Hydrophyllum virginianum

Description

Another North American woodland plant that is rarely cultivated. The conspicuously silver-marked, pinnate leaves appear early in the spring and are followed by curled flower buds with ciliate calyces which resemble an exquisite lace work; opening to reveal white or purple bell-shaped flowers with exerted stamens.
It is recognized by pollination ecologists as s very valuable species because they attract large numbers of native bees; the flowers are often foraged by the bumblebees long after their prime.

Useful as a ground cover in difficult shady areas and for naturalization projects. It is considered a bit weedy but still not capable to compete with non-native invasive species. To control its potential undesired spread, one option is to mow it over after flowering.

Has had usage as a medicinal plant; also the young leaves/shoots are edible.

Germination update: deep simple epicotyl dormancy – meaning that the root will emerge in late fall after a warm stratification (2- 3 months) and the shoots growth will begin in the following spring (after cold stratification). If the sowing is done too late in the fall/winter, the warm period will complete next summer and shoot growth will happen only in the second spring after sowing.