Description
Claytonia virginica
CT P
Soil: Rich, Fertile, Well-drained
Moisture: Average to Moist
Light: Part Sun (prefers dappled sun)
Plant Height: 0.5 to 0.75 foot
Plant Width: 0.5 to 0.75 foot
Pests: None
Landscape Value: Great for mass planting in rock gardens, woodland gardens, forest edges, and naturalized areas. Can be naturalized in lawns in the same manner as spring crocuses.
A delicate spring ephemeral with loose clusters of star-like, five-petaled, white to light pink flowers with pink veins. Flowers bloom in early spring, producing capsules of tiny seeds with nutrient-rich appendages that attract ants; ants carry the seeds to their nests, eat the appendages and discard the seeds, thereby aiding in dispersal. Dark green, grass-like leaves continue to grow after flowers fade and can reach up to 12 inches before disappearing in late spring when plants go into dormancy. Foliage and flowers arise from small, underground, bulb-like corms. Naturalizes easily by self-seeding and corm offsets, and can produce spectacular large patches. Corms are edible, with a chestnut-like flavor, but time-consuming to collect. Attracts butterflies, flies and large numbers of native bees, including bumblebees, carpenter bees, mason bees, cuckoo bees, Andrenid bees, and others. Browsed sparingly by deer. Tolerates a variety of soils and can survive in more degraded habitats compared to other spring-blooming woodland plants.
1 quart pot
