Spring Beauty, Virginia springbeauty, Hammond's claytonia, Yellow Virginia springbeauty
Claytonia virginica

Family: Portulacaceae

What it is like

Bloom Color: Pink, White. Main Bloom Time: Mid spring. Form: Upright or erect.

Claytonia virginica is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from March to April, and the seeds ripen in May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.2

Where it is found

Rich woods, thickets and clearings. Wetlands, seeps, moist woods, riparian hardwood forests, copses, bluffs, ravines and prairies from sea level to 1000 metres.

Eastern N. America - Quebec to Texas. A garden escape, locally naturalized in Britain.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Root - raw or cooked. Rich in starch, it has a pleasant nutty flavour. A radish-like flavour when raw, it tastes like a cross between a potato and a chestnut when cooked. The root is rich in vitamins A and C. The globose tuber is up to 20cm in diameter. Leaves and flowering stems - raw or cooked. Added to salads or used as greens. The leaves are often available in the winter.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 1

A cold infusion or decoction of the powdered roots has been given to children with convulsions. It has been said that eating the raw plants can permanently prevent conception.

Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.

Contraceptive: Prevents fertilization occurring in females.

Other

Rating:

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Landscape Uses:Rock garden, Woodland garden. Prefers a damp peaty soil and a position in full sun. Another report says that it requires some shade. Requires a lime-free soil. Special Features:North American native, Naturalizing, Wetlands plant. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 6 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons. Ephemeral emerging in spring and dying back by summer every year . The root pattern is a corm swelling at the stem base.

Propagating it: Seed - surface sow on a peat based compost in spring in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 4 weeks at 10°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Division of offsets in spring or autumn.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 5-7

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Semi-shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

C. grandiflora.