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'''''Mertensia virginica''''' ([[common name]]s '''Virginia bluebells''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=MEVI3|taxon=Mertensia virginica|accessdate=28 January 2016}}</ref> '''Virginia cowslip''', '''lungwort oysterleaf''', '''Roanoke bells''') is a spring [[ephemeral plant]] with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.
'''''Mertensia virginica''''' ([[common name]]s '''Virginia bluebells''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=MEVI3|taxon=Mertensia virginica|accessdate=28 January 2016}}</ref> '''Virginia cowslip''',<ref name="MO">{{cite book |last1=Denison |first1=Edgar |title=Missouri Wildflowers |date=2017 |publisher=Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri |isbn=978-1-887247-59-7 |pages=80}}</ref> '''lungwort oysterleaf''', '''Roanoke bells''') is a spring [[ephemeral plant]] in the [[Boraginaceae]] (borage) family with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.


==Description==
==Description==
Virginia bluebells have rounded and gray-green leaves, borne on stems up to {{convert|60|cm|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} tall. They are [[petiole (botany)|petiolate]] at the bottom of the flower stem and [[sessility (botany)|sessile]] at the top.
Virginia bluebells have rounded (ovate) and gray-green leaves, borne on stems up to {{convert|60|cm|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} tall. The leaves are up to {{convert |13|cm|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} long, smooth (entire) along their margins, [[petiole (botany)|petiolate]] at the bottom of the flower stem, and [[sessility (botany)|sessile]] at the top.<ref name="IL">{{cite web |title=Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) |url=https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/bluebells.htm |website=www.illinoiswildflowers.info}}</ref>


The [[inflorescence]] is a nodding group, or [[cyme (botany)|cyme]] of flowers located at the end of the arched stems.<ref name="IL"/> The flower buds are pink, and the opened flowers are usually light blue, but occasionally pink and rarely white.<ref name="MO"/> The flowers have 5 shallow lobes fused into a tube at the base of the flower, five [[stamen]]s, and a central pistil ([[gynoecium#Carpels|carpel]]).<ref name="IL"/>
Flowerbuds are pink. [[Flower]]s have five [[petal]]s fused into a tube, five [[stamen]]s, and a central pistil ([[gynoecium#Carpel morphology|carpel]]). They are borne in mid-spring in nodding spiral-shaped [[inflorescence#Determinate|cyme]]s at the end of arched stems. Flowers are usually blue, but white or pink flowers occur rarely.


==Distribution and habitat==
The stamens and [[Stigma (botany)|stigma]] are spaced too far apart for [[Plant reproductive morphology|self-fertilization]]. The flower can be [[pollination|pollinated]] by [[bumblebee]]s but, due to its funnel shape bumblebees must hover, making the bumblebee a rare [[pollinator]]{{Citation needed|reason=See photo below of bumblebee holding on to a bluebell upside down.|date=April 2019}}. [[Butterfly|Butterflies]] are the most common pollinators because they can easily perch on the edges and still enjoy the [[nectar]].
''M. virginica'' is native in the United States from Kansas in the west, to Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia in the south, and to Maine in the northeast. It is native in Canada in Ontario and Quebec.<ref>{{cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.138078/Mertensia_virginica |website=explorer.natureserve.org}}</ref> The plant can be found in rich, moist woods and on low, wooded hillsides. They often form large groups.<ref name="MO"/>


==Ecology==
In early summer, each fertilized flower produces four seeds within wrinkled [[nut (fruit)|nut]]s, and the plant goes [[dormancy#Plants|dormant]] till the next spring.
The plant develops very early in the spring and flowers mid-spring. In early summer, each fertilized flower produces four seeds within wrinkled [[nut (fruit)|nut]]s. The plant then goes [[dormancy#Plants|dormant]] till the next spring.<ref name="IL"/>


The flowers attract long-tongued bees, such as bumblebees, butterflies, moths, skippers, hummingbird moths, flower flies, bee flies, and hummingbirds.<ref>{{cite web |title=Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica |url=https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/virginia-bluebells-mertensia-virginica/ |website=Wisconsin Horticulture}}</ref>
Plants are hardy to [[hardiness zone]] 3: {{convert|-40|C|F|abbr=on}}.

⚫
In cultivation, ''M. virginica'' has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Mertensia virginica''|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/46789/Mertensia-virginica/Details | access-date = 3 January 2021}}</ref>

<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017
⚫
| page = 64 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | accessdate = 4 April 2018}}</ref>


== Uses ==
== Uses ==
Virginia bluebells had several uses in traditional Native American medicine, including as a pulmonary aid, tuberculosis treatment, and treatment for whooping cough (Cherokee,) root infusion antidote for treating poison, and root decoction venereal to treat venereal issues (Iroquois.) <ref>{{Cite web |title=BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database |url=http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/2467/ |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=naeb.brit.org}}</ref>. Native Americans believed a tonic made from this plant could help heal those who were under-the-weather. According to St. Olaf College in Minnesota, uses of Virginia bluebells have been studied but offer no scientific proof that this plant can be used for medicinal purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicole |first=Stoner |date=April 10, 2022 |title=Virginia Bluebells |url=https://communityenvironment.unl.edu/virginia-bluebells |url-status=live |access-date=April 10, 2022 |website=UNIVERSITY of NEBRASKA–LINCOLN}}</ref>
Virginia bluebells had several uses in traditional Native American medicine, including as a pulmonary aid, tuberculosis treatment, and treatment for whooping cough (Cherokee,) root infusion antidote for treating poison, and root decoction venereal to treat venereal issues (Iroquois.).<ref>{{Cite web |title=BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database |url=http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/2467/ |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=naeb.brit.org}}</ref> Native Americans believed a tonic made from this plant could help heal those who were under-the-weather.


⚫
''Mertensia virginica'' is edible, including the flowers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-17 |title=Virginia Bluebells |url=https://foragerchef.com/virginia-bluebells/ |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=Forager Chef |language=en-US}}</ref>


⚫
In cultivation, ''M. virginica'' has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017

⚫
| page = 64 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | accessdate = 4 April 2018}}</ref>
⚫
Mertensia virginica is edible, including the flowers. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-17 |title=Virginia Bluebells |url=https://foragerchef.com/virginia-bluebells/ |access-date=2022-03-10 |website=Forager Chef |language=en-US}}</ref>


<gallery caption="Photos">
<gallery caption="Photos">
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==External links==
==External links==
{{Commonscat|Mertensia virginica}}
{{Commons category|Mertensia virginica}}
*[http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=mevi3 Wildflower.org: Native Plant Identification Network]
*[http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=mevi3 Wildflower.org: Native Plant Identification Network]
*[http://www.missouriplants.com/Bluealt/Mertensia_virginica_page.html Missouri Plants: ''Mertensia virginica'']
*[http://www.missouriplants.com/Bluealt/Mertensia_virginica_page.html Missouri Plants: ''Mertensia virginica'']
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*[http://www.botanicus.org/page/358154 ''Pulmonaria''] {{Color|green|In}} [http://www.botanicus.org/title/b12069590 ''Species Plantarum'' vol. 1] {{Color|green|At}} [[Botanicus]]
*[http://www.botanicus.org/page/358154 ''Pulmonaria''] {{Color|green|In}} [http://www.botanicus.org/title/b12069590 ''Species Plantarum'' vol. 1] {{Color|green|At}} [[Botanicus]]
*[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/34585#page/791/mode/1up Nomenclature of the Virginia bluebell] {{Color|green|At}} [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/34585#page/1/mode/1up Volume 21, View Book] {{Color|green|At}} [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/8113#/summary SIDA, contributions to botany] {{Color|green|At}} [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ BHL]
*[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/34585#page/791/mode/1up Nomenclature of the Virginia bluebell] {{Color|green|At}} [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/34585#page/1/mode/1up Volume 21, View Book] {{Color|green|At}} [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/8113#/summary SIDA, contributions to botany] {{Color|green|At}} [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ BHL]
* {{CalPhotos|Mertensia|virginica}}


{{Taxonbar|from=Q12901028}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q12901028}}

Latest revision as of 05:36, 22 May 2024

Virginia bluebells
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Mertensia
Species:
M. virginica
Binomial name
Mertensia virginica
(L.) Pers. ex Link, 1829

Mertensia virginica (common names Virginia bluebells,[1] Virginia cowslip,[2] lungwort oysterleaf, Roanoke bells) is a spring ephemeral plant in the Boraginaceae (borage) family with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.

Description

[edit]

Virginia bluebells have rounded (ovate) and gray-green leaves, borne on stems up to 24 in (60 cm) tall. The leaves are up to 5 in (13 cm) long, smooth (entire) along their margins, petiolate at the bottom of the flower stem, and sessile at the top.[3]

The inflorescence is a nodding group, or cyme of flowers located at the end of the arched stems.[3] The flower buds are pink, and the opened flowers are usually light blue, but occasionally pink and rarely white.[2] The flowers have 5 shallow lobes fused into a tube at the base of the flower, five stamens, and a central pistil (carpel).[3]

Distribution and habitat

[edit]

M. virginica is native in the United States from Kansas in the west, to Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia in the south, and to Maine in the northeast. It is native in Canada in Ontario and Quebec.[4] The plant can be found in rich, moist woods and on low, wooded hillsides. They often form large groups.[2]

Ecology

[edit]

The plant develops very early in the spring and flowers mid-spring. In early summer, each fertilized flower produces four seeds within wrinkled nuts. The plant then goes dormant till the next spring.[3]

The flowers attract long-tongued bees, such as bumblebees, butterflies, moths, skippers, hummingbird moths, flower flies, bee flies, and hummingbirds.[5]

Uses

[edit]

Virginia bluebells had several uses in traditional Native American medicine, including as a pulmonary aid, tuberculosis treatment, and treatment for whooping cough (Cherokee,) root infusion antidote for treating poison, and root decoction venereal to treat venereal issues (Iroquois.).[6] Native Americans believed a tonic made from this plant could help heal those who were under-the-weather.

Mertensia virginica is edible, including the flowers.[7]

In cultivation, M. virginica has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8]

  • Photos
  • Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) in Ohio
    Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) in Ohio
  • Leaves before blooming
    Leaves before blooming
  • Flower buds
    Flower buds
  • Typical blue-flowered form at the botanical gardens in Berlin, Germany
    Typical blue-flowered form at the botanical gardens in Berlin, Germany
  • A pink-flowered form
    A pink-flowered form
  • A white-flowered form
    A white-flowered form
  • Fruits
    Fruits
  • Woods carpeted in bluebells
    Woods carpeted in bluebells
  • A bumblebee hanging from a bluebell
    A bumblebee hanging from a bluebell

Nomenclature

[edit]

Mertensia virginica is the type species for the genus Mertensia and was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 as Pulmonaria virginica.[9] The genus Pulmonaria is today restricted to 19 species in the tribe Boragineae. When Albrecht Wilhelm Roth erected the genus Mertensia in 1797, he named the Virginia bluebell as Mertensia pulmonarioides, apparently unaware that Linnaeus had already named it in his Species Plantarum. Roth's name is a superfluous synonym and has been used in recent literature.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ NRCS. "Mertensia virginica". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Denison, Edgar (2017). Missouri Wildflowers. Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-887247-59-7.
  3. ^ a b c d "Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)". www.illinoiswildflowers.info.
  4. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
  5. ^ "Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica". Wisconsin Horticulture.
  6. ^ "BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database". naeb.brit.org. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  7. ^ "Virginia Bluebells". Forager Chef. 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  8. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 64. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  9. ^ Carl von Linné (Linnaeus). 1753. Species Plantarum 1:135. (see External links below)
  10. ^ James S. Pringle. 2004. "Nomenclature of the Virginia-bluebell, Mertensia virginica (Boraginaceae)". SIDA, contributions to botany 21(2):771-775.(see External links below)
[edit]
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