Forest Fridays: Not-so-common wildflowers in Tioga State Forest
- by Guest Contributor
- April 26, 2024
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By Chris Firestone
My favorite common spring ephemeral wildflowers—hepaticas, can easily be identified by the unusual, leathery lobed leaves and the variably colored flowers. With closer inspection, photographs, and a bit of botanical knowledge, it is possible to document some remarkable diversity of this common species.
In Pennsylvania we have two species of hepatica (both native species in the buttercup family), Hepatica acutiloba (sharp-lobed) and Hepatica americana (round-lobed). A quick way to identify the two species is a look at the leaves and just like the common name implies, the leaf is either rounded or pointed at the tri-lobed tips.
Image: Normal flowers of Hepatica acutiloba with stamens and pistils.
Flower color can vary from white, pink, blue and purple. As a botanist, you would likely glance at the flower and leaves, identify the plant, and continue your woodland walk to the next interesting ephemeral.
However, closer inspection and comparison of individual sharp-lobed hepatica plants reveals much variation in flower color, structure, and number of petals. Leaf shape, form, and color are also extremely variable, some depending on time of year and amount of sunlight that reaches the forest floor.
Image: Leaf shape and form variation of sharp-lobed hepatica.
Recently, a population of sharp-lobed hepatica with double flowers growing along a road in Tioga State Forest caught the attention of botanists. Currently the only documented population known in Pennsylvania, this one is monitored and protected from roadside mowing. Due to the large number of individual plants (31) with double flowers, this population has been given the name “Tioga Swarm”. Compared to the other 11 populations of one plant each, found in North America, this is huge.
Image: A sample of the double flower variations from “Tioga Swarm.”
Double flowers are not the only variation in sharp-lobed hepatica. The common, single flowered forms can vary by shape, number of sepals, shape of stamens and pistils, and degenerate stamen type or maiden form (no male parts).
Image: “Maiden form” flowers contain pistils (female parts) only.
Flowers of a Japanese species of hepatica, Hepatica japonica, are so variable the Japanese have classified the double flowers and given them names such as “karako-zaki” or “sene-zaki.”
As you are out and about in Penns Woods checking out the spring wildflowers, make sure you take an extra minute to pay attention to the common species; they can offer so much more!
Image: Flowers abnormally incurved.
Image: A sample of Hepatica acutiloba flower variation in Tioga State Forest.
Special thanks to Mark Simonis for his time photographing, protecting, and researching this not so common, common species. All photos by Mark Simonis.
About the Author: Chris Firestone
Chris Firestone is a botanist with 28 years in the Bureau of Forestry, working to conserve native wild plants in Pennsylvania through policy, education, and management of habitat and invasive species. She lives in Potter County and enjoys gardening, foraging, hiking and camping.
