Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) Also called Sweet Rocket, Dame's Violet and Mother-of-the-Evening
Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake From All-Creatures.org Art and Photo Journals and Galleries Directory

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Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
Table of Contents

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 01)  The dame's rocket is similar to phlox, and many people confuse the two.  The dame's rocket flowers have 4 petals, and phlox flowers have 5 petals.  This is an example of the white flower, but dame's rockets can be violet or pink, and can also have a blending of colors, as the following photos will present.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 01a)  This is a closer look at the wasp at work collecting pollen and fertilizing the dame's rocket.  For size comparison, the diameter of the dame's rocket flower is about 2 cm. (3/4 inch).

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 02)  In the foreground are mostly white dame's rocket flowers with some light purple or violet veining.  Darker violet flowers can be seen in the background.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 02a)  Even though the flowers of this dame's rocket are nearly white, the buds are a deep pink.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 03)  These dame's rocket flowers are good examples of the pinkish violet color.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 03a)  In this close-up view of the dame's rocket, we can see one of the buds beginning to unfurl.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 04)  This is another look at the dame's rocket flowers and buds.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 05)  This is a small patch of dame's rockets that are growing next to a wild rose (left).

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 05a)  In this photo of the dame's rocket, we can see the lanceolate toothed leaves that grow alternately along the stems.  Mature leaves vary in size from 5-10 cm. (2-4 inches).

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 06)  The dame's rocket, a member of the mustard family, can grow to heights of 1-1/2 to 4 feet.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 06a)  The dame's rocket is listed as a noxious weed by the United States Department of Agriculture, a classification we find to be ludicrous when one takes the time to look at its beauty.  We would love to have a patch of dame's rockets in our own yard.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 07)  The flowers of the dame's rocket grow in terminal racemes (each flower has its own little stalk branching off the main stem).

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 07a)  This is another side view of the dame's rocket racemes.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 08)  This is another look at nearly white dame's rocket flowers.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 09)  A light pinkish violet dame's rocket bud unfurls its petals.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 09a)  A bud and flower of the dame's rocket present their beauty to all who pass by.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 10)  The dame's rocket is a native of Europe that was imported to New England in the 1600s and rapidly spread across the United States and Canada.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 11)  A small patch of dame's rockets growing adjacent to a patch of day lilies (without flowers).

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 12)  In this patch of dame's rockets, we get a good look at the leaves of this wildflower.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 12a)  In this photo, we can get a closer look at the lanceolate leaves growing alternately along the stem.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 13)  These dame's rocket flowers look as if they were air-brushed with a touch of pinkish purple.  Most of the color emanates from the central veining.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 13a)  This photo presents a closer view of the delicate coloring of these dame's rocket flowers and the contrasting bright pink buds.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 14)  This is a top view of the dame's rocket flowers.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 15)  We found the bi-coloration of these dame's rocket flower petals to be unusually beautiful.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 16)  Moving back a little from the previous close-up, we can see the much deeper coloration on the lower flower.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 17)  This is a side view of the bi-colored dame's rocket.  We saw nothing in the literature concerning this type of dame's rocket coloration.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 18)  This is a closer look at the pinkish purple blush coloration of a dame's rocket flower.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 18a)  Like human fingerprints, each flower petal seems to be unique.  No two are exactly alike.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 18b)  And this dame's rocket flower is no exception.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 19)  This is a bee's eye view of the center of one of the dame's rocket's 3/4 inch flowers.

(Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - 20)  This is another look at the beauty of a few of the dame's rocket flower buds.

| Wild Flowers of SHL: Photo Identification, Common Name, Scientific Name | Art and Photos |

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