Spring beauties I: Claytonia and Lindera

Besides Hepatica, quite a few other spring beauties are in flower right now.

Claytonia virginica

The one which literally bears this common name: Claytonia virginica, is a short lived ephemeral. After enchanting us with its cheerful flowers it will retreat in the ground for the rest of the season.
It certainly needs a long beauty sleep!
Others though, will remain and provide beauty, shade, shelter and food for the wildlife until late fall.

Among the first native shrubs to flower in our woodlands is Lindera benzoin, the Northern spicebush.

If hiking in the woods at this time (in the wetter sides) and notice a yellow tinge among the otherwise bare trees branches, then it is Lindera (reason why another common name is forsythia of the wilds). It usually grows as an understory small tree/large shrub on bottomland woodlands and river edges.

Lindera benzoin it is one of the first native shrubs/small tree to flower in the spring; it can be grown in a partly shaded location as a large specimen (by planting few plants together) or in small groups for larger woodland gardens

The yellow flowers which appear in small ‘bunches’ (female/males plants) are a sign of the long awaited spring and very useful to the early pollinators!

Lindera puts its best show in early fall when the foliage turns yellow; wonderful background for the shiny red, abundant fruits (female and male plants need to grow together). They provide food for countless birds but are always in great abundance and some will be left to be admired.

The fleshy part of the fruits was/it is chopped and utilized as an allspice (hence the name). The foliage is also aromatic and the leaves and twigs were used to prepare a tea. Not least important, the Spicebush is a favourite larval host for the beautiful Spicebush swallowtail and Promethea silkmoth!

About fruits, seeds and germination:

The seeds are hydrophilic and need to be sown right after collecting or kept moist. After a period of cold/moist stratification they will germinate promptly in the spring (see the post: A late arrival – Lindera benzoin seedlings).

Lindera benzoin fruits & seeds