HOARY PUCCOON
Lithospermum canescens
BORAGE FAMILY (Boraginaceae)
Identification
- Flowering time - April, May, June
- Historical record from Neale Woods - not seen recently
- Rounded cluster of yellow-orange flowers
- Flowers with 5 petals
- See comments for separation from other puccoon species
This native perennial grows from 6 to 15 inches tall, arising from a deep reddish taproot. Its alternate, un-stalked leaves with rounded tips are 1-2 inches long and less than 1/2 inch wide. Soft, silky hairs cover both stem and leaves, giving them a gray-green color. At the top of the stem are coiled flower clusters which straighten as the flowers mature. Each tubular yellow-orange flower is 1/2 inch in diameter and has 5 spreading, rounded lobes.
Found in drier prairie sites, flowering from April through June. The single plant in the photo was observed in the prairie transplant just above the parking lot at Neale Woods in May of 2002. It has not been seen since nor have other plants been found.
Soft, silky hairs and rounded leaf tips separate Hoary Puccoon from the similar Hairy Puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense), a more widely distributed Nebraska native not found at our two nature centers. It is taller with larger flowers, pointed leaf tips and coarse, rough hairs. Another species, Fringed Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum), also rare at Neale Woods has a brighter yellow flower with a much longer tube and distinctive fringed edges.
Hoary puccoon, sometimes called Indian Paint for the red dye extracted from its roots, is the best-recognized of the puccoons, a Native American name for plants that produce a red dye. The genus name Lithospermum originates from the Greek words for “stone” and “seed”, referring to its hard seeds.
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