Small-flowered Scorpionweed revisited

 

As always, click the image to enlarge

The above image is of an herbarium specimen in the Ohio State University herbarium. It is a specimen of a very rare (for Ohio) plant known as Small-flowered Scorpionweed (Phacelia dubia). I made this collection on May 5, 1998, on a rocky promontory high above the Ohio River in Scioto County. I had always wanted to go up there, mainly just to see the place, and had no great expectations other than an amazing vista of the Ohio River Valley and the hills of Kentucky on the other side.

NOTE: Herbaria are repositories of plant specimens, generally housed within academic institutions. They provide an important historical perspective on our flora, in addition to conserving evidence of the flora that is (and, sadly, in many cases, WAS present but no longer is) present in a given area. Herbaria remain quite relevant and are important to researchers studying plants. The Ohio State University herbarium is one of the region's largest and best, and curators have digitized most of the specimens, such as the one shown above. That's no small feat, given the herbarium contains well over a half a million specimens, and more are constantly being added. This herbarium was founded over 125 years ago. Here's a link to the OSU herbarium: Herbarium | Museum of Biological Diversity

Back then, there wasn't much of a trail to reach this site, and it was a steep rather arduous trek to gain the summit. Since then, ODNR's Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, which owns this site (Raven Rock State Nature Preserve) has created a more user-friendly trail but it's still a decent workout to reach the top. An access permit is required, so please don't go there without one (I did have permission).

Appalachian Scorpionweed in flower, May 1, 2026

Bingo! It was pleasing indeed to see the gorgeous scorpionweed was still present and doing well. In a normal year - are we going to have any of those anymore? - this plant would have been in peak bloom. But most everything seems to be about two weeks earlier than normal this spring, and most of the flowers of this ephemeral annual had already passed. I hadn't been up there since I made the discovery, and it was great to rekindle a relationship with this gorgeous species.

The scorpionweed blooms might remind you of waterleaf flowers (genus Hydrophyllum), with good reason. This plant also belongs to that family.

Small-flowered Scorpionweed is rather disjunct from the core populations in the Appalachian Mountains, and this population is the farthest northwest station for the species. Until I found this site, in Ohio it was known from only one old record from Fairfield County, presumably long gone. I believe a small site was discovered in Knox County in more recent years, but I am not certain of that.

I am glad that Raven Rock is in the hands of responsible managers with great floristic expertise who can manage the site well and ensure that this state-endangered species can flourish for years to come.