Chelone Glabra – also Known as Turtlehead

Chelone glabra, also know as Turtlehead is a 4 season (perennial) plant just like Summersweet which blooms in early Fall. In the past, the Turtlehead plant was found in regions around the Southern part of Canada, North Central, and East parts of the USA. But now, it can be found in every region of the USA. Swamps, bogs, Steams, Moist Wood are typically some places where they can be found in the wild.

The name Chelone was given to this plant in remembrance of a nymph, who insulted the Greek God in Greek mythology and got punished by turning her into a turtle. And the word “Glabra” is a Latin word that means “hairless”, “bold”, “smooth” as the Chelone Stem and leaves are lack of hair in nature. Altogether the final shape of the fully bloomed flower is look-alike a turtle beak.

The Chelone genus family is consists of 6 different species. All of them are native to the USA. Turtlehead tends to grow under partial Sunlight and soil that has moisture all the time. Hence if there are places in your garden with the above condition (near Ponds, streams, Shady ground), planting a turtlehead in those places is highly recommended.

Chelone foliage

The chelone plant leaves start to emerge in the Spring season. They tend to have dark green color foliage. And they keep the attraction unfallen throughout the growing season. 

The leaves tend to have an oval to lance shape in total. But if you observe closely, will see heavily toothed edges in every leaf. And the leaves appear in pairs of opposite directions of the stem.

When you compare the leaves among the variants of Chelone, you will see broad to narrow leaves which have tapering or rounded bases or without a petiole.

This attractive foliage, plant upright formation, and the chelone – turtlehead flower top of that give a nice view, even it is under full sunlight or in a shady condition.

Common names for Chelone

 Chelone has many common names. Among them Turtlehead plant,  Balmony, Bitter Hurb, Codhead, Fish Mouth, Shellflower, Snakehead, Snake Mouth, and turtle bloom are special.

Chelone Flower

Chelone is a Raceme-forming, hooded shape flower that blooms from late Summer to early Fall. The flowers are two-lipped, irregular, and grows in dense spikes.

The hooded shape is more like in the Snapdragon flower. It has 5 petals in total. Two upper petals form a hood-like structure in the top. And the rest of the 3 lower petals forms a shape like a lobbed lower lip. That is why the chelone flower looks like a turtle’s beak in total. 

If you watch closely at the flower petals, you will see some puffy pink corollas. And a bearded yellow color hair on the top of the lower lips.

The Chelone flower Raceme takes a corn shape in the initial stage. Then gradually the flowers start to bloom from bottom to top within a week. The flowering period can last up to 3 to 6 weeks or longer. 

When the flowers fade away, pea-shaped seed pods start to appear from the dried Raceme. These seeds will start growing in green color initially and turns to brown as they mature. Each seed may grow up to 0.15 inches in length. Some seeds tend to seed readily while others do not.

Nature

If you have a Chelone plant group in your open garden, then the colorfulness of your garden will not fade away till the Early-Fall season arrive. That’s because the Chelone will keep blooming till Early-Fall as I mentioned above. 

The Chelone plant can tolerate full Sunlight to partial shade Conditions. But the water supply to this plant must be kept constant such that the moisture of the soil around the plant must not fade away. 

In addition, if this plant grows in a place where it gets full Sunlight, then please use a composted mulch to cover the ground so that to hold the moisture in the soil constant. If this is hard for you to do, then relocate the plant to a place where it receives constant wet soil and Good partial Sunlight. Places like Ponds, Stream, water gardens are ideal for it.

Usually, the Turtlehead plant gets 2 to 3 feet in height. The plant has a square stem in nature.

Pollinator Behavior

Due to the blooming period of the Chelone flower, your garden will be always filled with pollinators until mid-fall. And also having these kinds of late summer blooming plants will help the pollinators to feed enough as the main crops do not have enough flowers to feed. 

Pollinators like butterflies, Bumble Bees, Bees, Hummingbirds attract very much to this flower as it has a pleasant fragrance.  

How to plant Chelone – turtlehead

Most people use to plant from potted nursery plants. But you can easily farm this plant using its seeds. Just like you wish to buy a potted plant from an online store or a local gardening shop, you can buy Chelone seeds packs by using the same method for a cheaper price. 

The best time to plant the seed in your garden is in the spring season. It can be done indoor or outdoor according to your wish. For gardeners who live in a winter-like climate, you can start planting indoor and take it outside when the new season begins. 

While you keep the planted seeds indoors, please keep them in a place where it gets Sunlight (You can keep that near a windowsill where Sunlight falls). 

If you wish to plant the seeds indoor initially, please use a tray or a cell pack consists of potting soil after adding some moisture into it. Then place it in a place where it gets some Sunlight. 

The Chelone seedlings will start to pop up within 3 to 5 weeks from the day you plant them. After the seedlings reach about 6-7 inches in height, start creating a flower bed to plant them outside in your garden. 

When you are creating the flower bed mix enough compost by raking the area. And also try to select a place that the flower bushes will receive partial Sunlight and enough moisture in the soil the whole year along. Then feel free to farm them on the bed.

Take care of the Chelone plants for the first year very well. Then from next year, you can edit the flower bed by pruning, cutting, and pinching according to your wish.

How to Maintain the Chelone plant bed by pruning and pinching.

It takes almost a year to well establish a Chelone plant in soil. Until then don’t think about pruning, pinching the plant. 

When they are well established in your bed, pinch the tips of each branch or stem(shoots). This will help the plant to train the plant to grow bushy and produce more blooms.

Caution - 
Try to do all these editings to the plant (pruning, pinching) before mid-spring. Thus it will not interfere with the blooming in the late summer. As it will help the Turtlehead plant to recover before Summer.

Propagation of Chelone

The propagation of Chelone, mainly done in 3 ways. They are such as,

1. Rhizomes division (Dividing the main root)

To do that please wait for at least the shooters to reach a height of 4 inches. And also there must be at least 3 shooters per section. Then plant each section in separate places and keep watering until they get established. 

2. Through Seeds.
3. Stem Cutting.

  Most people use the 1st and 2nd methods to propagate Chelone (Turtlehead).

Best 3 native Chelone Cultivar types available Commercially.

1. Chelone Glabra – also known as White Turtlehead.

Smallest cultivar among the variants. Grows 2-3 feet in height. Blooms in white color, but you may notice some pink and green spots in it.

Has a good fragrance. Bees, butterflies, Hummingbirds attract to this flower very much. Especially this plant is the main lava host for endangered butterfly species such as Baltimore Checkerspot.

2. Chelone Obliqua also know as Red Turtlehead

This is the most heat and cold-tolerant species of all other variants. Blooms in deep pink color.

Blooms before Chelone Glabra. Grows up to 2 – 3 feet in height.

3. Chelone Lyonii also know as Pink Turtlehead

Pink turtlehead tends to grow 2 to 4 feet in height. Therefore by using this variant you can make attractive bushes from it.

It has the most capable of adapting to dry climate rather than other variants.

The leaves are narrow and long.

The flowers tend to have a mixture of colors such as pink to deep red to red and white.

 Problems that you may face while growing Chelone  

• Insects and diseases bother this plant very rarely. 

Sometimes Powdery Mildew can appear due to less moisture in the environment. By keeping the environment in a wet surround can help the plant gradually overcome this issue.

• Sometimes deers may attract to eat the plant. 
• Why does my Chelone produce enough flowers?

It’s because this plant is a week against dry soil as I discussed under the above titles. By keeping the soil and the environment wet and mulching the ground with compost mixed mulch can overcome this problem.

Medical uses Chelone.

According to the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

Chelone or Turtlehead are used in natural medicine. By using Traditional practices a tonic is made to relieve Constipation, Indigestion, and stimulating the appetite. And also by making a salve from the leaves may relieve itching and inflammation. 

Final Thoughts…

As I discussed above, keeping under good partial Sunlight and constant moisture in the soil can help this flower to produce more blooms. 

Chelone is a great native Parental Bushy plant. This is late summer blooming flower bush. Has an attractive fragrance. Highly pollinator attractive flower bush.

Thus I believe having some Chelone bushes may look great in your garden.