Spring-time beauties found in Missouri woods

Gardening can be such a reflection of life. We are all drawn to different aspects, but the beautiful color of flowers en masse causes all of us to stop and admire. This is probably why annuals are such a favorite every spring. Something about those vibrant, tropical colors draws us in after a winter of gray and white.

There comes a point, however, that we may not want vibrant, loud and visually noisy flowers. In my walks in the woods, I have observed that few things in nature bloom all at once in massive displays, at least not in Missouri. Woods seem to be made for quiet and contemplation. The woodland colors reflect that. In our woods, we have every shade of green and brown, patches of pink and hints of yellow. Some colors are intense, but small and easily missed by all but the bees and bugs. If I look carefully, however, what a wonder of small, glorious flowers blanket the Earth, almost missed in their pastel pale hues.

I am fortunate to live on a lot that backs to woods left largely undisturbed by the construction of this neighborhood 20-plus years ago. In my little woods, I have found the loveliest wildflowers, all common to Missouri, but no less magical for me. Dainty fernlike foliage on Dutchmen’s britches, many varieties of native ferns, mosses, trilliums, trout lilies and Mayflowers are nestled quietly under the canopy of trees in my woody haven.

Every March, sometimes as early as February, my favorite flowering heralds of spring never fail to delight me. Among the little beauties of native flowers, spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) stands out as one of loveliest and earliest to bloom. The seemingly small and delicate flower perches on a tiny stem. I say seemingly because these dainty ladies survive, even thrive, in the harsh season of cold nights, cutting wind and copious rain of early spring.

The flower has two sepals that fall off as its flower opens, five pale pink petals with dark pink veining and five pink stamens. In what I consider to be the bible of our native flowers, “Missouri Wildflowers” by Edgar Denison, spring beauties are listed as white with pink veining. Apparently, they vary from white to light pink and are found over most of North America.

Most spring flowers found in a woodland setting have broad leaves to catch the limited sunlight filtering through to the forest floor; not so of spring beauties. The leaves are slender and grasslike, lanceolate, tapering to a sessile base. They are dark green and smooth, but fleshy. The small leaves are easily turned toward the low angle of the late winter sun.

I so loved finding these little flowers peeking over the carpet of fallen leaves that I took my trowel and dug up a few. (Don’t tell the native flower police; it was on my property after all.) The root is a rounded corm.

What I have found in my treks to the woods is that the healthiest stands of spring beauties have buried their corms under pebbles and rocks and various bits of Missouri limestone. It takes patience and quite a bit of time to follow the delicate stem to the edge of a rock and then dig up the rock(s) to get the corm without breaking the stem.

I now only “rescue” spring beauties from my pathways and tuck them in around the house where I can enjoy them effortlessly, but leave the rest alone to pop up and multiply in my woods.

They colonize well, carpeting large areas of woodland and yards, but dying back to disappear into the earth as summer flowers have their season of display. The flowers produce pods that explode and fire seeds as far as 2 feet. I have yet to see this amazing natural wonder. They apparently are rather private about their exploding pods.

An interesting tidbit about spring beauty is that it is also called a “pink potato.” It is a member of the Portulaca, or Purslane family. The Purslanes are a weedy little family, (must be, otherwise why they are hidden out in the woods?) known to have been used as food and medicine for thousands of years.

Spring beauties are edible and considered delicious. My theory is that by the time one has gathered enough corms to make a decent serving, hunger accentuates the flavor. (Corms are about the size of a small marble.) One of its folk names explains the size and flavor, “fairy-spuds.” One author tells that American Indian children dug them up and considered them “candy.” If children still had to go digging for candy and attached to it were various trace minerals tied up in the dirt, we wouldn’t be hearing so much about childhood obesity.

Apparently, in addition to popping them raw, these can be prepared mashed, fried, baked and boiled. Likened to potatoes and chestnuts, some say they are sweeter.

Given our supersize-me appetites, eating spring beauty corms could drastically reduce the native population and it sounds like a lot of work for a fairy-sized meal. I am not advocating it, but if things get desperate, you’ll know they are there.

It takes a bit of time to grow spring beauties from seed, but reputable nurseries do so. I am pleased to say that I found spring beauties on the Grow Native! Web site along with a list of nurseries all over Missouri that sell Grow Native plants. Check out its Web site and order some for your shady, woodland areas. Then, next year, let me know if their lovely pink faces didn’t give you a burst of joy.