#hexastylis

[faguscarolinensis]

Hexastylis speciosa / Alabama Ginger at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[microcosmicobservations]

Hexastylis arifolia

3/17 at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, North Carolina

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Wild ginger flowers, almost open!

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

I found two of the three local wild ginger species, in bloom, on one hike! I tried to find the third one, but alas, failed.

This is Hexastylis arifolia, aka little brown jug. Lots of weird little blooms today! They grow under the leaf litter and are probably pollinated by ants.

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

There were a bunch of these heartleaf gingers along one section of the trail, that lacked any of their usual markings! The first two pics show the unusual ones. Below left, more typical examples. And I briefly thought "Did you just forget what galax looks like?" But no, it was right there too, for comparison (lower right).

H. arifolia, probably, but there are a few rarer species (& hybrids) in this area that I wouldn't know how to distinguish. They're usually all variegated, too.

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

One of our wild gingers, and its weird little flowers. Another common name for this one is little brown jug, and these are why! They’re pollinated by ants I believe, and so the flowers hide under the leaf litter, so you have to look for them.

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Paws n leaves