Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Heloniadaceae
NEW! Click to 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
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.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_hebu_001_lvd
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Ben Geer Keys bgk658_a
April
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Diane Creaton dmc_03355
April Greenville County SC
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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.
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David Campbell mdc_heloniashabitat
April Ashe County NC
Habitat.
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Tim Lee tle_swamppink_001
April? NC
Pisgah National Forest: Pisgah Ranger District
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JK Marlow jkm160502_042
May Jackson County NC
Habitat.
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JK Marlow jkm160502_048
May Jackson County NC
A rosette of oblanceolate evergreen leaves, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains.
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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).
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JK Marlow jkm160502_112
May Macon County NC
Highlands Biological Station
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Dan Whitten sdw_matthewsckbog019b
May Greenville County SC
Mountain Bridge Wilderness
Flowers have pale blue anthers and exude a spicy fragrance, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains.
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Tim Spira tpshbullata_rosettes
June
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Heloniadaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-16-001:
Helonias bullata
FAMILY
Liliaceae
658
Forb
Perennial
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Documented growing wild in GA NC SC
Rare
Habitat: bogs, usually under dense shrubs in peaty soils, in the VA Coastal Plain in acidic sandy seepage swamps, per Weakley's Flora
NEW! Click here to see a range map (and maybe identification notes) from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Simple
Basal rosette
FLOWER:
Spring
Pink/Lavender
Bisexual
Radially symmetrical
6 persistent tepals
6 stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC p120
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide p336
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast p379
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States p161
- Wild Flowers of NC, 1st edition p028
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition p029
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont p383
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains p013