I adore Hepatica. They are one of the harbingers of Spring, in the month of April. They are lovely to watch as their flowers form at the base of the plant, and then slowly mature, and unfurl revealing their hairy inflorescences. The colours are lovely, but what I really enjoy are their anthers. They are so delicate, and ethereal.
Hepatica acutiloba and americana are native wildflowers.
Hepatica transsilvanica from Eastern Europe blooms in March, however I have two colour forms, the first is a lighter purple in my post dated April 7th, and the 2nd is this deep purple form, which blooms a bit later. As the flowers finish blooming, the leaves which resemble the shape of the liver appear, hence the genus name Hepatica.
 |
| Hepatica acutiloba |
 |
| Hepatica americana |
 |
| Hepatica transsilvanica dark blue form |
Lovely!
ReplyDelete