Sharp-Lobed Hepatica

Hepaticas are one of the many wildflowers I knew in abundance when I was a little brat running around in the woods. These were the May flowers we were led to believe the April showers had brought us. In the spring they carpeted the floor of the woods across the road from our house. I don't know if they were the species pictured here, Hepatica acutiloba, or the round-lobed species, H. americana. What I do know is that their abundance and variety were amazing. The white and pale pink or blue were the most common. Occasionally there were clumps of darker pink, purple, or my favorite--deep blue-violet.

In the wild they are found on leafy forest floors so I assume a good organic soil is preferred. My little clump seems to be doing well in a loose, well-drained soil that I've added a lot of compost and sand to.