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Tennessee Wildflowers

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Go directly to Tennessee Wildflowers Page Three, Trilliums

The wildflowers on this page were all photographed by me during my wanderings and adventures in Tennessee. I always carry a camera. In Spring I try to get out every weekend because the flowers that are in bloom literally change from day to day. Most of these flowers should be labled correctly, but sometimes flower identificaton can be difficult. Most people think I am an expert, but I know the truth. There is so much variation from plant to plant and region to region. It would be difficult for anyone to be an expert. Additionally, some flowers come in so many varieties it can be really confusing to attempt to identify them. Trilliums are a great example. It seems they change from hollow to hollow. All of the flowers found on this site have been found in the range from the Eastern Highland Rim of Tennessee to the Great Smoky Mountains. That is pretty much the limit of my wildflower wanderings due to time constraints with travelling.

Anyway--enjoy the photographs and hopefully they will assist you in identifying any flowers you may have photographed. If you find errors in identification here please don't hesisate to contact me and offer corrections. Please never pick wildflowers. They wilt so fast it will just disappont you and you will end up throwing them on the ground. If you choose to transplant some, keep in mind some simple rules: They typically do better on the north side of your house or on the north side of a fence. They do better if you bring some native substrate with them. (In other words, a plastic grocery bag FULL of soil and root bundle for one little plant) Never, ever dig up flowers from a heavily visited place. If every visitor did that, there would be no flowers left in just a short time. Only dig from low-traffic areas. And then only if there are bunches and bunches of the same type of flower you are digging. If the removal of a plant will impact the total numbers in a noticeable manner, then leave them where they are. Flowers must grow all season in place to properly propogate. Never, ever dig up the whole patch of anything. If you must dig, get only one or two when there are dozens available.

A word about the scientific names on this page. Scientific names are stated with the genus first, always capitalized, followed by the species name. For example, there are many species of Trillium. They all belong to the genus Trillium, but each species has a different name, like Trillium flexipes, or Trillium erectum. Consider wild roses: They belong to the genus Rosa. Two species you may find in the woods might be Rosa setigera, or Rosa multiflora.

Why use scientific names at all? Consider the case of the Daffodil. People call it a Buttercup, a Daffodil, a Jonquil, a Narcissus, and probably other names as well. The genus is actually Narcissus, and there are several species with a single scientific name for each and every one. You are Homo sapien. As opposed to Home erectus. See? You get it? Pretty easy stuff, huh?

A note regarding ginseng: I will not post photos, descriptions, or anything to do with ginseng due to rampant over-harvesting. Please leave it alone if you find it. If you simply must, and you can identify it, pull a small sample of root and chew on it right then and there. You will get slightly stimulated. Be happy with that and leave the poor plant alone.

This page has a lot of photographs and may load slowly. Please be patient as it is a very informative page with a lot of helpful photographs.

All photographs copyrighted by James Greene and may not be used without written permission.

There are three pages of wildflowers in this section of the site, with the third page dedicated solely to Trilliums.

Flowers are arranged in no particular order.

Go directly to Tennessee Wildflowers Page Two

Go directly to Tennessee Wildflowers Page Three, Trilliums

Calendine Poppy. Scientific name: Styphorum diphyllum. It is the only native poppy that I am aware of. The massive red clusters of poppies along the Interstates are non-native. The leaves are round lobed with 5 to 7 segments and the flower looks, well, poppy-like. They grow close to the gound and are sort of bushy. I have seem them in clusters, but not huge patches like some other flowers. They seem to like soil near water and streams in lowlands and the bottoms of hollows. But you know how that is. Could be anywhere.

Bishops Cap. Scientific name: Mietlla diphylla. Also called Miterwort. It is easy to miss but worth looking for. The flowers are tiny and really magnificent.

Common blue violet. Scientific name: Viola sororia. This flower is the scourge of anal-retentive lawnsmen. This is arguably one of the most difficult flowers (weeds) to eradicate from a lawn. The rhizome grows beneath the ground and to really get rid of it you must dig up each, individual rhizome. Heavy application of roundup in Fall will sometimes get it as the rhizome takes up nutrients in Fall to live through the Winter and it may take in some of the roundup. Of course, my lawn is literally covered in a rich mat of violets and I perfer it that way. These photos are from my yard. Yay me! The flowers make a nice salad topping and are edible and so are the leaves. Great source of vitamin C and A. Don't eat yellow violets or African violets. Yellow ones make you throw-up and African Violets are poisonous.

Carolina Thistle. Scientific name: Cirsium carolinianum. The 5-leave plant on the tree is harmless Virginia creeper, often mistaken for poison ivy, although it looks absolutely nothing like it. People see a vine and just assume....

Violet Wood Sorrel. Scientific name: Oxalis violacea. The only leaves in the photos that belong to this flower are the three-lobed ones growing close to the gound. The tiny red leaves near the lower flower in the left photo are immature Virginia Creeper leaves. NOT poison ivy.

Cut Leaf Toothwort. Scientific name: Dentaria laciniata. This is an early emerger and one of the first flowers you will find in spring. When nothing else is out, look on sunny hillsides and you find some of these guys. Very common in the Eastern Highland Rim and the Cumberland Plateau. The rhizome from this plant is peppery and can be used as a seasoning. This plant used to be called a Peppercorn plant for this reason.

Fine-Leaf Toothwort. Scientific name: Dentaria multifida. Not nearly as common as the Cut-Leaf Toothwort. Look closely at the leafs. They are very narrow and slender. This is the primary difference between the Fine-Leaf and the Cut-Leaf (obviously!).

Meadow Parsnip. Genus Thaspium. Species is debateable. Probably barbinode, could be pinnatifidum. Could even be trifoliatum, but the leaves look wrong to me. I think it is barbinode due to the yellow colored flowers and deeply lobed leaves. Either way--it is Meadow Parsnip. It is a fairly common wildflower. Sort of hard to photograph due to the tiny little flowers. You ever consider wind? The slightest breeze and a flower like this one will wiggle, causing a blur. Out of about 20 shots, this was my best one.

Sharp-Lobed Hepatica. Scientific name: Hepatica acutiloba. Very common in rich, moist soils. Almost always white. The purple variety pictured is the only one I have ever seen and it was growing in several places on a single hillside in a specific hollow on the western escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau. The plant is named because of the resemblance of the leaves to liver. The top-left photo demonstrates a very typical leaf. The stems are always very hairy. The hairy stems and liver looking leaves make this flower very easy to identify.

Pennywort. Scientific name: Obelaria virginica. This is a common flower. It booms in very early spring. It is easy to miss as it is very small, reaching a typical height of no more than 5 or 6 inches and rarely growing in large clusters. A word about wort: Wort is an Old English term meaning "plant" or "herb." Many flowers and plants are named "_______wort."

Wild Columbine. Scientific name: Aquilegia canadensis. Not a particularly common flower. Typically found growing right out of limstone bluffs. A domesticated variety is available in nurseries for flowerbeds. Don't bother trying to transplant one from the woods. They are not very common and it almost certainly will not survive. Go buy one. It will be much easier on you. This is one of the most dramatic flowers growing in Tennessee and it is always a pleasure to find one.

Indian Pink. Scientific name: Spigelia marilandica. Also known as wormgrass. Less commonly referred to as pinkroot. A tea from the root was used in traditional medicine as a worming agent to expel worms from the digestive tract. This is not recommended as the tea is a poisonous alkaloid. This plant sometimes grows in stands. Fairly common. Sometimes found alongside roads in moist ditches. This is a very distinctive plant when blooming and easy to identify. No other local bloom looks even remotely similar. Blooms from early spring until the summer solstice (June 21st). Adapts well to gardens and deadheading can prolong blooming.

Mountain Larual. Scientific name: Kalmia latifolia. Related to the Rhododendron and Azalea, but in a separate genus. The Mountain Laural is a common shrub, growing from 5-10 feet tall. It is commonly found in loamy, well draining soils in higher elevations, on ridges. More common on the Cumberland Plateau and in the Smokies. Sometimes near water, but not always. Never in standing water, but sometimes found near waterfall spray. Blooms in June. This plant looks like a miniature Rhodendron. The stalks are woody and the leaves are somewhat thick and waxy. The whole plant, leaves, blooms, pollen, roots, is very poisonous. Do not ingest for any reason.

Yellow Trout Lilly. Scientific name: Erythronium americanum. Grows in clusters, sometimes dense clusters known as colonies. A very stunning flower and when found in large colonies it can be absolutely magnificent. Found in pure yellow and also yellow with tiny red spots on the tepals (petals). Common in certain areas. Typically found on sunny, moist slopes. Blooms in spring. Converts to fruiting stage by June. There is another variety that is very similar, but does not feature a bent stem. It is called a Beaked Trout Lily (sp. rostratum). The Beaked variety is not common.

Trumpet Honeysuckle. Scientific name: Lonicera sempervirens. This is actually a native honeysuckle. It is not very fragrant. The common, white, very fragrant honeysuckle that everyone assumes is native is acutally Lonicera japonica. It is a horrible, nasty, non-native invasive plant that is almost as horrible as Kudzu. Any and all Lonicera japonica should be eradicated whenever possible. The native Lonicera sempervirens (pictured above) flowers throughout the growing season. It keeps most of its leaves in the winter, although it does go dormant during winter. This plant attracts lots of hummingbirds. It can be found in nurseries for $6-20. This is great plant for sunny, alkaline fence spots and similar in yards. The stems are woody and break easily if forced into arbors and through fences, but the plant will just branch at the break and keep growing. I love this plant and plant it whenever possible. It is not very common in the woods, although several publications indicate that it is. I have seen very large thickets of it that almost looked like trees, but rarely. This plant will grow from clones. If you find a large speciment in the woods, you can snap off some small branches at nodes, put them in rooting hormone and they will root. Then transplant outside. Lots of water, fertilizer and a little lime and they will grow rapidly, just about doubling each year. Very hardy plant. Especially if cloned from local, native plants found in the wild.

Rue Anemone. Scientific name: Thalictrum thalictroides. Relatively common flower. Blooms very early. Sometime found growing in large mats as in the photo above. Somewhat similar to a few other flowers and easy to confuse until one becomes familiar wtih the characteristics of it. Easily mistaken for Bloodroot and False Rue Anemone, although distinctly different from each when you know what to look for. The leaf is very different from Bloodroot, and the flower smaller. Additionally Bloodroot has very, very yellow, bushy stamens in the middle of the flower. Much more so than Rue Anemone. False Rue Anemone has rounded sepals (petals) and only 5 of them. The leaves are larger on False Rue Anemone.

Bloodroot. Scientific name: Sanguinaria canadensis. Also known as Pauson and Bloodwort. The Bloodroot leaf is very distinctive. There is always a single, large, multi-lobed leaf wrapped around the flower stalk as the flower emerges. Additionally the stamens are very yellow and in stark contrast to the white sepals. The large rhizome seeps a bright red/orange fluid when broken. This is where the name Bloodroot comes from. The Bloodroot has many traditional herbal medicinal properties, includeing antiseptic and anesthetic. The fluid from the rhizome is toxic. Do not ingest. Blooms from March thru May. The leaves grow until the Summer Solstice, when the plant returns to its dormant stage. There is a lot of interesting information about this plant. It is a monotypic genus, meaning that canadensis is the only species in the genus. The alkaloid Sanguinaria is derived from the plant and has some similar properties to morphine, or at least it shares the intermediary chemical (S)-reticuline. Do not ingest to get high. You will not get high, just dead. Additionally, the sap has been used as a red dye by Native Americans and there is some interesting folklore associated with the plant as well. The Ponca tribe believed that rubbing blood root sap on the palm of your hand, then sneaking a handshake with the woman you loved would lead her to want to marry you within 5-8 days. Interesting, indeed. It is also said that Native Americans mixed the sap with animal fat to create red warpaint. However, the pure juice (sap) can ulcerate skin and should not be applied in pure concentration to the skin for any reason. Sanguinaria is being studied for antibiotic and anti-cancer properties as well.

Indian Strawberry. Scientific name: Duchesnea indica. Low, creeping plant with hairy stems. Typically found in disturbed soil like lawns. Has a small fruit that looks like a strawberry but has no taste. Non-native plant. The flower is small. About one inch across. The leaves are compounded in groups of three. Very common in lawns and near the edges of parking lots, etc. Likes moisture.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Scientific name: Arisaema triphyllum. Also called Indian Turnip or Pepper Turnip due to the very spicy rhizome. The rhizome must be dried out if used medicinally. The raw rhizome is a mucus membrane irritant. The plant grows naturally in a green or purple variety. The green is more common. The Jack-in-the-Pulpit name comes from the idea that the flower has a little guy (Jack) sticking up out of the middle of the flower (the supposed Pulpit). The plant grows as a three leave plant in early spring, then the flower grows out of the ground, at the base of the leaf stem, in April or May. It is an early blooming plant. Found in rich, moist soils, often on hillsides. Very recognizable when blooming. No other native flower resembles this plant. The fruit is a cluster of red berries easily confused with the Green Dragon, another species (dracontium) of the same genus. Do not eat the fruit. Relatively common plant, although you have to look closely for it.

Dutchman's Breeches. Scientific name: Dicentra cucullaria. This is another one of my favorite wildflowers.It looks sort of like Squirrel Corn and Bleeding Heart, and in fact is in the same genus as both. But I like the flower better on the Dutchman's Breeches. The plant flowers relatively early, in March and April. It is not all that common. When I do find it, typically it is low in the hollow, usually on flat land, and usually in moist, rich soil. The leaves remind me of parsley and that is what I look for when trying to find this flower. This is another difficult to photograph flower due to delicate flowers on tiny, flexible stalks. The slightest breeze sets the flowers moving. I hope you get a chance to find one of these in the wild.

Wild Ginger. Scientific name: Asarum canadense. This is a fairly common plant. The rhizome tastes a bit like ginger and can be used in food. There are a bunch of heart-shaped, low growing plants in Tennessee woods. Distinguising characteristics of Wild Ginger are the non-veriegated leaves (solid green) and very hairy, thick stems. Usually found growing in groups. I usually find it on hillsides, but I don't think it is restricted to hillsides. The flower is spectacular but not readily visible as it is usually growing on the gound and obscured by dead leaves. Blooms until around May. I almost always dig up a small piece of root and chew on it when I find Wild Ginger. Leaves a distinct, altough slightly bitter, taste in your mouth.

Little Brown Jug. Scientific name: Hexastylis arifolia. Another heart-shaped leaf plant. Similar to Wild Ginger, but the stalks are thinner and are not hairly. The flowers lay near or on the ground and are sometimes difficult to find because they tend to be obscured by dead, winter leaves covering the gound in spring. Blooms from early Spring through May. I have found them growing in the Smokies and the photos above are from White County, TN. I have only found them in rich, undisturbed forest, in moist soil. I have seen them on hillsides and on flat ground. They don't seem to be associated with streams.

Bellwort. Scientific name: Uvularia grandiflora. Grows up to almost two feet tall. Grows in clusters.The flowers always hang down. There are 6 tepals that twist around each other. Readily identifiable. Sometimes easy to overlook as the flowers may be obscured by the stems and leaves. Blooms in Spring, through May.

Mountain Bluet. Scientific name: Hedyotis michauxii. This group of flowers was found growing in a moss bed, right on the side of a flowing stream in the Smoky Mountains. They are difficult to differentiate from Quaker Ladies, which are actually much more common. The Mountain Bluet will root at nodes and the Quaker Ladies will not. This is a very small, delicate flower. Blue outer petals, white near the center and yellow in the very middle. Not a very common flower.

Star Chickweed.Scientific name: Stellaria pubera. The photo on the right may actually be Tennessee chickweed. LWF's, or Little White Flowers can sometimes be difficult to identify. The major distinguishing characteristic of Star Chickweed is the red-tipped stamens. This is a relatively common wildflower. I usually find it in lowlands of hollows, in rich, moist soil. Blooms from April to May.

Purple Phacelia. Scientific name: Phacelia bipinnatifida. Phacelia is a very common wildflower. Often seen along roadsides in the Highland Rim and Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. Often found alongside creeks as well. The stems are hairy. The leaves are deeply lobed. The flowers are a deep purple with a white center and yellow stamens. Blooms all spring (Late March through May).

Miami Mist. Scientific name: Phacelia purshii. Somewhat less common is the Miami Mist variety of Phacelia. It closely resembles Purple Phacelia, except the flowers are more delicate, a pale blue, and fringed on the edges. This is a very distinct flower and relatively easy to identify. Not particularly common, but may be found growing alongside roads sometimes. Prefers rich, moist soils. When found, it typically grows in clusters and I usually do not find it mixed with Purple Phacelia.

Virginia Bluebell. Scientific name: Mertensia virginica. Very easy to identify flower. Has a pale blue hanging cluster of flowers. Unopened flowers are typically pink in color. Leaves are single, and non-lobed. A somewhat common flower found in moist soils in rich woods. Image on right is white variety, photo credit Alan Cressler.

Go directly to Tennessee Wildflowers Page Two

Go directly to Tennessee Wildflowers Page Three, Trilliums

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