Putnam Park Wildflowers


Flower ID: IMG_3879.JPG-06-11-2020
Flower name (scientific): Lithospermum caroliniense (Gmelin) MacMillan PY: 1892. Pronunciation guide: (phonetic spelling) lith-o-SPER-mum car-o-lin-ee-EN-sis
Flower name (common): Carolina Puccoon
Family name (common): Borage
Family name (scientific): Boraginaceae
Scientific name origin:
     Genus: From the Greek lethos, for stone, and sperma, for seed. Refers to the appearance of the seeds as stone-like.
    Specific epithet: Of or from Carolina.
Common name origin: From a native location, and puccoon comes from the Virginia Algonquian poughkone, a plant whose roots yield a red dye.
Flower description:
     Size: 0.7 to 1.0 inches (1.8 to 2.5 cm)
     Petal count: 5
     Color: yellow or orange.
     Other: flower arrangement, Cluster-cyme
Plant description:
     Size: 6 to 24 inches (15 to 61 cm)
     Stem hairy:
     Other:
Leaf description: attachment is alternate, type is simple
     Size: Leaves up to 4 to 7 cm long and 6 to about 15 mm wide.
     Color:
     Hairy:
     Other: Shape: leaf, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate (IL)
Origin (native, introduced, invasive): Native
Status (common, uncommon, threatened, rare): Common
Bloom time (typical): May to July
Cycle (annual, biennial, perennial): Perennial
Habitat: Prairies, open woods, roadsides, sun or part shade, dry.
Fruit:
Seed:
Importance to wildlife:
Similar species (if any): Lithospermum canescens (Hoary Puccoon) is similar. Lithospermum canescens has flowers about 8 to 13 mm wide, is around 10 to 46 cm tall, and has leaves with a sparse to dense covering of hairs with a soft feel and without noticeable lateral veins, whereas L. caroliniense has larger flowers about 13 to 25 mm wide, is a somewhat taller plant (typically 15 to around 60 cm tall), and has leaves covered in short stiff hairs giving a rough feel to the surface and has faint lateral veins.
Ethnobotany: The Lakota used this plant to treat chest wounds (Moerman, p. 310, 1998). The Chippewa prepared a red dye using the roots and made use of it as face paint (Densmore, pp. 371, 377, 1928).
Latitude: 44.795682
Longitude: -91.513780
Altitude: 283.20
Distribution: In Wisconsin: (Adams, Ashland, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Door, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Forest, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Menominee, Monroe, Oconto, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, Trempealeau, Walworth, Washburn, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood) Click here for distribution map
In US: (AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV)
In Canada: (ON)
References:
Synonym(s):
Basionym: Batschia caroliniensis J. F. Gmelin in Syst. Nat., ed. 13[bis].: 315 (1791).
Homotypic Synonym(s):
Heterotypic Synonym(s):
Autonym: Lithospermum caroliniense var. caroliniense (The other infraspecific is Lithospermum caroliniense var. croceum (Fernald) Cronquist which has been recorded from 18 central to eastern US states.)