Claytonia virginica
The spring beauty is an absolutely adorable spring flowering plant that stays low to the ground and brightens up the garden with its cup shaped white and pink striped blossoms.
Spring beauty can be introduced to the lawn as an excellent native alternative to the crocus. Found in large groupings in both sun and dappled shade, C. virginica blooms for a brief time before dying back to allow for later growing plants to shine.
A perfect early spring burst of color provides a much needed food source for hungry pollinators.
Native People and early Colonists would collect the underground tubers to roast and eat, the corms having a chestnut-like flavor. In fact, the entire plant is edible, root to blossoms. The roots are not tasty unless cooked and can be used like (very small) new potatoes. All the parts above the ground can be eaten raw or cooked.
Source: grown from seed originally from Minnesota. Prairie Moon Nursery.
Claytonia virginica (Spring beauty)
type: herbaceous perennial sun needs: shade to part shade water needs: moist, wet, to average soil height: 5" plant spacing: 4 per square feet bloom time: April, May, June bloom color: pink