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WHERE’S WILDLIFE • WILDFLOWER FIELD GUIDE

American Gromwell

Lithospermum latifolium

lith-o-SPER-mum lat-ee-FOH-lee-um · pronunciation assembled from genus and epithet guides [5] [6]

A quiet woodland wildflower: look for small yellow blooms nestled among broad, strongly veined leaves.

DSCN2428 · Flowers, leaf veins, and the plant’s overall shape. Tap the photo to enlarge.

NATIVE • WOODLAND WILDFLOWER

At a glance

Family Boraginaceae · borage family
Life cycle Perennial
Blooms May–June
Height Usually 16–30 inches
Light & soil Part shade to shade · rich woodland soil [1]

Other common names
American Stoneseed · Broad-leaved Gromwell.

Check rich woods and shaded slopes for small flowers tucked into the upper leaf axils.

Range Map

Open the range map to explore photographed sightings and their locations.

How to recognize it

Follow three field clues

01 · Small flowers
Pale yellow to creamy white, about ¼–⅓ inch across, with five spreading lobes joined into a short tube.

02 · Broad leaves
Alternate, toothless leaves with conspicuous side veins and little or no leaf stalk.

03 · Hairy stems
Stiff hairs cover the green stems; flowers arise individually in upper leaf axils. [1]

Where and when to look

Search rich deciduous woods, wooded slopes, and shaded riverbanks from mid-spring into early summer. [2]

Missouri Plants also describes it on mesic forest slopes, often facing north. “Mesic” means moderately moist. [3]

Why “stoneseed”?

Lithospermum combines Greek words for stone and seed, referring to the stone-like fruits. [5]

American Gromwell develops hard, white nutlets after flowering. [2]

A closer look

A small bloom with hidden details

The stamens sit inside the narrow flower tube. A close photograph can reveal the five lobes and the hairy green calyx behind them. [3]

Flowers above, fruit below

As branches lengthen, open flowers appear near their tips while fruit develops in the leaf axils farther down. [1]

On a later visit, look for the white nutlets as well as flowers.

A clue to woodland quality

Illinois Wildflowers describes it as a conservative species associated with high-quality woods whose original ground flora remains largely intact. [2]

It can be easy to overlook: only a few small flowers open at once. [2]

Field photographs

Explore 17 field photographs, including flowers, leaves, woodland habitat, and white nutlets. Select any photo to enlarge it.

A look-alike worth checking

European Gromwell · Lithospermum officinale

European Gromwell has narrower leaves and flowers in flat-topped clusters. American Gromwell has broader leaves and individual flowers arising from leaf axils. [2]

Use flower arrangement and leaf shape together.