Hepatica americana roundleaf hepatica

Synonyms: Anemone americana, Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa
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Roundleaf hepatica is an early spring wildflower with lavender-purplish or white blooms that are borne on hairy stems. Leaves have three rounded lobes and are covered with hairs. The leaves stay on the plant throughout the winter turning dull reddish brown. Roundleaf hepatica may be confused with the sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba). Unlike sharp-lobed hepatica, roundleaf hepatica has rounded lobes of leaves and is usually found on drier sites in more acidic soil. The bracts also tend to be more rounded than those of the sharp-lobed hepatica, although this may not always be a reliable characteristic.

Small bees such as carpenter bees and honeybees collect the pollen. Flowers do not produce nectar and often self-pollinate to ensure successfull reproduction.

Habitat & Range

Grows in moist, shaded woodlands.

Present throughout the state.

Range: From Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Florida, Alabama and Missouri.

Wetland code: Not classified

Phenology

Flowers mid to late March through April; new leaves open once flowers bloom. Leaves overwinter and die early in the growing season.

Characteristics

Flowers single, at the end of pubescent leafless peduncle (stalk); 5 to 12 petal-like sepals; 3 large, green hairy bracts behind the flower.

Leaves on hairy stalks, with 3 rounded lobes of about the same size; start to open when flowers bloom; light green turning darker at the end of the season and persisting throughout the winter and withering away when the plant blooms again in the next season.

Stems leaf and flower stalks pubescent

Fruits villous, ovoid achenes 3 to 4 mm long

Height 4 to 6 inches

Special Characters

Leaves are tri-lobed, quite hairy, with rounded tips and persist throughout the winter

Plant Codes

S-rank: No Rank
G-rank: G5 (Secure)

Faunal Associations

Chipmunks and other small rodents eat the fruits of hepatica. Solitary bees and certain flies come for the pollen.

Comments

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