Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin - Lithospermum canescens

Lithospermum canescens (Michx.) Lehm.

Family: Boraginaceae

hoary puccoon

[Batschia canescens Michx.]

James R. Sime

Dennis W. Woodland

University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)

Open Interactive Map

Etymology: Lithospermum: from Greek lithos, "stone," and sperma, "seed"
Plants: erect, perennial, 4"-18" tall forb; often as many as 5 stems, usually unbranched; stout taproot
Leaves: softly pale gray with a dense fuzz; mostly growing from opposite sides of the stem
Flowers: orange to yellow, 5-parted, 1/3"-1/2" wide, funnel-shaped, petal lips smooth; inflorescence 1-3 densely-flowered, branched, curving clusters (cymes); blooms April-June
Fruits: yellowish- white, smooth, shiny nutlet fruit drawing

Habitat: dry to moderate moisture; prairies, woods
Conservation Status: Native

Well-drained calcareous or sandy dry to mesic prairies, Jack pine and oak barrens, sandy fields, bluffs, thin oak woods, seasonally moist prairies along Lake Michigan, occasionally along roadsides and railroads. This is a much softer plant than L. caroliniense, and the two can usually be told apart by touching the foliage. “Puccoon” is the Native American name for the dye that is produced from the sap (especially the root) of both species.