Wildflower Wednesday: Necklace gladecress (Leavenworthia torulosa)

Leavenworthias, generally known as gladecresses, are late winter rosette-forming annuals with the sweetest little flowers. Our Wildflower Wednesday star is Leavenworthia torulosa and could easily be mistaken for another of the Leavenworthia  found in middle Tennessee. What made identifying this species from the others was the necklace/chain of beads' pod holding the seeds.

 

the necklace seed pod for id

 Gladecresses are members of the Brassicaceae/Mustard family and have a few iconic features.

• Usually herbaceous plants    
• 4 petals form a cross     
• Fruit: a pod or a capsule that is either a long and slender pod (silique) or short and broad pod (silicle)
• Flowers usually have 6 stamens (male flower parts), 4 tall and 2 short 
• Flowers are usually yellow, white, orange and lavender
  

 There are eight species of Leavenworthia native to the southern and southeastern USA. Four are native to Middle Tennessee.

1. Leavenworthia alabamica  
   
2. Leavenworthia aurea
3. Leavenworthia crassa
4. Leavenworthia exigua (TN)   
   
5. Leavenworthia stylosa(TN)
6. Leavenworthia texana
7. Leavenworthia torulosa(TN)
8. Leavenworthia uniflora(TN)

 Ecologically they are plants that are restricted/endemic to Cedar Glades in middle Tennessee, limestone glades and other thin-soil areas where limestone bedrock is at or near the surface. 

 

The winter wet seeps are a perfect growing medium for our star and other Leavenworthia. They tolerate growing in standing water and disappear before the extremely hot and dry summer conditions that you inevitably have where soil is thin and limestone is close to the surface or exposed.

I discovered our Wildflower Wednesday star about a dozen years ago growing in a wet depression in a sunny field/lawn not too far from my house. Being wowed doesn't begin to describe how excited I was to discover them. It was late winter/early spring and the ground was incredibly soggy. At first there were one or two flowers but, as the days warmed up more flowers opened and they made a lovely ground cover.  

 I am thrilled that the small population hasn't disappeared. They're winter annuals and once the flowers are pollinated and seeds develop in that necklace like pod they get dispersed in late spring/early summer, then germinate in the fall, and individuals overwinter as little rosettes before flowering begins in the early spring (from Baskin and Baskin).

Fortunately, all that's completed before spring and summer mowing begins.

Although, Hillwood, my neighborhood in Nashville, is not in a cedar glade, it has many areas of shallow soil and exposed limestone; including my property. Which make it attractive for many plants that would also be found in a glade. Unfortunately, the seepy area in my habitat is in the shade and there are no Leavenworthia.

The particulars

Botanical name: Leavenworthia torulosa

Common name: Necklace gladecress

Family: Brassicaceae

Species description: Annual

Habitat: Cedar glades, pastures, seepy areas, thin soil over limestone beds, roadsides, old fields Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia (?) and Kentucky.

Bloom: Late winter, February through April

Size:  About 3-4 inches tall. 

Bloom Color: White, yellow, lavender 

Comments: It's considered common in Tennessee because of the abundance of habitat, but, habitat is disappearing fast with the growth in middle Tennessee.

Propagation: Seeds are pollinated and then dispersed during late spring and early summer, they germinate in the fall, and individuals overwinter as quiescent rosettes before flowering begins in the early spring (Baskin and Baskin) Go here for MOBOT's research on plant adaptability. I don't know of any seed sources.

Wildlife value: I've done a pretty deep dive and have seen a few mentions of small bees and honeybees visiting gladecresses, but, L torulosa is self-compatible/self fertilizes, so it doesn't rely on pollinators. Researchers say that this can mean smaller flowers. Pollinators or not, they are really cute little flowers.

click for source

If you live in Middle Tennessee I urge you to visit a Cedar Glade.

 I fell in love with them on my first visit. It has a beauty that can't be easily defined. It requires one to look closely at the ground to see small plants like Leavenworthia, Sedum, moss and lichens; while remembering to look ahead to see the huge expanses of exposed limestone and to the shrubs and trees at the edges of the glade. 

Historically they've been unappreciated and used as quarries, parking lots and dumps.

 

They're botanically unique ecosystems with rare and beautiful plants. One of my favorite times to visit is late winter when the seeps, wet swales, or ephemeral streams are flowing and Leavenworthia are blooming in the standing water. But, early summer is another great time to visit when you'll see the  Tennessee coneflower following the sun. I think you will be enchanted by the glade's stark beauty. I always feel awe when I'm there.

xoxogail

 

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. I am so glad you stopped by. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave your url when you comment. I love your comments, so thank you for leaving them.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Consider The Understory In Your Garden

Flowers are fantastic, but, please don't forget to include native shrubs and small trees when designing or improving your garden.

You can't beat them for wildlife value. Not only do they provide food, nesting and shelter for mammals and birds, they are also host plants for a variety of insects. Insects that are a primary food source for birds, bats, small mammals, amphibians and even other insects that you want in your garden. They are essential if you want to garden for wildlife.

Slipper Bark Elm Spring and Fall

 My own garden came with a canopy of Shagbark Hickory, Elms (American and Slippery Bark) and a variety of Oak trees all growing in a weedy lawn with absolutely no understory.

Hydrangea arborecens

Once I figured out that the conditions in my garden~soil, sun, moisture~most resembled the woodlands that are adjacent to cedar glades, one of the first thing I had to do was to plant an appropriate understory of native shrubs and wildflowers to create a healthy and diverse ecosystem.

Spicebush

 Finding those understory shrubs and small trees has been and still is an adventure. Not just any Middle Tennessee native will grow in the shallow, clay soil that is wet all winter and dry all summer...It is still trial and error, there have been many plant deaths! The ones that thrive are real troopers~Honorary members of the Rough and Tumble Wildflower Club. They meet my criteria to a T~They are native, they provide for pollinators and other critters and they are lovely to look at.  You can't ask for more in a plant.

Viburnum rufidulum aka Rusty Blackhaw

Supporting Players in the garden~Each has many wildlife visitors

Lindera benzoin
Hypricum frondosum
Hydrangea arborecens sps and cultivars 'Ryan Gainey' White 'Dome'
Viburnum rufidulum 
Hydrangea quercifolia
Itea virginica
Aronia arbutifolia
Euonymous americana

Hamamelis vernalis
Hamamelis virginica
Rhododendron periclymenoides (Pinxterbloom Azalea)
Juniperus virginica 'Grey Owl'

Cotinus 'Grace' and Cercis canadensis

Cotinus 'Grace'
Cercis canadensis
Cornus florida
Cornus drummondii   

Amelanchier laevis

Amelancer laevis
Ostrya virginica
Neviusia alabamensis
Dirca palustris
Croton alabamensis 
Rhus aromatica
 
      

My little ecosystem is a hybrid crossing of a cedar glade woodland,  with Central Basin natives and the unique characteristics of this place I call Clay and Limestone. There's no way C and L would ever be confused with a naturally occurring ecosystem, it's an artificial construct that I weed (occasionally),  prune, add and subtract plants, and delight and despair over. 

Hypericum frondosum

The critters seem pretty happy and that makes this gardener happy.
xoxogail


PS. Want to learn more about the wildlife value of trees, shrubs and forbs?  Check out Doug Tallamy's research on Lepidopteran Use of Native & Alien Ornamental Plants and do a web search using the phrase "wildlife value of native trees and shrubs".



Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: Hypercolored Hypericum Heaven

Each fall when I see Hypericum frondosum's brilliant color I wonder why more American gardeners haven't planted them. It's a wonderful Southeastern US native* shrub with four seasons of interest and good wildlife value.

Plants are pollen rich, but have no nectar!

I would plant it for the pollen rich golden flowers alone, but when you add blue-green foliage, red seed heads, exfoliating winter bark, excellent wildlife value and hypercolored fall foliage you really do have a winner.

I'm puzzled that it's not offered in better gardening centers, but, I'm always puzzled that the same old same old bread and butter shrubs are sold all over this part of the gardening world. Especially when you compare the merits of a Burning Bush to all that Cedarglade St. Johnswort has to offer.

You want fiery reds~You got it!

Or, burgundy and orange~It delivers.

 How about golden leaves with just a touch of rose that looks stunning next to a bright colored bench!

In Middle Tennessee it is endemic to woodlands adjacent to cedar glades

Isn't the color delicious and don't you wonder why Hypericum frondosum isn't promoted as an alternative to invasive Euonymous alata. I do. Especially when I see the look on garden visitors' faces when they see the fall color for the first time. They are blown away...

This plant propagates so easily from seed or stem cuttings that no one can convince me that it is not commercially viable.

Mid November 2012

I have dozens of Golden St John's wort shrubs in my garden now. All the offspring of one Hypericum frondosum 'Sunburst' cultivar that I bought fifteen years ago. Yes, I said dozens! It's a shrub that thinks it's a perennial and a few seedlings pop up near the mother plant each spring. I have moved them all over the garden and every one is covered in golden flowers that attract pollinators, just like its cultivar parent. They're planted in full sun, shade, dry soil and soil that's wet all winter.  It looks best and is happiest planted among shrubs that might be found in a woodlands adjacent to a cedar glade~Juniperus virginiana 'Gray Owl', Panicum virgatum, the native ex-asters, Chasmanthium latifolium, Phlox pilosa, Penstemon calycosus, Christmas Ferns and more.

If you don't know by now, let me tell you how very much I love this shrub!

I love its hyper-colored fall display,
the exfoliating bark,
the blue green summer foliage, and
the pollinator magnet golden sunburst flowers.

Golden foliage with red seed capsules

It's a year round beauty that makes Clay and Limestone the garden it is today....In other words, I can't imagine gardening without it! You should try it, too.

xxoogail

* Native from South Carolina and Tennessee south to southern Georgia and west to eastern Texas, Zones 5-8

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.




Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: Fill Your Garden With Native Plants

You'll never be sorry! Especially, if you're experiencing a challenging summer like we're having here in Middle Tennessee. 

Echinaceas never fails to attract pollinators

My garden is a Central Basin plant community with plants native to cedar glades and the adjacent oak-hickory-red cedar forests. Anyone who has gardened near here knows we have heavy, nearly neutral clay soils that sit atop a limestone bedrock.  It's shallow and sticky wet all winter and dry as concrete all summer.  It took me awhile, but, I eventually figured out, that in order to have a garden that was beautiful and thrived, I was going to have to plant natives. Tough natives!

Sure, they have to be tough, but we like them good-looking and useful, too.

Pycnanthemum muticum is not native to the Central Basin, but, it's a pollinator magnet 

Plants that come to live at C and L need to contribute to a habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. (Gardening For Wildlife)

natives greet visitors as they walk the path to the front porch.

Plants like Phlox paniculata and Panicum virgatum 'Northwind' fit the bill. Bonus points are awarded because they can take a half day of sun.

If you think you can't grow colorful natives in the shade, give species phlox a try. 

Summer phlox is my go to native plant for colorful blooms in the shade. Although, there are still a few modern cultivars in the garden, most has long reverted to the species. It might not bloom as floriferously as those full sun cultivars and hybrids, but, you won't be disappointed by its lovely flowers.  If you allow some to go to seed, you'll be rewarded with offspring that shows some very interesting variations.  Just check out the very charming offspring of P paniculata 'David' and P paniculata sps. (above photo). They are drought tolerant but, happier with weekly rain.

Although, I almost always choose the species when adding plants to my garden, I really flipped for 'Peachie's Pick' stokesia. Unfortunately, some hybrids and cultivars have lost their wildflower vigor and hardiness on the way to being made more beautiful, but, that's not the case with this stokesia. She's a tough beauty. The skippers, small butterflies and little bees love Peachie, too.  (I pinky swear I don't mind that she needs supplemental watering this summer and to be perfectly honest, every summer!)

The dry searing heat and no rain for two months has been especially hard on even the toughest natives growing in shallow soil in full sun!

 But, the Gaillardia is not bothered by the heat.

something loves to nibble on the petals Echinacea tennesseensis

Neither are the Tennessee coneflowers or their offspring.  They are summer troopers. They ask only for sunshine and sharp drainage. Established plantings can survive in a cedar glade with temperatures near 110F, so my garden is no challenge to them!

The heat and drought are a challenge to this gardener.  I worry about my garden and the effects a long term drought will have on it.  Even the toughest drought tolerant native plants need occasional rain!  No matter what, I'll continue to plant Central Basin natives because it makes sense. They have the best survival chances in the long run: they've adapted to a climate of extremes, tolerate our shallow clay soil and support wildlife.  

They make me happy, too.


xoxogail

Welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.



Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone." She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.