Claytonia virginica
Encyclopedia
Claytonia virginica, the Eastern spring beauty, Virginia spring beauty, or fairy-spuds, is a flowering plant
in the family Portulacaceae
, native to eastern North America
. It is found in moist woods and clearings. It is a trailing plant growing to 5-40 cm long. The leaves
are slender lanceolate, 3-14 cm long and 5-13 mm broad, with a 6-20 cm long petiole
. The flower
s are 7-14 mm diameter, with five pale pink or white (rarely yellow) petals, flowering is between March and May. It is also a polyploid, having between 12 and 190 chromosomes. Its scientific name honors Colonial Virginia botanist John Clayton
(1694–1773).
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the family Portulacaceae
Portulacaceae
Portulacaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising about 20 genera with about 500 species, ranging from herbaceous plants to shrubs. The family has been recognised by most taxonomists, and is also known as the purslane family; it has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the highest diversity...
, native to eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is found in moist woods and clearings. It is a trailing plant growing to 5-40 cm long. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are slender lanceolate, 3-14 cm long and 5-13 mm broad, with a 6-20 cm long petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are 7-14 mm diameter, with five pale pink or white (rarely yellow) petals, flowering is between March and May. It is also a polyploid, having between 12 and 190 chromosomes. Its scientific name honors Colonial Virginia botanist John Clayton
John Clayton (botanist)
John Clayton was a Colonial plant collector in Virginia.Clayton was born in England, and moved to Virginia with his father in 1715, where he lived in Gloucester County, near the Chesapeake Bay, exploring the region botanically. Clayton sent many specimens, as well as manuscript descriptions, to...
(1694–1773).