Fringed Polygala At Last

Traditionally in this part of NYS, Fringed poylgala is associated with Mother's Day.  This year the weather has been beyond harsh resulting in delayed appearance of green growth.  Yesterday's generous rainfall instantly made a widespread difference.  Leaves and flowers appeared where previously there had been little growth.  Our previous check for these flower's appearance found nothing.  Thinking that the rain may have drawn these plants out sent us back to our woods.  Initially nothing was found.  The marking stick previously placed alongside of where this plant had grown pointed to nothing.  Nearby a recent fallen section of tree covered another known location for this plant.

Not ready to give up the search, a route was found around more fallen tree branches to an area where in year's past this plant had been seen.  Initially nothing was found.  Then one spot of the characteristic purple color became visible followed by seeing many more.

We had previously successfully transplanted Fringed polygala to our shade garden.  All went well for several years when other native plants moved in.  The broad green leaves, one holding a white flower bud, seen in this photo is Canada Mayflower.  A nearby section of forest contains only trees and this native invader.  There all other native plants have been crowded out.  That was the same fate of our transplants.  We never knowingly moved Canada Mayflower into our garden but it soon made its presence known.  We lost each and every Polygala to this brute.

 

This photo shows just how crowded woodland soil can become.  In the lower right corner next to a long brown stick, Polygala leaves fill a single vertical stem.  A similar plant is just behind the flowerless stem.  The nearby double flowers have bent their stem.  This is without a doubt a crowded neighborhood.

 

Little has been found about this plant and what we encounter is sometimes contradictory.  It is generally accepted that seed formation occurs in  never open flower just below the soil surface.  The function of these open flowers remains mostly unanswered.  Today an internet visit to Native Plant Trust Go Botany revealed twin seed pods positioned where the two horizontal flower petals can now be seen.  We will mark the location of this plant with a florescent red flag so that we can find it when its flowers are past.  The possibility of seeds is exciting.  We have vowed to never again dig this plant.  We discovered that each stem grows from a horizontal close to the surface root.  Nutrition is found by the vertical tap root of some size.  It that tap root is not intact, the transplant will die.  The possibility of seeds above ground is simply wonderful.