Sharp-Lobed Hepatica, Hepatica acutiloba
Ranunculaceae or Buttercup Family
 

Low plant of early spring   Flowers with 6 petals (actually sepals) and many yellow stamens.  Three sepal-like bracts occur below the flowers.  Sepals may be blue, pink, white, purple, or lavender.  Leaves have three lobes that are mottled with purple and sharp-pointed at the tips.

Rare in Wildwood, but can be seen in scattered places in the woods, especially on the western slope.

The lovely flowers and mottled leaves appearing in early spring are distinctive of the hepaticas.  Round-lobed hepatica (Hepatica americana) is also reported from the Park and differs in having leaf lobes with rounded edges.  To make things worse, hybrids between the two species, with intermediate leaves are known, and could be expected in the Park.  At first glance, hepaticas could also be confused with rue anemone, but that plant has very different leaves and often many more petals.