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Hepatica leaves in leaf-fall

 

 

The Hepatica leaves started developing during the early spring flowering of the plant, and their lifetime is up to 14 months as maximum – quite longlived, these evergreen leathery leaves. Because of their large content of chlorophyll the leaves are dark green on the upper surface, sometimes with light spots; mostly three-lobed, sometimes also differently divided or not divided at all. As you have noticed Hepatica leaves position themselves at right angles to the sun’s rays. The nutrition needed for the early spring flowering and development are already stored in the plant’s rhizome and leaves.

 

The flower buds of the Hepatica are formed already in summer and stay hidden near the soil surface , in the warm debris layer, for winter. Some part of the flower buds will be damaged by cold in winter, or by parasitic fungi, and flower buds are also eaten by mice. Healthy and strong flowers will open with the first warm weather because they don’t need to wait for the ground to thaw.

 

 

Translator's note: SInilill, "blue flower", the  symbol of  spring, familiar to all and much beloved in the Scandiavian and Nordic countries,  has the much more prosaic common name of liverleaf or liverwort in English. It was believed that because of the resemblance in shape between the three-lobed leaves and a liver the plant would help against liver diseases. More about the Hepatica in Naturegate .