I continue to slowly add new species to my Blue Jay Barrens plant list. Number 525 is the Starry Campion,
Silene stellata, a plant that grows in the open woods. The petals look as though they were shredded in a storm, but that is their normal appearance.
The leaves grow in whorls of four around the stem. Characteristics like this really narrow your choice of possibilities when you find a new plant. I probably would have walked right by this plant without giving it any notice if a shaft of sunlight hadn’t been illuminating the bloom.
I’ve seen Number 526 before, but never when it was flowering. This is St. Andrew’s Cross,
Hypericum stragulum. The four petaled flower has four sepals; two are long and broad, while the other two are short and narrow.
St. Andrew’s Cross is actually a low growing shrub with sprawling branches. The plant is heavily browsed by deer which may explain why I’ve never before seen it in bloom.
The leaves look very much like those of the St. Johnsworts with which St. Andrew’s Cross is included. I think I’ve always recognized the relationship even though I couldn’t identify the species.
I found this patch growing in one of the barrens openings. I remember seeing it in past years, but can’t say for sure how old this clump might be. Now that I know what it is, I’ll certainly be paying more attention in the future.
I continue to slowly add new species to my Blue Jay Barrens plant list. Number 525 is the Starry Campion, Silene stellata, a plant that grows in the open woods. The petals look as though they were shredded in a storm, but that is their normal appearance.
The leaves grow in whorls of four around the stem. Characteristics like this really narrow your choice of possibilities when you find a new plant. I probably would have walked right by this plant without giving it any notice if a shaft of sunlight hadn’t been illuminating the bloom.
I’ve seen Number 526 before, but never when it was flowering. This is St. Andrew’s Cross, Hypericum stragulum. The four petaled flower has four sepals; two are long and broad, while the other two are short and narrow.
St. Andrew’s Cross is actually a low growing shrub with sprawling branches. The plant is heavily browsed by deer which may explain why I’ve never before seen it in bloom.
The leaves look very much like those of the St. Johnsworts with which St. Andrew’s Cross is included. I think I’ve always recognized the relationship even though I couldn’t identify the species.
I found this patch growing in one of the barrens openings. I remember seeing it in past years, but can’t say for sure how old this clump might be. Now that I know what it is, I’ll certainly be paying more attention in the future. 
