Spring 2002

Hepatica
An Early Bloomer

One of the more delightful finds in the early spring woodlands of Chicago Wilderness is the hepatica. This small, attractive woodland wildflower isn’t really rare, but it’s not that common either. Usually hepaticas are found in high quality woodlands with a native herbaceous layer and a good native woody overstory. Hepatica is seldom found in degraded woodlands where exotics like garlic mustard and buckthorn are common.

Chicago Wilderness is home to two species or varieties of Hepatica, the sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) and the round-lobed hepatica (Hepatica americana). Sharp-lobed and round-lobed refer to the shape of the three lobes of the leaves. A unique feature of the hepatica is that their leaves are evergreen. The leaves seen in spring are actually last year’s leaves; they’ve lasted all through the winter. The leaves probably photosynthesize during the winter on warm days, and are ready to start full-time photosynthesis early in the spring before other woodland wildflowers are even up. This allows the hepatica to bloom early and get a head start on other spring wildflowers.

Hepatica can bloom as early as mid-March, but more often are found blooming around mid-April through mid-May. The flowers of hepatica are usually blue to lavender but can also be white or pink. They have many stamens tipped with yellowish anthers. The flowers are small, from 1/2 to 1 inch across. They’re also tricky — not what they seem to be. For instance, what appear to be the petals aren’t: hepatica has no petals. The bluish petal-like structures are actually sepals. There can be from five to 12 sepals, but it appears that six is the most common number. Below the sepals are three structures that look like sepals, but again, don’t be fooled. These aren’t sepals; they’re bracts, specially modified leaves. Each flower tops an extremely hairy stem that appears silky. The pretty flowers attract early flying bees and flies, both of which aid in pollination.

Hepatica in bloom is a good sign that spring has arrived, although, like other plants, they can be fooled by early mild weather. I found clumps of hepatica blooming last December 15th! These clumps were growing on a south-facing slope where they received lots of light and warmth and were fooled by the warm weather. I imagine they weren’t ultimately successful because the weather turned cold soon afterward, but perhaps they’ll try to flower again in the spring. The mild January may have allowed the leaves to replenish some of the reserves used up in December.

The word hepatica comes from the Greek word hepar, which refers to the liver. The shape and color of the leaves resemble a liver, indeed. The leaves have three lobes like a liver, and older leaves are reddish-purple, similar to the color of a liver. Herbalists once even used this plant to treat liver ailments. They believed in the "Doctrine of Signatures," in which plants were thought to be marked with a sign to show how to use them for treatment of the human body. Thus, a leaf reminiscent of the liver was thought to be good for treating liver ailments. More recently, hepatica seems to have fallen out of favor as a common liver treatment.

Following flowering, the previous year’s leaves die back and new, bright green leaves appear. Long, pointed, hairy achenes (seeds) develop after flowering. These achenes are a favorite food of rodents. Ants also collect the seeds and take them back to their nests. Hepatica, like many spring wildflowers, depends upon these ants for successful dispersal. The ants move the seeds to their nest, which proves to be a good place for germination.

This spring, watch for this small, beautiful wildflower in our local woodlands. Look for them peeking out from under the oak leaves of the woodland litter. The round-lobed hepatica is more common in acidic soils, while the sharp-lobed is more common in more calcareous soils. In Chicago Wilder-ness, the sharp-lobed hepatica is more common and is found in many of our mesic woods, usually along ravine slopes. One great place to find the round-lobed hepatica is the sandy woodlands of the Indiana Dunes.

Occasionally both species can occur in the same woods and they may even hybridize, having characteristics intermediate between the two types. Watch for the frequent large clumps of hepaticas there — a delightful scene indeed!

— Bill Glass