Red Turtlehead (Chelone obliqua) Has Rosy Purple to White Flowers

Summary: Red turtlehead (Chelone obliqua), a New World perennial found only in the central and southeastern United States, has rosy purple to white flowers.

Closeup of red turtlehead (Chelone obliqua) flowers and foliage: Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Public Domain, via USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) PLANTS Database

Red turtlehead (Chelone obliqua) is a New World perennial that has rosy purple to white flowers with a shape reminiscent of a turtle’s open-mouthed head.

Red turtlehead is classified as an endemic (from Ancient Greek ἐν, en, “in” + δῆμος, dêmos, “people”) plant because its native occurrence is restricted to a certain area. The New World wildflower is found natively only in the United States.

Red turtlehead is native to 17 states in the central and southeastern United States. As red turtlehead’s only New England homeland, Massachusetts claims a disjunct, or noncontiguous, population. The perennial wildflower’s northernmost range reaches only three (Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota) of the eight Great Lakes states.

Red turtlehead is one of four species of eastern North America perennial wildflowers in the Chelone (Ancient Greek: Χελώνη, khelônê, "tortoise") genus. The other three species are Chelone cuthbertii, Chelone glabra and Chelone lyonii. The four species are known popularly as tortoise flowers or turtleheads.

Chelone plants belong to the plaintain family, Plantaginaceae. The plaintain family often presents a two-lipped corolla. Corolla is a collective term for all of a flower’s petals.

Chelone obliqua is recognized as comprising three subspecies: erwiniae, obliqua and speciosa. Chelone obliqua var. obliqua is listed as endangered in Kentucky and threatened in Maryland. Chelone obliqua var. speciosa is listed as endangered in Michigan.

Red turtlehead’s native habitats emphasize moist and sunny lowlands. Edges of moist thickets and woods, floodplains, streamsides and swampy areas are preferred habitats in wild landscapes. The native wildflower prefers full sun but grows well in partial shade. With nonspecific soil pH requirements, red turtlehead handles acidic, alkaline and neutral soils.

Red turtlehead stems arise singly or multiply from underground, colonizing stems known as rhizomes (from Ancient Greek ῥίζα, rhíza, “root”). Stem heights typically measure 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.91 meters). Red turtlehead aesthetically spreads to widths of 1 to 2 feet (0.3 to 0.6 meters).

Deep green leaves are paired in opposite arrangements along stems. Leaf shape is broadly to narrowly lanceolate (Latin: lanceolatus, “lance-shaped”). Leaves have serrated edges.

Popularly cultivated as an ornamental plant, red turtlehead blooms from midsummer into autumn. Flowering occurs optimally in July and August. Flowering persists into September and may last through October.

The long-blooming perennial’s common names reflect typical bloom colors: pink turtlehead, red turtlehead and rose turtlehead. Rosy purple and white are other common bloom colors.

The two-lipped, tubular flower features a sparse group of hairs, known as a beard, inside each lower lip. Beard color is, typically, yellow or, rarely, white.

Tan to light brown in color, seed capsules have spherical to oval or ovate (Latin: ovatus, “egg-shaped”) shapes. Capsules contain around 50 seeds. At maturity, capsules dehisce, or split open, to release seeds. Seeds, which float well on water, disperse via water or wind.

Red turtlehead plants show especially well as accents in borders and in waterside plantings. The New World wildflower also performs reliably in arrangements as cut or dried flowers.

Red turtlehead makes pleasing contributions as a long-blooming, shrubby wildflower to private, public and wild landscapes.

closeup of flowers, leaves and stems of red turtlehead (Chelone obliqua), WWT (Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) London Wetland Centre, Barnes area, London borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest London: Emőke Dénes, CC BY SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Closeup of red turtlehead (Chelone obliqua) flowers and foliage: Robert H. Mohlenbrock, Public Domain, via USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) PLANTS Database @ http://www.plants.usda.gov/java/largeimage?imageID=chob3_002_ahp.tif

Red turtlehead flowers, WWT London Wetland Centre: Emőke Dénes, CC BY SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_Plant_sp._8_-_wetland_2011.08.30.jpg

For further information:

Boland, Todd. “Turtleheads - The Genus Chelone.” Dave’s Garden > Guides > Articles. June 9, 2012.
Available @ http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1819#b

“Chelone obliqua.” Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center > Native Plant Database.br /> Available @ http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CHOB3

“Chelone obliqua.” Heritage Perennials.
Available @ http://www.perennials.com/plants/chelone-obliqua.html

“Chelone obliqua.” Missouri Botanical Garden > Gardens & Gardening > Your Garden > Plant Finder.
Available @ http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c100<

“Chelone obliqua Purple turtlehead.” Michigan Natural Features Inventory > Rare Species Explorer. Last updated May 16, 2016.
Available @ https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/explorer/species.cfm?id=14917

“Chelone obliqua L. red turtlehead.” USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) PLANTS Database.
Available @ http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=chob3

“Common Name: Cutherbert’s Turtlehead.” Georgia Wildlife.
Available @ http://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/uploads/wildlife/nongame/pdf/accounts/plants/chelone_cuthbertii.pdf

Eastman, John. Wildflowers of the Eastern United States: An Introduction to Common Species of Woods, Wetlands and Fields. Mechanicsburg PA: Stackpole Books, 2014.

Mohlenbrock, Robert H. Northeast Wetland Flora: Field Office Guide to Plant Species. Chester PA: Northeast National Technical Center, 1995.

Nelson, Allan D. “Chelone (Plantaginaceae).” Flora of North America. June 15, 2012.
Available @ http://floranorthamerica.org/files/Chelone03f.CH%20for%20Prov%20Pub.pdf

Penskar, Michael R., and Susan R. Crispin. “Chelone obliqua Pennell & Wherry purple turtlehead.” Michigan Natural Features Inventory > Special Plant Abstract. 2010.
Available @ https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/abstracts/botany/Chelone_obliqua.pdf

“Pink Turtlehead Chelone obliqua speciose.” Illinois Wildflowers > Wetland Wildflowers.
Available @ http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/pink_turtlehead.htm