Spring Beauty Earliest Wildflower

Spring Beauty 

Spring Beauty Earliest Wildflower

One of the earliest wildflowers to appear on the woodland floor is the Spring Beauty, begins blooming in early April. Lavender or pink veins contrast with the snow white on the blossoms, creating a lovely carpet on the forest's floor.

Common Name:

Spring Beauty, fairy-spuds

Botanical Name:

Claytonia virginica

Family:

Portulacaceae – Purslane

Sun:

Shade

Soil:

Rich, moist

Hardiness Zone:

USDA Zone 4 – 9

Propagation:

Seed

Flower Time - Southern Indiana:

April

Plant Height:

Six to twelve inches

Flower Color:

White, often tinged with pink

Southern Indiana Wildflowers

The genus name honors John Clayton (1694–1773), Virginia botanist. The species name means "Of Virginia."

The Spring Beauty is one of the first wildflowers to brighten the southern Indiana hillsides in the spring. It begins to emerge in early March, its pair of line, slender leaves wending their way up through a thick carpet of leaves. Sometimes a layer of snow slows them a bit, but by early April the show begins.

The Spring Beauty is a perennial, and it emanates from a tuber like root which resembles a very small potato. It is edible, having a sweet flavor similar to the chestnut. The Indians and early colonists utilized them as a food plant.

The wildflower show continues for about three weeks or so, the flower finally giving way to a small,

oblong capsule fruit which contains the seeds. These scatter over the ground, ensuring future generations of the Spring Beauty’s graceful display.

The name Claytonia was given to the flower by Linnaeus in honor of John Clayton, who sent him a specimen in 1757. Clayton found the flower in Virginia, thus supplying the second part of the botanical name.