The spiderworts are blooming everywhere in the woods around Arabia Mountain. They are in genus Tradescantia and are every shade of purple, from a pale lavender, almost white, to a deep violet, almost blue.
They grow in clumps on the forest floor and are “weakly upright,” meaning they tend to flop. The genus has about 75 species. I don’t know how many are in the Piedmont. When the stem is cut or punctured by an insect, the spiderwort secretes a sticky goo that hardens and then becomes silky, like a bit of spider’s web.
Among the other wonders was Spigelia marilandica, which is either called Indian pink (though it’s not the flower you might think of if you’re from Texas) or woodland pinkroot. I’d call it a small bush. The flowers, about 2 inches long, are red on the outside and yellow inside. The five lobes are pointed and flare at the ends — making a yellow star on what looks like a red flower. The leaves were dark green lances.
At Stone Mountain, oakleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, was just beginning to bloom. It has lovely white flowers that come in clusters.
At Panola Mountain, the wild blackberries, genus Rubus, are just turning. Most of the berries are green, but a few are turning red and black. Someone said there are about 20 species in Georgia, not all native.
Here are some other things blooming in the Piedmont:
• Skullcaps, in genus Scutellaria, are putting out purple blossoms.
• Narrow-leaved sundrops, Oenothera fruiticosa, have yellow flowers. The North Carolina State University Extension Service says it’s a day-flowering member of the evening primrose family.
• Venus’s looking-glasses, genus Triodanis, has a purple flowers. The petals form a five-pointed star, on a long, spindly stalk. In between and under the petals are spiky sepals that look like little knife blades.
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