Wildflower Wednesday: Fleischmannia incarnata

 
I found our Wildflower Wednesday star in the Susan's bed a few years ago. It looked like  Conoclinium coelestinum/Blue Mistflower, but, the flowers were less numerous and pink. There were a few other differences, too. Blue Mistflower is a sturdy plant with upright reddish stems, while this little beauty could be best described as airy and loose limbed.

I rather liked what I saw.

I'm never surprised to discover a new native plant in this neighborhood or even in my garden. Plants frequently appear, either having gone unnoticed or because conditions were favorable for growth of seeds in the soil seed bank. This was a woodland not so very long ago and there must be many wildflower seeds laying dormant in the soil.

Wildflowers and other Central Basin natives grew with happy abandon in the forested woodland where this garden now stands. Sixty three years ago a neighborhood was carved from the woodland and a house was built. Homeowners came and went, while the wildflowers grew quietly on the woodland  edge. Thirty three years ago, my husband I bought this garden and that brand new gardener fell head over heals in love with the Goldenrods and blue clouds of ex-asters that were covered with bees and butterflies. The woodland remnants in my backyard and side yards were where I discovered the beautiful wildflowers that have become my gardening soulmates: False Soloman's Seal, Spring Beauties, Rue Anemone, Trout-lily, False Garlic, Blue-eyed Grass, Wild Sweet William, Sweet Betsy, Goldenrods, Blue Mistflower, Frostweed and those many white and blue ex-asters.

Long time readers might remember that I built this garden around those native beauties, so, finding  Fleischmannia incarnata to add to the mix was delightful.

photo by Richard and Teresa Ware   
         

Fleischmannia incarnata is a North American species of flowering plant in the Asteracea family. It is native to the United States from Florida north as far as Virginia, Ohio, and Illinois, and west to Texas and Oklahoma.  It's found happily growing in moist woodlands, thickets, marshes, and along streambanks. In optimal growing conditions, it can reach 6 feet tall, but, in my garden it's a low branching sprawler.  It produces numerous flower heads in a flat-topped array at the ends of the stems, each head has about 20 pink or whitish-pink disk flowers per head. There are no ray flowers.

The leaves are opposite, widely spaced at nodes, and triangular shaped; they remind me of Nepeta. They're softer to the touch than leaves of Blue Mistflower, which is another way to tell them apart.

It has an airy, loose limbed attractiveness and is a good partner for Eupatorium serotinum, both are found in moist shade. It's not unusual to find it sprawling against neighboring plants in a lax fashion. Training it on a trellis might help show off it's pretty flower faces to the world.

Foraging bees are frequent visitors. Skippers hover around it, doing their lovely mating dances. It doesn't appear to be a host plant for butterflies, but, if anyone reading this knows otherwise, please let me know.

Florets (Source)

Dried plants are said to have an odor similar to vanilla. I must admit, I've not noticed, but, will make a point this fall when I collect seeds. I will definitely propagate it, because, one needs more sprawling beauties luxuriating in a garden.

Source

The particulars

Botanical name: Fleischmannia incarnata
Common Name: pink slender thoroughwort, pink thoroughwort, pink boneset
Herbaceous perennial
Native Range: In the USA: AL, AR, AZ, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
Tennessee Range:

Size: 12 in. - 6 ft. | 30 cm - 1.8 m, low branching growth habit, sprawling.
Bloom Time: Aug–Dec. depending upon where you garden
Bloom Description:Inflorescence - Flat-topped panicles of heads at branch tips and flower heads with disc florets and no ray florets.
Best Plant Description: In appearance it is reminiscent of a tall, gangly ageratum with pale pinkish florets and catnip-like leaves.
Sun Light: Shade, Partial to Full Shade
Water: Prefers moist soil
National Wetland Indicator Status: FACU+ FAC
Maintenance: Low, as long as it is not allowed to dry out.
Propagation Methods: From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall or direct sow after last frost.
Seed Collecting: Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds.
Comments:Woodlands, thickets, moist soil, roads, ditches, stream banks, bottomlands, swamps, depressions, cedar glades and if your lucky in your garden.
Wildlife value: This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds (seeds). Doesn't appear to be a butterfly host plant, but, it is an excellent nectar source.
Flowers are fragrant
Commercially available: One Beaufort, SC nursery had it for sale.


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  and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. 

Please leave your link in the comment section if Mr Linky does not work.




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~Phacelia bipinnatifida

Sometimes you meet a wildflower and know instantly that it's a keeper. That's how I felt about Purple Phacelia when I made its acquaintance many years ago. I was standing at the top of a hill and there they were, completely covering the slope with a blanket of purple flowers and buzzing bees. It was dazzling.

I couldn't duplicate the moist sunny hillside, but, I moved my gift plant to a little wildflower garden I had started a few years before. Lucky for me the container had blooming plants along with a few seedlings. A perfect start for a biennial like Phacelia.

Purple Phacelia, Scorpionweed, Fernleaf Phacelia and Forest Phacelia are all names for Phacelia bipinnatifida.

When it comes to biennials, some years are better then others. When you are trying to get a biennial established it's important to remember: One year from seed, second year to flower, then it dies. To have flowers every year you have to get a colony started. I really was lucky to be given several plants in bloom and many first year seedlings. Those first flowers were fertilized, set seed and then died. A year later their seeds germinated and grew; meanwhile, the original first year seedlings bloomed; their flowers were fertilized, set seed, then died. Starting an absolutely brilliant cycle that I make sure doesn't get interrupted.

tightly coiled inflorescence in bud

This was a lean year. Not many blooms, but, there are first year plants ready and I am pretty sure the flowers were fertilized so the cycle will continue. To insure my little colony will make it through the deluge/drought pattern Middle Tennessee has settled into, I'll hand water them during the severely dry times. There's also a few first year seedlings growing in the path (seedlings love paths) that will go back into the bed. I sure hope the bees did their job and fertilized those flowers!

Aside from their adorable cuteness or their interesting musky odor when you brush the leaves and flowers; I grow phacelia for it's wildlife value! Bees love Phacelia! They want the nectar and pollen. Occasionally skippers and small butterflies will visit. But, really, Phacelia is all about the bees! I've read that the honey from honey bees visiting Phacelia colonies is quite tasty~I would love to try it. Now, does anyone know where can we find it?

Phacelia bipinnatifida is a gem of a plant. I hope you can locate it for your garden.

Where in the US Purple Phacelia is native

If you can't grow P bipinnatifida, don't worry. There's a Phacelia species in every state, except for Florida, Vermont and New Hampshire. They love Canada, too. For a complete A (Phacelia adenophora) to W (Phacelia welshii) listing go here. Sorry, there's no Phacelia X, Y or Z! Check with native plant nurseries in your state or online to buy plants. Remember, only collect plants if you have permission to and never, never, ever in the local, state or US Parks.

xxoogail

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 add your url to Mr Linky, he's on the sidebar today, as we continue to celebrate wildflowers today and all week. Please leave a comment.

This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.