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Spring
Wildflowers of the C&O Canal
Welcome...
We're
glad to have you at the C&O Canal National historical Park to
enjoy the day. We hope you explore some of the wildlife that makes
this park a priceless natural treasure. C&O Canal NHP boasts
over 600 species of wildflowers, some of which are listed as threatened
or endangered within the state of Maryland
Benefitting
each other...
Plant
and animal communities are primarily determined by habitat. The
majority of the park is classified as a woodplain habitat, which
is periodically inundated creating rich soil.
Wildflowers
are members of an active, dynamic natural system. Each interacts
with other flora and fauna, contributing to the health of the system
as a whole. Humans have also benefited from ancient and continuing
associations with wildflowers. For instance, the mayapple contains
a chemical that is used in the treatment of skin cancer.
One
of the best times to visit the park is in early spring, just after
the ground has thawed. This brochure contains nine native spring
wildflowers that you are likely to see in all their glory between
April and May. The ecological and historical roles unique to each
is also presented.
Come
again...
You
help protect one of the park's greatest assets - its natural heritage
- simply by showing apprecitation and respect for all that lives
here. We encourage you to take home a greater understanding of the
park and fond memories. Plants need their flowers to reproduce,
so please don't pick them; allow others the same opportunity to
enjoy these small beauties.
 Wild
Ginger (Asarum
canadense)
The
flavor of wild ginger is similar to the ginger in stores, and was
used by Native Americans as a seasoning. Some tribes also used the
plant to treat indigestion, gas, earache and heart palpitations.
The women used wild ginger for birth control.
These
flowers are pollinated by small black flies and the seeds dispersed
mainly by ants. The plant provides food for the larvae of pipe-vine
swallowtails.
 Jack-in-the-pulpit
(Arisaema
triphyllum)
This
plant contains calcium oxalate which is caustic and poisonous when
ingested. Still, it was used by the Chippewas as an eye wash and
by various people to break fevers by inducing sweating. The berries
were boiled and eaten by many Native American peoples. They are
also consumed by wood thrushes.
 Spring
Beauty (Claytonia
virginica)
Several
insects pollinate these lovely flowers including some bees and butterflies.
The dark veins in the petals (nectar guides) radiate toward the
flower's center, "guiding" insects to the nectar and pollen.
The corms, or underground stem, of spring beauties have been enjoyed
by chipmunks, white-footed mice and people.
 Mayapple
(Podophyllum
peltatum)
Mayapple
vegetation contains a toxin (podophyllum) used to treat skin cancer.
It is the only known source of this chemical which inhibits cell
growth. The fruit of the plant is sweet and eaten by squirrels,
white-footed mice and common grackles. Eastern box turtles also
consume the fruit, dispersing the seeds and facilitating germination
by ingestion. Native Americans used the plant for liver ailments,
rheumatism and constipation and to make an insecticide.
 Trout
lily (Erythronium
americanum)
Trout
lilies absorb and store phosphorous and so are important sources
of this nutrient for fauna.
 Dutchman's
breeches (Dicentra
cucullaria)
Like
other members of the Poppy family, this plant is poisonous. It contains
alkaloids that can kill cattle. A close relative is squirrel corn
(D. canadensis). (Note the more heart-shaped flowers.) Both
flowers rely primarily on bees for pollination and ants for seed
dispersal.
 Blue
phlox (Phlox
divaricata)
The
tubes of these flowers are so deep, only bumble bees and butterflies
with long mothparts are able to reach the nectar. Certain species
of bumble bees bite holes in the side of the flowers to obtain the
sweet nourishment. However, these bees fail to pollinate in exchange
for their reward.
Native
Americans made tea with phlox leaves. It was consumed for stomach
discomforts.
 Bloodroot
(Sanguinaria
canadensis)
These
plants contain a toxic orange-red juice. It was used by various
Native American peoples as paint or dye and as an insect repellent.
The Iriquois treated ringworm with bloodroot, and pioneers mixed
the juice with sugar to make rather dangerous "coughdrops".
Sanguarine, the toxin, has plaque fighting properties, so was once
incorporated in mouthwashes and toothpastes.
 Violets
(Viola
papilionacea and other V. spp.)
Day
length triggers a hormone to produce flowers in violets, so they
may bloom a second time in the fall when daylight hours are the
same as in early spring. Violets provide food for many animals:
ants aid germination by gathering seeds for their oil; ruffed grouse,
mourning doves, dark-eyed juncos and white-footed mice eat the seeds
themselves; wild turkeys consume the rhizomes and cottontails the
nutritious greens. Several other species and colors of violets may
be found in the park. They are difficult to distinguish due to similarity
of appearance and frequent hybridization.
For
more information...
If
you would like to volunteer
at the C&O Canal NHP or would like to know more about wildlife
in the park, please contact us. We'd be happy to have you on board.
Call
or write us at:
C&O Canal NHP
1850 Dual Highway Suite #100
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Phone:
301-739-4200
Recommended
Field Guides
Peterson,
Roger T. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern/North Central
North America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1968.
Newcomb,
Lawrence. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown &
Co. 1977.
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