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(Helianthemum carolinianum)  |
Rock Rose is also known as Frostweed. The frosty name came
about due to sap exuding from cracks near the base of the stem
in the late fall. The drop- lets turn milky, which resemble tiny ice crystals. The crystals also help to seal wounds in the stem skin. The process is similar to a fruit tree which rushes a gummy sap to damaged bark when its been invaded by bore worms. The plant blooms only in direct sun. |
| Rock Rose/Frostweed is an erect perennial of dry pine woods. The leaves are mostly at the base of a hairy stem, widest at the middle, lance-like, and usually from three to seven inches long on a short leaf stalk. The flowers open in bright sun and last for about 24 hours. Normally there is one stem with a single flower at its tip. This arrangement is then followed by shorter stems emerging from the leaf axil, each producing a single flower. |
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(H. corymbosum)  |
Sun Rose differs from Rock Rose in that its root system is tuberous and thick, somewhat like a string potato. Its leaf is thick and silvery with a rosette forming directly beneath the flower. Flowers are scattered in loose clusters. It would not be unusual to see many flowers that never open fully. That doesn't mean its an infertile, non-pollen bearing floret, but in scientific terms means simply that the flower is resting on a naked pedicel (a single flower on a single stem), which would indicate it's a male flower. Sun Rose does not produce the milky droplets at the base of the plant. |
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Sun Rose is the second member of note that resides in the Escambia region. The common name implies visions of a plant that flowers in late autumn and early spring when frost might still be in the air -- well, not quite, but a rare and exciting wildflower nevertheless. The corymbosum is rarely seen by the public because its habitat is remote and it has a preference for locations that are more inclined to salt marsh than pine woods. It is known to hover near palmetto stalks and to form large and dense colonies when left undisturbed. There exists some 200 species of Cistaceae, mostly occurring in dry, sunny locations, often in chalky or sandy soil. The family is found mostly in warmer temperate regions, with a few species in South America. Some species are cultivated as ornamentals for the domestic garden. The tribe generic name is derived from the Greek helios (the sun) and anthemom (flower). The common name relates to the ice-like crystals that form from exuding sap. |