No Scent

There was no mention. There was not a single source that used the word: fragrance. Oh, the subject is flowers. Does it seem logical that more than a dozen web sources explaining a flower would speak about the fragrance of that flower, if there was one? Not one even mentioned it…not-one.

Wait, this particular flower has a spectacular fragrance. To me, it is better than a rose, better than a gardenia or a sweet pea, even better than the standby favorite-the lilac.

The star of all flower fragrance is the Hoary Puccoon.

Never heard of it? It was blooming on the North American continent before the Pilgrims came to the continent in 1620. This native flowering plant was setting flowers and forming seeds in white nutlets before Columbus reached the West Indies in 1492. Hoary Puccoon was growing from the East coast of America into what we know as the Dakotas today.

Have you seen it?

It is likely not.

Don’t become frustrated with me, you cannot smell its fragrance now. The peak of fragrance comes when Hoary Puccoon is first in bloom. In the north country it blooms in May. Because it is native plant you will need to look in undisturbed places to find it. Look where there has been no disturbance of the soil for decades. Railroad right of ways, road ditches of roads that have not been reconstructed, remanent prairies are possibilities.

Hoary puccoon is short. A tall plant might grow over a foot tall. You cannot miss the golden stars of its flowers. There are 5 lobes on each golden yellow flower. Think of them as a golden earth star. Contrasted by the emerald green stems and leaves, Hoary Puccoon is a beautiful plant. If you look closely, you can easily see the fine plant hairs covering each leaf and stem.

Every living thing in nature fits with every other living thing. There is a designed place for every plant, mammal, bird, 6-legged creature, each fungus, and all microorganisms. Think back to plant fragrance. Plant fragrance is the signal to the pollinators in nature that the plant is ready for pollination. Look at the list of Hoary Puccoon pollinators, it is easy to understand why this plant is exceptionally fragrant.

Here are some of the pollinators of Hoary Puccoon: The Bumble Bee with 46 different species found in North America. There are over 400 species of mining or digger bees. Then there are about 80 cuckoo bee species. Mason Bees also pollinate Hoary Puccoon; and there are about 140 species. Bee flies come to Hoary Puccoon. You know how many flies there are! Then we come to butterflies. But only the butterflies that have become adults in May enjoy the nectar of Hoary Puccoon. Have you begun to think this little native flower is important?

Because it smells so good, Hoary Puccoon nectar must be like the best of the best. But how can a mere human tell? Do photographers of Hoary Puccoon ever bend down to sniff its golden petals.

Did I tell you that Hoary Puccoon has a taproot? It is red. Native people used it for dye. I don’t need to tell you what color. The taproot makes it hard to grow. A botanist would say propagate. It is hard to start from seed as well.

The Hoary Puccoon in the west central north country of Minnesota is through the bloom stage. A careful observer might find the nutlets on the green stems. And no words can describe the fragrance of Hoary Puccoon. With the plants finished with flowering we have to wait until next spring for the fragrance. Smell Hoary Puccoon once, and you can wait a year for the next fragrant experience.

In conclusion, there are two sentences spoken by Job of long ago which provide insight into the unseen world. Why is there flower fragrance? The fragrance of a flower is just the beginning of the infinite wonder of nature. Job calls it “just the beginning.” He said it best…

“These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?” Job 26:14