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Mystic Meadows Gardens

Pink Turtlehead - Chelone obliqua

Pink Turtlehead - Chelone obliqua

$12.50 USD
$18.00 USD $12.50 USD
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Non Native (not listed as invasive in MA)  Also commonly called Red Turtlehead, Rose Turtlehead, or Purple Turtlehead

Pink Turtlehead displays spikes of pastel pink to magenta blooms from July-September.  The flower buds puff up as they develop , the upper and lower blossoms interlock.  It is a sight to see a muscley Bumble bee wrestling it open.   The Bumble bees action helps bring the bloom to the shape of a turtle stretching out its neck and head and opening the bloom wide for insect pollinators and hummingbirds to visit, seeking the late season nectar.  Leaves are a deep green, with light grey-green undersides.  The serrated foliage maintains good structure on the sturdy stems throughout the growing season.

Prefers: Full Sun to Part Sun, with moist rich soil. 
It has rhizomatous roots that can slowly spread to create stunning colonies, with the right growing conditions. 

Deer and rabbit resistant once they have been established.

Pink Turtlehead is listed as rare or imperiled throughout much of its native range.  It is primarily documented along the southern and western borders of Illinois, with sparse populations distributed near rivers throughout the southeastern quadrant of the U.S.

The Chelone genus is protandrous: the male structures of the flower mature before the female parts of the flower, meaning that pollinators will visit the blooms first to collect pollen, and later to sup the nectar.  This 2-phase sequence promotes cross-fertilization.

Also commonly called Red Turtlehead, Rose Turtlehead, or Purple Turtlehead

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