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Spring Beauty

Claytonia virginica

Tiny pink-veined flowers carpet woodlands in early spring. The small corms are a traditional foraged food, with a nutty, potato-like flavor raw or cooked — though slow to form, so harvest sparingly. It is a true spring ephemeral: the whole plant yellows and vanishes by early summer, so give it neighbors whose later foliage will cover the gap.

Family

Montiaceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

0.5–0.75 ft

Spacing

0.5–0.75 ft apart

Light

part shade

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

acidic

Bloom

January, February, March, April, May

Bloom colors

white, pink

Wildlife value

pollinators, mammals

Landscape uses

naturalizing

Native states

AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV