve danger of dissemination.
Uses: Excellent flowers and foliage. Specimen or screen. Good plant for stabilizing embankments and slopes and for planting in poor, dry soils. Interesting informal hedge.
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=280475
May 7, 2023
Wild Sarsaparilla is in the same family as Ginseng (a much desired plant that some claim provides many medicinal benefits. It is illegal to harvest Ginseng in western NC). I remember hearing about Sarsaparilla as a kind of tea or root beer, since I lived in western Maryland where some people were still gathering herbs and fungi from the mountains for family use. According to the internet, the source of all truth these days, “Sarsaparilla is a rich, complex drink using liquorice root, ginger root, vanilla bean, sarsaparilla root and molasses.” These days it is a speciality drink that is not widely known. In any case, it is a plant that I always enjoy seeing, especially in May when it is blooming.
Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
Size: up to 2’ tall
General: Perennial herb with a smooth, erect stem.
Leaves: Single, compound leaf with 3 primary forks, each with 3-5 leaflets
Flowers: Greenish flowers in 3 small umbels on a separate stalk. May-July
Where Found: Rich woods from northern U.S. south in the mountains to GA.
Notes: Usually small, plants with large, aromatic roots, used by Native Americans to make tea and as a flavor for root beer. The roots were made into a poultice for treating cuts and bruises.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 206.
April 30, 2023
Showy Orchis, a local, abundant native orchid, has been at its peak during the last two weeks at 3,000’ elevation, such as the trails around Craven Gap where we will be hiking in two weeks. The flower is usually pink or lavender and white in the typical orchid shape—a hood and bottom petals surrounding the ovary. However I found the orchid below that is mostly white with just a hint of pink in the hood. With my camera on a tripod, I took fifteen photos with different focal points and used a compatible background to get this photo that is mostly in focus. I hope we get to see this beautiful orchid in two weeks before it has completed its flowering phase.
Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis)
Size: 3-10 inches tall, flowers 1 inch long.
General: Showy, smooth perennial herb from a short, fleshy root; flowering stalks thick, relatively short, sharply ridged.
Leaves: Basal, 2, nearly opposite, thick, glossy, dark green widely elliptic, 4-8” long.
Flowers: 2 lateral petals and 3 sepals pink to lavender, covering to form a hood; lip usually white; borne in a raceme, April-May.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 0.7-1.0” long
Where Found: Rich, hardwood forests, esp. near streams or at the base of slopes, SE Canada and most of eastern US.
Notes: Orchids are experts at tricking insects into their corrollas, which lack nectar. Instead, they have packets of pollen, called pollinia, that cannot be used as food by insects. Orchids attract their pollinators with elaborate deceptions, including distended hairs and papillae on the lips and complicated fragrance lures. In search of food, an insect is tricked into visiting flower after flower, depositing and receiving pollen as it goes.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 453.
April 23, 2023
Shooting Star is a beautiful flower that does kinda look like a meteor with its white tail, yellow stamens and black and gold base. It was a new wildflower for me several years ago. I always look forward to their bloom in April. There is a nice patch on the Craven Gap North MTS Trail. Look for it at Bear Cave Rock at eye level. It is a feast for the eyes.
Shooting Star (Primula meadia)
Primrose Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 24” tall.
General: Perennial spring herb
Leaves: Basal, rosette, mostly oblanceolate, to 8” long, reddish at the base.
Flowers: White, rarely pink or lavender; 5 swept-back petals expose the 5 stamens and yellow anthers, which form a pointed beak (or “star trajectory”); borne in a cluster at the top of a naked stalk (scape) that may be 6-20” tall. April-June.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, about 0.5” long, dark red seeds are variously flattened or angled.
Where Found: Rich, moist, wooded slopes; also meadows, open woods, prairies, and limestone bluffs from MN to FL.
Notes: The common name refers to the striking flower with a petal formation that resembles a star shooting across the sky.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 132.
April 7, 2023
One of the highlights of the BMT Wildflower walk this week will be Dwarf Larkspur. It is already blooming and should be in its prime on Thursday. I love finding this lovely blue flower with its unusual spurs at the base of the flower. In spite of its beauty, we must refrain from tasting its leaves because it is very toxic for humans.
Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne)
Buttercup Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 24” tall
General: Perennial herb.
Leaves: Few, mostly basal 1-5” wide deeply divided into several narrow oblong linear segments.
Flowers: Blue, white or bicolored, 1-1.5” long, bilaterally symmetric, spurred, 3 ovaries are spreading, borne in a loose raceme, March-May.
Fruits: 3-Beaked follicles, shinny black, 3-angled seeds
Where Found: damp to dry woods and barrens, preferring calcareous soil.
Notes: All Delphinium species are toxic and contain alkaloids. Ingesting of any leaves or seeds may cause nervous symptoms or even death.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 58.
April 1, 2023
Yellowroot is often overlooked because its flowers are small (1/4-1/2”) and the shrub looks nondescript. That may be why I walked right by Yellowroot for years at Lake Tomahawk. But today, I noticed a patch in full bloom not from from the dam. I often find it along streams, such as Elizabeth’s Path along Flat Creek in Montreat and many other places. It is delightful to notice such small wildflowers and give them the respect they deserve. This plant may have herbal qualities that are beneficial to humans, however the internet cautions us not to use herbal remedies that have not been adequately tested. I am content to enjoy the beauty of this plant and leave medical decisions to my doctor.
Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima)
Buttercup Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 24 inches tall, tiny flowers.
General: Low shrub grows in colonies; roots and inside of the stems are yellow.
Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound with sharply toothed leaflets, the leaves clustered toward the top of the stem.
Flowers: Petals absent; tiny flowers have 5 maroon to yellowish green sepals, borne in several narrow, drooping racemes to 5” long, April-June
Fruits: Follicles with 1-2 seeds.
Where Found: Shaded stream banks in most of the SE US.
Notes: The genus name, Xanthorhiza means “yellow root”; simplicissima indicates that the plant is unbranched. Traditionally, the roots of Shrub Yellowroot were used to make tea to treat a variety of ailments. It is now known that the plants contains berbine, which has many physiological effects on humans.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 68
March 27, 2023
On Thursday, March 23, I Scouted out the Mountain-to-Sea trail south from Craven Gap, Blue Ridge Parkway. This is probably the best time to see Bloodroot in bloom. The distinctive leaf will be visible for several months after the flower is gone. In a few weeks, Trillium will be out on the Craven Gap trail, along with Larkspur, Stonecrop, and other flowers. But the Bloodroot will be done blooming.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Poppy Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6 inches tall.
General: Early Spring flower, single leaf, single flower, each arising separately from a horizontal, underground rhizome.
Leaves: Basal, lobed, single, pale, green, 3-9 lobed, round, may become 8 inches wide.
Flowers: Showy, solitary, 8-16 white petals with 4 petals slightly longer than the others, March-April.
Fruits: Capsules with 2 valves that open by splitting from bottom to top.
Where Found: Rich woods from Canada, southward to Al and Fl. Widespread in TN, common.
Notes: Sanguinaria is from the Latin, songs, meaning “blood,” referring to the rhizome, which oozes an orange-red juice (or sap) when cut. Native Americans used the juice as body paint, lending the name, Indian Paint. Used for a yellow-orange fabric dye. Also contains an antibacterial, anti fungal and anti-inflammatory ingredient that is used in toothpastes and mouthwashes to help reduce dental plaque and gingivitis. Can be toxic.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 68
October 12, 2022
October Wildflowers in western NC deserve special praise for their resilience in changing weather, especially above 5,000’ elevation. When I visited Craggy Gardens this week, I was delighted to find a hillside with many dozens of Nodding Ladies’ Tresses, a native orchid. With temperatures dipping into freezing at this elevation, it is amazing that this wildflower can thrive. Right beside it was a blooming Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia), another hardy plant, and of course, late Blue Asters, and a few Daisies and Black-eyed Susans. The whole scene was magical with the leaf color. The only problem was hundreds of leaf peepers and their cars taking thousands of cell phone pictures of hazy mountains in harsh sunlight. I hope you enjoy the focus-stacking images below.
Nodding Ladies’ Tresses (Spiranthes cernua)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-8 in. tall.
General: Perennial herb often in large colonies, stems have knob-tipped hairs.
Leaves: Alternate, green, narrowly oblanceolate, 2-8 in. long, pliable, reduced to bracts above, persistent (present at flowering).
Flowers: White, tubular, 0.3-0.6 in. long, usually fragrant, 3 petal-like sepals and 2 lateral petals project forward; lip petals often light yellowish green; flowers arranged in 3-4 gently twisted columns, in a cylindric spike without much tapering at the top. Sep-Oct.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 0.3 in. long.
Where Found: Moist, relatively open, acidic places in most of the eastern U.S.
Notes: The species name cernua means “nodding,” in reference to the flowers. It was first described in 1753 by the Swedish naturalist, Carl von Linne (Linnaeus), who is often referred to as the “Father of Taxonomy.” It was used medicinally by Native Americans as a tea to treat urinary disorders and general disease, and as a wash to strengthen weak infants.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 465.
May 22, 2022
One of my all-time favorite native wildflowers, Painted Trillium, is blooming this week. There are many places along the Parkway where you can find them on a short walk off the road. Perhaps the easiest to find is Graveyard Fields (MM 418.8) on the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Mt. Pisgah. There are scores of Painted Trillium along the trails down to the lower falls. They also bloom on many other places. I usually find them above 5,000’. Seeing them in the wild is worth the trip. They look as if a painter had taken one of the White Trillium and painted the center with a beautiful pink color. Their annual bloom will be over in another week or so. Enjoy.
Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum)
Lily Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-18 inches tall.
General: Erect perennial herb.
Leaves: 3 Whorled, entire leaves, bluish or copper green, ovate, 2-5 inches long at flowering time, sharply pointed, short-petioled.
Flowers: 3 regular parts, white with a red, v-shaped blaze near the base, April-May.
Fruits: Scarlet, ellipsoid to ovoid berries, 0.5-0.9 in. long.
Where Found: Prefers cool coniferous forests or acidic woods with scattered Mountain Laurel, Galax, and Rhododendron, eastern US and SE Canada. Infrequent.
Notes: The species name undulatum refers to the wavy or undulate margins of the petals. The bi-colored petals are a unique feature of this flower. Attempts to cultivate this species outside its native range are rarely successful.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 433.
May 1, 2022
One of the plants we will likely see in bloom on the Black Mountain Flower Walks is the Spotted or Nodding Mandarin. It tends to grow in patches of many plants and is distinguished by hanging flowers that are heavily spotted. The plant itself looks similar to its cousin, the Yellow Mandarin, which grows in similar habitat and often at the same time.
Spotted or Nodding Mandarin (Prosartes maculata)
Liliaceae family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-30 inches tall, 1-2 inches across.
General: Erect, perennial herb, upper stem forked.
Leaves: Alternative, sessile, thin, elliptic or oval, 1.5-4.0” long, acuminate tips, prominent parallel veins
Flowers: Cream to white, peppered with purplish spots; similar petals and sepals (3 each), 0.6-1.0” long; flowers, 1-3, hang like bells from the uppermost leaf axil. April-May.
Fruits: Hairy, 3-lobed, knobby, white berries, turning yellowish, about 0.5” long
Where Found: Rich woods over neutral or calcareous soils, from; Michigan to GA.
Notes: Known as Spotted or Nodding Mandarin, similar to Yellow Mandarin. Its favored habitats are steep wooded hillsides and rich ravines.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 413.
September 19, 2021
One of the most beloved native wildflowers in western NC is the Grass-of-Parnassus. Dozens of plants are in full bloom on the vertical bog at Wolf Mountain Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, MM425. The white flowers with gray-green veins stand out, even from cars that rush past on their way someplace else. I encourage you to stop and enjoy this plant growing on the wet rocks that are always dripping with water.
Kidneyleaf Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia asarifolia)
Saxifrage Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-16 in. tall
General: Smooth, perennial herb.
Leaves: Kidney-shaped basal leaves, 1-2” wide, almost as long, entire, on long stalks; each flowering stem has 1 sessile leaf, similar but smaller, near the middle of the stem.
Flowers: Solitary flower on each stem, 5 white petals, about 0.5” long, prominently grayish-veined, narrow-stalked; 5 stamens with anthers are separated by 5 shorter, sterile ones, Sep-Oct.
Fruits: Capsules with 4 valves, numerous seeds.
Where Found: Swamps and seepage slopes. From AR and eastern TX, east to VA and GA.
Notes: Though these plants do not resemble grass, the Parnassia genus was named by Dioscorides, a botanist of ancient Greece, after a grass-like plant that grew on the side of Mount Parnassus in Greece. This oddity comes from centuries of confusion over the translation of the word for “green plant.” The species name asarifolia means “leaves resembling Asarum or Wild Ginger,” and fortunately, this part of the name is appropriate. The distinctive lines on the petals acts as a guide to attract pollinators.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 142. L. Newcomb, Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown, and Co, 1977, 142.
July 31, 2021
Every year I look for the Kidney-leaved Twayblade, the tiny orchid that grows and blooms underneath Rhododendron Shrubs along many of the trails in the high mountains (5,000’). They are blooming this week. Look carefully into the darkness for a very small plant: the stem is only 2-4”, and there are two small opposite leaves that are shaped roughly like kidneys. The flowers are about 1/4” in size and brownish in color. It can be mixed in with the Mayflowers that are mostly finished blooming, have a heart-shaped base, and are 2-8”, which appears much larger. You have to be patient to find his flower, but when you do, you know that you have found something that most people overlook or lack interest in. Wild orchids in NC are amazing and they thrill me every time. Also look for Yellow-fringed Orchids, Cranefly Orchids, Rattlesnake Plantain (orchid), and Small Green Wood-Orchid in bloom now
Kidney-leaved Twayblade (Neottia smallii)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-4 inches tall
General: Perennial herb
Leaves: Opposite, 2 about midway on the slender stem, dark green, kidney-shaped
Flowers: 1/4” flowers with a wide lip divided into two divergent lobes, their hues a range of greenish brown pastels.
Where Found: Moist mountain woods, frequently under hemlock or rhododendron. Found at Craggy Gardens and other high elevation ridges.
Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 457
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July 11, 2021
Poke Milkweed is one of the most common wildflowers along the Mountain-to-Sea Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway in June and July. Nearly human-sized in height, it produces many clusters of flowers which resemble its close relative, Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), that we see more commonly in the valleys. Both plants are pollinated by Monarch Butterflies and other insects. The toxic sap becomes food for Monarch caterpillars that protects them from predators.
Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)
Milkweed Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-5’ tall
General: Erect, mostly smooth perennial herb.
Leaves: Opposite, broadly elliptic, 4-8” long, mostly smooth, thin tapered at each end.
Flowers: Shite,, tinged with greener lavender; 5 corolla lobes, 0.3-0.4” long, “horns are longer than hoods, loosely flowered with drooping umbels; flower cluster emerge from upper leaf axis. June- July.
Fruits: Smooth, erect follicles, 5-6” long, dehiscent along one suture; seeds have silky tufts of hair that aid in dispersal.
Where Found: Uplands woods, dry clearings, and rich forest margins.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 226.
April 12, 2021
I always know spring has fully arrived when I find Dwarf Larkspur. The best stand I know of is on the Mountain-to-Sea trail south of Craven Gap. Today I found them blooming on the MTS trail north of Bull Gap. By June they will be finished blooming and the plant will appear as just one among many understory herbs. The next few months are great times to walk the Mountain-to-Sea Trail anywhere in the Asheville area. These plants were used to make blue dye by the Indigenous Peoples. But don’t confuse their beauty and their taste—they are very POISONOUS.
Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne)
Buttercup Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 24” tall
General: Perennial Herb
Leaves: Few, mostly basal, 1-5” wide, deeply divided into several narrow oblong- linear segments.
Flowers: Blue, white or bicolored, 1.0-1.5” long, bilaterally symmetric, spurred, 3 ovaries are spreading; born in a loose terminal raceme. March-May.
Fruits: 3-beaked follicles; shiny, black, 3-angled seeds
Where Found: Damp to dry woods, preferring calcareous soil.
Notes: Delphinium comes from the Greek and means “dolphin”, referring to the shape of the spurred flower when budding; the species name tricorne means “three-horned” for the 3-pointed fruit. Used to extract blue dye; POISONOUS.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 58
March 31, 2021
It is time to start up the Wildflower of the Week series, although it may be episodic depending on my schedule. I was able to go to Twin Bridges near Tryon, NC on March 30 and found many of my usual early spring favorites. I am featuring the Large-flowered Bellwort Uvalaria grandiflora because this was the most beautiful stand of this wildflower I have ever seen. Thousands of this Bellwort were blooming on one of the spur trails and it is well worth the trip, even though there are also thousands of Trillium Violets, Saxifrage, and many other great plants.
Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora)
Lily Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 15-30” tall
General: Erect perennial herb with branched stems.
Leaves: Alternate, perfoliate (stem pierces the leaf); oval, 2-5” long, pointed, prominent parallel veins, minutely hairy beneath.
Flowers: Pale to golden yellow smooth within, similar petals and sepals (3 each), 1-2” long, separate, twisted, overlapping; flowers solitary and nodding from the upper leaf axils. April-May.
Fruits: 3-angled capsules; seeds brown, plump, sometimes puckered.
Where Found: Rich, deciduous forests, chiefly on calcareous soils.
Notes: Used to treat rheumatic pain and sore muscles.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 343
December 6, 2020
I love the several winter orchids that send their leaves out to photosynthesize in the winter, then die off in the spring so they can put all their energy into flowers in mid to late summer. The orchids below have leafed out in our yard: Tipularia discolor (Cranefly Orchid) and Aplectrum hyemale (Puttyroot). They show resilience by storing energy when their is sunshine available in the winter, and them blooming in the summer below the dark canopy. Below are some pictures of these two orchids in our yard and reminders of what the flowers look like in summer.
Tipularia discolor: notice the bright green leaves and the purple color of the underside of the leaf. The third picture is the flower in August.
Aplectrum hyemale; leaf and flower,
September 27, 2020
On our usual walk in the community, we found three plants with red and purple berries. This is the time of year to look for brightly colored berries including Holly Trees. Beautiful berries usually means that the plants depend on fruit-eating birds and mammals for distribution of their seeds. For example, red Holly berries and green leaves usually stay on the tree till winter which is why they are popular for Christmas decorations. Apparently they are not the most tasty fruits, so the birds save them till late winter when their other food supplies are dwindling. Other fruits disappear much earlier. Some seeds such as Trillium are distributed by ants which is called Myrmecochory. You can use that term to impress your friends and children. Below are some examples of brightly colored fruits in our neighborhood.
Probably Beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma), based on the size and shape of the leaves and the place where the fruit grows. It is not considered a dangerous invasive, but it easily reseeds and could become invasive. It is highly marketed to homeowners as a hardy shrub. It is from China.
Hearts-a-bustin’; Strawberry Bush (Euonymus americanus)
Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) is a favorite shrub for lawn borders and has beautiful green leaves and bright red berries. Unfortunately it is not native and is labeled as one of the top invasive species in the U.S. PLEASE DO NOT PLANT THIS SPECIES, AND REMOVE IT IF YOU CAN.
August 30, 2020
There are some beautiful wildflowers blooming in the high mountains these days: Turtlehead, Grass-of-Parnassus, Gerardia, and Cowbane. Some of these are new for me. I hope you can get out sometime to enjoy the beauty. I go early mornings to avoid the crowds that come about 9:30 am.
August 17, 2020
This was a week of blooming orchids in Black Mountain. I discovered the leaves of Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) in our yard. I have been watching for them to bloom. This was the week they opened up their flowers. The bloom is very easy to miss because it is a single, leaf-less stem that is the same drab color of the leaf litter—brownish, greenish, grayish. In addition, the individual flowers are tiny—0.5-0.75 inches. That makes them hard to photograph.
I have tried to get some closeup pictures of the Tipularia discolor this week. They are challenging because they are three-dimensional. I shot these pictures at f14 to increase the depth of field. Fortunately they are blooming in our yard, so I have gone out several times with tripod to do my best. Moths pollinate the plant. The flowers have pollinaria, specialized structures containing pollen found in orchids. The moth travels to the flower, the pollinaria attaches to the moth’s eyes, and then the moth can transfer the pollinaria to another flower for pollination. The flowers seem to work like Cardinal flowers, depositing the pollen on the moth’s head. https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/tipularia_discolor.shtml
The second orchid is Yellow Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris). Last week, I traveled down to Brevard to find this beautiful orchid. Then a friend told me a about a beautiful stand of this wildflower in Black Mountain. This flower stands out because of its bright yellow and orange color, easily visible from the car when driving. I am posting pictures of this orchid as well, and I am glad that I won’t have to travel to Brevard to find it next year.
April 25, 2020
Showy Orchis is one of several orchids blooming in early spring—Early Coralroot, Pink Lady’s Slipper, Yellow Lady’s Slipper, Whorled Pogonia. All of these I have seen in the last few weeks. Keep your eyes open. Showy Orchis lives up to its name. Even though it is a small plant, it produces many pink and white blossoms in their typical orchid pattern of lateral petals, sepals, a hood and a lip. Orchids are specialized for certain pollinators who know how to navigate the blossom to get to the mother lode of nectar. Even though orchids are specialized, they have been an amazingly successful family with over 20,000 wild species, mostly in the tropical climates. NC has about 40-50 orchids that provide a good challenge for botanists and wildflower lovers. Some orchids are rare and so we seldom broadcast their location.
Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-10 inches tall, 1 inch long.
General: Showy, smooth perennial herb from a short, fleshy root; flowering stalks thick, relatively short, sharply ridged.
Leaves: Basal, 2, nearly opposite, thick, glossy, dark green, widely elliptic, 4-8” long.
Flowers: 2 lateral petals and 3 sepals, pink to lavender, covering to form a hood; lip usually white; borne in a raceme, April-May.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 0.7-1.0” long
Where Found: Rich, hardwood forests, especially near streams or at the base of slopes, SE Canada and most of eastern US.
Notes: Orchids are experts at tricking insects into their corollas, which lack nectar. Instead, they have packets of pollen, called pollinia, that cannot be used as food by insects. Orchids attract their pollinators with elaborate deceptions, including distended hairs and papillae on the lips and complicated fragrance lures. In search of food, an insect is tricked into visiting flower after flower, depositing and receiving pollen as it goes.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 453.
April 17, 2020
Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata) just sent up its first shoot, the first backyard orchid to bloom this year. In a week or two this sprout will look like the one I photographed on May 2, 2018 . Last year I found 75 of these orchids on our property (0.4 acres) A glorious gift during quarantine.
Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-12 inches tall.
General: Smooth, stout, purplish-stemmed perennial herb
Leaves: In a whorl of usually 5, oblanceolate, to 3.5 “ long, near the top of the stem below the flower; begin to expand when the flower is fully developed and continue to enlarge after fertilization.
Flowers: 3 long, thin, tapering purplish sepals, up to 2”: long, radiating outward; 2 lateral greenish yellow petals, covering all but the end of the lip; lip petal with 2 purplish side lobes, an expansive, downcurved, yellowish white middle lobe, and fleshy green central ridge; usually solitary, terminal, on a pedicel 0.8-1.25” long. April-May
Fruits: Erect, ellipsoid capsules, 1.0-1.25” long
Where Found: Various acidic soil habitats, including moist woodlands, in most of the eastern U.S.
Notes: Large Whorled Pogonia is recognizable by its reddish purple stem and sepals, and the fruit stalk that is longer than the fruit capsule.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 455.
April 8, 2020
I hope you are meeting the challenges of the Coronavirus Quarantine and staying healthy. This may include walks to enjoy nature in safe ways — walking alone and keeping social distance. I ventured into Montreat today and found the first blooming orchid of the year: Spring Coralroot. It is blooming in front of the Montreat Hotel in a flower bed on the southeast end of the hotel. Maybe you can look for it yourself. It is only a few inches tall, reddish with tiny white flowers with red-purple spots. I am also watching for the first sprout of Isotria verticillata Whorled Pogonia in my yard. It usually starts blooming in the third week of April and continues through the second week of May. Also in my yard are Golden Alexander, Wild Ginger, Wild Oats, Solomon’s Seal, Columbine and some cultivars such as Azaleas. It is a beautiful time of the year, and, fortunately, the wildflowers bloom whether we are there to enjoy them or not. We may be limited in our mobility since most of the parks and trails are closed. But we can celebrate what we have. Stay healthy!
Spring Coralroot (Corallorhiza wisteriana)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-18 inches tall
General: Leafless, saprophytic, perennial herb, without chlorophyll, with erect, slender flowering stems. tan below to yellow-brown or reddish purple above, sheathed around the lower portion.
Leaves: Reduced to a few bladeless sheaths on the lower stem, without chlorophyll.
Flowers: 3 sepals and 2 lateral petals reddish brown to greenish yellow, often suffused with purple, converging to form a hood over the lip; lower petal (lip) white with magenta spots, flowers 0.25-0.33 “ long in a loose raceme. April-May.
Fruits: Ovoid capsules, 0.4” long, 0.2” wide.
Where Found: Moist woods, rich ravines and slopes, swamps and along stream margins in most of the central and eastern U.S.
Notes: Spring coralroot in a saprophyte that obtains nutrients indirectly from decaying organic matter in the soil. Studies show that it has a mutualistic relationship with mycorrhizae fungi found among the rhizomes.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 450
March 30, 2020
Due to the Coronavirus Quarantine, most of us are limited to observing the wildflowers in our yards and neighborhoods. I will try to keep posting some of the things I am seeing and hope that you will do the same. Hopefully the Parkway trails will eventually be re-opened and we can find some of the less common wildflowers that we love. Several years ago I bought a Golden Alexander plant. It is one of the first flowers to bloom, even in March! Here are pictures from this year and a previous year of Golden Alexander in my yard. Later in the summer this plant is often confused with the Meadow Parsnip family (Thaspium barbinode or T trifoliatum).
Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)
Carrot Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2.5’ tall
General: Erect perennial, stems slender, branched above, with longitudinal lines, smooth.
Leaves: Basal and alternate, petiolate (petioles shorter upward), pinnately divided into 3-5 lance-shaped to oval leaflets to 3” long each, the larger leaflets lobed and all margins toothed; shiny and smooth.
Flowers: In flat-topped, compound umbels 2-3” wide, terminating stem and branches and with around 12 umbellets each. Flowers stalked, except for the central one in each umbel, bright yellow, less than 1/4” wide, with 5 incurved petals, 5 protruding stamens, and a protruding, divided style, Apr-May.
Fruits: Jointed pair of ridged, oval seeds.
Where Found: Moist forests
Cotterman, Waitt and Weakley, Wildflower of the Atlantic Southeast, Timber Press Field Guide, 2019, p 260
October 13, 2019
I don’t remember seeing Tearthumb until this fall. A friend provided an ID from a picture, and now I seem to find it everywhere. While birding this week, I had to walk through some Tearthumb to reach the site where a bird was hiding. The barbs on stems and leaves penetrated my clothing and irritated my skin. It is not painful in the same way as Multiflora Rose which can actually provide lacerations, but it gives a thousand tiny scratches. Birds probably hide here because it deters predators. Apparently its nectar is attractive to insects and its seeds are food for birds, so it is a valuable native plant, but considered a weed by most farmers and gardeners.
Arrow-leaved Tearthumb (Persicaria sagittata)
Knotweed Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-6’ tall
General: Erect to sprawling annual/short-lived perennial. Stems sprawling over other plants, hollow and brittle, ridged, with recurved barbs on the ridges.
Leaves: Petiolate to sessile, with a short-fringed and membranous sheath (ocrea) where petiole meets stem, lance-shaped with 2 earlobes at the base, 1-4” long, with fine hairs on margins and recurved barbs on the mid vein beneath.
Flowers: Flowers in small, rounded clusters on stalks from upper leaf axils, white to pale pin, less than 1/4” long, with 5 oval tepals.
Where Found: Marshes, bogs, seeps, beaver ponds, and wet thickets.
Notes: Called Tearthumb because of the painful barbs on stems and leaves. In walking through these plants, barbs can even penetrate clothing for an irritating sensation.
Cotterman, Waitt and Weakley, Wildflower of the Atlantic Southeast, p. 207
October 3, 2019
Fall wildflowers bring many surprises. This fall I have discovered plants I don’t remember seeing before, or plants that I had forgotten about. One example is Beech Drops, a parasitic plant that grows on the roots of the Beech Tree. Like Indian Pipes and several others, this plant lacks chlorophyll for making its own food, so it exists by stealing its food from other plants, in this case from the roots of the Beech Tree. Given its small size and drab color, I am sure I passed by many times without noticing this plant. It almost looks like a withered stem with seed pods that are common in the fall. But when I stooped to look more closely, Beech Drops has its own beauty. Keep your eyes open; you never know what you will see.
Beech Drops (Epifagus virginiana)
Broomrape Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-18” tall
General: Erect, clumped perennial lacking chlorophyll. Stems stiff, sometimes branched, cream or tan-colored (often with purple streaks). Stems darken with age and persist through winter.
Leaves: Small brownish scales rather than leaves.
Flowers: Flowers of two types tucked into the scales: closed budlike flowers on lower parts of the stem, and open tubular flowers with 3 short, flaring lobes in upper parts. Both are cream-colored, heavily streaked with purple-brown. Only the closed flowers produce fruit.
Fruits: an oval capsule filled with minute seeds
Where Found: Found under beech trees in moist to dry forests;
Notes: An obligate parasite on beech tree roots.
Cotterman, Waitt and Weakley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast. 2019, p 474
September 29, 2019
I especially like the plant family of Orchids. These are the most specialized plants in the plant kingdom because they have evolved in relation to very specific pollinators and they are the largest family of flowering plants in the world. I found these Nodding Ladies’ Tresses in a field at Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park this week. The brownish color in some of the flowers is probably caused by the dry conditions of the last month. I was surprised to discover these plants blooming in a field where the Elk usually gather for the fall “Rut.” I love to see blooming orchids, especially this late in the season when most other plants are bedding down for the winter.
Nodding Ladies’ Tresses (Spiranthes cernua)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-18” tall
General: Perennial Herb, often in large colonies; stems have knob-tipped hairs.
Leaves: Alternate, green, narrowly oblanceolate, 2-8” long, pliable.
Flowers: White, tubular, 0.3-0.6” long, usually fragrant, 3 petal-like sepals and 2 lateral petals project forward, Sept-Oct.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 0.3” long.
Where Found: Moist, relatively open, acidic places in most of eastern U.S.
Notes: Used medicinally by Native Americana as a tea to treat urinary disorders and venereal disease and as a wash to strengthen weak infants.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 465.
September 22, 2019
I am obsessed with the Gentian family this fall. I love these unusual tubular flowers that usually do not open (except in certain species). Bumblebees force their way into the flower to get the nectar and incidentally pollinate the plants. I found an less frequent white Gentian with blue stripes several years ago, and I found it again this week. It is a southern Appalachian endemic, which means that it grows only in the southeastern mountains. It is my flower of the week. There are several wildflowers that bloom only in September and October and our experience in nature is enhanced if we pay attention to these species.
Appalachian Gentian (Gentiana decora)
Gentian Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 1-2’ tall
General: Erect perennial; Stems ridged, unbranched, densely hairy (esp. on ridges).
Leaves: Leaves in 6-8 pairs below inflorescence, sessile to short-petioled, elliptical to oval, to 4”.
Flowers: 2-12 in a leafy, compact, terminal cluster; each flower white streaked with blue or purple, 1-2” long, tubular, the corolla split into 5 lobes at the opening and surrounded by a shorted, cup-shaped calyx tube, which is densely hairy and split into 5 linear, pointed lobes. Sep-Oct.
Fruits: an elliptical capsule.
Where Found: Dry and dry-moist, acidic forests, esp. mixed oak, oak/heath, and northern red oak forests of the southern Appalachian mountains.
Cotterman, Waitt and Weasley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, 2019, p 427.
September 12, 2019
It seems everywhere I go I am finding Monarch Butterflies this fall: from the high ridges to the mountain valley in Black Mountain. I am also finding lots of Milkweed because the public is more aware of the incredible Monarch migration and the need to plant milkweed as its host plant. On the high ridges, it is Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata); in the valleys it is Common Milkweed, the featured plant for this week. Below I have included some late-blooming Common Milkweed from the Wildflower walk in Black Mountain this week. I also included some pictures of the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus): the adult, the caterpillar in its classic “J” formation in preparation for its cocoon, and its chrysalis stage. Finally I included a picture of a butterfly that mimics the Monarch, the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus). If you can see the difference, you might impress your friends.
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Milkweed/Dogbane Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-6’ tall
General: Stem stout, unbranched, often furry, leaks milky sap when bruised.
Leaves: Short-petioled, oval to oblong, 6-9” long, reddish central vein, soft-hairy beneath.
Flowers: Flowers on long stalks that often droop, in a globe-shaped terminal umbel and a few upper axillary umbels; each pale purple to rose-colored with 5 strongly flexed corolla lobes and a central crown surrounding fused anthers and style. June-August.
Fruits: A warty, somewhat furry, oval follicle containing tufted seeds.
Where Found: Conspicuous, coarse colonial perennial of unmowed fields and disturbed areas.
Notes: Fragrant: a well-known Monarch Butterfly host plant, apparently expanding its range southward.
Cotterman, Waitt and Weakley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, p 363
September 6, 2019
Stiff Gentian is a hardy plant that grows in the highest elevations and blooms in September. The pictures below were taken this week at MM 422.8, Mt. Hardy Parking Overlook, (elev. 5415) south of Devil’s Courthouse. I look forward to the Gentian family because they brighten the fall with their deep blue color and unique shapes. The blooms remain closed unless they are forced open by bumblebees or their nectar is sipped by a butterfly with an especially long proboscis. I hope you find one on your fall hikes this month.
Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia)
Gentian Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 10-30 in. tall.
General: Annual, with stiff, 4-ridged stems, usually branched.
Leaves: Stem leaves opposite, sessile, lanceolate to ovate, 1-3 in. long, with acute tips and rounded at the base; basal leaves spatulate.
Flowers: Narrow, tubular, violet-blue to lilac, about 1 in. long, closed at the tip, appear pointed; a profusion of flowers occurs in dense terminal cluster, Sep-Oct.
Fruits: Elongated capsules, 0.6-1.0 in. long; round, yellowish seeds.
Where Found: Rich woods, wet fields, and mountain slopes in the Appalachian region from ME to MN, south to GA.
Notes: Stiff Gentian is also known as Ague Weed and five-flowered Gentian. A story is told that pioneers added a little piece of gentian to gin or brandy to stimulate the appetite and aid in digestion. This habit caught on and there are still several aperitifs that include an extract made from gentian.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 222.
August 31, 2019
If you walk any of the trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway, you will notice that one of the dominant wildflowers is White Snakeroot, a plant about waist-high with large leaves and very small spiky flowers which have no petals. It is a potential toxin but was used by the Indigenous people to treat various ailments. It is a sign that we are approaching the end of summer, a time that amateur botanists call “season of the asters,” one of the most challenging family of flowers. There are 10,000 species in this family, and every time I think I know a particular species, I am corrected by someone who knows much more about these flowers. But without the Asters, the end of summer would be a dull time indeed. Enjoy them while you can, because the first frost will end the wildflower season for another year. The average first frost date is Oct 12 for the valleys, much earlier for the mountain ridges.
White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
Aster Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 1-4 ft. tall.
General: Robust perennial herb, smooth or short-hairy
Leaves: Opposite, ovate to heart-shaped, to 7 in. long and 5 in. wide, palmately veined; tips acuminate; margins sharply serrate; petioles over 1 in. long, but always shorter than the blade.
Flowers: Ray flower absent; disk flowers bright white, 12-24; involucral bracts about 0.2 in. long, acuminate to obtuse, rarely white-margined; inflorescence a flat or rounded corymb-like cluster. Jul-Oct.
Fruits: Achenes, usually about 5 per head, about 0.1 in. long; pappus a tuft of whitish, hair-like bristles.
Where Found: Rich woodlands throughout the central and eastern U.S. Common
Notes: White Snakeroot contains toxins that can pass from cattle to humans through milk, which in pioneer days caused severe illness and often death. This “milksick” disease is thought to have killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother. White Snakeroot was included in preparations made by several Native American tribes to treat fever, diarrhea, and problems of the urinary tract.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 321.
August 25, 2019
Several years ago, Joe Standaert told me about an infrequent succulent wildflower that blooms only in high elevations such as Craggy Gardens. I found the plant and hoped to see the flowers someday. This week I found the plants with flowers and they did not disappoint me. It is amazing that a small plant can withstand the wind, rain, and snow of high elevation winters and then produce such beauty in late summer. With any rare wildflower I am hesitant to give the exact location, and I hope that the plants will not be disturbed by someone who does not understand their fragility. This is true of much in nature. We must be careful of our impact on the ecology and hope that our presence will not mean increased stress for the flora and fauna of western NC.
Allegheny Stonecrop (Hylotelephium telephioides)
Sedum Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6-12” tall
General: Erect to leaning perennial of rock outcrops
Leaves: Stems clumped, with semi-woody bases, branched in inflorescence, leafier above, often purple-tinged, smooth, Leaves alternate or opposite, short-petioled, oval, 1-3” long, shallowly toothed or entire, succulent, smooth.
Flowers: Flowers in branching terminal clusters; pale pink to pinkish-white, 1/4” wide with 5 spreading, lance-oval petals (green keels on the back) twice as long as the 5 sepals, a 5-parted ovary, and 5 stamens with pink authors
Fruits: Fruit a cluster of 5 erect capsules
Where Found: Rock outcrops
Cotterman, Waitt and Weakley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, 2019, p. 359.
August 18, 2019
Pink Turtleheads are blooming this week. Look for them in wet places when you are out on the trails in the mountains or the valleys. They are pollinated by bumblebees which force their way into the closed flower. Smaller bees actually disappear inside the flower and reemerge when they have obtained the nectar and become dusted with pollen. Their numbers will be increasing over the next few weeks as they come into full bloom. I planted some in my yard and they are just beginning to bloom. One of the beautiful signs of late summer.
Pink Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii)
Figwort Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 16-40 in. tall.
General: Primarily southern Appalachian perennial herb, stems erect.
Leaves: Opposite, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3-5 in. long, wide below the middle, rounded or squared-off base, serrated margins; on well-developed petioles, 0.6-1.6 in. long.
Flowers: Pink, 1.2-1.6 in. long, 2-lipped corolla, lower lip with a prominent yellow beard; borne in short, terminal spikes, Jul-Sep.
Fruits: Broadly ovoid capsules, 0.4 in. long.
Where Found: Rich coves and open stream banks in the Appalachian mountains of TN, NC and SC. Chelone obliqua (Narrow-leaf Red Turtlehead) and Chelone glabra (White Turtlehead) are also native in the Appalachians.
Notes: Plants in the Chelone genus are common called “turtleheads” for their 2-lipped flowers, which resemble a turtle’s head in shape. Species in this genus have also been called Snake Mouth and Fish Mouth because the flowers resemble the heads of these animals. Bumblebees force their way inside the flower to obtain nectar.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 283.
July 21, 2019
Filmy Angelica has burst into flower on the ridges of the Blue Ridge mountains. It is called filmy because there are sheaths covering the stems at various points, giving the plant a “filmy” look. Don’t be fooled by its membership in the carrot family which includes caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, and fennel. This plant is poisonous and the family also includes Hemlock that killed Socrates. Bees often become intoxicated when sipping the nectar which seems to make them like it even more. I often see bees on the flowers that are too drunk to fly away when threatened. After the greenish flowers are fertilized, the resulting capsules form heads of seeds of varieties of color for one of the most beautiful stages of its life cycle. My pictures below show the plant in its various stages.
Filmy Angelica (Angelica triquinata)
Carrot Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 5 ft. tall
General: Perennial, smooth reddish stem, not downy.
Leaves: Pinnately or bipinnately divided, to 12 in. long, with the larger leaf segments about 3 in. long and coarsely toothed; sheaths at base of the petiole partially enclose the stem; upper leaves are reduced to tubular sheaths, or sheaths that are no longer than the leaf blades.
Flowers: Tiny, greenish white, 5 petals; borne in compound umbrels, 3-6 in. wide, smooth, with 12-25 spreading rays. Jul-Sep.
Fruits: Smooth capsules (schizocarps). strongly flattened, 2 lateral wings.
Where Found: Mountain woods or balds at high elevations in the Appalachian Mountains from PA to NC.
Notes: The species name for Hairy Angelica, venenosa, means “poisonous.” Although many members of the Carrot or Parsley Family are edible and are the source of many common vegetables, herbs, and spices, extreme caution should be used because they are several extremely poisonous plants in this family, including Water Hemlock and Poison Hemlock.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 210.
July 12, 2019
I look forward to seeing the flowers of Black Cohosh in mid-summer. The plant before blooming blends in and is often confused with many other green plants in spring and early summer. But when the blooms appear, they are dramatic, towering up to 8’ tall above the plant which is usually 2-3 feet. Right now the blooms are all along the Blue Ridge Parkway north and south, showing us how many plants are hidden in the roadside. The white colors of this plant are actually stamens, the part that holds the pollen; the flower has no petals. I hope you notice and can enjoy Black Cohosh this week.
Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
Buttercup Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Flower stems up to 8 ft. tall.
General: Perennial herb.
Leaves: Both basal and alternate on the stem, 2-3 ternately compound, with broad, sharp-pointed, coarsely toothed leaflets, 2-4 in. long, the terminal leaflet generally 3-lobed.
Flowers: About 0.5 in. wide, petals absent, numerous showy, white stamens; flowers have an unpleasant odor, borne in crowded racemes to 12 in. long, on vertical stalks; each flower has 1 ovary (rarely 2), about 0.25 in. long, not on a distinct stalk. May-Jul.
Fruits: Many-seeded, ellipsoid follicles.
Where Found: Rich woods. A NE species extending south into NC.
Notes: The genus name, Cimicifuga means “bugbane” (cimex means “bug” and fugue means “flight”), in reference to these plants’ insect repellent qualities. Black Cohosh is also known as Black Snakeroot and Rattlesnakeroot for its use in treating snakebites. Black Cohosh, a popular herb in Europe and the U.S., is commonly used to alleviate menopausal symptoms and pains during labor and after childbirth. Traditionally it has also been used to treat rheumatism, arthritis, asthma, and hysteria, and as a gargle for sore throats. Bumblebees release the pollen by sonic vibrations.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 56.
July 6, 2019
While hiking in the high mountains I frequently come across False Hellebore, a dramatic plant that is as tall as I am, with large foot-long leaves. It is different from almost every other plant I see. It is a member of the Lily family and when you look at the stalk and leaves you can see a slight resemblance to the leaves of the Turk’s-cap Lily and other familiar lilies. When the plant blooms on a long stalk, you have to look closely because the flowers are green, the same color as the rest of the plant. The pictures below are from the Meadow above Craggy Gardens picnic area in full bloom around July 1. Often the blooms are gone by mid-summer, although the books say it sometimes blooms into August. When you see this plant, examine it more closely and appreciate its uniqueness.
False Hellebore; Indian Poke; Cornhusk Lily (Veratrum viride)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-5’ tall
General: Erect perennial from a short vertical rhizome arising from a bulb. Stems stout, unbranched, hollow, crowded with leaves, smooth.
Leaves: Leaves attached to stem with tubular sheaths, oval to elliptic, 6-11” long (reduced above), with prominent parallels veins and pleats.
Flowers: Flowers arranged in a pyramidal, freely branched panicle, the lowest branches subtended by leafy brackets; each flower yellowish-green, about 1/2” wide, consisting of 6 elliptic, spreading tepals with fringed margins. June-August
Fruits: A short, oval 3-lobed capsule with persistent styles.
Where Found: Open moist woods and meadows.
Notes: Manasseh Cutler (1742-1823) a clergyman with an interest in natural history, wrote, “the young shoots may be eaten as asparagus. The roots are nutritious, and are used in diet-drinks.” Nonetheless, False Hellebore contains steroidal alkaloids that can be very dangerous when eaten in large enough quantities (varies with size, age, physical condition, and other factors). The roots, rhizomes, and young shoots are particularly toxic. If not promptly and effectively treated, False Hellebore poisoning can cause general paralysis and even death.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 435; Cotterman, Waitt and Weasley, Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast, 2019, p 459; National Parks Traveler.
June 28, 2019
Allegheny Stonecrop is a plant I have only recently become acquainted with. A friend pointed it out to me on the trail to Craggy Pinnacle. I have not yet seen the flower, but I hope to look for it in September this year. It is a relative of the more common Wild Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) which we see frequently blooming in May along the Mountain-to-Sea trail at Craven Gap and many other places. It takes more effort to find the Allegheny Stonecrop, but our search is rewarded when we find it and realize that most people do not notice this attractive plant. Part of the joy of being a wildflower-lover is appreciating the lesser known plants that survive in many places in western North Carolina.
Allegheny Stonecrop (Hylotelephium telephioides)
Sedum Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 0.5-5” tall
General: Herbaceous perennial
Leaves: Alternate, simple leaves, on succulent stems, with sparse, irregular toothing.
Flowers: Light pink, five-petals, Sept.
Fruits:
Where Found: It is found on rock outcrops, especially at moderate to high elevations
Notes: Listed as infrequent, endangered, or rare.
From inaturalist webpage, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/118744-Hylotelephium-telephioides
June 21, 2019
I was introduced to Fireweed several years ago by friends; the plant was located south of Mt. Pisgah in a high elevation meadow. It is a rare plant for NC, but is frequent in Canada and northern U.S. A friend from England said she remembers it growing abundantly along roadsides and abandoned fields. So I guess it is only rare for me as a student of Botany. It is a beautiful plant that brings its magenta color to green meadows as early as June. I went looking for it this week, and there it was, the first time I found it on my own. Keep your eyes open for nature’s surprises.
Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)
Evening Primrose Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-10’ tall
General: Perennial herb, usually single-stemmed
Leaves: Numerous, alternate, entire, 2-6” long, sessile, lanceolate, pale beneath.
Flowers: Numerous, magenta to white, 4 roundish petals, 0.4-0.8” long, are short-clawed; 4 purplish sepals; 8 stamens, 4-lobed stigma, drooping flower buds; borne in a long, spike-like raceme; buds, flowers, and seedpods occur on the plant simultaneously, July-Sept.
Fruits: Narrow, purplish capsules, 1-3” long, angle upward; down-tufted seeds are wind-dispersed.
Where Found: Widespread in open or burned areas in Canada and western and NE United States, in NC, in high-elevations, Rare.
Notes: Called Fireweed because it often invades disturbed areas such as those where fire or logging have occurred.. Young leaves and shoots are edible when cooked, and the gelatinous material inside the stalks (pith) can be dried and used for making a type of ale.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 185.
June 16, 2019
One wildflower that made a big impression on me during my hikes in the high mountains this week was the Carrion Flower. This large vine, when blooming, has large umbels of small flowers that smell like rotting flesh; the smell apparently attracts flies and other insects that feed on carrion. When mature with seeds, there are large pods of blue-black seeds that are quite striking. If you run across this plant when it is flowering or in seed, you will probably notice it. If you are courageous, smell the flower; it is something you will not forget quickly.
Carrion Flower (Smilax herbacea)
Greenbrier Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: up to 9’ tall.
General: This climbing non-woody vine is a herbaceous perennial that branches occasionally.
Leaves: Alternate leaves up to 3½” long and 2½” across occur at intervals along each stem; they are ovate-oval to broadly ovate-lanceolate in shape, smooth along their margins, and parallel-veined. The upper surfaces of the leaves are medium green and glabrous, while their lower surfaces are pale green and hairless.
Flowers: Individual umbels of flowers are produced from the axils of the middle to upper leaves of each mature vine. Smooth Carrion Flower is dioecious; some vines produce only staminate (male) flowers, while other vines produce only pistillate (female) flowers.
Fruits: Individual berries are about ¼” across and contain about 3-5 seeds; they are dark blue and glaucous at maturity.
Where Found: Habitats of the native Smooth Carrion Flower include savannas, thickets, prairies, rocky upland woodlands, woodland openings, woodland borders, and fence rows.
Notes: The Greenbrier family is primarily tropical and subtropical with 12 genera, all small except the genus Smilax which contains about 300 species of mostly woody and herbaceous vines.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 439. https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/sm_carrion.htm
June 8, 2019
In mid-June, I always look forward to seeing the beautiful Small Purple-fringed Orchid. I first discovered it along the road from the Blue Ridge Parkway up to Mt. Mitchell. Later I discovered that the hillside along the park road near the restaurant is filled with a magnificent stand of these wildflowers. They bloom for about two weeks around June 15 which is this coming week. I recommend that you make the trip to Mt. Mitchell and look for these native orchids. There is also a Large Purple-fringed Orchid but I know of only one location where it is found near Graybeard Overlook. Soon some of the other native NC orchids, of which there are 49 species, will be blooming soon. I love the orchids more than any other family of wildflowers.
Small Purple-fringed Orchid (Platanthera psychodes)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-48 in. tall.
General: Showy, erect, perennial herb with a fluted, leafy stem.
Leaves: Alternate, entire, 2-5 dark green lanceolate, keeled, up to 8 in. long, sheathing the lower stem, reduced to bracts above.
Flowers: Rose purple, often pleasant fragrance; 3 petal-like, spreading, oval sepals, 2 lateral sepals swept back at an angle, 2 lateral petals finely toothed, curved upward, lip petal, to 0.5 in. wide and 0.6 in. long, deeply divided into 3 distinctive, flared, lobed, fringed less than 1/3 the length of the lobe, base of the lip has a dumbbell or bowtie-shaped (never squarish or roundish) opening to the spur and nectary, inflorescence a rounded cylindrical raceme. June-July.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, about 0.6 in. long.
Where Found: Moist, thin, or open woods, along streams, or in wet roadside ditches of upper elevations. Most of SE Canada, the NE U.S., and south in the mountains to GA.
Notes: This is an exquisite and showy orchid. The species psychodes means “butterfly-like,” presumably referring to the flower shape.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 463.
June 2, 2019
Summer brings the brilliant yellow wildflowers of the Evening Primrose family. We are beginning to see these beauties along the parkway and trails of the western NC mountains, wherever some sunlight gets through the canopy. These pictures below were taken this week along the trails near Rattlesnake Lodge. These pictures may actually show a subspecies called Oenothera fruticosa subsp. glauca. These wildflowers will be blooming most of the summer to our delight. Southern Sundrop is one species of this family that blooms during the day, while other species bloom at night and early morning, as the name Evening Primrose implies. At Lake Tomahawk, we have a patch of Evening Primrose flowers that surprise walkers by opening dramatically just after sunset, sometimes drawing a crowd. Soon we will be taking these flowers for granted and turn our attention to other dramatic summer flowers such as the Turk’s-cap Lily, Bee Balm, and the Aster family.
Sundrop (Oenothera fruticosa)
Evening Primrose Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 1-3’ tall
General: Herbaceous perennial
Leaves: Alternate, lanceolate, entire, app. 2.5” long.
Flowers: Brilliant yellow, 4 veiny petals, to 1” long, notched at the ends, 8 orange stamens, generally several flowers in a dense inflorescence. June-Aug.
Fruits: Strongly rigged capsules, 0.2-0.4” long, about 2x as long as wide.
Where Found: Dry to wet, mostly rocky places, thin woods, or open areas in eastern U.S.
Notes: Unlike most Oenothera species, open during the day and close on cloudy days and at night. Other relatives of Sundrops have flowers that open at night and close around noon the following day.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 188.
May 26, 2019
I have only seen Wild Sarsaparilla a few times, and even fewer times when it was blooming. But this week was the best. I was hiking with some friends on a high mountain trail near Cherokee, NC and we came across a beautiful patch of fully blooming Wild Sarsaparilla. I used to hear about this plant when I was a young boy—Sarsaparilla tea and root beer. So I am glad to have made its acquaintance in person. Standing about 2 feet tall with tiny, green flowers on a separate stalk, it is striking in its beauty. I hope to see it many more times during my mountain walks.
Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
Ginseng Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: up to 2’ tall
General: Perennial herb with a smooth, erect stem.
Leaves: Single, compound leaf with 3 primary forks, each with 3-5 leaflets
Flowers: Greenish flowers in 3 small umbrels on a separate stalk. May-July
Where Found: Rich woods from northern U.S. south in the mountains to GA.
Notes: Usually small, plants with large, aromatic roots. used by Native Americans to make tea and as a flavor for root beer. The roots were made into a poultice for treating cuts and bruises.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 206.
May 18, 2019
I selected this beautiful wildflower of the week, Mountain Indigo-Bush, because it is rare and endemic to the southern Appalachian mountains AND it grows in my yard. It looks a little like a small locust tree; both are members of the Pea family of plants. Amorpha glabra is a shrub with beautiful blue flowers on a long raceme (stem). I have not yet seen it in the wild, but iNaturalist.com shows a few sightings. Last week when I posted pictures of this plant, there was a lot of Facebook interest and some controversy over its correct Latin name. There is another indigo bush called Amorpha fruticosa that is similar and distinguishing them requires careful analysis. With the help of expert friends, I think that Amorpha glabra is the correct ID. But apart from the botany discussions, I am glad to have this uncommon plant in our yard and hope to enjoy its beauty for many years.
Mountain Indigo-Bush (Amorpha glabra)
Pea Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-15’ tall
General: an uncommon to rare shrub that grows in the western mountain region of North Carolina.
Leaves: Deciduous, Odd-pinnately compound: 11-19 leaflets, usually; Mostly alternate; entire with middle vein ending in an indentation.
Flowers: Bright purple, Usually bisexual, 5-lobed calyx, 1 petal, 10 stamens; Superior ovary. Spring/Summer
Fruit: member of the Pea family produces pods of seeds
Where Found:
Notes: Uncommon in NC, rare GA-SC, endemic to S. Appalachian mountains (& nearby provinces)
Native Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia, http://www.namethatplant.net/plantdetail.shtml?plant=73
May 11, 2019
I am often amazed when I run across Wild Columbine in the mountains. They can be anywhere from our yards to the highest mountains. I have seen them at Craven Gap and Mt. Pisgah. Many of the wildflowers we look for are small and unimpressive in contrast to the cultivated flowers is most yards and gardens. But Wild Columbine gives cultivars a run for their money. Look for hummingbirds wherever you find Wild Columbine.
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Buttercup Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 1-4 ft. tall
General: Perennial Herb
Leaves: Leaves alternate, divided. Stem and basal leaves mostly 3-lobed, the lobes incised and with rounded tips.
Flowers: Nodding, bell-shaped to 1.6 inches long; 5 yellow petals with red spurs that contain the nectar; 5 red sepals, numerous yellow stamen form a column projecting well beyond the petals; March-May.
Fruits: 5-parted follicles that appear capsular.
Where Found: Usually dry woods, but tolerates moisture, eastern U.S., frequent.
Notes: “Columbine” means “dove” or “pigeon” and the genus name Aquilegia means “eagle.” both referring to the resemblance of the nectaries to talons. Pollinated by hummingbirds. Native Americans used the crushed seeds of this plant to treat headaches and control lice, and treated digestive problems with a tea made from the roots. Traditionally the gift of columbine meant bad luck to a man to a woman it was an insult.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 55
May 4, 2019
Several weeks ago in South Carolina, I saw Purple Phacelia, and this week it is blooming on the Mountain-To-Sea Trail north of Craven Gap. Later I saw Fringed Phacelia at Big Creek on the NC-Tennessee line. And today I saw the Small-flowered Phacelia north of Craven Gap. This is a family of plants that adds color and beauty to NC spring wildflowers. So this week we celebrate the Phacelias for their contributions to nature and human beings.
Purple Phacelia (Phacelia bipinnatifida)
Waterleaf Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-24 inches tall.
General: Biennial with hairy stems.
Leaves: Alternate, long-petioles, mottled, hairy, pinnately lobed or divided, 20-4 in. long, coarsely toothed, emitting a distinctly musty odor when crushed.
Flowers: Dusty purple with a white center, saucer-shaped, 0.4-0.5 in. wide, 5 rounded corolla lobes, hairy stamens project beyond the corolla, in a terminal inflorescence of helical cymes; very colorful when found en masse, April-May.
Fruits: Capsules with 2-4 black seeds.
Where Found: Widespread in moist woods and on rocky slopes from PA to IA, south to GA. Common.
Notes: The name Phacelia comes from the Greek phacelos, meaning “a fascicle,” in reference to the highly coiled inflorescence when in bud. The species name bipinnatifida is a reference to the mottled leaves that are twice pinnately divided. Also called “scorpionweeds” because of the cluster of young flowers that coils like a scorpion’s tail at the end of the stem. These plants are favored by bees, and their flowers yield a flavorful honey.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 245
April 28, 2019
Lady’s Slipper orchids are blooming in western NC. There are some in my neighborhood in Black Mountain, and patches survive in various places in the mountains and valleys. Pink Lady’s Slippers are not uncommon, and it is always a delight to see the dramatic wildflowers in bloom. There is also several varieties of Yellow Lady’s Slippers which are much less common and delight us even more if we happen to stumble across them. The Orchid family is the largest family of plants, but mainly in the tropics where they have evolved with particular pollinators that increase their chances of being fertilized. However this specialty makes them vulnerable to habitat destruction. We have 42 native orchids in NC and they are all a delight to find and identify. The pictures of the Pink Lady’s Slippers below are from this week, one of them in my yard. The picture of the Yellow Lady’s Slipper is from today. Keep your eyes open.
Pink Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium acaule)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6-18 in. tall.
General: Perennial herb with scapes (leafless flowering stalks).
Leaves: 2 alternate, entire leaves, basal, elliptic, 4-10 in. long, dark green, densely hairy, deeply pleated.
Flowers: Irregular, solitary, 3 sepals (lower 2 fused into 1) and 2 lateral petals, yellowish green to purplish brown; lower petal (lip) a showy pouch, pink, 1.5-2.5 in. with rose veins, lip opening a vertical front divisions with edges folded inward, April-May.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 1.0-1.75 in long.
Where Found: A variety of habitats but mainly in acidic, mixed coniferous and hardwood forests and woodlands recovering from fire or logging from northern AL to southern MN.
Notes: The genus name Cypripedium is derived from the Greek Kypris, “Venus,” and pedilon, “a door” or “little foot,” in reference to the shape of the flower. This species is also called American Valerian because, like European Valerian (Valerian officials), it was used as a sedative to treat nervous conditions and depression.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 450.
April 22, 2019
Trillium flowers are blooming, starting several weeks ago at lower elevations, and now into our area, including Craven Gap. With its large leaves and white petals, Large-flowered Trillium is the most common of the Trillium family in our area. It is beautiful with yellow anthers (caused by pollen) and a pale green ovary (the center of the flower). Once you become familiar with this flower, then you will also notice other Trillium species: Sweet Betsy, Stinking Benjamin, Yellow Trillium, Painted Trillium. I have great respect for these flowers because the flowering plants are 8-10 years old. That is, it takes 8-10 years for a plant to go from seed to flower. So if we disturb an area and destroy the adult plants, it takes a long time for them to recover. In the meantime invasives such as English Ivy, Privet, & Multiflora Rose can take over and eliminate any more plants for that area. Hopefully humans can manage the environment so that these beautiful native wildflowers can be with us forever.
Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6-20 inches tall.
General: Erect perennial herb.
Leaves: 3 whorled leaves, entire, solid green, rhombic to mostly ovate, 3-6 in. long, veins prominent.
Flowers: 3 regular, white, petals turning pink with age, 1.6-3.0 in. long, flaring outward from a tightly rolled, tube-like base; stamens long with prominent yellow anthers, pale green ovary. March-April.
Fruits: Pale, green, ovoid berries, 0.5 in. long.
Where Found: Rich woods from Canada, southward to Al and Fl. Frequent..
Notes: This showy species occurs in large colonies in the Appalachians at medium to low elevations. After germination, a trillium first produces only 1 leaf and requires another 6-7 years before it flowers for the first time.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 428
Pictures from Craven Gap on Thursday, April 18.
April 14, 2019
Toothwort Wildflowers are members of the mustard family and most of the plant is edible, including the leaves and rhizomes. I have recently become aware that there are three species of Toothwort: Cut-leaved (Cardamine concatenata), Crinkleroot (Cardamine diphylla), and Slender Toothwort (Cardamine angustata), and they are harder to distinguish than I thought. All have three toothed leaflets that can be basal or stem leaves. However, only the Cut-leaved species lacks basal leaves during flowering. Slender Toothwort has slender stem leaves and ovate basal leaves; Crinkleroot has ovate basal and stem leaves. I promise to observe more closely in the future. While this is more detail than some people want, it is part of the challenge and beauty of botany to debate such questions. Sometimes when I stop to ponder such questions, I notice that the rest of the group has already moved a quarter mile up the trail. I am hoping that you will be able to notice some of the complexity and diversity of wildflowers, but it is OK just to enjoy the sheer beauty before us during the growing season.
Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)
Mustard Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-16 inches tall, flowers are 0.4-0.8 inches across.
General: Perennial with short-hairy stems from a rhizome constricted at irregular intervals in sections about 0.75 inches long.
Leaves: Toothed, whorl of 3 stem leaves, each with 3 narrow, toothed segments; basal leaves usually not present at flowering.
Flowers: 4 petals, usually white, born in terminal clusters, March-May.
Fruits: Siliques to 1.5 in. long with a short beak.
Where Found: Moist rich woods throughout eastern US. Common.
Notes: The rhizome and leaves of this plant are peppery tasting. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, like other mustard greens. Native Americans made a poultice from the root and used it to treat headaches.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 114.
April 7, 2019
Blue Cohosh, a small perennial 1-3’ feet tall, can easily be overlooked when walking on forest trails in the spring, even if it is flowering. The green leaves and tiny flowers blend in with the early undercover plants. However, when you notice this plant and study it closely, you will find it is beautiful. The greenish flowers are delicate; the leaves have a unique bell shape with three enlarged teeth at the end. It is blooming at 1,000 feet near Saluda and other lower mountain locations, and will soon be blooming at Craven Gap and nearby locations. Yesterday we saw over 50 species of blooming wildflowers near Saluda. Keep your eyes open for this and many other early wildflowers as spring progresses.
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Barberry Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 12-36” tall
General: Erect, gray-green, smooth perennial herb
Leaves: Single, large, sessile, 3-ternately compound leaf above the middle of the stem; 1 (rarely 2) smaller, but similar compound leaf just below the inflorescence; oval leaflets.
Flowers: Yellow-green to purple-green, about 0.5” wide, petals absent. 6 petal-like sepals, 1-3 terminal, panicle-like flower clusters (rarely a branch with more leaves and flowers) April-May
Fruits: Dark blue, poisonous berry-like seeds.
Where Found: Rich woodlands. Mostly a NE species that extends south to northern GA.
Notes: The genus Caulophyllum is from the Greek kaulin, a “stem,” and phyllum, “a leaf.” Native Americans used the roots of this plant to make a tea for facilitating childbirth and to aid in menstruation. The Cherokee would “hold root ooze in the mouth for toothache” and rub the leaves on poison oak rash. In the late 1800’s, this plant was also used as a sedative and an antispasmodic, as well as to treat hysteria, rheumatism, and bronchitis.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 66
April 1, 2019
After spending a month in Arizona, I returned home today to discover a Round-leaf Hepatica (Hepatica americana) blooming in our back yard. I remember planting this wildflower last summer. Actually I have not seen this plant in the wild; the more usual Hepatica I see is the Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Anemone acutiloba). Both plants are named Hepatica because the leaves are shaped like the liver, and thus, according to the “Doctrine of the Signatures,” it must be good for treatment of liver ailments, the symptoms of which were “cowardice, freckles, and indigestion.”
Round-lobed Hepatica (Anemone americana; formerly Hepatica americana)
Buttercup Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: To 6” tall
General: Stemless Perennial Herb
Leaves: Basal only, on hairy stalks; leaves 1-3 in. wide, 3-lobed with rounded tips.
Flowers: 1 in. wide, petals absent, 5-12 petal-like sepals usually white to pale lavender. numerous stamens and ovaries. February-April
Fruits: Single-seeded achenes.
Where Found: Rich upland woods commonly on acidic soils.
Notes: The genus name Hepatica means “of the liver.” The Chippewa placed hepatica roots near their animal traps in the belief that this would help capture prey.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 60.
September 23, 2108
This will be my last Wildflower of the Week for 2018. Because of winter coming and travel plans, my outdoor wildflower season is over, except for reviewing my pictures and practicing my Latin. One week ago I especially enjoyed seeing the Striped Gentian (Gentiana villosa) on the mountain-to-sea trail from Big Ridge Overlook north. This blue and white Gentian was scattered along the trail, and I assume also growing deeper in the woods at 4,000-5,000 feet. It was a delight to find this wildflower with the help of my friends in the Western Carolina Botanical Club.
September 15, 2018
I have been hoping to find a family of orchids called Ladies’ Tresses for most of this year after seeing them last summer near Brevard and the year before in Newfoundland. Yesterday was my lucky day because several gorgeous plants were growing right along the Blue Ridge Parkway near where my car was parked at Big Ridge Overlook, MM403. The book says that this is a common orchid found throughout western NC and it blooms in September and October. This orchid sends up a one foot tall stem, often braided in two stems at the top, with many small white flowers. On first appearance it looks similar to Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera pubescens) that blooms in July and August. But on closer inspection, it is more delicate and attractive. I hope to see more of the several varieties of Ladies’ Tresses Orchids in years to come.
Nodding Ladies’ Tresses (Spiranthes cernua)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 1’ tall
General: Slender stem may be smooth at the bottom but the entire upper part is sparsely covered with fine capitate hairs.
Leaves: Several basal, very narrow leaves present at the time of flowering.
Flowers: Rounded and very white flowers, although the lip has a yellowish flush on the interior because of its thickness. The outer part of the lip has a translucent quality not seen in other flower parts. Sept-Oct.
Fruits: Ellipsoid seed pod (a solid body in long section and circular in cross section.)
Where Found: Many different habitats from lower to higher elevations. It can be found along roadsides and in ditches.
Notes: Spiranthes cernua is the most common species of the Spiranthes genus in the U.S., and second only to Goodyera pubescens, Rattlesnake Plantain, among the orchids. It often forms large colonies that can number hundreds of plants in wet meadows and roadside ditches.
Stanley L. Bentley, Native Orchids of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, UNC Press, 2000, p 198.
September 8, 2018
Horn and Cathcart list 28 species of Goldenrod (Solidago) in the Appalachian mountains. Weakley (Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States) says there are 90-110 species of Solidago in the Southeastern U.S. As a result, most of us despair of learning much about this family of wildflowers. At this time of year, their bright yellow flowers are dominant in the valleys, ridges, and high mountains. With luck, I found one species that I can identify, Solidago bicolor, Silverrod. It is the only species so far that is basically white, so it is easy to pick out. My botany friends identified another Goldenrod at Sam Knob’s meadow as Solidago roanesis or Mountain Goldenrod, named after Roan Mountain in Tennessee. It is a high elevation flower and common at Black Balsam Road. So maybe I can identify two members of the Goldenrod family. I doubt if I will get much more knowledge than this about Goldenrods. But still we can all enjoy their showy yellow colors in September and October.
Silverrod (Solidago bicolor)
Aster Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 12-36” tall
General: Perennial herb; solitary, soft-hairy stems and bicolored flower heads.
Leaves: Alternate, narrowly elliptic, shallowly toothed, hairy, 2-5” long, reduced upward.
Flowers: Ray flowers white, 7-9, 0.1-0.2” long; disk yellow; involucre, .1-0.2” long, bracts whitish with a pale green tip; heads radiate, in a narrow, spike-like panicle, July-October.
Fruits: smooth achenes, 0.15-.02” long, taped from base to tip; pappus a tuft of whitish bristles, 0.3” long.
Where Found: Dry woods, barrens, and open rocky areas.
Notes: The genus Solidago contains perennial herbs with tiny, yellow flowers in showy clusters. Most Solidago species begin flowering in late summer, often signaling the beginning of hay fever season. However, Goldenrods do not cause hay fever, because the pollen is too heavy to be airborne. Ragweeds (Ambrosia sp.) are the usual culprits.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 378
September 1, 2018
Many (but not all) of the yellow flowers along the Blue Ridge Parkway are Sunflowers (Helianthus sp.). However there is one that looks very similar to a sunflower but is actually a False Sunflower. It is challenging, but fun, to distinguish the False Sunflower from one of the many native Sunflowers. You have to examine the petals closely. On the ray of the False Sunflower, there is an obvious pistil at the base (see picture below). This means that the ray flower is fertile and capable of producing a seed. On the native Sunflowers, the ray flowers are sterile and incapable of producing a seed. On both plants the disk flowers are fertile and can produce seeds. If you can learn this distinction and remember it from year to year, you can impress your friends with your knowledge. It is even better if you remember the Latin names: native Sunflowers are Helianthus; False Sunflower is Heliopsis. It gives you one more excuse to take you friends for hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Oxeye; False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides )
Aster Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-5’ tall
General: Stout, fibrous-rooted perennial herb with a smooth, erect stem.
Leaves: Opposite, ovate-lanceolate, 2-6” long, petioled, serrated, smooth or rough, generally shorter and wider than those of sunflowers.
Flowers: Ray flowers golden yellow, 8-16, 0.6-1.6” long, fertile with a forked pistil at the base; disk yellow, 0.4-1.0” wide, involucres hemispheric, bracts oblong, smooth tips spreading, heads radiate, showy, solitary or several on slender stalks, July-Sept.
Fruits: 4-angled, slightly hairy achenes, pappus absent or a few short scales.
Where Found: Thickets, woodlands, and stream banks.
Notes: Only the disk flowers of Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) form seeds (actually achenes), but both the disk and ray flowers of Oxeye plants form seeds.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 355.
August 25, 2018
Gentians belong to a wildflower family that blooms at the highest elevations of our mountains at the end of August and early September. I enjoy finding them south of Mt. Pisgah and at Mt. Mitchell. Last year I bought a Gentian from a local native plant nursery and it is blooming this week. On many species, the unusual flowers usually do not open; they are erect on the plant and are pollinated by bumblebees that force their way inside. There are some species in this family that have different characteristics, such as the Rose Pink (Sabatia angularis) that I discussed several weeks ago. I am featuring the Bottle or Closed Gentian (Gentiana clausa) this week. But keep your eyes out for other Gentian species in the high mountains, including Balsam Mountain Gentian (Gentiana latidens) at Wolf Mountain Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia). The other picture is of the Gentian species from my garden.
Bottle Gentian (Gentiana clausa)
Gentian Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 20 in. tall.
General: Perennial herb with erect, smooth stems.
Leaves: Opposite, sessile, slender pointed leaves.
Flowers: Tubular corolla, Dark blue flowers, 1-2 in. long; 5 corolla lobes typically do not open. Sep.-Oct
Where Found: Most meadows, woods, a NE species extending south in the mountains to TN and NC.
Fruits: Elongated capsules to 1 in. long
Notes: The Gentian species is named for the 6th C. king of Illyria, Gentius, who discovered that the roots of the Yellow Gentian (G. lutea) had a healing effect on his malaria-stricken troops.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 221.
August 18, 2018
In case you are wondering about the white wildflowers blooming now all over the mountains, they may be White Snakeroot. It is usually about 3’ tall and easily seen along most of the trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Since it is an aster without ray flowers, the tiny blooms (0.2”) are found in a cluster at the top of the stem. They are so common that we often pass by without giving them a second look. This week while hiking, stop and look this flower over. It brings life to our hikes when we appreciate them.
White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
Aster Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 1-4 ft. tall.
General: Robust perennial herb, smooth or short-hairy
Leaves: Opposite, ovate to heart-shaped, to 7 in. long and 5 in. wide, palmately veined; tips acuminate; margins sharply serrate; petioles over 1 in. long, but always shorter than the blade.
Flowers: Ray flower absent; disk flowers bright white, 12-24; involucral bracts about 0.2 in. long, acuminate to obtuse, rarely white-margined; inflorescence a flat or rounded corymb-like cluster. Jul-Oct.
Fruits: Achenes, usually about 5 per head, about 0.1 in. long; pappus a tuft of whitish, hair-like bristles.
Where Found: Rich woodlands throughout the central and eastern U.S. Common
Notes: White Snakeroot contains toxins that can pass from cattle to humans through milk. In pioneer days this caused severe illness and often death. This “milksick” disease is thought to have killed Abraham Lincoln’s mother. White Snakeroot was included in preparations made bye several Native American tribes to treat fever, diarrhea, and problems of the urinary tract.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 321.
August 11, 2018
One of the more interesting wildflowers in fruit and seed is Doll’s Eyes. The leaves and flowers show similarity to another flower in the same genus, Black Cohosh, which blooms in August. But Doll’s Eyes bloom in May and develop fruits and seeds in August. The seed pods look exactly like Doll’s Eyes. It is almost uncanny when you look closely, and one can imagine placing these seeds in the eye sockets of a small doll. I came across this plant yesterday on the Bear Pen trail (MM427, altitude 5,500’) and marveled at its beauty and distinctiveness. No other wildflower looks the same. I remember first seeing this plant on one of my first wildflower walks at Coleman Boundary in 2011. I stopped and loved it then, and I still do. But don’t eat it because it is deadly poison. I hope you come across this plant and enjoy it like I did.
Doll’s Eyes (Actaea pachypoda)
Buttercup Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 3 ft. tall.
General: Aromatic perennial herb.
Leaves: Large, 2-3 compound, long-petioled; largest leaves may have more than 20 lobed and sharply toothed leaflets, 2-3 in. long.
Flowers: Small, white, 4-10 narrow petals, each 0.1-0.2 in. long; flowers are grouped in a compact raceme at the end of the stalk, April-May.
Fruits: Round, white, many seeded berries 0.3-0.4 in. across with a single dark dot at the tip, on thick, red pedicels, 0.5-1.0 in. long.
Where Found: Rich woods through the U.S. and Canada.
Notes: The name White Baneberry warns against eating the berries, which are poisonous. The other common name, Doll’s Eyes, comes from the resemblance of the fruit to the porcelain eyes once used in dolls. When crushed and mixed with alum, the berries produce a black dye. All parts of this species contain a cardiac glycoside, a powerful heart stimulant.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 53.
August 4, 2018
St. John’s-wort is blooming all across the western mountains of NC. There are more than half-dozen species that can be identified with a little effort: Spotted, Common, Mountain, Dwarf, St. Andrew’s, Bushy, Orange Grass, etc. We are featuring Spotted St. John’s-wort (Hypericum punctatum) because it is very common in our mountains, from the valleys to elevations of 5,000 feet. The distinctive opposite, rounded leaves and bright yellow flowers with many stamens are beautiful and easily identified with a little practice. I enjoyed the St. John’s-wort flowers near the Black Balsam Parking Lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and we expect to see several species at our walk next week.
Spotted St. Johns-wort (Hypericum punctatum)
St. Johns-wort Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 40 in. tall.
General: Erect perennial with a few branches below the inflorescence. Leaves, stems, sepals and petals are heavily black-dotted.
Leaves: Opposite, oblong-elliptic to oblong-ovate, blunt-tipped and sometimes notched, 1.2-2.6 In. long and 0.7 in. wide riddled with black spots.
Flowers: Bright yellow, 5 petals, about 0.25 in. long, spotted or streaked with black on the undersides, inflorescence terminal on the stem and branches, small and crowded with short-stalked flowers, Jun-Aug.
Fruits: Capsules about 0.25 in. long.
Where Found: Wet or dry areas throughout the eastern U.S.
Notes: Often confused with Common St. Johns-wort, but spotted St. Johns-wort has smaller, paler yellow flowers with black spots or streaks on the underside of the petals, not on the margins; the leaves are larger and more elliptic and have diffuse black spots, not translucent ones.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 88.
July 28, 2018
The Loosestrife wildflowers have attracted my attention. I first noticed the beautiful yellow flowers with reddish centers of the Whorled Loosestrife along my driveway at home. Last year at Craggy Pinnacle I discovered a shrub about 3-4 feet tall and identified it as Fringed Loosestrife. This summer I was amazed at a bed of yellow flowers with reddish centers in the meadow below Sam’s Knob, Black Balsam Road, Blue Ridge Parkway. This plant formed a 12’ circlular mat of bright green and yellow in competition with many other plants. The flowers of these three plants are very similar in shape and color and they all emerge from the node where the leaf connects to the stem. But they are very different plants in size, shape, and location. Lanceleaf Loosestrife is “occasional,” and therefore more unusual than the other plants. I was delighted to find this beautiful species and hope to find it again.
Lanceleaf Loosestrife (Lysimachia lanceolata)
Primrose Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
General: Herbaceous perennial plant 1-2′ tall and more or less erect.
Leaves: The opposite leaves are up to 5″ long and ¾” across. They are lanceolate or narrowly ovate, and often fold upward along the length of the central vein. Their margins are usually smooth (although sometimes ciliate), and there are no hairs, except toward the base of each leaf. These leaves are sessile against the stem, or they have short petioles with a few coarse hairs. The uppermost leaves at the top of a plant are usually whorled. The underside of each leaf is light or whitish green, but eventually becomes darker with age.
Flowers: From 1-4 nodding flowers develop from the upper axils of the leaves, each with its own pedicel. Each flower is about ¾” across, with 5 narrowly triangular green sepals, 5 yellow petals, and 5 yellowish orange stamens. The petals are well-rounded, but their outer edges are often ragged and may have conspicuous tips. Toward the center of the flower, there is a patch of orange surrounding the upper portion of the pistil. July-Aug.
Fruits: Spheroid capsules with slender spike-like tips.
Where Found: Although widely distributed, it is an occasional plant. Habitats include moist to mesic black soil prairies, open woodlands, thickets, swamps, gravelly seeps, limestone glades, and old fields with hardpan clay or sandy soil.
Notes: The genus name Lysimachia literally means “loosestrife”; lysis “to release from,” and mache, “strife.”
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/ll_loosestrifex.htm
July 21, 2018
I had an encounter with an infrequently occurring, beautiful wildflower this week. Fameflower is an unusual wildflower because of its location, size, and blooming pattern. This succulent plant is only a few inches tall and grows on rock faces in western NC. I have seen it in two places in western NC, but never in full bloom until this year. During most of the day the flower is closed and opens only for a few hours about 3-5 pm when the sun is bright. Thursday was my lucky day. I found the flower just north of the Folk Art Center and when I returned in the afternoon, dozens of plants gave the cliff a red and pink color to the rocks. Thanks to Janie Owen for alerting me to the presence of the Fameflower.
Location: 1.4 miles north of entrance on BRP for the Folk Art Center, MM380, pull on west side, look on the Rock Face across the road about 3:00pm when the sun is shining (35.6090381,-82.4941147).
Appalachian Fameflower (Phemeranthus teretifolius)
Purslane, Portulacaceae Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-9 inches tall,
General: Low perennial with 1-3 stems from an enlarged base.
Leaves: Succulent, 0.5-1.5” long, linear, circular in cross-section; in a cluster near the base of the stem.
Flowers: Pink to rose red, 0.5” wide, 5 petals, 15-20 stamens, borne in a branched bracteate cyme of 2-20 flowers, June-August
Fruits: Capsules with minutely roughened seeds
Where Found: Open sandstone outcrops.
Notes: Fameflowers are also called rock pinks and are able to survive in thin, rocky, dry soil by storing water in their thick, succulent leaves. The brightly colored flowers are short-lived, only opening in bright sunlight for a few hours, usually in mid-afternoon.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 68
July 14, 2018
Walking the Shut-In Trail north of Mt. Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday, we saw many beautiful wildflowers called Starry Campion and many more with buds ready to open in the coming weeks. This is a beautifully shaped white wildflower on a tall stalk with a series of four whorled leaves. It is easy to see how it got the name stellata (starry) because of its shape and fringed edges that look like rays of light. This flower should be present for most of the summer. Keep your eyes open for the Starry Campion.
Starry Campion (Silene stellata)
Pink Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 4’ tall
General: Perennial with sparsely hairy stems.
Leaves: Lanceolate to ovate stem leaves, 2-4” long in whorls of 4.
Flowers: Star-shaped, white, about 0.75” wide; 5 fringed petals are wooly at the base, petal blades have 8-12 segments; inflated, bell shaped calyx, formed in loosely branched terminal clusters. Jul-Sep.
Fruits: Capsules splitting into 6 teeth.
Where Found: Dry woods and clearings throughout eastern U.S.
Notes: The species name stellata is derived from the Greek word, stella, meaning “starry,” and refers to the shape of the flower. Other common names are Widow’s Frill, King’s cure-all, and Thurman’s Snakeroot. Asa Gray (1810-88), a preeminent botanist, wrote that he was told the plant was an antidote to the bite of the rattlesnake and copperhead. The story goes that its use was indicated by markings on the root beneath the bark, where the likeness to the skin of the rattlesnake was seen.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 80
July 7, 2018
Carolina Lily looks very similar to the Turk’s-cap Lily that is beginning to bloom now all over the mountains of western NC. They are both among the most showy and beautiful plants of the summer with their orange flowers dangling upside down with recurved petals making them look like a traditional eastern European hat. However, if you look closely Carolina and Turk’s-cap Lilies are different and we can learn to tell them apart. Carolina Lily usually has one, or at most, two, flowers on its 2-4’ stalk; the leaves are thicker and shaped differently, and the middle of the flower is white rather than green. Turk’s-cap Lilies can have 30-60 flowers on one stalk, can be 6-8 feet tall, and have a green “star” in the center of the flower. It is fun to learn the differences. In any case, these beautiful flowers will be blooming for the next month depending on elevation. You can find them all along the Blue Ridge Parkway, or ask a Wildflower enthusiast where some of the more showy patches are located. Enjoy
Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-4 feet tall
General: Perennial herb with a stout, erect stem, branched above.
Leaves: Mainly in whorls of 5-20, sometimes alternate on the upper stem, lanceolate, widest at or below the middle, tapering to both ends, 3-7 in. long, 0.4-1.2 in. wide, rough along the margins and on mid-vein beneath.
Flowers: Tepals 6, orange to red, heavily spotted with purple from the center to beyond the middle, lanceolate, 2.2-3.2 in. long, strongly recurved anthers, 0.3-0.6 in. long on long divergent filaments, extending well beyond the tepals, flowers usually 3-25, nodding on long ascending or erect stalks, June-July.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 2 in. long, 1 in. wide, flat, brown seeds.
Where Found: Moist woods and wet meadows. A mostly midwestern species extending south to Al and MS.
Notes: This species is also known at Michigan’s Turk’s-Cap Lily. This showy plant is often cultivated.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 417.
July 1, 2018
Concerning wildflowers, I am often most impressed by the color red. Crimson Bee Balm at Craggy Gardens was one of the first wildflowers that stimulated my imagination when we moved to Black Mountain in 2008. When they bloom in a few weeks there will be a beautiful patch at the parking lot of the Craggy Visitors Center on the trail up to Craggy Field, and also just outside the restaurant at Mt. Mitchell State Park. After years of enjoying our mountains I still enjoy seeing the various Monarda that are now coming into bloom. In addition to the bright red of the Crimson Bee Balm (Monarda didyma), there is the brilliant purple or pink of Purple Bermamot (Monarda media) and the white of Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). All of these mints are here to enjoy as beautiful plants and also mint tea.
Crimson Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
Mint Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 30-60 in. tall
General: Perennial Herb with hairy nodes.
Leaves: Opposite, stalked, ovate to deltoid-ovate to lanceolate, 3-6 in. long, serrate along the margins and nearly rounded at the base, sometimes slightly tapered.
Flowers: Showy, scarlet to crimson, odorless, 1.0-1.6 in. long, 2-lipped corolla, upper lip narrow, nearly straight, upper lip does not have an obvious tuft of hairs, showy, reddish bracts, in terminal flower heads, July—Sep.
Fruits: Brown to blackish nutlets, 0.06 in. long.
Where Found: Moist mountain woods and bottomlands. A mostly NE species extending south in the mountains to GA.
Notes: This plant is a favorite of hummingbirds owing to the color of the blossoms and the tubular flowers. Not many kinds of butterflies are attracted to this plant, although long-tongued butterflies including the Cloudless Sulphur and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail are exceptions. Their tongues are sufficiently long to extract the nectar. The Boston Tea Party in 1773 led to a shortage of tea in America, and this plant’s leaves were used widely as a substitute for imported tea.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 264.
June 16, 2018
Shooting Star is one of those wildflowers that always surprises me. I usually don’t go looking for it, but when I come across it, I stop in amazement. Humans have always been intrigued by the stars in the sky; this flower looks like a shooting star and this gives it a name. Some friends showed me the Shooting Stars below during a hike to Rattlesnake Lodge. You can access this trail from the Blue Ridge Parkway at Tanbark Tunnel, the first tunnel north of Asheville on the BRP. We came upon a large bed of Shooting Stars and Wood Betony. It was a long walk up the mountain, but it was worth it.
Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia)
Primrose Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 24” tall.
General: Perennial spring herb
Leaves: Basal, rosette, mostly oblanceolate, to 8” long, reddish at the base.
Flowers: White, rarely pink or lavender; 5 swept-back petals expose the 5 stamens and yellow anthers, which form a pointed beak (or “star trajectory”); borne in a cluster at the top of a naked stalk (scape) that may be 6-20” tall. April-June.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, about 0.5” long, dark red seeds are variously flattened or angled.
Where Found: Rich, moist, wooded slopes; also meadows, open woods, praries, and limestone bluffs from MN to FL.
Notes: The genus name Dodecatheon mans “twelve gods.” In Greek mythology, the primrose was under the care of the 12 gods of Mt. Olympus. The common name refers to the striking flower with a petal formation that resembles a star shooting across the sky.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 132.
June 9, 2018
Common Wood Sorrel is a weed in my yard with a yellow flower. I was surprised to find the less common Mountain Wood Sorrel on a trail called the Mt. Hardy trail at MM425 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The leaves are much larger and the flower is white with pink and yellow highlights. Yesterday it was in full bloom and was the highlight of our hike. In this “in-between” time when the spring flowers are done and the summer flowers are just beginning, it was a delight to see. Now that it is a clearer species in my mind, I will look for it, although the book says it is infrequent and found mostly in the high mountains. If you are out hiking this week, keep your eyes open for this beauty.
Mountain Wood Sorrel (Oxalis montana)
Geranium Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-6” tall
General: Low, stemless perennial from a slender rhizome
Leaves: All basal, long-stalked, in a whorl of 3 heart-shaped leaflets, resembling clover.
Flowers: 5 white petals heavily veined with pink with a yellow spot at the base, notched at the tip (sometimes quite deeply), 0.5” long; occur singly on stalks 3-6” long. May-August.
Fruits: Longitudinally dehiscent capsules, tapered to a point; seeds have a large basal aril that aids in seed dispersal.
Where Found: Rich northern woods, esp. spruce-fir forests. Infrequent.
Notes: Sorrel is German for “sour,” which refers to the pleasantly sour taste of the leaves. Wood sorrels are common called sour grasses and sour clovers. Being rich in vitamin C, the leaves are a popular addition to salads and have been used in the past to treat scurvy. In recent times, however, it has been discovered that ingesting too much oxalic acid, the ingredient responsible for the sourness, inhibits calcium absorption, so wood sorrels should be taken in moderation.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 202.
June 3, 2018
You know summer is here when Fire Pink begins to appear in strange places: ditches along roads and streams, in your yard, on the highest mountains. Its brilliant red color and unusual star shape draw everyone’s attention. Related in my mind, but not in botanical terms, is Indian Pink with its similar brilliant red tube with a bright yellow interior. I have seen Indian Pink only in my yard where I planted it several years ago and at the Asheville Botanical Gardens. Let me know if you find Indian Pink in the wild. In the meantime we can enjoy the common Fire Pink. Following in the weeks ahead will be Bee Balm, Cardinal Flower, and other brilliant red flowers that seem to be on everyone’s favorite wildflower list.
Fire Pink (Silene virginica)
Pink Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 12-30 in. tall.
General: Perennial herb with downy and sticky stems.
Leaves: Opposite, entire, basal leaves form a rosette and are stalked, oblanceolate to spatulate to 4 in. long, stem leaves are opposite and narrow, 2-6 in. long or longer.
Flowers: 5 regular parts, 1-2 in. wide, richly scarlet red, narrow, notched petals, cream-colored stamens protrude from the center, sticky calyx, open inflorescence with several flowers growing on thin stalks from the axils of the upper leaves, April-June.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 0.5-0.7 in. long, splitting into 6 teeth.
Where Found: Open woods and rocky slopes from NJ to MN and south to GA, Al, and AR.
Notes: The splash and brilliant red in spring makes the Fire Pink one of our most popular and conspicuous wildflowers. The scarlet flowers are favorite nectar plants of hummingbirds. Historical reports tell that Fire Pink has been used as a worm-excellent (vermifuge).
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 80
May 27, 2018
Our Black Mountain Wildflower Walkers found the Largeleaf Waterleaf in bud on our walk several weeks ago. On Monday of this week, I found the plant in full bloom on the Mountain-to-Sea Trail north of Ox Creek Road that goes from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Weaverville, NC. We see Waterleaf plants during most of the spring and summer season, but I have seldom seen the flower. Hopefully I will remember this plant later in the summer when the flower is long gone. I really like the Latin name because it fits the plant: Hydro (water), phyllum (leaf), macro (large), phyllum (leaf). It is also fun to say.
Largeleaf Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum Macrophyllum)
Waterleaf Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 12-24 inches tall.
General: Perennial herb, very hairy.
Leaves: Alternate, 4-10 “ long and 1/2-2/3 as wide, mottled, pinnated divided with 7-13 coarsely toothed lobes.
Flowers: White or pinkish, 0.3-0.5” long, 5 lobes 1/2 the length of the corolla tube, stamens extending another 0.33”; first appear as a round cluster of hairy buds, May-June.
Fruits: Rounded capsules surrounded by the calyx; 1-3 seeds with wrinkled surface.
Where Found: Rich, moist Woods from PA to IL and south.
Notes: The name “waterleaf” refers to plants of the genus (Hydrophyllum) which have watery stems or leaves and may also refer to the mottled leaves that appear water-stained.This species name macrophyllum means “large leaf,” and accurately described the plant with its large, hairy leaves. Notice the blotchy, light green, mottled pattern characteristic of waterleaf species.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 244.
May 20, 2018
Puttyroot is a common orchid now blooming in western NC. In the winter we recognize it by its basal leaf of white and green stripes. In spring the leaf dies and is replaced in May and June with a stalk and many small flowers. It is hard to miss along the Mountains-to-Sea trail and other places where the soil is right. Orchids are among the most specialized plants and depend on the right fungus to help them grow and the right pollinator for fertilization. Watch for this orchid on your hikes this month.
Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 10-12 inches tall.
General: Perennial herb from underground bulbs, flower stalks sheathed at the base.
Leaves: Solitary, wintergreen, pleated, bluish green, oval, 4-8 in. long with silvery lengthwise veins, emerging in autumn and withering by early May before flowers develop.
Flowers: Irregular, various shades of green, yellow, and brown, 2 arching petals, 3 spreading sepals, whitish lip has pale magenta markings and lengthwise crests, flowers in a loose cluster at the top of the scape. Flowers often open only slightly. May-June.
Fruits: Hanging, ellipsoid capsules, 0.6-0.9 in. long.
Where Found: Rich, moist soils of alluvial floodplains and deep humus pockets of mature woodlands, from northern AL and AR to the Great Lakes in most of the eastern U.S. Frequent.
Notes: This plant gets its common name, Puttyroot, from a sticky paste made by crushing the bulbs and roots, that was used to mend broken pottery. The other name, Adam and Eve, refers to the underground bulbs or corms, which almost always occur in pairs. Technically, the Orchid Family is defined by the fusion of pistil and stamens into a solitary column. The family name comes from orchis, Greek for “testicle,” the name given to the European Green-Winged Orchid (Orchis morio) for the shape of its paired tubers. Based on the Doctrine of Signatures (the belief that whatever a plant looked like, it could cure), orchids were widely esteemed as aphrodisiacs.
Horn, Cathcart, and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 448.
May 13, 2018
The first time I saw dozens of Painted Trillium at Graveyard Fields on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was on a bird count for the Audubon Society and I was distracted by these beautiful wildflowers. I have loved them ever since. Right now dozens of Painted Trillium are blooming at Graveyard Fields and along the Mountain to Sea Trail at Black Balsam Road. Trillium are amazing plants. The blooms we see are the result of 8-10 years of growth from seed to mature plant. Seeds are distributed by ants and tend to populate an area within the walking distance of an ant. Ants feed the elaiosome or outer layer of the seeds to their larvae and then bury the seeds which creates a perfect location for germination. The fancy term for this is Myrmecochory, or ant plant seed dispersal. I hope you find these beautiful plants on one of your hikes. Unfortunately, they will be mostly gone by June 1, so hurry up to the mountains.
Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-18 inches tall.
General: Erect perennial herb.
Leaves: 3 Whorled, entire leaves, bluish or copper green, ovate, 2-5 inches long at flowering time, sharply pointed, short-petioled.
Flowers: 3 regular parts, white with a red, v-shaped; blaze near the base, April-May.
Fruits: Scarlet, ellipsoid to ovoid berries, 0.5-0.9 in. long.
Where Found: prefers cool coniferous forests or acidic woods with scattered laurel, galax, and rhododendron, eastern US and SE Canada. Infrequent.
Notes: The species name undulate refers to the wavy or undulate margins of the petals. The bi-colored petals are a unique feature of this flower. Attempts to cultivate this species outside its native range are rarely successful.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 433.
May 1, 2018
Whorled Pogonia is blooming in Black Mountain. Last year, Joe Standaert showed me a patch of this orchid in Montreat, NC. After looking at it closely, I discovered the same plant in our backyard. I have been watching all spring for it to emerge from the ground. A few weeks ago a purple, hollow stem appeared with a potential bud on it. I watched seven plants emerge every day till now—May 1. Today the flower is opening. Yesterday my neighbor, Fay Yee, texted me to come see her Whorled Pogonia in her yard. She showed me fourteen plants, three of which were in full bloom. So I can add the Whorled Pogonia to my orchid list for western NC and look forward to the years ahead. After the flower passes, the leaves will enlarge into the shape of an umbrella and the seed will be held erect. What a beautiful plant. Thanks to my botany friends who have educated me to look for these jewels hidden in our woods.
Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-12 inches tall.
General: Smooth, stout, purplish-stemmed perennial herb
Leaves: In a whorl of usually 5, oblanceolate, to 3.5 “ long, near the top of the stem below the flower; begin to expand when the flower is fully developed and continue to enlarge after fertilization.
Flowers: 3 long, thin, tapering purplish sepals, up to 2”: long, radiating outward; 2 lateral greenish yellow petals, covering all but the end of the lip; lip petal with 2 purplish side lobes, an expansive, downcurved, yellowish white middle lobe, and fleshy green central ridge; usually solitary, terminal, on a pedicel 0.8-1.25” long. April-May
Fruits: Erect, ellipsoid capsules, 1.0-1.25” long
Where Found: Various acidic soil habitats, including moist woodlands, in most of the eastern U.S.
Notes: Large Whorled Pogonia is recognizable by its reddish purple stem and sepals, and the fruit stalk that is longer than the fruit capsule.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 455.
April 22, 2018
I love native orchids. When I hear about an orchid blooming nearby, I try to get directions so I can find it. This year my first orchid discovery came from a lead by Joe Standaert. He said that there was a Spring Coralroot blooming near the Assembly Inn in Montreat, NC. After searching several spots, I found this inconspicuous plant growing in a flower bed on the left side of the Assembly Inn. It is less than 12 inches high, drab in color, and hard to find. Without help, I never would have found this wildflower. From closeup while lying on the ground I saw that it has a beautiful tiny irregular flower. I am glad to add my pictures to my collection and hope to find it again, along with its closely related flowers that are rare.
Spring Coralroot (Corallorhiza wisteriana)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-18 inches tall
General: Leafless, saprophytic, perennial herb, without chlorophyll, with erect, slender flowering stems. Tan below to yellow-brown or reddish purple above, sheathed around the lower portion.
Leaves: Reduced to a few bladeless sheaths on the lower stem, without chlorophyll.
Flowers: 3 sepals and 2 lateral petals reddish brown to greenish yellow, often suffused with purple, converging to form a hood over the lip; lower petal (lip) white with magenta spots, flowers 0.25-0.33 “ long in a loose raceme. April-May.
Fruits: Ovoid capsules, 0.4” long, 0.2” wide.
Where Found: Moist woods, rich ravines and slopes, swamps and along stream margins in most of the central and eastern U.S.
Notes: Spring coralroot is a saprophyte that obtains nutrients indirectly from decaying organic matter in the soil. Studies show that it has a mutualistic relationship with mycorrhizae fungi found among the rhizomes.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 450
April 13, 2018
With the help of friends, I discovered a new Trillium species (for me)—Trillium flexipes. I was on a hike with a local naturalist group at Big Creek picnic area in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We took Route 40 west and exited at the first exit in Tennessee. Soon after I arrived, I discovered this Trillium. I had been looking for it because of the guidance of Joe Standaert. This plant grows mostly in the area of the Great Lakes and south to the Ohio River. There are a few isolated spots where it grows in Tennessee and Alabama. The more I spend time in the mountains with expert friends, the more exciting it is to discover a new wildflower, especially one so beautiful and in full bloom. Maybe you have the same experience.
Bent Trillium (Trillium flexipes)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-20 inches tall.
General: Erect, perennial herb
Leaves: In a whorl of 3, solid green, sessile, rhombic, 3-6 in. long and wide
Flowers: White, rarely maroon, 3 petals, 0.8-2.0 in. long, white to pink ovary, protruding, flask-shaped stamens with creamy anthers, longer than the white filaments; flowers solitary, on stalks, 1.6-5.0 in. long; sometimes erect, sometimes bent under leaves. April-May.
Fruits: Purplish, ovoid, juicy, fragrant berries, 6-ridged, many seeded, to 1 in. across
Where Found: Rich woods from NY to SD, south into MS, AL, and GA. In TN, in limestone regions west of Smoky Mountains to the Western High Rim. Occasional.
Notes: Bent Trillium smells like old sneakers!
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 427
April 7, 2018
I was most impressed by Viola palmata (Three Lobed or Wood Violet), a beautiful blue violet we found at Table Rock State Park near Cleveland, SC. It was growing in a small area along a small stream. The brilliant color of its flowers, and the unusual leaves caught my attention. According to the book, it can be found over a wide area, although in my experience it is not common. I was glad to enjoy this flower this week and hope you will find it too.
Three Lobed or Wood Violet (Viola palmata)
Violet Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-6” tall.
General: Hairy, stemless perennial herb.
Leaves: All basal, on long stalks, Palmately 3-11-lobed, with the segments variously toothed or cleft and generally hairy, but the earliest leaves may be merely ovate
Flowers: Variable from blue-violet, streaked violet and white, to solid white, up to 1 in. across, 5 petals; born on long stalks; also self-pollinating flowers that do not open, on reclining stalks. April-May
Fruits: Ovoid, purple-brown mottled capsules, brown seeds.
Where Found: Woodlands and glades throughout most of the eastern US.
Notes: the species name palmate refers to the palm-like appearance of some of the leaves. The flowers of some violets can be made into candy jam, jelly, preserves, and syrup. They can even be made into an acceptable sweet wine. In herbal medicine, used as a tea, violets are said to cure headaches.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 99.
September 23, 2017
Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana) is one sure sign of fall on the Blue Ridge Parkway. In spring, it produces interesting white flowers and then, in fall, bright red berries which are loved by some birds such as the Gray Catbird below. In addition to the many colors of the changing leaves, the green leaves and red berries add a richness to the palette of beauty. Keep your eyes open at Craggy Gardens and Mt. Pisgah for Sorbus americana.
American Mountain-Ash (Sorbus americana)
Rose Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 15-20’ tall, occasionally 30’
General: American mountain-ash is a small, ornamental tree
Leaves: Pinnately-compound, deciduous leaves occur on bright-red leaf stalks and turn golden-orange in the fall
Flowers and Fruits: The small white, flowers are held in flat-topped clusters and are followed by broad clusters of bright, coral-red berries.
Where Found: Cool, moist, open areas; granitic outcrops, higher elevations from Newfoundland to GA.
Notes: Berries attract birds. The fruits (fresh or dried) contain iron and vitamin C. They are also acidic and rich in tannins, however, and should be eaten in moderation (Kershaw). Warning: The seeds of this plant are reported to be poisonous, and those of its close relative Mescal bean (Sophora secundiflora) can be deadly. Sensitivity to a toxin varies with a person’s age, weight, physical condition, and individual susceptibility.
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, U of Texas at Austin
September 16, 2017
Late summer and fall Aster species are difficult to identify because there are so many of them and they often look similar. Even experienced Botanists are reluctant to give a positive ID on plants such as Goldenrod (Solidago), Sunflowers (Helianthus), and many others. One wildflower that is easy even for beginners is Wingstem. Standing 3-9 feet with yellow flowers at the top, Wingstem is unique because of the “Winged petioles” or flaps along the main stem. By feeling the stem, you can be confident that you have identified a Wingstem. It is common; look for it along ditches and in fields where there is sufficient light. One place to see a good stand is at Craven Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Until frost, there will be lots of Aster colors for us to enjoy.
Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia)
Aster Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-9 ft. tall.
General: Coarse perennial herb, stem leafy.
Leaves: Alternate, narrowly lanceolate, 4-10 in. long, margins serrate to entire; petioles with wings that extend down the stem.
Flowers: Ray flowers yellow, 2-10, irregularly spaced, reflexed, 0.4-1.2 in. long, disk flowers yellow, loosely arranged, forming a sphere 0.4-0.6 in. wide; involucral bracts narrow, smooth, reflexed, heads radiate, numerous, in an open, branched inflorescence. Aug-Sep.
Fruit: Achenes, 0.25 in. long, 0.15 in. wide, with broad wings, usually 0.1 in. wide, pappus of 2 short awns.
Where Found: Moist thickets and edges of woods through most of eastern U.S.
Notes: Wingstem is named for the winged petioles, which continue down the stem in a wing-like fashion. Wingstems are used as host plants and for nectar by Silvery Checkerspot butterflies.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 384.
September 9, 2017
I am probably not the only one who is confused by the late summer wildflowers, especially the members of the Aster or Composite family with multiple, tiny flowers on a tall stem. Several species that can appear similar to beginning wildflower watchers are Joe-Pye Weed, White Snakeroot, and Boneset. All of these flowers are 3-6 feet tall with multiple stem leaves and almost indistinguishable tiny flowers at the top. To the experienced botanist, the differences are obvious, but for the beginner, it takes time to notice these differences. For example, Boneset has white flowers as distinguished from Joe-Pye Weed’s pink or purplish flowers. Boneset has perfoliate (wrapped around the stem) opposite leaves that are hairy and rough-looking as distinguished from White Snakeroot which has toothed leaves with long petioles (stems). Since I learned these differences I have noticed Boneset often this year. In addition, there are multiple species of all these plants which I will save for after I gain more experience.
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Aster Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-4 ft. tall.
General: Erect perennial, stems shaggy-hairy.
Leaves: Opposite, bases united around the stem (connate-perfoliate), lanceolate, 3-8 in. long, 0.6-1.8 in. wide, resin-dotted, pinnately veined, sparsely hairy on the upper surface, densely hairy beneath, tips acuminate, margins crenate-serrate.
Flowers: Ray flowers absent; disk flowers white, usually 9-23, involucral bracts acute to acuminate, hairy, glandular, often white-margined; Aug-Oct.
Fruits: Resinous-glandular achenes; pappus a tuft of white bristles.
Where Found: Moist to dry woods, fields, and waste places throughout the central and eastern U.S.
Notes: This plant was given the name Boneset, because it relieved “the deep-seated pain in the limbs” caused by influenza. The leaves and flowers were widely used by Native Americans and European settlers to induce nausea and vomiting, as well as for treating fevers, epilepsy, arthritis, malaria, and other ailments.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 344.
September 1, 2017
Since I first discovered Grass-of-Parnassus in 2014, it has been one of my favorite late summer wildflowers. The flower is about an inch or so across with distinctive greenish veins on a white background. The plant grows in wet areas and rocky slopes. These pictures were taken at Wolf Mountain Overlook, MM 424, Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, NC, a favorite spot for botanists because of its beautiful and rare plants. When you drive the Parkway this fall, stop at Wolf Mountain overlook and walk across the road to the rocky face and enjoy this beautiful wildflower among others.
Kidneyleaf Grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia asarifolia)
Saxifrage Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-16 in. tall
General: Smooth, perennial herb.
Leaves: Kidney-shaped basal leaves, 1-2” wide, almost as long, entire, on long stalks; each flowering stem has 1 sessile leaf, similar but smaller, near the middle of the stem.
Flowers: Solitary flower on each stem, 5 white petals, about 0.5” long, prominently grayish-veined, narrow-stalked; 5 stamens with anthers are separated by 5 shorter, sterile ones, Sep-Oct.
Fruits: Capsules with 4 valves, numerous seeds.
Where Found: Swamps and seepage slopes. From AR and eastern TX, east to VA and GA.
Notes: Though these plans do not resemble grass, the Parnassia genus was named by Dioscorides, a botanist of ancient Greece, after a grass-like plant that grew on the side of Mount Parnassus in Greece. This oddity comers from centuries of confusion over the translation of the word for “green plant.” The species name asarifolia means “leaves resembling Asarum or Wild Ginger,” and fortunately, this part of the name is appropriate. The distinctive lines on the petals act as a guide to attract pollinators.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 142.
Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Little, Brown, and Co, 1977, p 142.
August 26, 2017
Mid- to Late-August sees the appearance of the Gentian family. We have four species of Gentian flowers in western NC. Some species are limited to the high mountains at Mt. Pisgah and the south Parkway and Mt. Mitchell. I am featuring the Bottle Gentian (Gentiana clausa) in this Wildflower of the Week. But we also have Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia), Striped Gentian (Gentiana villosa), and Balsam Mountain Gentian (Gentiana latidens) in the region. I have seen three of these species this week; their pictures are below. The flowers are unique because they are beautifully blue, they stand upright and are never quite completely open. Some appear to be closed like the Bottle Gentian. Pollinators have to force their way inside in a similar way to how bumblebees enter into Turtleheads. I hope you get to see and enjoy these interesting flowers this summer.
Bottle Gentian (Gentiana clausa)
Gentian Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 20 in. tall.
General: Perennial herb with erect, smooth stems.
Leaves: Opposite, sessile, slender pointed leaves.
Flowers: Tubular corolla, Dark blue flowers, 1-2 in. long; 5 corolla lobes typically do not open. Sep.-Oct
Where Found: Most meadows, woods, a NE species extending south in the mountains to TN and NC.
Fruits: Elongated capsules to 1 in. long
Notes: The Gentian species is named for the 6th C. king of Illyria, Gentius, who discovered that the roots of the Yellow Gentian (G. lutea) had a healing effect on his malaria-stricken troops.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 221.
August 18, 2017
Silene ovata (Fringed Campion), is a very rare wildflower in the Pink family, related to Silene stellata (Starry Campion). These wildflowers were found along the Mountain-to-Sea trail north of Craven Gap. I have found these beautiful wildflowers in only one or two locations in western NC. It is exciting to walk along the trail and discover these rare flowers in bloom. Thanks to the Botanical Club for showing me how to find them in late August.
Fringed Campion (Silene ovata)
Pink Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 4-16” tall, 1-2 inches across.
General: Perennial herb, rooting at nodes and tips of runners, and forming mats.
Leaves: 3⁄4 – 31⁄2” long and 3⁄8 – 1” wide, widest above the middle, opposite, upper surface with raised veins, smooth except for short hairs on the margins and long hairs on the leaf stalks.
Flowers: 1 – 2” wide, pink or white with 5 deeply fringed petals.
Fruits: An oval capsule about 3⁄8” long, with a toothed opening at the tip.
Where Found: Mature hardwood forests with low-acid soils on moist, mid- to lower slopes and small stream terraces.
Notes: Endangered. About 30 populations are known, with only a few sites protected.
August 11, 2017
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is one of the most beautiful August wildflowers. I have about ten plants in my yard that are blooming and I love them. The bright red of the flower is about 3-4 feet high with its delicate irregular petals. When hummingbirds and Swallow-tailed Butterflies stick their long snouts into the tube, the stamen deposits pollen on their body. These flowers are common and are found in many habitats, especially near streams and wet areas. Keep your eyes out for this colorful plant as you walk in the woods or drive down country roads.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Bellflower Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 24-48 in. tall.
General: Erect, typically unbranched perennial herb.
Leaves: Alternate, lanceolate, 2-6 in. long, toothed margins.
Flowers: Intensely red or scarlet, 0.75-1.5 in. long, 2 lipped corolla, lower lip smooth within, borne in a showy raceme; Jul-Sep.
Fruits: Ovoid or spherical capsules with brown seeds.
Where Found: Wet soil, stream banks and roadside ditches through eastern and southwestern U.S. and southeastern Canada.
Notes: This plant’s common name comes from the scarlet flowers, which are the color of the robes worn by cardinals of the RC Church. A favorite of hummingbirds, the flowers are also visited by long-tongued butterflies such as the Spicebush Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and Cloudless Sulphur. Native Americans used the roots to treat a variety of illnesses, but especially to rid the body of worms. Although this plant has been used as medicine, it is also very poisonous, and extracts of the leaves and fruit can produce vomiting, sweating, pain, and eventually death.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 300.
August 5, 2017
Some friends showed me the place to find the uncommon Three Bird Orchid near Brevard, NC. I went there on Monday and found the flowers limp and unopened. But I went back a second day and found them open and beautiful. I would never have found them by myself because they are so small and fragile, I would likely have overlooked their presence, as I am sure many people have done before. I had to lie flat on the ground to get pictures of these flowers that are only about 6” off the ground and only 1/2” wide. But it was worth it to see the three sepals that someone thought looked like three birds and the lips that must look inviting for the pollinator this flower is hoping to attract. The forests are full of surprising and beautiful things during July (and August) and I hope you find time to enjoy them.
Three Birds Orchid (Triphora Trianthophora)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-10” tall
General: Small perennial herb appearing delicate and fragile, flowering stems purplish green.
Leaves: Alternate, oval, clasping, bract-like, to 0.5” long.
Flowers: Pinkish white, 3 sepals and 2 lateral petals similar, oblonceolate, lip petal white, about 0.5” long, 3 lobed and 3 parallel green ridges in the center. Aug-Sep.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 0.3-0.4” long
Where Found: Rich, damp woodland humus, throughout the eastern U.S. Thinly distributed.
Notes: Sometimes the pedicels are not rigid enough to support the flowers firmly, resulting in a nodding effect. Individual flowers last only about 1 day, but many plants in a colony (even many colonies within a sizable area) may have 1 or more flowers open simultaneously, apparently triggered synchronously by the drop in normal nighttime temperature or other factors.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 468.
July 29, 2017
I saw a new (for me) native orchid near the Black Balsam Road parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday: Green Adder’s Mouth. This one is small—8 inches tall with tiny flowers about 0.1” wide. How they found the adder’s mouth I will never know. This has been the summer of orchids for me and I love the challenge. So far I have seen 19 out of 42 orchids in North Carolina. There are still several in our area that I would like to see someday. For others, I have to travel to the coast to find them. 42 may seem like a lot of orchids, but there are 20,000 species of orchids in the world, most of them in the tropics where they can often be found as “air plants” growing in trees. Just like we love the Lady Slippers, we can also enjoy the other native orchids blooming this summer in western NC.
Green Adder’s Mouth (Malaxis unifolia)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-10 inches tall
General: Small, smooth perennial herb, completely green
Leaves: Solitary, smooth, oval to elliptic, 1.5-3.0” long, attached about halfway up the stem and wrapped fully around it.
Flowers: numerous, 0.12” wide or less, pale green, inflorescence a terminal raceme, curiously forming a flat-topped cluster of buds above the open flowers until all the flowers on the raceme are mature. May-August.
Fruits: Obliquely ovoid capsules, 0.25” long, 0.1”wide
Where Found: damp woods and bogs from S. Canada and eastern U.S. to Florida and Texas.
Notes: The genus name Malixis is Greek for “soft,” referring to the texture of the leaves. The species name uniflora is Latin for “one leaf.” The small size of this plant makes it easy to overlook in the field. However, once found, it is easy to identify by its unique, completely green appearance.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 457.
July 22, 2017
I first discovered Listera smallii, Appalachian Twayblade, with help from friends in June, 2016 at Craggy Pinnacle on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was not blooming, but seemed to have buds. So I returned every week for six weeks until it finally flowered in late July. My friends labeled me “The Twayblade Guy.” This year I waited until July to look for this flower and a friend (Susan Jumper) showed me a picture in early July. I went the next week to Craggy Pinnacle and found them blooming in at least ten locations and also on the trail from the picnic area to Craggy Flats. The plant is only 2-4 inches tall and the flower must be less than 1/4 inch. But knowing where it is and when it is blooming is part of the excitement of finding native plants in the Southern Appalachians. Look under the Rhododendron bushes. The pictures below are from this week. Also ready to bloom is the Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor). It has a distinctive green and purple leaf in winter which withers in spring and then the bulb sends up a naked stem with small flowers on top. The blooming stem may be 6-8 inches tall and the flowers are about 1/2 inch long. I have included a picture from Elizabeth’s Trail in Montreat which is a reliable place to find the Cranefly Orchid.
Appalachian Twayblade (Listera smallii)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-4 inches tall
General: Perennial herb
Leaves: Opposite, 2 about midway on the slender stem, dark green, kidney-shaped
Flowers: 1/4” flowers with a wide lip divided into two divergent lobes, their hues a range of greenish brown pastels.
Fruits:
Where Found: moist mountain woods, frequently under hemlock or rhododendron. Found at Craggy Gardens and other high elevation ridges.
Notes: The Listera genus is named for Martin Lister (1638-1711), an English naturalist.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 457
July 15, 2017
I remember the first time I found Silene stellata or Starry Campion on the trail and thinking “what a beautiful flower.” After I discovered it, it became a marker wildflower for me indicating we are in the middle of summer. With its distinctive shaped and fringed white petals and the four leaves in whorls on the stem, it stands out among the leafy underbrush along the trail. It has a first cousin called Silene ovata or Fringed Campion that blooms around August 1 and is quite infrequent. I saw it for the first time last summer and hope to find it again. I will include one picture of the Fringed Campion for comparison, although it may become the Wildflower of the Week if I can find one later in the summer. The first two pictures are Starry Campion and the third is Fringed Campion. Starry and Fringed Campion are the same genus as Silene virginica or Fire Pink which is also blooming now along the mountain ridges. Keep your eyes open as you hike the mountain this summer. There are many surprises.
Starry Campion (Silene stellata)
Pink Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: up to 4’ tall
General: Perennial with sparsely hairy stems.
Leaves: Lanceolate to ovate stem leaves, 2-4” long in whorls of 4.
Flowers: Star-shaped, white, about 0.75” wide; 5 fringed petals are wooly at the base, petal blades have 8-12 segments; inflated, bell shaped calyx, formed in loosely branched terminal clusters. Jul-Sep.
Fruits: Capsules splitting into 6 teeth.
Where Found: Dry woods and clearings throughout eastern U.S.
Notes: The species name, stiletto is derived from the Greek word, stella, meaning “starry,” and refers to the shape of the flower. Other common names are Widow’s Frill, King’s cure-all, and Thurman’s Snakeroot. Asa Gray (1810-88), a preeminent botanist, wrote that he was told the plant was an antidote to the bite of the rattlesnake and copperhead. The story goes that its use was indicated by markings on the root beneath the bark, where the likeness to the skin of the rattlesnake was seen.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 80
July 7, 2017
I am always thrilled when I find the first blooming Black Cohosh in the wild. This week I found several blooming plants at Craven Gap: some just across the road from the parking lot and some along the MTS trail north about 1/4 mile. This showy wildflower is taller than I am when it is blooming with a stalk of flowers with bright, white stamens. The leaves are similar to several other plants and not easy for beginners to pick out except when in flower when it is unmistakable. Look for Black Cohosh on your hikes in the next few weeks and enjoy the show these flower put on every summer. Pictures below were taken yesterday.
Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
Buttercup Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Flower stems up to 8 ft. tall.
General: Perennial herb.
Leaves: Both basal and alternate on the stem, 2-3 ternately compound, with broad, sharp-pointed, coarsely toothed leaflets, 2-4 in. long, the terminal leaflet generally 3-lobed.
Flowers: About 0.5 in. wide, petals absent, numerous showy, white stamens; flowers have an unpleasant odor, borne in crowded racemes to 12 in. long, on vertical stalks; each flower has 1 ovary (rarely 2), about 0.25 in. long, not on a distinct stalk. May-Jul.
Fruits: Many-seeded, ellipsoid follicles.
Where Found: Rich woods. A NE species extending south into NC.
Notes: The genus name, Cimicifuga means “bugbane” (cimex means “bug” and fugue means “flight”), in reference to these plants’ insect repellent qualities. Black Cohosh is also known as Black Snakeroot and Rattlesnakeroot for its use in treating snakebites. Black Cohosh, a popular herb in Europe and the U.S., in commonly used to alleviate menopausal symptoms and pains during labor and after childbirth. Traditionally it has also been used to treat rheumatism, arthritis, asthma, and hysteria, and as a gargle for sore throats. Bumblebees release the pollen by sonic vibrations.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 56.
July 1, 2017
Since we live surrounded by Rhododendron all year, we tend to take it for granted when we have a big year of blossoms. 2017 seems to be one of those years. Drive Montreat Road into Montreat and you will see the white Rosebay Rhododendron flowers everywhere. Look at them closely and notice the white and pink colors with yellow and green spots on the upper petal. Last week was the Catawba Rhododendron festival at Roan Mountain with its bright pink-purple flowers that grow only in higher elevations. People come for miles to see these displays of color. Meanwhile we live in a late spring paradise of white flowers and sometimes don’t even notice it. Take time to enjoy the Rhododendron shrubs while they are having a good year.
Rosebay Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)
Heath Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 5-20 feet tall.
General: A multi-trunked small tree or large shrub.
Leaves: Alternate, entire, pale, green, 3-9 lobed, round, may become 8 inches wide
Flowers: 5 regular parts. Rosebay Rhododendron blooms in early summer, about a month later than Catawba. Flower color ranges from light pink to white, though white is most common. June-July.
Where Found: Very common in the understory forests of slopes in the Mountain and upper Piedmont regions of North Carolina.
Notes: the nectar of many members of the Heath family, including rhododendrons, contains poisonous andromedotoxin. Beekeepers must be very careful when deciding the location of their hives in spring. At various times, people have gotten sick from eating toxic honey.
Carolina Nature www.carolinanature.com/trees/rhma.html
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 131.
June 24, 2017
Gray’s Lily is an rare wildflower reliably seen only at Roan’s Mountain on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. I have traveled there in previous years just to see this beautiful red lily growing in the meadow near Carver’s Gap. Several friends made the trip this week and sent me pictures. It blooms just after the Catawba Rhododendron Festival around June 15-16. Several of us were lucky to find one Gray’s Lily plant just north of Craggy Gardens this week. It is rare in the Black Mountains so the sighting was exciting. The Gray’s Lily we found is 3-4 feet high with multiple blossoms. In two weeks, the mountains will be full of Turk’s-cap Lilies and they will seem to be everywhere for a few weeks. For this week, we can enjoy the one Gray’s Lily we found and hope it survives and returns next year.
Gray’s Lily (Lilium grayi)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 2-4’ tall.
General: Perennial herb with a stout, smooth stem.
Leaves: In whorls of 4-8 at 3-8 stem nodes, narrowly elliptic, acute- or blunt-tipped, 2-4” long, 0.3-1.0” wide, margins coarse or roughened
Flowers: Bell-shaped, 6 sepals, red with dark spots nearly to the tip, flared, not recurved or widely spreading, 1.5-2.5” long; anthers not usually extending beyond the tepals; flowers 1-9, head nearly horizontal. June-July.
Fruits: Capsules, 1.5-2.0” long.
Where Found: Balds and openings at high elevation. Endemic to the high mountains of VA, NC and TN. Rare
Notes: This species if also known as Bell Lily, Roan Lily, and Roan Mountain Lily. The common name and the species name “grayi” honor Asa Gray (1810-1888), one of the America’s leading 19th C. botanists.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 416.
June 17, 2017
Purple-fringed Orchids are in bloom this week. The Small Purple-fringed Orchid is blooming along the road from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mt. Mitchell State Park at MM355. I recently become aware of the Large Purple-fringed Orchid and it is blooming along the Mountain to Sea Trail north of the Graybeard Mountain Overlook at MM363. I have a particular fondness for native NC orchids and I love compiling a list with pictures. Today’s pictures add to my collection. If you like native Orchids, now is a good time to find some and enjoy them. The pictures below are from today featuring the Large Purple-fringed Orchid (Platanthera grandiflora).
Small Purple-fringed Orchid (Platanthera psycodes)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-48 in. tall.
General: Showy, erect, perennial herb with a fluted, leafy stem.
Leaves: Alternate, entire, 2-5 dark green lanceolate, keeled, up to 8 in. long, sheathing the lower stem, reduced to bracts above.
Flowers: Rose purple, often pleasant fragrance; 3 petal-like, spreading, oval sepals, 2 lateral sepals swept back at an angle, 2 lateral petals finely toothed, curved upward, lip petal, to 0.5 in. wide and 0.6 in. long, deeply divided into 3 distinctive, flared, lobed, fringed less than 1/3 the length of the lobe, base of the lip has a dumbbell or bowtie-shaped (never squarish or roundish) opening to the spur and nectary, inflorescence a rounded cylindrical raceme. June-July.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, about 0.6 in. long.
Where Found: Moist, thin, or open woods, along streams, or in wet roadside ditches of upper elevations. Most of SE Canada, the NE U.S., and south in the mountains to GA.
Notes: This is an exquisite and showy orchid. The species psycodes means “butterfly-like,” presumably referring to the flower shape.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 463.
June 3, 2017
If you have a chance to hike along the Mountain-to-Sea Trail that parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway, look for the Yellow Clinton’s or Bluebead Lily. It is in full bloom this week and magnificent. I found it along the trail I was walking yesterday with friends. With its broad basal leaves, long stem, and multiple yellow flowers, it clearly dominates the mountainside where it grows. Later in the summer, it will develop a dark blue berry from which it gets one of its names—Bluebead. It is one of many native lilies we find including the Turk’s-cap Lily and Bunchflower. These dramatic wildflowers enrich our summers here in western NC.
Yellow Clintonia (Clintonia borealis)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6-15 inches tall.
General: Erect perennial herb.
Leaves: Basal, entire leaves, 4-16 in. long, oblong to elliptic, margins fringed with a few hairs.
Flowers: Greenish-yellow, 6 regular parts, nodding, similar petals and sepals, 0.6-0.7 in. long, leafless inflorescence a short, terminal raceme of 3-8 flowers, May-June.
Fruits: Ellipsoid, bright blue berries, 0.3-0.4 in. long.
Where Found: A northeastern U.S. species extending south only at higher elevations, Infrequent.
Notes: Also called Bluebead Lily for its dark blue fruit. The genus Clinton is named for DeWitt Clinton (1769—1828), the 3-term governor of NY. He was responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal and was well known for writing books on natural history.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 411.
May 27, 2017
Galax is one of the iconic wildflowers of western North Carolina. It is so common that we often take it for granted. We have some in our yard that we check infrequently. But it is in full bloom right now with its tall raceme of small white flowers. Since it is taken for granted by many, its endangerment is often not noticed. The North Fork Water Valley is patrolled throughout the year because of poachers that are dropped off on the Blue Ridge Parkway and return with garbage bags full of Galax leaves. The leaves are in high demand by nurseries because they keep their green and reddish colors long after they are picked. They are favorites as background green leaves for flower arrangements. Other plants are also endangered by poachers, especially Ginseng, Black Cohosh, Venus Flytraps, and a few others. Those of us who love native plants need to be alert to the dangers and we need to appreciate these plants when we find them, even the common ones like Galax.
Galax (Galax urceolata)
Primrose Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 18-24 inches tall.
General: Rhizomatous
Leaves: Basal, toothed, 2-6 in. wide, circular to ovate, heart-shaped at the base, long petioles.
Flowers: 5 white petals to 0.25 in long, separate, numerous flower in a tall raceme or spike, May-July.
Fruits: Tan capsules about 0.4 in. long.
Where Found: Moist or dry woodlands, frequently forming ground cover on acidic soils common in southeastern US.
Notes: The name, Galax comes from the Greek word, gala, meaning “milk.” urceolata means urn-shaped,” referring to the shape of the flower buds. It was used in a poultice to heal cuts and wounds. The leaves are important for greenery used in Christmas floral arrangements.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 132
May 20, 2017
I love wild Orchids. So far I have seen about twelve different wild Orchids in western NC and SC. I am featuring one of the earliest orchids to bloom in the spring—Puttyroot or Adam and Eve. It has a green and white striped leaf that engages in photosynthesis during the winter and early spring. Then the leaf dies and it is replaced by a 10 inch “scape” of small flowers as seen below. It is blooming now and can be seen along the Mountain to Sea Trail near Craven Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Later in the summer, other orchids will bloom. They are the most specialized wildflowers and the largest number (20,000) of species among the angiosperms. Keep your eyes open and enjoy these interesting wildflowers this year.
Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 10-12 inches tall.
General: Perennial herb from underground bulbs, flower stalks sheathed at the base.
Leaves: Solitary, wintergreen, pleated, bluish green, oval, 4-8 in. long with silvery lengthwise veins, emerging in autumn and withering by early May before flowers develop.
Flowers: Irregular, various shades of green, yellow, and brown, 2 arching petals, 3 spreading sepals, whitish lip has pale magenta markings and lengthwise crests, flowers in a loose cluster at the top of the scape. flowers often open only slightly. May-June.
Fruits: Hanging, ellipsoid capsules, 0.6-0.9 in. long.
Where Found: Rich, moist soils of alluvial floodplains and deep humus pockets of mature woodlands, from northern AL and AR to the Great Lakes in most of the eastern U.S. Frequent.
Notes: This plant gets its common name, Puttyroot, from a sticky paste made by crushing the bulbs and roots, that was used to mend broken pottery. The other name, Adam and Eve, refers to the underground bulbs or corms, which almost always occur in pairs. Technically, the Orchid Family is defined by the fusion of pistil and stamens into a solitary column. The family name comes from orchis, Greek for “testicle,” the name given to the European Green-Winged Orchid (Orchis morio) for the shape of its paired tubers. Based on the Doctrine of Signatures (the belief that whatever a plant looked like, it could cure), orchids were widely esteemed as aphrodisiacs.
Horn, Cathcart, and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 448.
May 14, 2017
Southern Nodding Trillium (Trillium rugelii) is blooming now on the Mountain-to-Sea Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Look for a 3-leaved plant with a white flower hanging below the leaves. There are nice examples along the MST trail going south from Craven Gap and many other places along the Parkway. I saw some from my car today when we drove to Max Patch near Clyde, NC. Trilliums are among my favorite wildflowers because they are showy and last only a short time during April and May. Starting from seeds distributed by ants, it takes 7-8 years to reach maturity and produce its first flower. Given its relatively long life and tendency to bloom early before the leaves come out on the trees, it deserves respect from from all of us. I hope you get to see it this spring.
Southern Nodding Trillium (Trillium rugelii)
Trillium Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6-20” tall.
General: Erect perennial herb.
Leaves: In a whorl of 3, solid green, rhombic-ovate, 3-6” long and wide.
Flowers: White, rarely pink or maroon; 3 petals, ovate, recurved, 1-2” long; stamens often bicolored with white filaments and vivid purple anthers; ovary usually white with purplish splotches; flowers solitary, stalked, nodding below the leaves, April-May.
Fruits: Maroon, fleshy, 6-ridged berries, to 0.8” across, with numerous seeds.
Where Found: Rich hardwood forests, from TN and NC south in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont, and in AL, GA, and SC in the Coastal plain.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 430.
May 6, 2017
Last week I was surprised to find a hillside of Spotted Mandarin (Prosartes maculata) on the Mountain to Sea Trail at MM 379. A small group of us made a special hike to see the Yellow Lady Slippers (Cypripedium calceolus). They were gorgeous as usual, but I did not expect to see so many Spotted Mandarin flowers there along with Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) and Wild Sasparilla (Aralia nudicaulis). Spotted Mandarin is not uncommon, but is often overlooked because it is less showy than some other wildflowers. You have to look closely to find the flowers and then look for the purple spots. Wildflowers are peaking along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Keep your eyes open whenever you hike along our ridges and coves.
Spotted or Nodding Mandarin (Prosartes maculata)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 8-30 inches tall, 1-2 inches across.
General: Erect, perennial herb, upper stem forked.
Leaves: Alternative, sessile, thin, elliptic or oval, 1.5-4.0” long, acuminate tips, prominent parallel veins
Flowers: Cream to white, peppered with purplish spots; similar petals and sepals (3 each), 0.6-1.0” long; flowers, 1-3, hang like bells from the uppermost leaf axil. April-May.
Fruits: Hairy, 3-lobed, knobby, white berries, turning yellowish, about 0.5” long
Where Found: Rich woods over neutral or calcareous soils, from; Michigan to GA.
Notes: Also known as Nodding Mandarin, similar to Yellow Mandarin. Its favored habitats are steep wooded hillsides and rich ravines.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 413.
April 29, 2017
Pink Lady’s Slippers (Cypripedium acaule) are blooming in Black Mountain on private property. They are one of the fairly common and most beautiful of our native orchids. They depend on partnership with particular fungi and with particular pollinators. Orchids are the most specialized and abundant angiosperms (flowering plants) with 20,000 native species in the world, most of them in tropical climates. Two years ago we visited an Orchid Botanical Garden in Costa Rica and they hosted thousands of plants. The first picture is a fully-blooming plant; the second is a plant just about to open up to the world. Keep your eyes open during the next 2-3 weeks. Pink Lady Slippers could be greeting you just around the next turn in the trail.
Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)
Orchid Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6-18 in. tall.
General: Perennial herb with scapes (leafless flowering stalks).
Leaves: 2 alternate, entire leaves, basal, elliptic, 4-10 in. long, dark green, densely hairy, deeply pleated.
Flowers: Irregular, solitary, 3 sepals (lower 2 fused into 1) and 2 lateral petals, yellowish green to purplish brown; lower petal (lip) a showy pouch, pink, 1.5-2.5 in. with rose veins, lip opening a vertical front divisions with edges folded inward, April-May.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 1.0-1.75 in long.
Where Found: A variety of habitats but mainly in acidic, mixed coniferous and hardwood forests and woodlands recovering from fire or logging from northern AL to southern MN.
Notes: The genus name Cypripedium is derived from the Greek Kypris, “Venus,” and pedilon, “a door” or “little foot,” in reference to the shape of the flower. This species is also called American Valerian because, like European Valerian (Valerian officialis), it was used as a sedative to treat nervous conditions and depression.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 450.
April 22, 2017
Blooming orchids are a sure sign that spring is in full swing. Yesterday, we found Showy Orchis blooming near the Tennessee line in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park (Big Creek). It is a beautiful pink and white orchid and the earliest of the season to my knowledge. We should start seeing them locally and along the Blue Ridge Parkway trails in the next week or two. They will be followed by Pink and Yellow Lady Slippers, some of the most beautiful wildflowers. Orchids are the largest family of wildflowers (20,000 species) in the world. They are also the most specialized, having developed specific strategies for particular pollinators. The wild species in our mountains are almost impossible to transplant because of their dependence deep in the soil with particular fungi. Let me know if you find a patch of these beautiful wild orchids. Later in the summer we will look for the delicate flowers of Cranefly Orchid, Puttyroot, and Rattlesnake Plantain. Nature is amazing.
Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis)
Orchid Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 3-10 inches tall, 1 inch long.
General: Showy, smooth perennial herb from a short, fleshy root; flowering stalks thick, relatively short, sharply ridged.
Leaves: Basal, 2, nearly opposite, thick, glossy, dark green widely elliptic, 4-8” long.
Flowers: 2 lateral petals and 3 sepals pink to lavender, covering to form a hood; lip usually white; borne in a raceme, April-May.
Fruits: Ellipsoid capsules, 0.7-1.0” long
Where Found: Rich, hardwood forests, esp. near streams or at the base of slopes, SE Canada and most of eastern US.
Notes: Orchids are experts at tricking insects into their corrollas, which lack nectar. Instead, they have packets of pollen, called pollinia, that cannot be used as food by insects. Orchids attract their pollinators with elaborate deceptions, including distended hairs and papillae on the lips and complicated fragrance lures. In search of food, an insect is tricked into visiting flower after flower, depositing and receiving pollen as it goes.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 453.
April 15, 2017
Last night in my dreams, I was working on my Latin pronunciation of wildflowers as I repeated over and over—Thalictrum thalictroides. That is my latest memory exercise for an aging brain that needs to be stretched by learning new things. On Monday and again on Thursday, I felt privileged to find this flower with its showy white blossoms, reddish stamens, and unique leaves. Some experts say this wildflower is common, but it was new to me. Now I hope to find it in other places where I can be surprised. Every day in the mountains, there are surprises waiting for us if we look carefully and take the patience to understand what we are seeing. God’s natural beauty is on display for all of us during this Easter week, and we should be comforted in the midst of discouraging news about the world.
Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)
Buttercup Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Perennial Herb under 10” tall with tuberous roots
Leaves: Basal leaves divided into 9 toothed, rounded leaflets, upper leaves in a whorl, each divided into 3 leaflets with 3 shallow lobes each.
Flowers: Usually 0.5-1.0” across, petals absent, 5-10 showy, white to pinkish petal-like sepals, born on stalks originating from a single point. March-May
Fruits: Achenes, each tipped by a persistent stigma
Where Found: Woods, common
Notes: The tuberous roots of Rue Anemone are considered edible, although they may also contain toxic substances. Native Americans are reputed to have used this plant to treat diarrhea and vomiting.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 64
April 7, 2017
Last week I hiked near Saluda, NC and we came across a hillside filled with Trout Lilies. This is a true spring ephemeral because the leaves and flowers come in early spring before the canopy of leaves hides the sun. Then the plant disappears until next spring when it will leaf out and bloom again. So it is a treat to run across this flower on a hike. The leaves are dark green with purple-brown spots and the flower is a nodding yellow flower about one inch across. It is great to discover just one, but a real treat to find a whole hillside. It is often found with Trillium, Bloodroot, early May Apples, Jack-in-the- Pulpit, Spring Beauty, and Golden Ragwort. The pictures below were taken last Saturday.
Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
Lily Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6-9 inches tall, flower is 0.8-1.6 inches long.
General: Early Spring Flower.
Leaves: Opposite, 2 green mottled purple-brown, elliptical, 4-6 inches long, near the base of the stem.
Flowers: 6 regular parts, entire, yellow, often spotted inside, strongly recurved, conspicuous anthers, flowers solitary, nodding, March-May.
Fruits: Capsules, flat, rounded, or pointed at tip when mature.
Where Found: Rich woods in eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada, common.
Notes: Plants in the Erythronium genus are often called dogtooth violets because their hard, white, bulblike corms resemble canine teeth. They have been called “phosphorus sinks,” because their roots retrieve phosphorus from the soil and transfer it to the leaves, making it available to herbivores such as deer. Leaves and roots are edible and have medicinal value, but some humans may have an allergic reaction.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 414
March 30, 2017
Spring is here. Our Black Mountain Wildflower Walk went to Old Fort to hike the Catawba Falls trail. Wildflowers are further along in the Piedmont areas because of warmer temperatures and lower elevations. Among the showy wildflowers we saw was the Sharp-lobed Hepatica with its 1-inch white flowers. Sometimes we were fooled because there were no leaves showing. Many of the leaves are older, having lasted through the winter and they have a rusty color. New green leaves are emerging. Historically, people thought the leaves looked like the human liver; therefore it must be good for liver ailments. The Greeks also thought it could help with “cowardice, freckles, and indigestion” because they were caused by liver ailments. (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 60.)
Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Anemone acutiloba, Formerly Hepatica acutiloba)
Buttercup Family
Photo by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: 6 inches tall, 1 inch across.
General: Stemless Perennial Herb
Leaves: Basal only, on hairy stalks; leaves 1-3 in. wide, 3-lobed with pointed tips.
Flowes: 1 in. wide, petals absent, 5-12 petal-like sepals may be white, pink, lavender, purple or blue; numerous stamens and ovaries. February-April
Fruits: Single-seeded achenes.
Where Found: Rich upland woods commonly on basic soils.
Notes: The genus name Hepatica means “of the liver” and acutiloba means “sharp tips,” referring to the leaf shape. Also known as Liverwort and Liverleaf. Traditionally used for the treatment of liver ailments.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 60.
March 26, 2017
I have been in Southeast Arizona for almost three weeks and I have not been out watching for wildflowers. I know there was snow and cold weather here during my absence that may have affected the timing of spring wildflowers. One of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in our area is Yellowroot. I heard from some of my Botany friends about the wildflowers they found on Friday. This included Yellowroot, a shrub with very small flowers that should be blooming right now. Last year, we found Yellowroot along Elizabeth’s Trail in Montreat along with Trillium and Occonee Bell. I will check it out before Thursday and see if this is a good place for our first walk of the 2017.
Shrub Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima)
Buttercup Family
Photos by James Poling, Black Mountain, NC
Size: Up to 24 inches tall, tiny flowers.
General: Low shrub grows in colonies; roots and inside of the stems are yellow.
Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound with sharply toothed leaflets, the leaves clustered toward the top of the stem.
Flowers: Petals absent; tiny flowers have 5 maroon to yellowish green sepals, borne in several narrow, drooping racemes to 5” long, April-June
Fruits: Follicles with 1-2 seeds.
Where Found: Shaded stream banks in most of the SE US.
Notes: The genus name, Xamatjprjoza means “yellow root”; simplicissima indicates that the plant is unbranched. Traditionally, the roots of Shrub Yellowroot were used to make tea to treat a variety of ailments. It is now known that the plants contains berbine, which has many physiological effects on humans.
Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly and Duhl, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Appalachian Mountains. 2005, p 68
February 28, 2017
Old Fort is closer to Black Mountain than Asheville, and it is down the eastern escarpment at 1,500 feet. I went looking today on the Catawba Falls Trail and found first of the year early spring wildflowers: Anemone acutiloba (Sharp-lobed Hepatica), Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot), Viola sororia var. sororia (Confederate Violet), and Stellaria pubera (Star Chickweed). Keep your eyes open—Spring is here.
January 31, 2017
During the Winter, we can look for several wildflowers that send out winter leaves for photosynthesis and then the leaves disappear in the summer in preference for a blooming raceme of flowers. I am thinking of Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale) and Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor). In the winter absence of wildflowers, it is fun to find these orchid leaves along trails at Black Mountain Recreation Park, or maybe in your yard. I have a Puttyroot in my front yard that I enjoy. Here are some pictures to aid your finding these remarkable plants.
Derivation of the botanical names:
Aplectrum comes from the Greek and signifies the flowers are spurless. Hyemale comes from the Latin word hiemalis and means of winter, referring to the observation that the leaves appear only in winter.
Tipularia alludes to the form of the Cranefly orchid flower. Tipula is a large insect genus in the fly family Tipulidae, commonly known as crane flies or daddy longlegs. Discolor, of two or of different colors, refers to the two-colored leaf; green on top and purple on the bottom, as seen in the photograph on the right.
Western Carolina Botanical Club 