Pretty Pastels of Spring
In the early spring days of the piedmont of South Carolina, there are two beautiful flowers that punctuate the woodlands and add striking colors to the spring green palettes of new leaves. Beginning in late February, small yellow trumpet flowers begin dotting the forest and are quickly seen all over fields, edges and open wooded areas. At Harmony Hill, those open wooded areas can be both upland pine stands and open hardwood forests near Beaver Creek.
A vine capable of climbing to great heights, Yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) has vibrant, canary yellow trumpet flowers and simple, evergreen leaves. I’ve heard this plant called “Poor Man’s Rope”, as well as “Evening Trumpet Vine”. And, while it’s not uncommon to see it spelled “Jasmine” and even referred to as “Carolina Jasmine”, the most accepted spelling (and pronunciation) is Jessamine. Sometimes confused with Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Yellow Jessamine is a native plant that ranges from Virginia down to Florida, and westward to Texas.
Let’s take a quick look at that scientific name. The genus name of Gelsemium is a variant of the Italian word for Jasmine (gelsomino). And the species name, sempervirens, means evergreen (literally, “always living/green”). We see that same species name in the scientific name for the Coastal Redwoods in California (Sequoia sempervirens).
The state flower of South Carolina, EVERY SINGLE PART OF THIS PLANT is poisonous to humans and is even avoided by many animals. The stem, the flowers, the nectar, the leaves and even the roots are poisonous. In fact, even honey from the nectar of Yellow Jessamine. Livestock can be harmed by ingesting high levels of this plant and that nectar we mentioned can also be toxic to insects that ingest too much. (Side note… I once got in trouble in elementary school when the teacher asked what the state flower of SC was and I joked, “Adluh!” State Flour/State Flower)
Also, during my time as a wildland firefighter, I saw the flammability of this plant. Whenever flames get near Yellow Jessamine, the intensity of the fire increases and will climb the vine pretty quickly.
Just a few weeks after Yellow Jessamine begins blooming, another native, gorgeous and poisonous plant begins painting the woods with pinks that are a sure sign of warmer and longer days. Piedmont Azalea (Rhododendron canescens) is known by a laundry list of common names. Mountain Azalea, Pinxterflower, Wild Azalea, Wild Rhododendron, and on, and on and on… I’ve heard this plant called dozens and dozens of different names, but the scientific name is still the same.
Rhododendron means “rose tree” and canescens means “hoary” (or silver, gray). This lovely shrub is in the Heath family (Ericaceae).
Like the Yellow Jessamine, Piedmont Azalea loves partial shade, with lots of sunlight, and a variety of acidic soils. And, like Yellow Jessamine, this native azalea is quite poisonous. Despite not being related to Yellow Jessamine (which is a vine in the Logania Family) one of the azalea’s common names is, in another cool connection, Bush Honeysuckle. (Again, neither of our plants in this installment is a honeysuckle.)
As was the case with our first focus plant, all parts of Piedmont Azalea are poisonous to both man and beast. This is in NO WAY meant to keep anyone from admiring these lovely native plants. Nor is it intended to cause anyone from encouraging these showy plants on the landscape. It is just to point at a very effective evolutionary means to deter foraging by herbivores that could eat (and kill) these two species. Poisons are simply a means to keep a species from being eaten, that’s all. It is nature providing a protection and allowing a species to grow, mature and reproduce. (Whether plant or animal)
There is a pocket of the rare May White Azalea (Rhododendron eastmanii) hidden on Harmony Hill. Originally thought to be Alabama Azalea (Rhododendron alabamense), the bloom time is completely different from Alabama Azalea. May White Azalea blooms a full moth after Alabama Azalea. True to its name, this diminutive white azalea flower blooms in May, while Alabama Azalea blooms in late March and April. We will most definitely spotlight that species when it blooms later this spring. I, for one, cannot wait to see those delicate while azalea blooms opening over Harmony Hill.
More than any levels of plant toxicity, what we should focus on is the early season beauty these plants bring to the lower piedmont of Harmony Hill. We should always be sure to delight in the bright colors they bring to a land just beginning to awaken from a long winter’s nap. And, as Robin and Bethany did in early April, be sure to allow our eyes to steer toward the way these flowers grab the sunlight and transform it into optical magic… to stop in our tracks and appreciate the vivid hues on display as spring takes hold.