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|binomial_authority = [[Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link|Link]]
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The '''Virginia Bluebell''', ''Mertensia virginica'', has many different common names, including "Virginia Cowslip", "Lungwort Oysterleaf", and "Roanoke Bells". It is a [[species]] of [[plant]] belonging to the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Boraginaceae]]. This bluebell ranges in height from 12~24 inches. The most distinguishing feature of the plant is the noticeable bell-shaped [[flower]], which is usually blue or violet in color.


The '''Virginia Bluebell''' ('''''Mertensia virginica'''''; also '''Virginia Cowslip''', '''Lungwort Oysterleaf''', '''Roanoke Bells''') is a [[spring]] [[ephemeral plant|ephemeral]] [[flowering plant|plant]] with bell-shaped sky-blue [[flower]]s opening from pink [[bud]]s, native to moist [[woodland]] in eastern [[North America]].
==Name==
The [[Latin]] name, ''[[Mertensia]]'', was given to this plant by [[Carolus Linnaeus]] in honor of the German botanist [[Franz Mertens]]. The [[specific epithet]] refers to the [[colony of Virginia]].


[[leaf|Leaves]] are rounded and gray-green, borne on a stem up to 60 cm (2 ft) high. They are [[petiole (botany)|petiolate]] at the bottom of the flower stem and [[sessility (botany)|sessile]] at the top.
==Location==
This vascular plant originates in eastern [[North America]] and is native to the following states and provinces: [[Alabama]], [[Arkansas]], [[Delaware]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Iowa]], [[Kansas]], [[Kentucky]], [[Maine]], [[Maryland]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Michigan]], [[Minnesota]], [[Mississippi]], [[Missouri]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York]], [[North Carolina]], [[Ohio]], [[Ontario]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Quebec]], [[Tennessee]], [[Virginia]], [[West Virginia]] and [[Wisconsin]].


[[Flower]]s have five [[petal]]s fused into a tube, five [[stamen]]s, and a central pistil ([[gynoecium#Carpel morphology|carpel]]) and are borne in mid-[[spring]] in nodding [[inflorescence#Determinate|cyme]]s at the end of arched stems. Buds are pink-tinged, changing to sky-blue as they open.
The "Virginia Bluebell" is abundant in the Midwest of the [[United States]]. Areas within the [[British Isles]] record [[gardens]] with many individuals as well. The plant can be easily grown with the right conditions.


Stamen and pistil are spaced too far apart for self-fertilization. The flower can be pollinated by [[bumblebee]]s, but due to its funnel shape, bumblebees must hover, making the bumblebee a rare [[pollinator]]. [[butterfly|Butterflies]] are the most common pollinators, because they can easily perch on the edges and still enjoy the [[nectar]].
==Description==
These [[herbaceous]] plants grow best in moist, rich, and loamy soils. They can be found in [[Highland (geography)|upland]] [[forest]]s, [[floodplain]] forests, [[wetland]]s and [[Hill|bluffs]]. These plants prefer slight to full shade. The single [[Plant stem|stem]] begins curled in shape and extends as it grows into an elegant arch to hold to blossom cluster. The leaves are alternately located around a thin, smooth stem attached by [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]]s near the base, but as you move upward towards the flower cluster, the leaves are simply attached straight to the stem. The leaves are oval-shaped with pinnately-simple venation. The [[blossom]] cluster is located above the simple leaves. Flowering occurs in spring from March to May.


A fertilized flower produces four wrinkled [[nut (fruit)|nut]]s containing [[seed]]s.
[[File:Virginia Bluebell Mertensia virginica Plant 2262px.jpg|thumbnail|right|Early foliage prior to the flowers blooming.]]
Each blossom consists of five [[petal]]s fused into a tubular shape. The bud begins with a pinkish shade that transforms into a blue-violet color as it matures.<ref name="chesapeake">{{cite web | url = http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/Chesapeake/ | title = Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed | author = Slattery, Britt E., Kathryn Reshetiloff, and Susan M. Zwicker | year = 2003 | publisher = U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, MD }}</ref> White blossoms occur rarely,<ref name="chesapeake"/> and [[soil pH]] can affect flower color.<ref name="chesapeake"/> The flower is approximately one inch deep with five [[stamen]]s surrounding one central [[pistil]]; however, the reproductive organs are spaced too far from one another for self-fertilization. The flower can be pollinated by [[bumblebee]]s, but due to its funnel shape, bumblebees must hover, making the bumblebee a rare [[pollinator]]. [[Butterflies]] are the most common pollinators, because they can easily perch on the edges and still enjoy the [[nectar]]. Each plant produces four wrinkled [[Nut (fruit)|nut]]s containing [[seed]]s. The flowers die rather quickly, and the plants are usually [[dormant]] by early June or July.


In early summer, after seeds ripen, the plant goes [[dormancy#Plants|dormant]] till the next spring.
==Cultivation==
Plants should be spaced nine to twelve inches apart in acidic to mildly alkaline soils. They are hardy to a minimum winter temperature near -24° [[Fahrenheit]]. Bareroot plants can be planted at any time during dormancy, and are usually available from nurseries in the fall and spring. Since the plants make growth early in the spring, they should be planted as early as possible. Potted plants can be purchased from the nursery and planted at any time, although, of course, in the summer and fall the pots will contain only the dormant root and no growth will be visible above the soil. Virginia bluebells can also be grown in an unheated [[greenhouse]]. Seeds can be stratified for sowing indoors and then planted outdoors as young plants. Virginia bluebells are not suitable for growing indoors. Although Virginia bluebells can be propagated by seed, plants can also be divided in the early spring by gently pulling apart the root stock to transplant the divided plants.


White blossoms occur rarely, and [[soil pH]] can affect flower color.<ref name="chesapeake">{{cite web | url = http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/Chesapeake/ | title = Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed | author = Slattery, Britt E., Kathryn Reshetiloff, and Susan M. Zwicker | year = 2003 | publisher = U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, MD }}</ref>
Because these are ephemeral plants, meaning that they grow and flower quickly and go dormant for the rest of the growing season, it is also suggested that one should plant these flowers close to flowers that bloom later in the year. This way, your garden will have color in that area for more of the summer season.

Plants are hardy to [[hardiness zone]] 3 (-40&deg;C, -40&deg;F;).


==References==
==References==
<references/>
<references/>


==External links==
==Gallery==
{{commonscat}}
⚫
*[http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/1908.co Illinois Plant Information Network]
⚫
*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MEVI3 NRCS: USDA Plants Profile and map: ''M. virginica'']
*Photo Credit: National Park Service[http://www.nps.gov/mono/pphtml/subplants11.html]

<gallery>
<gallery>
File:Virginia Bluebell Mertensia virginica Unopened Flowers 2256px.jpg|Unopened flower buds in early spring
Image:Virginia Bluebell Mertensia virginica Plant 2262px.jpg|foliage before bloom
Image:Virginia_Bluebell_Mertensia_virginica_Unopened_2368px.jpg|flower buds
Image:Bluebell closeup.png|''M. virginica'' in [[Shades State Park]], Indiana.
Image:Mertensia virginica Nashville.jpg|''M. virginica'' in Nashville, Tennessee.
Image:Mertensia virginica (Flower).jpg|flowers at [[Dahlem (Berlin)|Dahlem]], [[Berlin]] botanical gardens
Image:Mertensia virginica MS 0119.jpg|''M. virginica'' in Frankfurt.
</gallery>
</gallery>

==External links==
{{commons|Mertensia virginica}}
⚫
*[http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/1908.co Illinois Plant Information Network]
⚫
*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MEVI3 NRCS: USDA PLANTS Profile]
*[http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1543/ PlantFiles]


[[Category:Mertensia]]
[[Category:Mertensia]]

Revision as of 21:08, 6 May 2010

Virginia Bluebell
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
(unplaced)
Family:
Boraginaceae
Genus:
Mertensia
Species:
M. virginica
Binomial name
Mertensia virginica

The Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica; also Virginia Cowslip, Lungwort Oysterleaf, Roanoke Bells) is a spring ephemeral plant with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers opening from pink buds, native to moist woodland in eastern North America.

Leaves are rounded and gray-green, borne on a stem up to 60 cm (2 ft) high. They are petiolate at the bottom of the flower stem and sessile at the top.

Flowers have five petals fused into a tube, five stamens, and a central pistil (carpel) and are borne in mid-spring in nodding cymes at the end of arched stems. Buds are pink-tinged, changing to sky-blue as they open.

Stamen and pistil are spaced too far apart for self-fertilization. The flower can be pollinated by bumblebees, but due to its funnel shape, bumblebees must hover, making the bumblebee a rare pollinator. Butterflies are the most common pollinators, because they can easily perch on the edges and still enjoy the nectar.

A fertilized flower produces four wrinkled nuts containing seeds.

In early summer, after seeds ripen, the plant goes dormant till the next spring.

White blossoms occur rarely, and soil pH can affect flower color.[1]

Plants are hardy to hardiness zone 3 (-40°C, -40°F;).

References

  1. ^ Slattery, Britt E., Kathryn Reshetiloff, and Susan M. Zwicker (2003). "Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, MD.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • foliage before bloom
    foliage before bloom
  • flower buds
    flower buds
  • flowers at Dahlem, Berlin botanical gardens
    flowers at Dahlem, Berlin botanical gardens
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mertensia virginica.
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