Virginia bluebells
Mertensia virginica
The flower buds start as a bright pink and transition to deep blue as they open, a result of the cell sap increasing in alkalinity.
- Scientific name
- Mertensia virginica
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Boraginales › Boraginaceae › Mertensia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous woodlands, floodplains, and riverbanks.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic; absorbs nutrients from rich alluvial soils.
- Range
- Eastern North America, Appalachian Mountains, Mississippi River Valley
- Size
- 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 inches) tall.
- Lifespan
- Perennial; individual rootstocks can live for several decades.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss, invasive species such as garlic mustard, and over-grazing by high deer populations.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Safe to approach and photograph. Avoid stepping on the base of the plant or picking the blooms, as they are delicate and wilt rapidly. No medical action is required for contact.
Mertensia virginica (common names Virginia bluebells , Virginia cowslip , lungwort oysterleaf , Roanoke bells ) is a spring ephemeral plant with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.
Photo: Bob Gutowski, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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