Consider-the-Lilies Web Gallery
Corn Gromwell
This is another discovery for 2006. I found this white-flowering plant growing on a patch of ground that I had cleared of noxious weeds last season.
It seems that Corn Gromwell took advantage of the relatively clear ground and, along with Purple Deadnettle, produced a little colony in March of this year. Individually, either plant may not be so noticeable but growing in a cloud as they were made a pretty sight.
Also known as Field Gromwell, this flowering annual herb is native to Europe where it is a common weed of plowed fields and pastures. (The scientific suffix, arvensis, is botanic Latin for "of the field.")
The common suffix for this plant is, according to the OED, perhaps derived from a corruption of Gray Millet, to which the upright stalks bear a resemblance
It is classified in North America (limited to Canada and the northeastern United States) as an adventive species; i. e, not naturalized, but growing where a particular habitat supports germination and growth for a season's appearance, as in this case.
The Purple Deadnettle growing with it here is also an immigrant, but it is classified not as an adventive but as a naturalized species or established alien plant. It can be found not only in this limited patch but all across the field and roadsides in the Valley at this time of the year. And with the coming of warmer temperatures next season, it will invariably reappear across a broad range of habitats, which is not necessarily the case for Corn Gromwell.
The Buglossoides arvensis flower bears a distinct resemblance to several other of the early flowering plants, of which Hairy Bittercress, Whitlow Grass, and Shepherd's Purse are some examples.
But the flowers from these plants, all of which are in the Mustard family, have four petal lobes; you'll notice that this soft beauty, which reminds me of a magnolia blossom, has five petals.
The original botanic prefix, Lithospermum, refers to the stony seeds produced by the plant.
As recently as the early 20th century herbal medicine guides recommended a herbal tea prepared from crushed Gromwell nutlets as a diuretic.
Go to the Main Directory to consider more lilies of the field.