Buchnera americana Linnaeus. Prairie Bluehearts, American Bluehearts, Plains Bluehearts. Phen: Jun-Sep; Aug-Oct. Hab: Dry (seasonally moist) rocky, gravelly, or clayey soil of limestone glades, glades over mafic rock (such as diabase, gabbro, etc.), sand prairies, wet meadows, sandy roadsides. Dist: From w. NY (historical) and s. ON west to MI, IL, MO, and s. KS, south to c. NC, GA, Panhandle FL, TX, and n. Mexico.

ID notes:In addition to the key characters given, B. americana is overall a larger and more robust plant than B. floridana, though both are quite variable in size, depending on the conditions in which they grow.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Other Comments: B. americana has apparently declined very greatly in our area (especially northward), probably owing to fire suppression in its habitats.

Synonymy: = Ar, C, F, FNA17, G, GrPl, GW2, Il, K3, Mi, NY, Pa, RAB, S, Tat, Tn, Tx, Va, W, Pennell (1935), Philcox (1965); < Buchnera americana L. – Fl7, K1, Mex, NcTx, WH3

Show in key(s)

Show parent genus

Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FAC
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACU
• Great Plains: FAC
• Midwest: FAC
• Northcentral & Northeast: FAC

Heliophily: 8