Fameflower
Fameflower - an unusual plant
by Paul Ceelen
When you picture a river valley full of springs, you do not normally think of dry, parched soils, and sand blow-outs, but this is exactly the environment that the rough - seeded fameflower inhabits.
This endangered species is found in rocky outcrops, gravel beds, and sand mounds along the upper Mississippi and its tributaries - including the Kinnickinnic River. The fameflower’s range is strictly limited to the Midwest, and even here it is rare.
The fameflower’s appearance is quite distinctive. a cluster of short, succulent, fleshy leaves fives rise to bare, needle-like stems. Topping the stems are small purplish-rose flowers made of five petals arrange like a star.
A fascinating feature of this species (known to botanists as Talinum rugospermum) is its flowering habit: its flowers open in late afternoon, only between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00 P.M., in early summer through late fall. Like fame, the flowering is fleeting.
Of the many endangered plants of the Kinnickinnic, the rough-seeded fameflower provides yet another reason to enjoy nature and protect this unique area.
