Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Heloniadaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out Jim Fowler's blog for a look at Swamp Pink in South Carolina: 4-18-13 and 4-18-21.
Read more about Swamp Pink from Linda Chafin and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.
Read more from the South Carolina Plant Conservation Alliance.
This is a monotypic genus and no other species even remotely looks like Swamp Pink. Learn more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Helonias bullata
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Helonias bullata
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-16-001:
Helonias bullata FAMILY Liliaceae
COMMON NAME:
Swamp Pink
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_hebu_001_lvd
)
Ben Geer Keys bgk658_a
April
)
Diane Creaton dmc_03355
April Greenville County SC
Watson Cooper Heritage Trust Site
)
JK Marlow jkm230420_2670
April Greenville County SC
Watson Cooper Heritage Trust Site
)
JK Marlow jkm230420_2672
April Greenville County SC
Watson Cooper Heritage Trust Site
Flowers have pale blue anthers and exude a spicy fragrance, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm230420_2681
April Greenville County SC
Watson Cooper Heritage Trust Site
)
JK Marlow jkm230420_2683
April Greenville County SC
Watson Cooper Heritage Trust Site
)
JK Marlow jkm230420_2688
April Greenville County SC
Watson Cooper Heritage Trust Site
)
JK Marlow jkm230420_2689
April Greenville County SC
Watson Cooper Heritage Trust Site
)
David Campbell mdc_helonias
April Ashe County NC
A two-inch egg-shaped cluster of pink flowers on a hollow stalk, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
David Campbell mdc_heloniashabitat
April Ashe County NC
Habitat.
)
Tim Lee tle_swamppink_001
April? NC
Pisgah National Forest: Pisgah Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm160502_042
May Jackson County NC
Habitat.
)
JK Marlow jkm160502_048
May Jackson County NC
A rosette of oblanceolate evergreen leaves, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm160502_110
May Macon County NC
Highlands Biological Station
The flowering scape elongates markedly in fruit, reaching 1m in height, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm230523_3267
May Greenville County SC
Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230523_3272
May Greenville County SC
Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve
Capsule 3-lobed, papery, 3-5mm long, 8-10mm wide, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Tim Spira tpshbullata_rosettes
June
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Heloniadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Helonias bullata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Helonias bullata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-16-001:
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Liliaceae
658
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: bogs, usually under dense shrubs in peaty soils, in the VA Coastal Plain in acidic sandy seepage swamps, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Simple
Basal rosette
FLOWER:
Spring
Pink/Lavender
Radially symmetrical
6 persistent tepals
6 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p120
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p287
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p118
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p336
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p159
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p379
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p161
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p029
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p383
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p013
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".