Delaware Wildflowers • Families • Portulacaceae

Claytonia virginica L. var. virginica
Narrowleaf Springbeauty
Portulacaceae — Purslane family
Native
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
White Clay Creek State Park -- Judge Morris Estate
April 2001
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
White Clay Creek State Park -- Thompson Station Road
April 2005
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
The fern is christmas fern.
Red Clay Creek
May 2011
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
The yellow color is very unusual. Variations in the number of petals are more common, as shown below.
Middle Run Valley Natural Area
April 2009
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
Four petals and four stamens.
Middle Run Valley Natural Area
May 2012
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
A normal flower with five petals and five stamens. The style would be three-lobed when mature.
Middle Run Valley Natural Area
April 2009
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
Six petals and six stamens. Only one stamen appears to be fully developed.
White Clay Creek State Park -- Creek Road
April 2012
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
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 Road
April 2012
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
Eight petals and eight stamens.
White Clay Creek State Park -- Creek Road
April 2012
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
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 Hill
April 2010
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
Looks like two flowers grown together, with two pistils, nine stamens, nine petals...

Claytonia virginica var. virginica
...and three sepals. (Two is normal.)
White Clay Creek State Park -- Creek Road
May 2015
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
A normal flower with two sepals.
Woodlawn Tract
April 2016
Claytonia virginica var. virginica
White Clay Creek State Park -- Creek Road
May 2018

Search GoogleDelawareUSDA

Photos copyright David G. Smith

Information from the Delaware Flora Checklist used with author's permission.

Delaware Wildflowers main page