Delaware Wildflowers • Families • Portulacaceae
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
Narrowleaf SpringbeautyPortulacaceae — Purslane family
Native
White Clay Creek State Park -- Judge Morris Estate
April 2001
White Clay Creek State Park -- Thompson Station Road
April 2005
The yellow color is very unusual. Variations in the number of petals are more common, as shown below.
Middle Run Valley Natural AreaApril 2009
Four petals and four stamens.
Middle Run Valley Natural AreaMay 2012
A normal flower with five petals and five stamens. The style would be three-lobed when mature.
Middle Run Valley Natural AreaApril 2009
Six petals and six stamens. Only one stamen appears to be fully developed.
White Clay Creek State Park -- Creek RoadApril 2012
Seven petals, at first glance, but perhap actually five, two of which are two-lobed. Only three stamens. This shows the fully developed three-lobed style.
White Clay Creek State Park -- Thompson Station RoadApril 2012
Eight petals and eight stamens.
White Clay Creek State Park -- Creek RoadApril 2012
Looks like a lot of petals, but the one at lower left on the middle flower is clearly three-lobed. I think there are actually just five petals.
White Clay Creek State Park -- Possum HillApril 2010
Looks like two flowers grown together, with two pistils, nine stamens, nine petals...
...and three sepals. (Two is normal.)
White Clay Creek State Park -- Creek RoadMay 2015
A normal flower with two sepals.
Woodlawn TractApril 2016
White Clay Creek State Park -- Creek Road
May 2018
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Photos copyright David G. Smith
Information from the Delaware Flora Checklist used with author's permission.