It can't get much hotter — can it? Central South Carolina is known for its hot, humid summers, and mid-August of most years (like this one) reminds us that we need to learn to love it. Or at least be very philosophical about it. I like to think that being able to endure hot, muggy, buggy summers is good for us, actually. (Hey, it's why they invented sweating.) One thing I actually like about this sizzling, humid weather is the effect at night, with a dark, velvety curtain rapidly covering us as the sun goes down, with a sweet chorus of cicadas all over the neighborhood. And of course, this isn't even the hottest part of the South, according to the weather radar.

Historically, many Southerners were able to deal with a hot summer by heading for the hills, as in the Blue Ridge Mountains, or thereabouts. Nowadays, the marvels of technology have brought air-conditioning as a ubiquitous presence, wherever we are, including automobiles. Which gives us cool comfort as we drive to the mountains.

Of course, plants are unable to move around from place to place and must be able to deal with their private "landscape" permanently. Although there are plenty of species in the South that love it hot and muggy, there are also a number of strict mountain-lovers, able to grow only at moderate to high elevations. This is one of them.

It's a relative of the common "mayapple" and, like mayapple, is a member of the barberry family, and it was described in 1803 by the famous botanist André Michaux, who must have been thrilled to see it. It grows in a very restricted geographic setting and is therefore endemic where it occurs, from northern Georgia through the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina just into Virginia. (It does actually get into South Carolina, barely.) You'll only find this species on shaded slopes, usually with a lot of shade, and on very damp ground. It sometimes forms big colonies near the cool spray zones of waterfalls, or along seepage slopes. These plants are up to 3 feet tall, commonly producing a single, large leaf, more or less circular, with its long stalk attached near the center of the blade, much like the handle of an umbrella. The leaf blade is coarsely toothed around the edges. When the plants bloom, a different stem is produced, usually bearing two leaves, each one deeply cleft on both sides, thus almost split down the middle. The flowers appear in a cluster, each one stalked, with six or so petals. Blooming occurs in April and May. By late summer, each flower has produced a seedy berry, which is dark blue, and the associated fruit stalk becomes bright red. The effect is quite impressive, perhaps even showier than the flowers themselves. A beautiful sight for the tourist from the flatlands.

Speaking of the flatlands, they said it will only get up to 95 degrees next week. Where's my sweater? (Photo by Will Stuart.)

For answer, click here.

John Nelson is the curator of the Herbarium at the University of South Carolina, in the department of biological sciences. As a public service, the herbarium offers free plant identifications. For more information, visit www.herbarium.org or call 803-777-8196.