March 23rd, 2012. We had a few hours. The weather wasn’t great but we felt like getting out. So we drove one of the back roads in Wilkes County, Georgia. We drove out to Lexington on US-78 and turned north on GA-77 to the road marked as the Saxon-Mattox Road. It’s the last road before the Broad River crossing. This road runs from Saxon to Norman and then to Broad. On DeLorme’s Georgia Atlas & Gazetteer, the road begins as Goose Pond Road and then becomes CR-113 to Norman. The section from Norman to Broad is Norman Rd NE. We didn’t really expect to see much but we were really in for a pleasant surprise. This road runs roughly parallel to the Broad River through dry pine and deciduous forests. Periodically the road dips to cross creeks that drain into the Broad River.
On the high ground in the woods, it wasn’t unusual to find…
Cladonia subtenuis (Dixie reindeer lichen) and moss. The moss was still green due to the rain we’ve been having recently
A closer view
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) was blooming throughout the woods.
And then the real find on the high ground…
Sisyrinchium species (blue-eyed grass). I’m not sure what species this is. At first I thought it was Sisyrinchium mucronatum (Needle-tip blue-eyed-grass) but I’ve never seen this species with clusters of flowers at the tip. Now I’m wondering if it’s Sisyrinchium atlanticum (Atlantic Blue-eyed Grass).
A closer view of these blooms. This was an exciting find. We saw just one small patch of these plants by CR-113, not far from GA-17; we’ve never seen it anywhere else in spite of seeing several Sisyrinchium species. Does anyone have information on this plant. I’d be interested to find out if my tentative identification is correct or to obtain an accurate identification.
To be continued…
Click on an image to view a larger image
Identification resources:
University of Georgia: A Guide to Twelve Common & Conspicuous Lichens of Georgia’s Piedmont
Southeastern Flora:
- Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)
- Sisyrinchium mucronatum (Needle-tip blue-eyed-grass)
Name that Plant:
- Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud, Judas Tree)
- Sisyrinchium atlanticum (Atlantic Blue-eyed Grass)
- Sisyrinchium mucronatum (Blue-eyed Grass)
Distribution
University of Norh Carolina Herbarium:
- Cercis canadensis var. canadensis
- Sisyrinchium atlanticum
- Sisyrinchium mucronatum
USDA Plants Database
- Cercis canadensis var. canadensis (Eastern Redbud)
- Sisyrinchium mucronatum (Needletip Blue-eyed Grass)
- Sisyrinchium atlanticum (Eastern Blue-eyed Grass)
Related posts:
- Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Prostrate Blue Violet, Green-and-gold & Trumpet Honeysuckle
- Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
- Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Luna Moth (Actias luna)
- Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Down In The Creek Bottom
- Saxon-Norman-Broad, Wilkes County, Georgia: Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)
- Needle-tip Blue-eyed-Grass (Sisyrinchium mucronatum)
On our recent trip to the Piedmont NWR in Jones County, Georgia, we drove south from GA-83 into the wildlife area on Starrs Road. I saw a couple of flashes of orange in Jasper County. I month or so ago I would have dismissed them as Orange daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva). But, for the most part, daylilies have finished blooming, and these blooms seemed smaller. So… we backed up and I hopped out of the car to investigate. Sure enough, these were smaller lilies. These were Blackberry lilies (Belamcanda chinensis), also known by the common name Blackberry-lily.
From the car. The flower heads are hardly visible. They are slightly to the right of the center of the photo.
A closer view.
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Close views of an individual flower.
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After blooming, the petals twist up and then dry up. In the foreground, flowers have just completed blooming. Dried-up flowers are visible in the background still attached to the developing seed pods.
This view shows flower buds, flowers, and developing seed pods. When the seeds ripen the pod will open to reveal the seeds that look like a blackberry – hence the name Blackberry Lily.
Enjoy another posting on the Blackberry Lily from Nellie at Beyond My Garden.
Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis) is native to Japan and Korea. In the Unites States, it grows in states east of a line from Minnesota and South Dakota south to Texas. In Georgia, it has been documented in counties at the edge of the Piedmont from Elbert to Jones counties as well as in Appling County.
Click on an image to view a larger image
Distribution:
- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Belamcanda chinensis (Blackberry Lily)
- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Belamcanda chinensis
Identification resources:
- Southeastern Flora: Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis)
- Natural and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Belamcanda chinensis (Blackberry-lily)
Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower – Wildflower Index
Cladonia subtenuis (Dixie reindeer lichen) and moss. The moss was still green due to the rain we’ve been having recently
A closer view 
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) was blooming throughout the woods. 
Sisyrinchium species (blue-eyed grass). I’m not sure what species this is. At first I thought it was Sisyrinchium mucronatum (Needle-tip blue-eyed-grass) but I’ve never seen this species with clusters of flowers at the tip. Now I’m wondering if it’s Sisyrinchium atlanticum (Atlantic Blue-eyed Grass).
A closer view of these blooms. This was an exciting find. We saw just one small patch of these plants by CR-113, not far from GA-17; we’ve never seen it anywhere else in spite of seeing several Sisyrinchium species. Does anyone have information on this plant. I’d be interested to find out if my tentative identification is correct or to obtain an accurate identification.
