Bloodroot with a Twist

 Carol Gracie writes in her new book, Spring Wildflowers, that Bloodroot flowers usually have eight petals. The twist is that in 1916, in Ohio, the first and only Multiplex Bloodroot (the second photo) was found in the wild with many more petals. Gracie goes on with the story about the multi-petaled Bloodroot.... the plant from Ohio was divided and given to two people to grow... one of the plants died and the other plants location was a mystery for some time. It was revealed that some one in the Montreal Botanical Garden had it and had given many divisions of the plant away over time. Imagine my surprise when I happen to see one growing against the foundation of the farm house. Mary said it came from her sisters garden. The second flower photo you see is the Multiplex ... the difference is obvious, but what you are seeing is a Bloodroot that has converted all its pistils and stamen into petals thus making it unable to reproduce. In the first photo you will see the pistals and stamen in the center of the flower.

As I wrote before  Patsy did find Bloodroot in 1942, but not the Multiplex Bloodroot.

Check out Carol Gracie's new book Spring Flower of the Northeast , It is a very exciting read.