Wildflowers For Week of April 1, 2024

New additions to my Alaska Wildflower Guide

This week I have three new additions to my online Alaska Wildflower Guide to share with you. All three have additional descriptive captions on photos that can help with identifying features that I began using recently.

Spiraea stevenii - Beauverd spirea

Side view of the stem, leaves, and corymbs of Beauverd spirea, also known as Alaska spirea (Spiraea stevenii)

Beauverd spirea, also commonly known as Alaska spirea, is a low-growing perennial shrub that produces terminal corymbiform inflorescences of many small, 5-petaled, white flowers. It has traditionally been used as a fuel, burning the woody plant for smoking fish, and also the fresh or dried leaves used for making tea. It has a fairly small distribution, mainly in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Siberia.

More info on Spiraea stevenii in my Wildflower Guide

Moehringia lateriflora - Grove sandwort

The small white flower of Moehringia lateriflora, commonly known as grove sandwort or Blunt-Leaf Grove-Sandwort, displays white petals and green sepals with distinct white margins.

Commonly known as grove sandwort or bluntleaf sandwort, Moehringia lateriflora is a tiny plant that can easily be overlooked. It thrives in meadows and open woods; we often find it growing alongside the grass in our front yard. It’s widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, including Alaska, Canada, and most of the northern United States. It can be identified by its relatively large, often blunt leaves, 5 egg-shaped white petals, and much smaller, pointier, white-edged green sepals.

More info on Moehringia lateriflora in my Wildflower Guide

Bupleurum americanum - American thorow wax

This is a close-up of part of an umbel and hemispherical umbellules of Bupleurum americanum, commonly known as American thorow wax. Secondary bracts are visible behind the umbellules, which contain numerous yellow flowers with inward-rolled petals.

While Bupleurum americanum, or American thorow wax, is fairly common in Alaska, I haven’t encountered it often. It’s a perennial herb with long grasslike leaves with distinctive parallel veins, an inflorescence of compound umbels with umbellules, and numerous yellow flowers with inwardly rolled petals. It also has a fairly narrow distribution, found in Alaska, parts of western Canada, northern Rocky Mountain states in the US, and eastern Siberia. It’s typically found in rocky, mountainous environments or hills.

More info on Bupleurum americanum in my Wildflower Guide

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If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my 2025 Alaska Wildflower Calendar!