Mertensia virginica
Family
Boraginaceae
Common Name(s)
Virginia blue bells
Flowering Time
April to May
Fruit/Seed Maturation Sign
Calyx yellows, seeds turn brown/black when mature, but are often released when still green
Fruit/Seed Collection Dates
Mid to late May
Notes
Spring ephemeral.
Mature plants transplanted in the field had 83-92% survival after two years, and continued high survivial in year 3 (Altricher et al. 2020).
Seed output high (Barkely 1986, Gleason and Cronquist 1991); self sows (Cullina 2000).
Vegetative spread low from sometimes odd-shaped, gnarled tuberous roots (Sperkka 1973, Runkel and Bull 2009).
Seed Cleaning
Separate seeds from vegetative structures
Storage
Intolerant of dry storage, mildly hydrophilic (Cullina 2000)
Restoration Potential
High