Spring Beauty

Spring Beauty
Claytonia virginica

by Kimberly Vest

Claytonia virginica is classified in the Portulacaceae or Purslane family. The name was given by a man named Linnaeus. He granted the genus name Claytonia in honor of John Clayton, one of the earliest botanists in Virginia. The name virginica refers to the Colony of Virginia. Claytonia virginica is also known as spring beauty, narrow-leaved spring beauty or fairy-spuds. The flowers can be found not only in Virginia but also in rich, moist, open woodlands, valleys, meadows, prairies, fields, and lawns across all of eastern North America.

The flower begins to bloom in early spring (March-May). The spring beauty can bloom for up to two weeks in full sun or part shade. The spring beauty has two narrow, linear, green leaves (sepals) halfway up the stem. The sepals enclose a small fruit. The five petals are pink with red veins and the stamens have pink heads.

During the blooming season, the sun warms the leaf litter, and the underground stems and roots go from a dormant state to active growth and the leaves emerge. During the sunlit hours the landscape looks alive for several weeks with pink masses of spring beauty. As shade settles over the woodlands, the above ground parts begin to disappear, leaving the capsule-like fruits. These fruits mature, and their tiny seeds are dispersed, leaving only a small deep-seated underground corm or tuber. The tuber remains dormant until the following spring. It resembles a miniature potato with many protruding eyes, hence the name fairy-spuds. These tubers have a chestnut-like flavor and were actually consumed by early American Indians, but collecting the tubers is so time-consuming it is hard to collect enough for a sufficient meal.

Although Claytonia virginica grows and blooms freely in the wild, if the size and the design of the garden are appropriate, the flower can be easily grown in home gardens with humus-like soil, sun and moisture.

There are no serious insect or disease problems with Claytonia virginica. It is not currently endangered but its habitat can be easily destroyed with the clearing of forests and meadows, draining and altering of stream courses and disturbing of river floodplains. If these practices continue they could threaten the continued existence of the spring beauty.

Written spring 2004, as a service learning project for Dr. Gary Coté's Biology 102 class at Radford University. Copyright Pathways for Radford.