Hepatica nobilis

My favorite wild spring flower : Hepatica nobilis.

Photos taken 18.4.2015.

Hepatica is one of the first plants to flower in the spring. The first

flowers bring colour to the forest floor in April already, although most

plants bloom in May. Hepatica is hardy and not scared of night frost, and

even an extended winter doesn’t cause any irreparable damage. Sometimes

it is inspired to flower in the autumn too, and if the weather is favourable

even in the middle of winter: flowering individuals have even been

observed in January and February. Hepatica varies with regards to its

colour and leaf form. Red and white flowers are not so rare and

white-spotted leaves are quite common, but forms with layered petals and

twice-lobed leaves are rare.

Before there were garden and flower shops, hepatica was a

sought-after item in the market. Many of the plant’s current stands

were originally transplants as people brought them into their yards and

gardens as ornamentals. Hepatica is not able to vegetatively expand its

area and digging a bunch can decimate the species in the wild: it has

clearly dwindled in recent years in its favoured habitats.

In the wild the species only spreads through its seeds, which

are transported by ants. In its long lifetime it

can produce up to ten thousand seeds. (Nature Gate)

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