Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
Among the earliest blooming plants found in the central and eastern United States. The Spring Beauty thrives in lawns, pastures and other clearings, forming whitish pink masses on the dead brown grass. The beautiful, small one half inch, white flowers are streaked with pink and have pink stamens.
As with the Henbit, the appearance of the Spring Beauty is a welcome sight to winter weary eyes and hungry insects.
The roots of the Spring Beauty, have a small, bulb-like tuber called corms, which reportedly taste like chestnut and were used by Native Americans and early settlers for food.
It is not recommended that these plants be used as medicine or food since they may have bad side effects. Similar species, misidentified, may cause illness or death.
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