Lemonweed or Stoneseed (Lithospermum ruderale) is a spring-flowering perennial found in the dry grasslands and open forests at lower elevations. From a woody taproot, several hairy stems grow up to 1 – 1.5 m. Lanceolate or linear leaves grow alternately up the stems. The inflorescence has clusters of small yellow flowers, with a pale yellow corolla and petals fused at the base formed into a long tube, with a short style at the center.
After flowering small nutlets form in the summer (hence, the name western stoneseed). We first see the stems growing up in mid-April and by the end of April and into May we encounter many in flower.
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