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Jared Barnes, Ph.D. | Sharing the Wonder of Plants to Help Gardeners Grow
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Feather bells (Stenanthium gramineum) emerge from the leaf litter.

Feather bells (Stenanthium gramineum) emerge from the leaf litter.

Finding Featherbells

March 17, 2020

After seeing some early spring wildflowers pop up at my house, I decided to venture out and see if others were rising up out of the post-winter fray. One that I want to check right up the road from me was Stenanthium gramineum or feather bells.

I saw it last year blooming right along the roadside. This species is a new one that I've learned about since moving to Texas. It is closely allied to the death camas (Zigadenus) that I saw years ago in the Green Swamp.

I love its feathery flowers, which resemble miniature lilies with their petaloid floral parts. And, until I wrote this post I realized I actually don’t have any photos of the plant in flower. I promise I’ll get you some later this spring.

It was a challenge locating them at first. The leaf blades resemble grass, hence the epithet graminieum. A Tradescantia fooled me at first, but there was way too much pubescence on the foliage. Finally, I found their smooth leaves rising from the leaf litter with the dark magenta sheath near the base. Sometimes it's hard to remember where you saw something last year!

I feel bad for these plants because they get cut down every July when the roadcrews do their mowing. But, they are doing better than the plant at my house a colleague gifted me two years ago that hasn’t even bloomed yet. I moved it recently to a sunnier spot in hopes that I might see some inflorescences this year. We’ll have to wait and see.

 
The Stenanthium gramineum my colleague gifted me excavated so that you can see the lovely magenta sheaths at the base.

The Stenanthium gramineum my colleague gifted me excavated so that you can see the lovely magenta sheaths at the base.

 
Tags wildflowers
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