Description: This native perennial plant is about
3-6" tall, consisting of a flowering stem with a pair of opposite cauline
leaves and some basal leaves. The stem is light green or slightly reddish
green, glabrous, and rather succulent. The basal leaves and the pair of cauline
leaves are linear or linear-lanceolate,
recurved, glabrous, smooth along the margins, and
rather fleshy. There is a single central vein along the length of each leaf.
The leaves are about 3-6" long; their width varies considerably depending on
the local ecotype, but it is usually about ¼" across. The stem
terminates in a floppy raceme of flowers. Each flower is up to ½" across
when fully open, consisting of 5 petals, 2 green sepals, 5 stamens with pink
anthers, and a pistil with a tripartite style. The petals are white with fine
pink stripes; these stripes vary from pale pink to bright pink. The flowers
open up on warm sunny days, and close during cloudy weather or at night. They
are more or less erect while open, but nod downward while closed. The blooming
period occurs from mid- to late spring and lasts about a month. There is a
pleasant floral scent. Each fertilized flower produces an ovoid capsule
containing several seeds; this capsule is enclosed by the 2 persistant sepals.
The root system consists of a small round corm and secondary roots. This plant
spreads by reseeding itself, and can become abundant in some
areas.
Cultivation: The preference
is dappled sunlight during the spring, moist to slightly dry conditions, and a
rich loamy soil with abundant organic matter. This plant will adapt to
semi-shaded areas of lawns if mowing is delayed during the spring. The easy way
to start plants is by obtaining their corms, although these are difficult to
find or expensive to buy from nurseries.
Range
& Habitat: Spring Beauty is a common plant that occurs in every
county of Illinois (see
Distribution
Map). Habitats include moist to dry deciduous woodlands, savannas, thinly
wooded bluffs, city parks, old cemeteries, and lawns (particularly near trees).
Less often, this species is found in mesic prairies, but it is primarily a
woodland plant. Spring Beauty can survive more environmental degradation than
most spring-blooming woodland species, including occasional grazing by cattle
and partial clearing of trees. This is one reason why it is still
common.
Faunal Association: Aside
from insect pollination, little is known about floral-faunal relationships.
Various kinds of bees visit the flowers, include honey bees, bumblebees, Little
Carpenter bees, Mason bees, Nomadine Cuckoo bees, Miner bees, Halictid bees
(including Green Metallic bees), and Andrenid bees. Many flies also visit the
flowers, including Syrphid flies, the Giant Bee fly (Bombylius major), Carrion
flies, Muscid flies, and Anthomyiid flies. Less often, various butterflies and
skippers visit the flowers. These insects usually seek nectar; some of the bees
also collect pollen. It is possible that the corms, which are edible, are eaten
occasionally by voles and other small rodents. They can be eaten by humans as
well, but their small size makes this rather impractical.
Photographic
Location: Busey Woods and an old cemetery in Urbana,
Illinois.
Comments: This attractive
wildflower is a sure sign that spring has arrived and that the local woodlands
are full of wildflowers. When Spring Beauty and these other wildflowers are
conspicuously absent from a woodlands, this indicates that it has been
subjected to severe degradation from plows or bulldozers at some point in the
past. Spring Beauty is a unique member of the Purslane family that is easy to
distinguish from other wildflowers. Look for pink-stripes, whether pale or
bright, on the petals of the flowers, and only 2 sepals underneath. In
southeastern United States, there is Claytonia carolina (Carolina
Beauty), which has a similar appearance to Spring Beauty, but it doesn't occur
in Illinois. The leaves of this species are usually broader than those of
Spring Beauty.