The bright orange flowers of Hoary Puccoon are a treat to see in full bloom in May. A tough native perennial of mesic to dry sites, it is most commonly found in full sun in dry prairies or woodland edges.
It is notoriously very difficult to grow from seed, if at all. Lithospermum is Greek for lithos (stone) and sperma (seed), for its extremely hard seed coat. Transplant success is also low due to its tap root.
The leaves are arranged alternately and are covered in fine white hairs giving it a hoary or gray appearance. Hoary Puccoon grows between 4" and 15" in height, depending upon soil moisture.
Hoary Puccoon is native to the midwest and eastern North America. See map below for range.
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| Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C. |
Hoary Puccoon. If it were anyone else, I'd say they made it up. This is a new one on me.
ReplyDeleteHoary Puccoon, Hairy Raccoon ... I know what you mean.
DeleteJust love that golden orange. I'm always attracted to orange. Can just imagine a prairie of these in bloom - beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt is a sight to see, especially since they flower so early before the prairie grasses have started to grow above them.
Deletealso hard to transplant because it's a hemiparasite?
ReplyDeleteQuite possibly, that would make sense but I don't know for sure.
DeleteI've found this plant to be difficult to photograph, and I've also failed to have any success when I attempted transplantation, I waited until early Spring, the opportune time for most wild flowers!
ReplyDeleteHow did this May bloomer make plant of the week in January, and how does it manage to spread when it's impossible for us to propagate?
I agree, it is difficult to photograph. I feature plants all year but in the winter it's usually random as nothing flowers here in MN between November and March. I would imagine it spreads by seed, but if growers knew for sure then it would be propagated more readily.
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