Spring beauty (Montia perfoliata) is a
plant that found its way from the Pacific coast of North America to Great
Britain during the 19th century, being first seen in Britain in 1852. In its
original homeland it is known as Indian lettuce and miner's lettuce, although
native Americans ate its bulbs as well its leaves.
It is found throughout Britain growing
mainly on disturbed and waste ground, with a preference for sandy soils.
An unusual feature of spring beauty is that
its leaves - apart from those at the base of the plant - fuse together in pairs
to completely surround each flowering stem. The flowers therefore appear to
grow out of a single leaf which forms a bowl shape. This is known as
perfoliation, which gives the plant its botanical name.
Spring beauty grows to a height of between
4 and 12 inches. The flowers, which appear between May and July, have five
notched white petals and two sepals.
© John Welford
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