Specific Families and Genera > Hepatica
Hepatica in northcentral Pennsylvania, USA
Maggi Young:
--- Quote from: Mark W. Simonis on November 03, 2022, 10:48:00 AM ---I have to stop looking at wild Hepatica for the rest of the year as I keep adding sites/plants where I will have to go back to check flowering in the spring (Ha! Ha!). Found a site here yesterday in northcentral Pennsylvania, USA with a concentration of Hepatica nobilis var acuta f diversiloba! Mark
--- End quote ---
Have you enough pages in your diary, Mark?!!
Mark W. Simonis:
Maggi, I do take a lot of notes but I don't know if I would call it a diary. Mark
Rick R.:
Mark, I did notice that you had mentioned the rust before. Thanks for the additional info. Initially, I didn't think that was it because the color seemed different and I never saw any indication of a any non-viruslike disease. But with this extra info, everything seems to fit, and it is very possible that I am never around when the pustules form.
The rust does seem to affect the same plants in the same area, but I've never actually marked individual plants. Being a rust, it would seem quite probable that an alternate host is right there. I am thinking our wild plums (Prunus americana) likely has a remnant presence there from when the forested area was more open.
The investigation will continue next year. Thanks!
Mark W. Simonis:
Rick, I had to look closer since at the early stage it is hard to spot on the upper surface of the leaves. It is much more obvious on the undersides. See attachment from here this year. Mark
Rick R.:
Most of the times, I am usually out there very very early in the season, as the reason I go is to witness the Snow trilliums blooming. I am thinking it is too early for the rust to develop a visual presence, or I could have just missed it since I would not have purposely inspected hepatica leaf undersides. The one photo I shared does look suspicious.
So since there aren't that many that are infected each year, I wonder if I could break the life cycle of the disease (or at least reduce it's presence) long term, by removing the infected leaves. There is also Anemone quincefolia and Thalictrum thalictroides that grow there, but I've never noticed any "weirdness" on them. Or likewise, if I found the alternate host.....
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