On our Chapter walk through Cedar Point, October 30, we saw Bluecurls, Trichostema dichotomum, in bloom. John Holyland wanted to take a picture of them but the trail was crowded and we needed to move on. I reminded him that we had Bluecurls in the garden and after the walk he was able to take some great pictures of the flower. Don't be confused by the picture and go looking for a great big bloom. The whole flower is about ¾ of an inch in size. I remember the first time I saw one, Jack Lyons was with us and he had a magnifying glass enabling all of us to have a close up look: beauty in a small package - just like many of our Florida wildflowers. They might be easy to pass up, but when you take the time to really look, the rewards are great.
Bluecurls can grow up to 2 feet high, and is usually about as broad as it is tall. Relativity fast growing, the plant likes full sun and will grow in nutrient poor soils. The leaves are thin and elliptical. Bluecurls is a member of the mint family but the leaves are not particularly minty. Flowering generally begins in the early summer and may continue well into early fall. The dark blue flowers have spotted lower petals; the reproductive parts - the stamens and styles - are long and curled.
Bluecurls is an annual, dying shortly after it disperses its seeds in late fall. It produces a large number of seeds. Even though it is an annual, there is never any danger of losing it if these seeds can find the soil surface. The plants in the garden came from Chris Meyer's yard - note his yard not his garden; he said it was all over the place.
There are mixed reports about whether this plant is attractive to butterflies, guess we will have to watch and see.
References:
Online Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants, Trichostema dichotomum www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=3638
Natives for your Neighborhood, Florked Bluecurls www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Tricdich
Hawthorn Hill Native Wildflower and Rare Plant Nursery. Native Florida Wildflowers blog, Bluecurls- Trichostema dichotum http://hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com/2010/01/blue-curls-trichostema-dichotomum.html
Photo by John Holyland