Mississippi GenWeb Project State Logo
US GenWeb Project National Logo


W. P. A. History of Pontotoc County, Mississippi

Chapter IV:  FLORA

Flowers

Many flowers adorn the hillsides and meadows of tie county, as well as the yards and lawns of many homes.  Spring flowers here are typical of those that grow elsewhere in Mississippi.

WILD PHLOX with blue and delicate pink flowers, grow in leaf mold through the county; the pink in the w e stern part of the county, and the blue, in the eastern.

The YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER is rare in this section.  Its blossoms, shaped like a Dutch shoe, are yellow splotched with purple.  It is found in wooded or damp places in the eastern part of the county.

SNAKE ROOT a bright red trumpet, glows in damp, shady places.

Single WILD IRIS, three petals with a yellow center, is found in damp places, often on stream banks.

FORGET ME NOTS, tiny sky-blue flowers with yellow centers, grow anywhere in the county.

DANDELION has fluffy yellow flowers; it grows anywhere in pasture, field, or garden.

RED AND WHITE CLOVER thrives in sunny places.

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT is found in shady places in the eastern section of the county.

PAW-PAW has dark red, almost black, blossoms which form a cup; they grow in all creek bottoms.

MAY APPLE has a small white, waxy bloom, located between leaves where a lemon-like fruit comes; it is found in  moist places and meadowlands.

INDIAN PAINT ROOT, with a small, orchid like blossom, grows in woody places.

SOLOMON'S SEAL has dingy little white cylindrical flowers hidden beneath the leaves; it is found in moist places and meadowlands.

BLUETS, very tiny daisies, almost the first thing to bloom in spring, have blossoms of four petals; it grows to a height of one to three inches on pasture land and open fields.

TRILLIUM has three purplish-brown petals.  It reaches a height of six to fifteen inches and thrives in moist, rich soil.

MOUSE EARED CHICKWEED has pale orchid, very tiny flowers on fragile stems; they are found  everywhere in the county, mostly in yards and fields.

LADIES TRESSES produce tiny white flowers on slender green stems.  Waxy petals  turn back, revealing a center like a child's face; they grow on hillsides and in hollows.

BLUE-BOTTLE, a purplish-blue flower, on stem similar to hyacinth, is found on dry soil.

SHEEP SORREL, a small pale-pink blossom, has a leaf similar to the shamrock, and has an acid taste.  It grows on hillsides.

DADDY-SHAME-FACE is a small white flower, peculiar in that the leaf closes when touched; it grows in the eastern part of the county in sandy-clay soil.

INDIAN PINK, a brilliant scarlet, on the order of a small carnation, grows on hillsides, in woods, in the eastern part of the county.

ELM ROOT, a delicate pink and white blossom, thrives in rich hillside leaf mold and grows mainly in the eastern section of the county.

SPRING BEAUTY, a small, dainty flower of pale rose pink thrives in moist, sunny woods.

TRAILING ARBUTUS flowers are small, rose pink, and grow in clusters; the leaves are evergreen and heart shaped.

WILD HONEYSUCKLE is sweet-scented flowers which range in color from deep pink to white.  These are found chiefly in the western part of the county in open woods.

WILD VIOLET, one of the first flowers of spring, has purple blossoms and heart shaped leaves; they grow in moist meadows and woods throughout the county.

SWAMP BUTTERCUPS have six petaled flowers of yellow; they grow in moist places everywhere in the county.

MARSH MARIGOLD, producing gold colored flowers  with five petals, is found in marshes.

SKUNK CABBAGE flowers are pinkish lavender set inside a green and purple hood.  The leaves are short-stemmed and appear after the flowers have started to fade.  They grow in swamps.

RUE ANEMONE is pink outside, white inside, and blooms in clusters; they are found in partially shaded places everywhere in the county.

SWAMP ROSE has shell-pink to dark rose with yellow centers, which grow in clusters; found in swampy places.

SHINLEAF has a white bloom-cluster near the end of a tall stem.  It grows along creek banks in woods throughout the county.

THISTLE has powder puff flower of yellow and purple, with briars on leaves and stem; they grow on pasture lands.

INDIAN PIPE is often called ghost-flower, because of its white appearance in dark woods.  The flower grows on end of stem and turns downward; it feeds on food prepared by other plants.

JEWELWEED flowers are pale yellow, dotted with brown.  It is often called "touch-me-not" because of its pods curling up  and exploding when touched.  It is found in moist, shaded places.

BUTTERFLY WEED or milkweed blossoms are orange-red in color, and grow in clumps in pastures and prairie lands.

WATER LILY blossoms have waxy white petals with a yellow center.  The leaf serves as a barge on which the bloom floats on the pond or slow moving water.

YELLOW POND LILY blooms are small with red disc centers; the leaves are kidney shaped; they grow in still and slow-moving streams.

WILD HOLLYHOCK blossoms are purplish-white; they are found in valleys and marshy places around Pontotoc.

BLUE LUPINE blossoms, shaped like a pea bloom, varying in color from violet to purple, grow in profusion in sandy fields.

WILD SAGE blossoms are lavender, and although smaller than snapdragons they resemble them in shape.

AZUREA has purple blossoms on tall stalks; they are found in marshes all over the county.

BLACK-EYED SUSAN has yellow flowers with black centers.  They grow along roadsides.

CATTAIL has a brown fluffy flower; it grows in marshy places, also in the prairie section of the county.

WILD ASTER blooms in purple clusters and grows in fields and along roadsides, usually in company with goldenrod.

FIELD DAISIES have yellow flowers very much like the black-eyed susan except they have yellow centers; they grow in fields and along roadsides all over the county.

BOUNCING BET flowers are rose-pink, clustering at the stem ends; they are found in waste places.

WILD CARROT flowers are white and lacy, sometimes called Queen Ann's lace; it grows in waste places throughout the county.

BLUE VERVAIN flowers are small, purple in color, and grow on slender spikes, with lance-shaped leaves; they are found in damp places over the county.

PURPLE GERADIA has bright purple flowers with long narrow leaves.

JEWEL WEED flowers are pale yellow, dotted with brown.  It is often called the  "touch-me-not"

 

Back   Contents   Next  


MSGenWeb   USGenWeb  Pontotoc County Home Page