Triodanis biflora Flower

Triodanis biflora, commonly known as Small Venus’ Looking-Glass, is a delicate yet charming wildflower native to much of North America. With its soft lavender-blue blooms and modest stature, this plant often goes unnoticed by the casual observer, yet it plays a subtle but vital role in the biodiversity of prairies, open woodlands, and roadsides. It belongs to the bellflower family, Campanulaceae, which includes many other wild and garden-friendly species.

Triodanis biflora is a small, erect annual herb that typically grows between 4 to 12 inches tall. Its slender, wiry stem often bears spirally arranged, alternate leaves that are ovate to lance-shaped with toothed margins. The plant's name, biflora—meaning "two-flowered"—refers to its tendency to produce both chasmogamous flowers and cleistogamous flowers often on the same plant.The open, showy flowers are the stars of the plant. Each bloom is about ½ inch wide, with five violet to blue-purple petals fused into a bell or cup shape. They typically appear singly in the axils of upper leaves. Cleistogamous flowers, in contrast, are smaller, inconspicuous, and hidden lower on the stem.

The flowering season for Triodanis biflora generally runs from late spring through summer (May to August, depending on region). During this time, you might spot its soft purple blooms adding flecks of color to tallgrass prairies or blooming along dry trails.The open flowers of Triodanis biflora are primarily visited by small native bees, which seek nectar and facilitate pollination. The plant’s dual-flower strategy ensures reproductive success in variable environmental conditions. If pollinators are scarce, the plant can still reproduce through self-pollinating cleistogamous flowers—an efficient adaptation in areas with unpredictable pollinator presence.Its seeds are small and produced in capsule-like fruits, easily dispersed by gravity or small animals brushing against the plant.