Diagnostic Characteristics
Corolla greenish-white or yellow; nutlets white. This element differs from the L. officinale in that L. officinale, a weedy Eurasian species, has narrower (6-15 mm) more crowded stem leaves (internodes < 2 cm). A second Eurasian species (L. arvense) has leaves which lack evident lateral veins and dull, brownish nutlets (MI Heritage files; M. Penskar, pers. comm., 1996).
Habitat
Lithospermum latifolium occurs on sandy loam wooded floodplains and terraces associated with Acer nigra, A. saccharum and Fraxinus americana; it also occurs with cove hardwoods and in rich mesic oak hickory forests; limestone soils which may occur on steep slopes; rich, rocky, moist soils; gently sloping rich loam lakeshore soils. The light is filtered. Noted aspects for slopes with occurrences range from the northeast to the southeast.
Ecology
IL -- Scattered over almost half of the counties in the state (42/102).
IN -- It occurs here on limestone areas and on rocky slopes in dry forested hills.
KS -- Extreme NE section of state; glaciated flood plain sites, in shaded oak-hickory forest. Soils are rich (limestone), moist and or rocky.
MI -- Occurrences are scattered in the central section of the lower peninsula from east to west. EO sites are rich, mesic floodplains with sandy loam alluvium (soil pH = 8). One site has a cover of 90% Acer saccharum and white ash, with a 30% understory cover of prunus virginiana. A second site is 90% Acer nigrum. Other associated species include Allium, Cardamine diphylla, Carex amp., Cornus sp., Matteuccia, Menispermum Parthenocissus, Smilacina racemosa, and Trillium cernuum.
MO -- Occurrences are scattered in the central and northern section of the state from east to west.
NY -- Occurrences are scattered mainly in the central section of the state and including one eastern central county.
OH -- Occurrences are in woodlands and woodland openings in mainly the southern half of the state.
PA -- These sites are dry to moist woods, limestone woods, and thickets; light is filtered and the one site has a SE aspect. Associated species include Acer, Fraxinus, Lindera, Liriodendron, Prunus, Quercus, Staphylea, and Ulmus.
WI -- Shaded Dry to Mesic hardwood forests (some old growth forest >200 years old) along sandstone ridges, gentle slopes, ravines and edges of swampy depressions. Some sites are on clays, silt loams or nigra dolomite and maquoketa shales. Aspects include NE, E, SE, S, and W. Associated plants include: Acer saccharum, Asarum canadense, Cacalia muhlenbergii, Carex amphibola, C. jamesii, C. woodii, Celtis occidentalis, Fagus, Fraxinus americana, Ostrya virginiana, Quercus rubra, Sanicula marilandica, Scutellaria ovata, Silene virginica, Smilacina stellata, Smilax lasionuera, Tilia americana, Trillium flexipes, T. recurvatum, Ulmus rubra, and Uvularia grandiflora.
WV -- Dry and moist woods and thickets (Strausbaugh & Core, 1978).