What a lovely surprise to find our native liver leaf (Hepatica americana) in flower in the garden on Christmas day. This fabulous North American native, evergreen perennial, is found in moist woodlands, throughout the Eastern US. Because this collection is from Western South Carolina, it’s flowering months earlier than forms from colder regions.
The common name, liver leaf, came from the old Doctrine of Signatures, when medical authorities assumed any plant that resembled a body part could cure ailments of said body part. As if that cookiness wasn’t enough, Hepatica has now also been the victim of a recent taxonomic tug-of-war. For a while, some taxonomist eliminated the genus entirely, and transferred all Hepatica to the genus, Anemone. After that didn’t fly, they were returned to the genus, Hepatica, but before the dust had settled, another study decided that the North American Hepatica species, including Hepatica americana are actually nothing more than a subspecies of the European native, Hepatica nobilis. Slowly, this silliness is being relegated to the taxonomic dustbin of “what were they thinking”.
Unfortunately, US native Hepatica are rarely commercially available due to the difficulty and expense in production. Most commercially offered plants are sadly, still dug from the wild for sale, so always inquire. Hardiness is Zone 4a-8b.
Hepatica americana
Whatever they call it, those are lovely, soft flowers at a time when not much is blooming. I feel certain, with her love of winter flowers, that Elizabeth Lawrence must have written about them in one of her books.