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| Small-flowered leafcup (Polymnia canadensis) |
Two of the dominant wildflowers in bloom at this time of the year are the leafcups.
Both small-flowered leafcup, a.k.a. whiteflower leafcup (Polymnia canadensis) and large-flowered leafcup a.k.a. bear's foot leafcup (Polymnia uvedalia) are found in limestone woodlands, an excellent way to describe Ijams since karst topography—complete with caves, fissures, underground streams and sinkholes—is the bedrock just below the surface throughout the park.
Both leafcups bloom late in the season, growing tall (P. uvedalia can reach heights of ten feet) and profusely, so much so that they can block trails. Robust members of the sunflower family, you can distinguish the two by the size and colors of the flowers. Both also have rather large leaves.
As legend has it, the Native Americans used the large leafs to fashion impromptu drinking utensils, hence the name: leafcup.
Look for them along many of the Ijams woodland trails.
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| Large-flowered leafcup (Polymnia uvedalia) |
- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales
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