About Lithospermum parviflorum Weakley, Witsell & D.Estes
Lithospermum parviflorum, commonly called Eastern Prairie Marbleseed, is a flowering plant species belonging to the forget-me-not family. It is native to eastern North America. This species is a robust perennial that produces a cyme of cream-colored flowers in late spring and early summer. Although it has a widespread distribution, this species occurs in scattered, uncommon populations across most of its range. Its preferred habitat—somewhat dry calcareous woodlands, barrens, and glades—has been heavily impacted by agriculture and other land-use changes. The only region where this species is considered secure is the Ridge and Valley region of Virginia and West Virginia. In Kentucky, this species has disappeared from many previously recorded localities since the 1980s. In Missouri, it has been documented to be in decline since the 1950s. It can be told apart from the similar-looking Lithospermum bejariense by its shorter corollas (measuring 6 to 10mm) and nutlets that form a collar around the base. It can be distinguished from Lithospermum molle, an endemic species of cedar glades, by its leaves that have erect hairs growing from pustular bases. A small number of collections from southern Kentucky appear to be intermediate forms between this species and Lithospermum molle.
