Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Gentiana pennelliana  Submitted by Kitty Loftin , Sarracenia Chapter Genus: Gentiana Species: Gentiana pennelliana Fernald Family: Gentianaceae Common name: Wiregrass gentian Photo by Kitty Loftin, Sopchoppy, Florida Wiregrass gentian is a small, rare perennial plant of moist to wet flatwoods and savannas.   It is an endemic species, restricted in distribution to nine counties in the Florida panhandle.  It needs to have sunlight for growth and for the flowers to open. It is often found growing with wiregrass, thus the common name.  The 1 1/2 to 2 1/2-inch-long flowers are borne singly or in pairs at the tip of the stem.  They are white inside and white suffused with purple outside. They bloom in winter,  typically  December-January  It's threatened by habitat loss, fire suppression, and is listed as endangered.   The genus Gentiana is named after Gentius, a 6th century King of Illyria, who used the roots of the...

Grass-of-Parnassus or bog-stars Parnassia grandifolia Submitted by Roger Hammer Grass-of-Parnassus or bog-stars ( Parnassia grandifolia ) is one of Florida’s prettiest wildflowers. The oval, somewhat succulent, shiny leaf blades measure 1½"–4" long with long petioles (leaf stems), and the flowers measure 1½" wide with intricate green, brown, or yellow venation on the petals. Look for it flowering along shaded stream banks and cypress bogs in Liberty, Franklin, Putnam, and Marion Counties. The plant photographed was blooming in the Apalachicola National Forest in November 2016 but its bloom season lasts through December. Parnassia was named for Mount Parnassus in Greece and it is said that cattle grazing on the mountain relished eating the local Parnassia palustris , so the ancient Greeks made it an “honorary grass.” The name grandifolia relates to the large leaves compared to other species, which in no way resemble a grass. Some members of this genus live i...

Submitted by Carmel vanHoek Photos courtesy of the Florida Plant Atlas All Saints Of the thirty-one species of the genus Hypericum that have been vouchered for the state of Florida according to the USF Plant Atlas, twelve may be found in Hillsborough County. The genus has been known world-wide since pre-Christian times for its healing properties and each people group has given it common names of their choosing. One of the beliefs of the Romans and Greeks was that the flowers were sent by the gods to provide a holy sacrifice to repel evil, the Greeks naming it Hupereicon and the Romans, Hypericum, meaning perhaps the plant had power over evil. A sacrificial ritual would take place annually during Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer’s Day, the flowers being thrown on fires to appease the gods. With the advent of Christianity pagan rituals were incorporated with church-based festivals. Thus, because St. John’s birthday was near to Midsummer’s Day, the European species, Hype...