Mertensia virginica

Closeup of Virginia Bluebell Flowers

The Virginia Bluebell, Mertensia virginica, has many different common names, including "Virginia Cowslip", "Lungwort Oysterleaf", and "Roanoke Bells". It is a species of plant belonging to the family Boraginaceae. This bluebell ranges in height from 12~24 inches. The most distinguishing feature of the plant is the noticeable bell-shaped flower, which is usually blue or violet in color.

Name

The Latin name, Mertensia, was given to this plant by Carolus Linnaeus in honor of the German botanist Franz Mertens. The specific epithet refers to the colony of Virginia.

Location

This vascular plant originates in eastern North America and is native to the following states and provinces: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The "Virginia Bluebell" can be found profusely in the mid-West of the United States. Areas within the British Isles record gardens with an abundance of these colorful plants, as well, which shows that these plants can be easily grown with the right conditions.

Description

These herbaceous plants grow best in moist, rich, and loamy soils. They can be found in upland forests, floodplain forests, wetlands and bluffs. These plants prefer slight to full shade. The single stem begins curled in shape and extends as it grows into an elegant arch to hold to blossom cluster. The leaves are alternately located around a thin, smooth stem attached by petioles near the base, but as you move upward towards the flower cluster, the leaves are simply attached straight to the stem. The leaves are oval-shaped with pinnately-simple vienation. The blossom cluster is located above the simple leaves. Flowering occurs in spring from March to May.

Each blossom consists of five fused petals forming their tubular shape. Their buds begin with a pinkish shade that transforms into a blue-violet color as they age. Sometimes white blossoms can be found, but this is a rare occurrence. The flowers are approximately one inch deep with five stamens surrounding one central pistil; however, the reproductive organs are spaced too far from one another for self-fertilization. The flowers can be pollinated by bumblebees, but due to their funnel shape, bumblebees must hover, making the bumblebee a rare pollinator. Butterflies are the most common pollinators, because they can easily perch on the edges and still enjoy the nectar. Each plant produces four wrinkled nuts containing seeds. The flowers die rather quickly, and the plants are usually dormant by early June.

Growing tips

• Mertensia Virginica should be spaced nine to twelve inches apart in acidic to mildly alkaline soils.
• Virginia Bluebells are hardy to a minimum winter temperature -24° Fahrenheit.
• It is important that the seeds are obtained from nursery propagated plants, not directly from the wild.
• Bareroot plants can be planted at any time during dormancy, and are usually available from nurseries in the fall and spring. Since the plants make growth early in the spring, they should be planted as early as possible. Potted plants can be purchased from the nursery and planted at any time, although, of course, in the summer and fall the pots will contain only the dormant root and no growth will be visible above the soil. Virginia bluebells can also be grown in an unheated greenhouse. Seeds can be stratified for sowing indoors and then planted outdoors as young plants. Virginia bluebells are not suitable for growing indoors.
• Because these are ephemeral plants, meaning that they grow and flower quickly and go dormant for the rest of the growing season, it is also suggested that one should plant these flowers close to flowers that bloom later in the year. This way, your garden will have color in that area for more of the summer season.

External links

• Illinois Plant Information Network
• NRCS: USDA Plants Profile and map: M. virginica
• Photo Credit: National Park Service[1]