Hepatica in northcentral Pennsylvania, USA

[Herman Mylemans]

Hello all! Went back out here yesterday in northcentral Pennsylvania, USA to look at Hepatica nobilis var acuta leaf lobes. It appears that four lobes are very common and even five lobes aren't that rare. But more than five is very rare. I have attached a picture of three of the ones with more than five lobes that I have found here this year in the wilds. Dates found are on each picture. Also noticed that all three of these may be f minima. Yes, that is my thumb in two of the pictures to give some scale. Now all I have to do next spring is relocate these to match up their flowers with their leaves. Mark

Very interesting to follow! Thank you Mark.

[Rick R.]

There is a wild patch not far from methat has a few acres with Hepatical acutiloba spread about.  None have any variation in leaf form to speak of at all, except these several that are all near each other.  They seem very similar to your multilobed types, Mark, but with some notable exceptions: they all have much longer pedicels that stay upright, and the leaf blades are always peaked in color.  Additionally, I've been following them for about 6 years and none of them ever bloom.  It's not that they are too young, as a couple always have at least six leaves each.

So it's been in the back of my mind that these are virused plants, and the virus is causing the unusual leaf characteristics and lack of flowers.  What do you all think?  Obviously, Mark's leaves have healthy color, but I wonder how they are flowering?

[Mark W. Simonis]

Rick, Your plants may be infected with a native leaf rust. See the attached pictures. I have seen this here at almost all locations of Hepatica nobilis var. acuta. Still trying to figure out just how detrimental it is. Anecdotally I have observed that where there appears to be more of these infected plants the overall population looks somewhat diminished with smaller plants and fewer flowers. May be nature's way of keeping the Hepatica populations in check but who wants that (Ha! Ha!)? Mark

[Mark W. Simonis]

Rick,   Here is some information and more pictures on the Hepatica/Cherry Rust.   Mark

[Mark W. Simonis]

I have to stop looking at wild Hepatica for the rest of the year as I keep adding sites/plants where I will have to go back to check flowering in the spring (Ha! Ha!). Found a site here yesterday in northcentral Pennsylvania, USA with a concentration of Hepatica nobilis var acuta f diversiloba! Mark

[Maggi Young]

I have to stop looking at wild Hepatica for the rest of the year as I keep adding sites/plants where I will have to go back to check flowering in the spring (Ha! Ha!). Found a site here yesterday in northcentral Pennsylvania, USA with a concentration of Hepatica nobilis var acuta f diversiloba! Mark

Have you enough pages in your diary, Mark?!!

[Mark W. Simonis]

Maggi,  I do take a lot of notes but I don't know if I would call it a diary.  Mark

[Rick R.]

Mark, I did notice that you had mentioned the rust before. Thanks for the additional info.  Initially, I didn't think that was it because the color seemed different and I never saw any indication of a any non-viruslike disease.  But with this extra info, everything seems to fit, and it is very possible that I am never around when the pustules form.

The rust does seem to affect the same plants in the same area, but I've never actually marked individual plants.  Being a rust, it would seem quite probable that an alternate host is right there.  I am thinking our wild plums (Prunus americana) likely has a remnant presence there from when the forested area was more open.

The investigation will continue next year.  Thanks!

[Mark W. Simonis]

Rick,  I had to look closer since at the early stage it is hard to spot on the upper surface of the leaves. It is much more obvious on the undersides. See attachment from here this year.  Mark

[Rick R.]

Most of the times, I am usually out there very very early in the season, as the reason I go is to witness the Snow trilliums blooming.  I am thinking it is too early for the rust to develop a visual presence, or I could have just missed it since I would not have purposely inspected hepatica leaf undersides.  The one photo I shared does look suspicious.

So since there aren't that many that are infected each year, I wonder if I could break the life cycle of the disease (or at least reduce it's presence) long term, by removing the infected leaves.  There is also Anemone quincefolia and Thalictrum thalictroides that grow there, but I've never noticed any "weirdness" on them.  Or likewise, if I found the alternate host.....

[Gabriela]

Very nice leaf forms of Hepatica acutiloba Mark. Especially the third one with many lobes is very unusual.
Regarding the size, you may want to consider that maybe some are young plants, 2-3 years old. I noticed among my seedlings of H. acutiloba (and H. americana) that the leaves are much smaller than in their mother plants.

It's going to be interesting to see how their flowers are looking next spring. I guess we can already start thinking at the spring at this point 

Too bad that there is the rust infection around, didn't see any plants with such symptoms in the areas where I usually hike.

[Mark W. Simonis]

Gabriela and Rick, The mutated leaves may carry over from the previous year on rust infected plants. I will be checking this into the future. And just this year I started removing the obviously infected plants at one site to see if it is controllable. Will see. Mark

[Mark W. Simonis]

Merry Christmas!  Looking at some pictures from here in northcentral Pennsylvania, USA and turned some interesting Hepatica nobilis var. acuta (or Hepatica americana var. acuta, Massey 2022). Five of these with more than the usual three flower bracts and two with two flowers and interesting flower bracts.  Mark