clasping Venus's looking glass (Nash Prairie Plants List)

clasping Venus's looking glass

Triodanis perfoliata

Summary ⁵

Triodanis perfoliata, the clasping Venus' looking-glass or clasping bellflower, is a flowering plant belonging to the family Campanulaceae. It is an annual herb native to North and South America, the natural range extending from Canada to Argentina. It is also naturalized in China, Korea and Australia.

Comments ⁶

When it is sunny, the flowers open up during the morning, and remain open for the rest of the day. They are attractive, but rather small. The common name of this plant probably refers to the shiny seeds of a related European species. The seeds of Venus' Looking Glass are too tiny to appear shiny to the unaided human eye. In form and color, the flowers of this plant resemble the flowers of Campanula americana (Tall Bellflower), but the former are much smaller. An older scientific name for this plant is Specularia perfoliata. Return

Description ⁷

This native annual plant is unbranched. It is usually ½–1' tall, and rarely becomes taller. The central stem is light green and deeply grooved, with lines of small white hairs along the ridges. The alternate leaves are also light green, and strongly clasp the stem. However, at the top of the stem are a pair of opposite leaves. These leaves are about 1" long and nearly as wide. They are cordate, with wavy or dentate margins that are slightly ciliate. Along the margins the leaves may assume a purplish color in bright sunlight. There is a milky sap in both the stem and leaves. From each leaf axil in the upper half of the plant, are 1-3 flowers, although only one of these will be in bloom at the same time. Each flower is deep violet or purple and about ¾" across. It has a short tubular corolla with 5 spreading lobes. There are darker lines of purple that converge toward the throat of the flower. The throat is whiter than the rest of the flower, from which emerges a prominent white pistil and several stamens. The blooming period occurs during the early summer and lasts about a month. There is no floral fragrance. This plant also produces self-pollinating flowers on the lower half of the stem, whose petals never open. The ovaries develop into small oval capsules, which split open into 3 parts to about the middle. This releases the numerous tiny seeds, which are lens-shaped and reddish brown. They are dispersed readily by the wind, and can be carried a considerable distance. The root system consists of a taproot.

Sources and Credits

(c) Vicki DeLoach, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7327719@N06/5662812842
(c) mlhradio, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/4582351903/
(c) Fritz Flohr Reynolds, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/fritzflohrreynolds/7505311786/
(c) Alison Northup, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alison Northup
Adapted by Amber Leung from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triodanis_perfoliata
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29442983
(c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29442980

More Info

iNat Map

Family	Campanulaceae
Blooms	April

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