Hepatica acutiloba

[Gabriela]

Hepatica seeds have begun germinating and I thought this would be a good time to gather my notes on Hepatica acutiloba (Sharp- lobed hepatica; Anemone acutiloba in Flora of North America). It is a relatively easy to distinguish species (in most cases) and well known, at least in North America.
I noticed that in the excellent article of Michael Myers published in the AGS Journal (vol. 83 No.3) there is no mention of the forms that used to be recognized.

I say ‘used to be’ because from a taxonomic point of view they are obsolete nowadays. However, I think that from an ornamental point of view they are important and could be used in breeding because the progeny resulted from seed propagation is uniform. Starting this year, the information provided for the offered seeds will also include the form, so what follows comes as an explanation.

So, straight to these forms (you can find in Tropicos the publications -http://www.tropicos.org/NameSearch.aspx?name=Hepatica+acutiloba&commonname=).
The typical form of Hepatica acutiloba is blue flowered (H. acutiloba fo. acutiloba).



Hepatica acutiloba fo. albiflora Ralph Hoffm. – has large, white flowers and is usually quite vigorous in habit. This is the predominant form at least in Southwestern Ontario (the seeds offered in previous years belong to it).


Some plants can have smaller flowers, like the one in the following image, but beautiful foliage:


Hepatica acutiloba fo. rosea Ralph Hoffm. – exhibits flowers with various shades of pink and the leaves may show very nice vein markings.

[Gabriela]

Continuing with H. acutiloba fo. rosea - my favourites specimens are actually the ones with pink blushed flowers; some are light-pink, others have white flowers with just a dab of pink mixed in.





Hepatica acutiloba fo. diversiloba Raymond
These plants have 5-7-lobed leaves instead of the typically 3-lobed, hence the name. The character is not always consistent and often the same plant has both 3-lobed and 5-7-lobed leaves. Young seedlings or plants may not display the character in the first 1-2 years. Until now I only saw this form having white flowers. The leaves can also develop beautiful vein markings or can be marbled.




The last form is Hepatica acutiloba fo. plena Fernald – quietly waiting to be found... 

About fragrance - also mentioned in the same article, interesting that I have never noticed any, but I will be more attentive this year.
Finally, there is the ‘small’ problem of the intermediate forms between H. americana and H. acutiloba. Places where the two species grow together are quite rare, but sometimes you can stumble upon what seems to be a Hepatica ‘hybrid swarm’. Hybrids are not recognized at the moment, so I would be interested what others have to say about such intermediate forms.
I would greatly welcome observations from other parts of Canada and the USA, or notes from cultivated plants in other parts of the world. As soon as flowering begins, whenever possible, I will add more pictures to this thread.

[Afloden]

I disregard the naming of color forms as these are often mixed within populations and don't really offer much taxonomic knowledge about them. I have noticed over about 2 decades of veiwing them in the wild that most populations are predominantly white flowered with either pink or bluish-violet mixed in. I have found it rare that both pink and the violet tones are present in a single populations scattered among the whites. Leaf lobe number variation is rare within populations and I have seen up to eight lobes on acutiloba with variation less frequent in americana. If I were to see a whole population with more than three then I might put value on a name, but its a rare occurence. Double forms are quite rare. The only one I know in culitvation is "Louis Kohler" though the Tennessee native plant journal feature one on its cover in the 1980's (I think), and I found one about 10 years ago, but vine weevils ate the plant. All the seed from the latter was sent to Japan!

Hybrid zones are rare. I know of two places where the two, H. acutiloba and H. americana, grow together. One site is in Alabama and the other not far from me here in Tennessee. It is in the latter population that I have seen red ovaries which I have seen only in pubesens before.

[Gabriela]

Thank you for your input Aaron.
As I mentioned, strictly taxonomical the forms don't count anymore, but so are other varieties and sometimes even subspecies nowadays.

I only have 10+years of wandering the Ontario woods so still a bit to catch you on this, but it happens that I stumbled on more such areas where H. americana is mixed with H. acutiloba. I don't know yet if this is a good or bad thing... 
Fortunately these are places where few people are stumbling over so I can watch the younger seedlings that appear in the populations and I can tell that in 90% of cases they are stable, regarding with the adult plants that grow nearby; including the diversiloba type.


I didn't finish all I have on the intermediate forms, but here's one type of leaf that is stable in a population. Certainly it cannot be called H. acutiloba.

[Gabriela]

Due to the warm weather the Hepaticas are starting to flower in Ontario. This year I caught H. acutiloba just at the right moment. Usually they are a bit earlier than H. americana and some years I miss some of them.
Just an image for now, a beautiful white with a light pink overlay AND fragrant. Today's scouting was done more on the crawling style but definitely worth it! The fragrance reminds of a Viola odorata, on a light note though.

[Gabriela]

More Hepatica acutiloba - blue flowered and fo. diversiloba with blue flowers! Both with the same light fragrance.

[ashley]

Very beautiful plants and photos.

[Natalia]

Delightful plants!