Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Small
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate deciduous forest
Range: Eastern North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

One of the earliest wildflowers of the eastern North American forest floor, blooming in shades of white, pink, and lavender while snow still lingers. Its three-lobed leaves persist through winter and were once thought by herbalists to resemble the liver, giving the whole genus its name.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Hepatica
Species: Hepatica americana