Eastern Spring-beauty

Claytonia virginica

Pollinator Value

🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Andrena (Ptilandrena) erigeniae
S17 specialist on Claytonia; S10 confirmed specialist pollinator
❄️ Winter Food Source: Corms consumed by small mammals including White-Footed Mouse and Eastern Chipmunk. Seeds eaten by various sparrows, finches, and ground-foraging birds at the genus level (Claytonia). As a spring ephemeral, the corms persist underground year-round and provide a cached food resource.
S10 White-Footed Mouse and Eastern Chipmunk eat corms; S57 genus-level avian diet records

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Ranked S2 (Imperiled) in Quebec where it is at the northern limit of its range; most Quebec specimens are concentrated in the Montreal region. Ranked S5 (Secure) in Ontario. Globally secure (G5). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC.
S22 S2 in QC, S5 in ON, G5 globally; S26 not SARA listed; S54 QC specimens concentrated in Montreal area
Rarity Ranks: QC S2 – Imperiled, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A spring ephemeral of rich mesic to dry deciduous woodlands, typically found in beech-maple, oak, and sugar maple forests. In the Outaouais region, occurs in hardwood forests on loamy soils; one Gatineau-area specimen from Luskville was collected in a maple-dominated forest. Tolerates moderate habitat disturbance better than most spring woodland wildflowers. Ranked S2 (Imperiled) in Quebec, where it reaches the northern edge of its range, though secure (S5) in Ontario.
S10 S7 S22 S54 S62

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 33 bee associations (threshold=3)]
Notes: Functions as a spring ephemeral ground layer plant in deciduous woodland guilds. Completes its lifecycle before canopy leaf-out, making it compatible with summer-active understory species. Its early bloom provides critical early-season nectar and pollen resources when few other sources are available. Spreads by reseeding and corm offsets, filling the vernal ground layer beneath deciduous trees.
S10 S29 S4

Category: Anticonvulsive, Contraceptive, Pediatric Aid
S28 Iroquois uses: anticonvulsive, contraceptive, pediatric aid
Notes: The Iroquois used a cold infusion or decoction of the powdered roots to treat children with convulsions (serving both anticonvulsive and pediatric functions). It was also reported that eating the raw plants was believed to permanently prevent conception.
S28 Iroquois medicinal uses; S29 confirms anticonvulsive and contraceptive uses

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Corms were cooked and eaten like potatoes by the Algonquin of Quebec, and roots were used for food by the Iroquois. The globose corm has a pleasant nutty flavour, tasting like a cross between a potato and a chestnut when cooked. Leaves and flowering stems can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as greens. However, the small corm size makes harvest impractical, and the species' S2 status in Quebec makes wild collection inappropriate.
S28 Algonquin corm use, Iroquois root food use; S29 root and leaf edibility details; S10 small size impractical