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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This perennial wildflower consists of a low rosette of basal leaves up to 1½' across and a flowering stalk about 1½–2' tall. The floppy basal leaves are 6-12" long and 1/3" (8 mm.) across; they are medium to dark green, linear in shape, parallel-veined, glabrous, and smooth along their margins. Along the underside of each basal leaf, there is a prominent mid-rib. The erect central stalk is slender, light to medium green, and glabrous; it terminates in a spike-like raceme of flowers that is several inches in length. Underneath the floral spike, there are usually 1-3 bracts along the stalk. These bracts are green, linear to linear-lanceolate in shape, and up to ¾" long. Each flower is ¾–1" across, consisting of 6 tepals, 6 stamens with bright yellow anthers, and a green central ovary with a slender style. The tepals are light blue-violet to nearly white; they are oblong in shape and spread widely from the center of the flower. Each tepal (petal or petal-like sepal) has 1-3 poorly defined veins along its length.
At the base of each flower, there is a single linear bract up to ¾" long that is early-deciduous. The slender pedicel of each flower is about the same length as the bract. The flowers begin to bloom from the bottom of the raceme and continue to bloom upward toward the apex; each flower lasts only 2-3 days. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring and lasts about 2-3 weeks. Each fertilized flower is replaced by a 3-celled seed capsule that is about 1/3" in length and nearly as much across. Each seed capsule contains many small seeds that are black and shiny. The basal leaves turn yellow and wither away by mid-summer. The root system consists of a bulb with fibrous roots. This wildflower reproduces by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun to light shade, moist conditions, and rich loamy soil. Wild Hyacinth is slow to develop, but fairly long-lived. Vegetative growth and development occurs during the cool weather of spring, when adequate moisture is essential.
Range & Habitat: Wild Hyacinth is found occasionally throughout Illinois (see Distribution Map), where it is native. Habitats include moist black soil prairies, moist savannas, moist open woodlands (particularly along the banks of streams), rocky wooded slopes, and limestone glades. This species is typically found in high quality habitats, whether prairies or woodlands.
Faunal Associations: The flowers attract their fair share of insects, including many bees and flies, and occasional butterflies and wasps. Most of these insects seek nectar from the flowers, although some short-tongued bees also collect pollen. Bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, Cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), and Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp., etc.). Other floral-faunal relationships are poorly understood. White-Tailed Deer occasionally chomp off the tops of the basal leaves. Both the foliage and bulbs are not known to be toxic to mammalian herbivores.
Photographic Location: Along a woodland stream in Douglas or Coles County in east-central Illinois.
Comments: Wild Hyacinth has attractive flowers that are conspicuous during the spring. It is usually found in woodland habitats, but also occurs in prairies. Wild Hyacinth differs from the less common Camassia angusta (Prairie Hyacinth) in several ways, among them: 1) It has slightly larger flowers than the latter, 2) its flowers are usually a slightly lighter shade of blue-violet, 3) its seed capsules are about as broad as long, while Prairie Hyacinth has seed capsules that are slightly longer than broad, 4) the bracts of its flowering stalk are less persistent than those of Prairie Hyacinth, and 5) it blooms earlier in the spring.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This perennial plant consists of a rosette of basal leaves up to 1½' across and one or more flowering stalks up to 2½' tall. The strap-shaped basal leaves are up to 14" long and 1" across; they are linear, smooth along the margins, and glabrous. Their veins are parallel. These basal leaves are rather floppy and they often arch downward or sprawl across the ground in the absence of support from other vegetation. The basal leaves wither away by mid-summer. The flowering stalks are erect, slender, hairless, and leafless. Each stalk terminates in a raceme of about 20-80 flowers. Each flower consists of 6 lavender to pale blue-violet tepals, 6 stamens with golden yellow anthers, and a light green pistil with a short slender style. Each flower spans about ¾" across when it is fully open. The pedicels of the flowers are slender, green, and deciduous, unless the flower is successfully cross-pollinated. Underneath each flower, there is often a persistent bract about ¾" long that is thread-like in appearance. After the flowers begin blooming on the raceme, there can be 3-20 (or more) of these bracts underneath. Several flowers bloom in a ring at the same time, which forms at the bottom of the raceme and moves upward. The blooming period occurs from late spring to early summer and can last up to 1 month for a colony of plants. The flowers that are successfully cross-pollinated form seed capsules that are ovoid-oblongoid in shape. Each capsule contains several seeds. The root system consists of a bulb with secondary fibrous roots at the bottom. This plant reproduces by forming offsets from the bulbs and by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and a fertile loamy soil. This plant is rarely bothered by disease and insect pests. It is somewhat slow to develop, especially from seeds.
Range & Habitat: In Illinois, Prairie Hyacinth is a rare plant that has been observed in Macon and Peoria counties only (see Distribution Map). At the present time, only one population of plants is known to exist within the state at a railroad prairie. Apparently, the other population has been extirpated. In neighboring states, Prairie Hyacinth has been observed in prairies and thinly-wooded areas. This native species is state-listed as 'endangered' in Illinois.
Faunal Associations: The flowers attract both long-tongued and short-tongued bees, which suck nectar or collect pollen. Other visitors of the flowers include various flies, butterflies, skippers, wasps, and beetles, which suck nectar or feed on pollen. Aside from these flower-visiting insects, little information is available about floral-faunal relations for this wildflower.
Photographic Location: The webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This little-known species is sometimes confused with Camassia scilloides (Wild Hyacinth), which is more common within the state. Both species are attractive wildflowers with similar habitat preferences. Their appearance is quite similar, which can make them difficult to tell apart. Prairie Hyacinth begins to flower about a month later than Wild Hyacinth and there is little overlap in their blooming periods; this is one good reason why they should be considered separate species. The flowering stalk of Prairie Hyacinth has 3-20 (or more) persistent bracts underneath the blooming flowers, while Wild Hyacinth has 0-2 deciduous bracts underneath the flowers of its stalks. The seed capsules of Prairie Hyacinth are longer than they are wide, while the seed capsules of Wild Hyacinth are about as long as they are wide. The flowers of Prairie Hyacinth tend to have shorter styles, shorter stamens, and tepals that are a little shorter and more deeply colored, but these distinctions are less reliable, or they require the careful use of a ruler or measuring tape in the field.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is 2-4' tall, branching occasionally. It forms a rosette of basal leaves, which usually wither away prior to the blooming period. These basal leaves may be triangular-cordate or palmately lobed. The slender stems are usually glabrous and glaucous; the lower central stem is often terete (furrowed along all sides), while the upper stems are round in circumference. The alternate leaves are up to 5" long and 6" across (excluding their petioles), becoming smaller as they ascend the stems. Each of these leaves is deeply divided into palmate lobes, which are often deeply divided into secondary lobes. The leaves are usually glabrous and glaucous like the stems; their petioles are up to 6" long. The upper stems terminate in one or more flowers on long peduncles (flowering stalks). Each flower is 1-2" across, consisting of 5 magenta petals, 5 green sepals, and a central column of stamens and styles. The outer edge of each petal is slightly fringed and truncate, while the sepals are triangular-ovate with pointed tips. There are no floral bracts underneath the sepals. The blooming period occurs during the summer and lasts about 2 months. There is no floral scent. Each flower matures into a whorl of flattened seeds. Each seed is rectangular, reticulated and pitted along the sides, with little or no pubescence. The root system consists of a woody taproot that is often swollen at the base. This plant spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and mesic to dry conditions. Poor soil containing sand, gravel, or clay is preferred, as this reduces competition from neighboring plants. This plant has a tendency to lean over while in bloom, especially if the soil is too moist and rich.
Range & Habitat: The Fringed Poppy Mallow is an uncommon plant that has naturalized in only two or three counties in Illinois (Peoria and Dupage). The webmaster has observed this species at a prairie restoration in Champaign County (see Distribution Map). The Fringed Poppy Mallow is native to the southern Great Plains, where it is more common. Habitats include upland areas of sand prairies, gravel prairies, savannas with scant ground vegetation, and abandoned fields. This species may appear unexpectedly in a prairie restoration as a result of contaminated seed. In Illinois, it is not aggressive.
Faunal Associations: Bees are probably the most important visitors of the flowers. Deer, rabbits, and other mammalian herbivores eat the foliage of Poppy Mallows readily. Rabbits often eat the lower leaves of the Fringed Poppy Mallow (including the lower leaves of the photographed plant), while deer occasionally chomp off the upper half of the foliage.
Photographic Location: A restored prairie at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Among the few Callirhoe spp. (Poppy Mallows) that occur in Illinois, the Fringed Poppy Mallow is the tallest. It is a lanky plant with slender stems and finger-like foliage. Some Callirhoe spp. have floral bracts underneath the sepals of each flower; these floral bracts have a leafy or papery-membranous appearance. However, the Fringed Poppy Mallow lacks such bracts. It is also rather distinctive because of the fringed outer edge of its petals, which becomes more pronounced as the flowers mature. Other Poppy Mallows have flowers with unfringed petals.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This is an unbranched perennial plant about 1-2' tall. Side stems may develop from upper leaf axils if the central stem is damaged. This stout central stem is 4-angled and it is covered with short white hairs that are usually appressed. The opposite leaves are up to 3½" long and 1½" across. They are broadly oblong to lanceolate in shape, and have smooth, slightly ciliate margins. The lower leaves have short stout petioles, while the upper leaves are sessile. They have deep pinnate venation and are covered with a white pubescence. The upper half of the central stem is perforated by whorled clusters of flowers. Each cluster of flowers is about 2-3" across and in the shape of a flattened sphere, with the flowers arranged in circular rows. The flowers are white, light pink, or lavender, and individually slightly less than ½" long. There are two prominent lips, with small purple spots on the lower one, and fine hairs in the back. The blooming period occurs during early summer and lasts about a month. Neither the flowers nor the leaves have a noticeable scent. The root system consists of a taproot, which forms offshoots occasionally by means of short rhizomes. The seeds are quite small, and distributed by the wind to some extent.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, and mesic to dry conditions. The soil can contain significant amounts of loam, clay, or gravel; limestone and a high pH are tolerated. The foliage can be affected by the usual diseases that attack other mints, and often appear rather ragged by mid-summer. This plant has greater tolerance to drought than most other members of Mint family.
Range & Habitat: Downy Wood Mint occurs occasionally in scattered counties in Illinois – it has been reported most often from counties in the NE and west-central areas of the state (see Distribution Map). This plant is native to Illinois. Habitats include mesic to dry black soil prairies, dolomite prairies, thickets, savannas, limestone bluffs, and limestone glades.
Faunal Associations: The flowers attract long-tongued and short-tongued bees, bee flies, Syrphid flies, butterflies, and skippers. The numerous bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, Anthophorine bees, little carpenter bees, leaf-cutting bees, Halictine bees, masked bees, and others. The small seeds are unlikely to be of much interest to birds, nor is the foliage an attractive source of food to mammalian herbivores.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at Loda Cemetery Prairie in Iroquois County, Illinois.
Comments: This plant can be easily confused with some of the weedier Eurasian mints, but should not be destroyed because it is not particularly common in Illinois. Notwithstanding its common name, Downy Wood Mint occurs in open areas more often than woodlands, unlike other members of the genus, such as Blephilia hirsuta (Hairy Wood Mint). The stems of the latter species have long spreading hairs, while the stems of Downy Wood Mint usually have short appressed hairs. Other common names for Blephilia ciliata are 'Ohio Horsemint' and 'Pagoda Plant.'
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This wildflower consists of a low rosette of basal leaves up to 6" across; a mature plant will produce one or more flowering stalks about ½–1' tall. The blades of the basal leaves are up to 3" long and 2½" across; they have stout hairy petioles up to 1½" long. The basal leaves are more or less oval in shape, crenate along their margins, palmately veined, and hairy on both their upper and lower surfaces; the upper surface of each leaf is medium green, while the lower surface is pale green or pale purplish green. Each flowering stalk is stout, erect, terete, light green, and very hairy; it has small alternate leaves up to 1¼" long and ½" across, which become gradually smaller as they ascend toward the inflorescence. The alternate leaves are similar to the basal leaves, except they are ovate in shape and smaller in size. Each alternate leaf is sessile or it clasps the stalk.
The inflorescence consists of a stout spike of small flowers about 2-6" long. These flowers are densely clustered along the spike, facing in all directions. Underneath each flower, there is a small leafy bract that is lanceolate. Each flower has a 2-lipped corolla that is cream-colored or pale yellow, and a calyx consisting of 4 green sepals that are elliptic and hairy. The corolla is about 5 mm. long and slightly longer than the calyx; the upper lip of the corolla is unlobed, while the irregular lower lip is unlobed or divided into 2-3 lobes. Each flower has a pair of exserted stamens and a slender white style. The blooming period occurs from mid-spring to early summer, lasting about 3 weeks for a colony of plants. The flowers bloom gradually from the bottom of the spike to its apex. Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by small 2-celled seed capsules; each capsule contains several seeds. The root system consists of a cluster of coarse fibrous roots; an older plant may form a small caudex. This wildflower occasionally forms colonies at favorable sites.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, dry conditions, and a barren acidic soil that is sandy or gravelly. Partial sun is also acceptable. This wildflower grows slowly and doesn't tolerate competition from taller, more aggressive plants. It is adaptable to sunny rock gardens and there are few problems with pests and disease.
Range & Habitat: The native Kittentails is restricted to the west-central and northwest sections of Illinois, where it is rare (see Distribution Map). This wildflower is state-listed as 'threatened.' Habitats include dry sand prairies, dry gravel prairies, hill prairies, barren savannas, thinly wooded bluffs, and sandy or gravelly riverbanks. This species is restricted to high quality habitats in natural areas; it is endemic to the Midwest and uncommon throughout its range.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are cross-pollinated by small bees, especially Halictid bees that seek nectar and/or pollen. The following Halictid bees have been observed to visit the flowers of Kittentails: Auglochlorella striata, Lasioglossum anomalum, and Lasioglossum vierecki (McKone et al., 1995; Moure & Hurd, 1987). Additional information about floral-faunal relationships is unavailable.
Photographic Location: The wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: While not particularly showy, Kittentails is an unusual little plant. It resembles some broad-leaved Plantago spp. (Plantains), but the floral spike of Kittentails is more stout and its flowers are insect-pollinated. The closest relatives (either Besseya spp. or Synthyris spp.) are found in mountainous areas of the western states. These latter species usually have flowers (or floral bracts) that are purple, otherwise they are similar in appearance to their eastern counterpart. Another scientific name of Kittentails is Wulfenia bullii.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This perennial herbaceous plant is 2½–4' tall at maturity. It has a branched bushy shape above, but it is unbranched below. The root system often sends up more than one shoot; each shoot develops into a separate plant. The central stem of each plant is unbranched and naked below (to about 1' above the ground), but branched above; it is relatively stout, light green to gray, terete, glabrous, and usually glaucous. The widely spreading to ascending lateral stems have similar characteristics, except they are more slender. As a general rule, both the central stem and lateral stems become more gray and glaucous with age. Alternate trifoliate leaves occur along the lateral stems and upper stem where it branches. Individual leaflets are 1.5–4 cm. long and 0.8–2 cm. across; their size can vary significantly depending on the characteristics of the parent species and their relative dominance in genetic expression. Individual leaflets are oblanceolate to obovate in shape, while their margins are toothless and often revolute (folded downward).
The leaflet bases are wedge-shaped (cuneate), while their tips are more or less rounded. Young leaflets are medium green and glabrous, but with age they become bluish green or grayish green on their upper surface and whitened on their lower surface. A reticulated network of fine veins is visible on the whitened lower surface of older leaves. The petioles of lower to middle trifoliate leaves are 4-8 mm. long, while the upper trifoliate leaves are nearly sessile. The petioles are light green to gray, slender, and finely grooved above. The petiolules of the terminal leaflets are very short (about 1 mm. in length), while the lateral leaflets are almost sessile. The central stem terminates in a spike-like raceme of flowers about 1' long, while the upper lateral stems terminate in spike-like racemes of flowers about 4-8" long. These racemes are usually erect, although some of the lateral racemes may be ascending. The flowers are distributed somewhat loosely along these racemes, facing in all directions. The central stalks (rachises and peduncles) of these racemes are grayish green to gray, terete, glabrous, and usually glaucous. Each flower is about ¾" long, ½" tall, and ½" across, consisting of 5 yellow petals, a grayish green to gray short-tubular calyx, 10 inserted stamens, and a pistil.
The petals are arranged in a typical pea-like floral structure, consisting of an upright banner and a forward-projecting pair of wings covering an interior keel. The lateral margins of the banner are curved away from the face of the flower, and the base of the banner may have a few small purplish splotches. The calyx is somewhat 2-lipped: its lower lip has 3 deltate-ovate teeth, while its upper lip is more or less convexly rounded. The slightly ascending pedicels of the flowers are 4-7 mm. long, slender, grayish green to gray, and glabrous. During the flower bud stage, there are also solitary floral bracts extending below the pedicels. These floral bracts are about the same length as the pedicels, linear-lanceolate in shape, and early-deciduous. The blooming period occurs from late spring to mid-summer, lasting about 3-4 weeks. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, fertile flowers are replaced by seedpods.
Mature seedpods are ¾" long, ½" across, obovoid-oblongoid in shape, somewhat inflated, and black; they are usually tapering in the front and abruptly rounded in the back. Each seedpod has a long slender stipe (about ½" long) that is straight and a short slender beak (about ¼" long) that is often somewhat curved. The walls of the mature pod are thin but firm; its usually contains a few seeds, otherwise it is hollow. The root system has thick rhizomes that are reddish brown and somewhat woody, from which more than one clonal plant can develop.
Cultivation: The preference is full to partial sun, mesic to dry conditions, and sandy loam, although heavier soils and the presence of gravel or rocky material is tolerated if drainage is good. Once danger of frost has passed, growth and development of an established plant is rapid. After the blooming period, this plant continues to grow, but at a much slower pace. This hybrid plant is adaptable to sunny situations, relatively long-lived, and easy to cultivate.
Range & Habitat: The native Deam's Wild Indigo is rare in Illinois, occurring as a natural hybrid in a single county (Kankakee County); see Distribution Map. It has also been found in a single county in NW Indiana, where it is also rare. In Illinois, Deam's Wild Indigo occurs in a sandy savanna and a sand prairie, where its two parent species, Baptisia alba macrophylla (White Wild Indigo) and Baptisia tinctoria (Yellow Wild Indigo), are also present. This hybrid species occurs in high quality natural areas that are usually sandy. Like other Baptisia spp. (Wild Indigo species), it probably benefits from occasional wildfires.
Faunal Associations: Various insects and their larvae feed on Baptisia spp. (Wild Indigo species). These species include the seed-eating larvae of a weevil (Apion rostrum), leaf-mining larvae of leaf beetles (Pachybrachis luridus, Pachybrachis trinotatus), seed-eating broad-headed bugs (Alydus conspersus, Alydus eurinus, Alydus pilosulus, Megalotomus quinquespinosus), leaf-mining larvae of a fly (Liriomyza baptisiae), larvae of the skippers Achalarus lyciades (Hoary Edge) and Erynnis baptisiae (Wild Indigo Duskywing), larvae of the butterfly Callophrys irus (Frosted Elfin), larvae of the Pyralid moths Pococera baptisiella (Wild Indigo Webworm Moth) and Sitochroa dasconalis (Pearly Indigo Borer Moth), larvae of the Tortricid moth Grapholita tristrigana (Three-lined Grapholita), and the oligophagous Neohydatothrips baptisiae (Wild Indigo Thrips); see Panzer et al. (2006), Clark et al. (2004), Bouseman et al. (2006), Bouseman & Sternburg (2001), Schaefer (1980), and Spencer & Steyskal (1986). Mammalian herbivores avoid consumption of Wild Indigo foliage because it is toxic to them.
Photographic Location: The wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: There is some disagreement among taxonomists regarding the classification of this hybrid plant. The ITIS and USDA, for example, consider Baptisia × deamii (Deam's Wild Indigo) to be a junior synonym of Baptisia × serenae (Serene Wild Indigo), which was originally described as a distinct species (Baptisia serenae) occurring along the SE coast of the United States. This view has been rejected because Baptisia × serenae is now widely considered a hybrid between Baptisia albescens (Spiked Wild Indigo) and Baptisia tinctoria (Yellow Wild Indigo), while Baptisia × deamii is considered a hybrid between Baptisia alba macrophylla (White Wild Indigo) and Baptisia tinctoria (Yellow Wild Indigo). This latter viewpoint is consistent with BONAP and Mohlenbrock (2014). Because both Baptisia alba macrophylla and Baptisia tinctoria have relatively broad ranges in the eastern United States and they are somewhat variable, specimens of Deam's Wild Indigo may exhibit significant variation in the size, shape, and hairiness of its leaves (if they are present, such hairs are restricted to the lower leaf surfaces). Deam's Wild Indigo can be readily distinguished from White Wild Indigo by its yellow flowers and usually smaller leaves, and it can be distinguished from Yellow Wild Indigo by its longer racemes (easily exceeding 4" in length), lack of branching on the lower central stem, and usually slightly larger leaves. Serene Wild Indigo, which is not found in Illinois, can be distinguished by the more cylindrical shape and reddish brown to purplish brown color of its mature seedpods.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This perennial plant is 1½–2' tall and unbranched. The central stem is light green to light purplish green and more or less pubescent. Several pairs of opposite leaves occur along the entire length of the stem; they are more or less ascending. The leaves are often folded upward along their margins, where they are often wavy (up and down). Individual leaves are up to 5" long and 1½" across; they are linear-lanceolate to lanceolate in shape and smooth (entire) along their margins. The upper leaf surface is medium green, while the lower leaf surface is light green; both surfaces are short-pubescent to nearly glabrous. The petioles are about 3 mm. (1/8") long, light green to light reddish green, and pubescent. The primary veins of the leaves are pinnate, while their secondary veins form a reticulated network that is visible on their undersides. From the axils of middle to upper leaves, there are nodding umbels of flowers spanning 1–1¾" across (only one umbel per pair of leaves). These umbels have short pubescent peduncles up to 6 mm. (¼") long. A typical plant will have 1-4 umbels; each umbel has 15-45 flowers on hairy pedicels about ½" long. Individual umbels are broadly obconic to half-globoid in shape and dome-shaped in front, rather than flat-headed.
Each flower is about 8 mm. long and 3 mm. across, consisting of 5 erect hoods, 5 deflexed petals, 5 deflexed sepals, and the reproductive organs. The flowers are light green to green, becoming yellowish green or purplish green as they age. Individual hoods are lanceolate-oblong in shape; they are without horns. The hoods surround a central reproductive column on all sides; this column contains masses of winged pollinia (packets of pollen). The deflexed petals are lanceolate in shape; when the flower is fully open, they hide the shorter sepals. The sepals are linear-lanceolate in shape, light green to purplish green, and hairy. The blooming period occurs during early summer, lasting about 3 weeks. Afterwards, the flowers that have been cross-pollinated successfully (if any) are replaced by follicles (seedpods that open along one side). The follicles are up to 3½–5" long and ½–¾" across; they are narrowly lanceoloid and usually short-pubescent. During the autumn, these follicles split open to release their seeds. The seeds are dark brown, flattened-ovoid in shape, and winged along their margins. At their apices, the seeds have tufts of white hair; they are distributed by the wind. The root system consists of a central taproot. This plant usually occurs as scattered individuals, rarely forming colonies.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and dry-mesic to dry conditions. This plant will also tolerate partial sun and mesic conditions. If anything, poor soil is preferred, containing gravelly or sandy material, as this reduces competition from taller plants. However, rich loam is tolerated if it is well-drained. After the blooming period and during the development of seedpods, this plant gradually deteriorates.
Range & Habitat: The native Short Green Milkweed is widely distributed in Illinois, but it is absent from some eastern and central counties (see Distribution Map). In areas where it occurs, this plant is rare to occasional. Habitats include openings in upland forests that are rocky or sandy; upland black soil prairies, sand prairies, gravel prairies, and hill prairies; barrens, limestone glades, and sand dunes; and abandoned fields. Short Green Milkweed usually occurs in high quality habitats, rather than degraded areas. Occasional wildfires are probably beneficial by reducing competition from woody vegetation.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts primarily bumblebees, which are the primary pollinators (Robertson, 1929). Ants are also attracted to the nectar, but they are not effective at cross-pollination. Some insects feed destructively on Short Green Milkweed and other milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). For example, larvae of a long-horned beetle, Tetraopes texanus (Texas Milkweed Beetle), bore through the stems of Short Green Milkweed, while caterpillars of a butterfly, Danaus plexippus (Monarch), occasionally feed on the leaves. Other insects that feed on milkweeds are listed in the Insect Table. Mammalian herbivores avoid consumption of the foliage because its milky latex contains toxic cardiac glycosides and it is bitter-tasting. Because caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly are able to sequester these toxic chemicals, the adults of this insect are usually avoided by birds.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at the Prospect Cemetery Prairie in Ford County, Illinois, and the Coneflower Hill Prairie in Shelby County, Illinois.
Comments: This non-showy plant is unlikely to receive favor from the mass market in horticulture, but it is nonetheless quite interesting to examine. This milkweed species is rather variable across different localities; there is a variety with narrow leaves that occurs in sandy areas near Lake Michigan. Short Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) can be distinguished from many species of milkweeds by its nodding umbels of greenish flowers. The rare Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) has this characteristic, but its flowers are more wide (about 6 mm. across) and the hoods of its flowers have horns. Another milkweed species, Tall Green Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella), produces nodding umbels of greenish flowers, but its umbels are more fully globoid in shape, and its leaves are usually more linear and narrow than those of Short Green Milkweed.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This perennial herbaceous plant is ½–2' tall and more or less erect; it is either unbranched or sparingly branched along the upper half of its central stem. The central stem is yellowish green or medium green and terete; it has vertical lines of short pubescence. Whorls of 4-6 leaves occur along the nodes of the central stem; because the internodes of this stem are fairly short, these leaves are produced in abundance. Relative to the orientation of the central stem, the leaves are usually ascending, although sometimes they are widely spreading or drooping. The leaves are 2-3" long, 2-3 mm. across, and linear in shape; their margins are entire (toothless) and strongly revolute (rolled downward). Sometimes whorls of smaller secondary leaves are produced from short lateral stems that develop from the axils of leaves along the central stem. The upper leaf surfaces are yellowish green or medium green and glabrous to sparsely short-pubescent; they are narrowly grooved along the middle where the midribs occur. The lower leaf surfaces are whitish green and short-pubescent; they are partially obscured by the rolled leaf margins. The leaves are sessile or they have very short petioles (less than 2 mm. long). From the axils of middle to upper leaves, umbels of flowers are produced on short peduncles (flowering stalks); there can be 1-4 umbels of flowers at each node. Individual umbels span ¾–1½" across, consisting of 7-20 pedicellate flowers.
Each flower is about 5-6 mm. across and 8-10 mm. long, consisting of 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 hoods with horns, and a central reproductive column. The sepals are light green, short-pubescent, and lanceolate in shape; sometimes they are tinted purple toward their tips. These sepals are visible at the bases of flower buds, but they are hidden by the petals when the flowers bloom. The petals are white or greenish white, sometimes with pale purplish tints toward their tips; they are oblong-elliptic in shape and strongly declined (bent downward), curving slightly upward toward their tips. The erect white hoods are open-tubular in shape and somewhat oblique, their lower sides facing the center of the flower. The slender white horns are sickle-shaped and inwardly curved; there is one exserted horn per hood. The short reproductive column is white at its apex and light green below. The slender pedicels of the flowers are light green to nearly white, sometimes becoming purplish at their bases; they are 8-12 mm. long, terete, and short-pubescent. The peduncles are ½–1½" long, light to medium green, glabrous to short-pubescent, terete, and ascending. The blooming period occurs from early to late summer, lasting about 1-2 months. There is little or no floral scent. Afterwards, successfully cross-pollinated flowers are replaced by ascending to erect follicles (seedpods that open along one side). These follicles are 3-4" long and about ½" across; they are narrowly lanceoloid in shape and fairly smooth (lacking warts or soft prickles). At maturity during autumn or winter, these follicles split open to release their seeds to the wind. Mature seeds are about 4-5 mm. long, ovate-flattened in shape, brown, and narrowly winged along their margins; their apices have large tufts of white hair. The root system is fleshy-fibrous and long-rhizomatous. Colonies of clonal plants are often produced from the rhizomes.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, sand, or gravel. Infertile soil is actually preferred because it reduces competition from taller plants. During hot dry weather, the lower leaves may turn yellow and fall off, or the foliage of the entire plant may become yellowish green. In open sunny areas with exposed soil, this plant can spread aggressively.
Range & Habitat: The native Whorled Milkweed occurs occasionally throughout most of Illinois, except for a few southern counties (see Distribution Map), where it is rare or absent. Habitats include upland prairies, sand prairies, gravel prairies, hill prairies, openings in rocky upland forests, sandy savannas, limestone glades, rocky bluffs along major rivers, bluegrass meadows, pastures and abandoned fields, grassy slopes along highways, and waste areas. Whorled Milkweed is a pioneer species that prefers open disturbed areas.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, including honeybees, bumblebees, Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp.), Halictid cuckoo bees (Sphecodes spp.), sand-loving wasps (Tachytes spp.), weevil wasps (Cerceris spp.), Sphecid wasps (Sphex spp., Prionyx spp.), Five-banded Tiphiid Wasp (Myzinum quinquecinctum), Northern Paper Wasp (Polites fuscatus), spider wasps (Anoplius spp.), Eumenine wasps (Euodynerus spp., etc.), Syrphid flies, thick-headed flies (Physocephala spp., etc.), Tachinid flies, flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), Muscid flies, Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and other butterflies, Peck's Skipper (Polites peckius) and other skippers, Squash Vine Borer Moth (Melittia cucurbitae) and other moths, and Pennsylvania Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus); sources of information include Robertson (1929) and personal observations. Among these floral visitors, bees and wasps are usually more effective at cross-pollination. Some insects feed destructively on the foliage, flowers, seedpods, and other parts of Whorled Milkweed. These species include the Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii), Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis), Yellow Milkweed Aphid (Aphis nerii), and a moth, the Delicate Cycnia (Cycnia tenera). Although this insect does not occur in Illinois, in the southwestern United States, the Horsetail Milkweed Longhorn (Tetraopes discoideus) feeds on Whorled Milkweed and closely related milkweed species (Asclepias spp.); sources of information include Betz et al. (1997), Yanega (1996), and personal observations. Mammalian herbivores usually avoid the foliage of Whorled Milkweed as a food source because it is one of the more toxic milkweed species.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois, and a bluegrass meadow near Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois.
Comments: This small milkweed blooms later in the year than most milkweed species (Asclepias spp.), and its small umbels of flowers attract many kinds of insects, including butterflies. Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) superficially resembles the common Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) because of its whorled linear leaves. It can be distinguished from this latter species by the milky latex of its foliage and the later development of its flowers and seedpods. Field Horsetail is a spore-bearing plant that lacks true flowers. Whorled Milkweed is readily distinguished from other milkweed species in Illinois by its more narrow leaves (only 2-3 mm. across). Narrow-leaved Milkweed (Asclepias stenophylla) is an exception, because its linear leaves are almost as narrow. However, this latter species has leaves that are alternate to nearly opposite along its stems, rather than whorled. So far, it has been found in only a few counties of western Illinois.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is 1-2½' tall. Young plants develop from a single central stem, while older plants tiller at the base, sending up multiple erect to ascending stems from a large taproot. These stems are unbranched below, becoming branched above where the flowers occur. The stems are light green to dull reddish purple, terete, and more or less covered with spreading hairs. Densely distributed along these stems, are alternate leaves that differ little in size. These leaves are 2½–3½" long and ½–¾" across; they are linear-oblong to lanceolate-oblong in shape, while their margins are entire (toothless). The tips of the leaves are acute, while their bases are slightly cordate, truncate, or rounded. The leaves are sessile, or they have short petioles up to 3 mm. long. The upper leaf surface is medium to dark green and glabrous to sparsely short-pubescent, while the lower leaf surface is light to light-medium green and mostly short-pubescent. Along the lower sides of the major veins, this pubescence is somewhat longer. The foliage of this plant lacks a milky latex. Usually several umbels of flowers develop from the upper stems and the axils of upper leaves. These umbels span 1–2½" across, consisting of 8-25 flowers each; they are slightly dome-shaped and often horizontally adjacent to each other.
Each flower consists of 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 hoods with horns, and a central reproductive column that is white to light green and short. The sepals are light green, hairy, and lanceolate in shape; they are largely hidden when the flowers open. The petals are more or less orange, lanceolate in shape, and declined (bent downward). The hoods are more or less orange, erect, and curved-ovate, forming open oblique tubes. The horns are more or less orange, sickle-shaped, incurved, and exserted from the hoods (one horn per hood). Usually the petals, hoods, and horns are orange, but sometimes they are reddish orange or yellowish orange. The pedicels are ¾–1½" long, light green or light reddish purple, terete, and more or less covered with spreading hairs. At the base of these pedicels, there are several spreading bracts up to 8 mm. long; they are green, linear-lanceolate in shape, and pubescent. The peduncles of the umbels are ½–2½" long, light green to dull reddish purple, terete, and hairy. The flowers bloom during early to mid-summer and sometimes a second time during late summer to early autumn. The flowers are relatively long-lasting, but they have no noticeable fragrance. Flowers that have been successfully cross-pollinated are replaced by follicles (seedpods that open along one side). These follicles are 4-6" long and ½–¾" across at maturity; they are initially light green, but later turn brown. The follicle surface is smooth and short-pubescent. These follicles eventually split open to release their seeds to the wind. Mature seeds are about 4 mm. long, flattened-oval in shape, brown, and narrowly winged along their margins; the apices of these seeds have large tufts of white hair. The root system consists of a woody taproot that is thick and knobby. This taproot can extend several feet below the ground surface.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and an acidic soil that is sandy or rocky. However, this plant will adapt to other kinds of soil, including those that contain loam or clay, if they are well-drained. Although this plant develops somewhat slowly, it is easy to cultivate in open sunny areas once it becomes established. Tolerance to hot dry weather is excellent. If the taproot of a young plant is planted too close to the soil surface, it may become damaged by frost due to heaving of the soil.
Range & Habitat: The native Butterfly Milkweed is occasional to locally common in Illinois, except for the western section of the state, where it is less common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include upland sand prairies, hill prairies, cemetery prairies, sandy savannas, open rocky woodlands, shale and sandstone glades (in southern Illinois), abandoned sandy fields, roadside embankments, and areas along railroads. Because of the showy orange flowers, Butterfly Milkweed is often cultivated in gardens. This milkweed is found in both disturbed areas and high quality natural areas. Occasional wildfires are probably beneficial in maintaining populations of this plant as this reduces competition from woody vegetation and taller herbaceous vegetation.
Faunal Associations: The flower nectar attracts honeybees, digger bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), thread-waisted wasps (Ammophila spp.) and other Sphecid wasps, and butterflies, including Fritillaries (Speyeria spp.), Swallowtails (Papilio spp.), and the Monarch (Danaus plexippus); see Robertson (1929). The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is also attracted to the flowers. Some insects feed destructively on the leaves, flowers and buds, seedpods, and other parts of Butterfly Milkweed. These insects include larvae of the Blackened Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes melanurus), the Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii), the Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), larvae of a butterfly, the Monarch (Danaus plexippus), and larvae of a moth, the Unexpected Cycnia (Cycnia inopinatus). Butterfly Milkweed is the preferred host plant of the preceding moth (see Yanega, 1996; Betz et al., 1997; Wagner, 2005). A polyphagous insect, the Curve-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia curvicauda), was observed to feed on the leaves of this milkweed (Gangwere, 1961); it may also feed on the flowers. While the foliage of Butterfly Milkweed lacks the toxic milky latex that is typical of other milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), mammalian herbivores nonetheless appear to avoid it.
Photographic Location: The above photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden, Urbana, Illinois, and a flower garden at the Anita Purvis Nature Center of the same city.
Comments: This is perhaps the showiest of the milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) because of the long-lasting and colorful flowers. Because Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is the only milkweed in Illinois that has orange flowers, it is easy to identify. This species is also unusual for a milkweed because its leaves are alternate and its foliage lacks a milky latex. Because of the absence of milky latex, it is often referred to as Butterfly Weed, rather than Butterfly Milkweed. The thick and bitter-tasting roots were used for various medicinal purposes in the past, including the treatment of pleurisy. As a result, another common name for this species is Pleurisy Root.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月06日
Description: This perennial herbaceous plant is 2-3' tall and unbranched. The erect central stem is relatively stout, terete, light green, and glabrous. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along the entire length of the stem; they are widely spreading to ascending (usually the latter). These leaves are 3-6" long and 1½–3" across; they are broadly oblong to ovate-oblong in shape, entire (toothless) and sometimes wavy along their margins, and either sessile or short-pedicellate. The leaf bases are rounded, while the tips of leaves are round or obtuse, tapering abruptly to a short narrow point. The upper and lower surfaces of the leaves are light-medium green and glabrous; the leaf texture is slightly fleshy. Leaf venation is pinnate; the prominent central veins are light green, pink, or purple. Each fertile plant develops 1-3 umbels of flowers (rarely more) from the apex of the central stem and the axils of the uppermost leaves. These umbels span 2–3½" across and they are slightly dome-shaped, consisting of 15-25 flowers each (rarely more).
Each flower is about ½" across and ¾" long, or slightly smaller in size, consisting of 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 hoods with horns, and a central reproductive column that is whitish. The sepals are light green to pinkish purple, lanceolate-ovate in shape, and glabrous. The petals are mostly pink to purplish pink (although white at their bases), lanceolate in shape, and declined (bent downward). The hoods are erect, open-tubular in shape, and pink to purplish pink. Each hood has an exserted horn that is sickle-shaped and incurved. The pedicels of the flowers are 1–1½" long, light green to reddish purple, and glabrous. The peduncles of the umbels are ½–3" long, light green, and terete. The blooming period occurs during early to mid-summer, lasting about 1 month. The flowers have a pleasant fragrance. Afterwards, cross-fertilized flowers (if any) are replaced by erect to ascending follicles (seedpods that open along one side) that are 3-4" long and 1–1¼" across at maturity. These follicles are light green (while immature), lanceoloid in shape, and smooth to bluntly warty. At maturity, the follicles split open to release their seeds to the wind. The seeds are brown, flattened-ovate in shape, and narrowly winged along their margins; they have large tufts of white hair at their apices. The root system is fleshy and rhizomatous, occasionally producing clonal offsets.
Cultivation: The preference is full sunlight, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil. While it can spread by means of its rhizomes, this plant is far less aggressive than Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). During dry weather, some of the lower leaves may turn yellow and fall off the plant. This also happens when the seedpods develop, which is quite normal. Active growth occurs during the late spring and early summer.
Range & Habitat: The native Prairie Milkweed is uncommon to occasional in the majority of counties in Illinois, but it is rare or absent in many counties of southern and NW Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include black soil prairies, cemetery prairies, prairie remnants along railroads, moist meadows along rivers or near woodlands, thickets, and roadside ditches. Prairie Milkweed is an indicator plant of average to high quality prairies.
Faunal Associations: Various insects visit the flowers of Prairie Milkweed for nectar, including bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Epeolus spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), Halictid cuckoo bees (Sphecodes spp.), sand wasps (Bembix spp.), Sphecid wasps, Ichneumonid wasps, thick-headed flies (Conopidae), Tachinid flies, flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), butterflies, skippers, moths, and ants (Robertson, 1929). The Ruby-throated Hummingbird also visits the flowers for nectar. Among the various visitors, bumblebees and other long-tongued bees are the most effective in cross-pollinating the flowers. Other insects feed on the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and seedpods of Prairie Milkweed and other milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). The larvae of one species, the Milkweed Leaf-miner Fly (Liriomyza asclepiadis), tunnels through the leaves of Prairie Milkweed (Betz et al., 1997). Other insects that feed on milkweeds include long-horned beetles (Tetraopes spp.), the Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis), the Milkweed Stem Weevil (Rhyssomatus lineaticollis), the Small Milkweed Bug (Lygaeus kalmii), the Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), the Yellow Milkweed Aphid (Aphis nerii) and other aphids, caterpillars of a moth, the Delicate Cycnia (Cycnia tenera), and caterpillars of a butterfly, the Monarch (Danaus plexippus). The Insect Table provides additional information about these species. Because the foliage of Prairie Milkweed contains a white latex that is bitter-tasting and toxic, mammalian herbivores avoid consumption of this plant.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at the Loda Cemetery Prairie in Iroquois County, Illinois.
Comments: Prairie Milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) somewhat resembles Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in appearance, but the former species has flowers that are slightly larger in size and its leaves are hairless on their undersides. Prairie Milkweed is usually a shorter plant than Common Milkweed, and it produces fewer umbels of flowers from the axils of its leaves. Another similar species is Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens). This latter species differs by having seedpods that are always smooth (rather than bluntly warty) and it has short hairs on the undersides of its leaves. In addition, the flowers of Purple Milkweed are slightly smaller in size than those of Prairie Milkweed, and they are usually more purple. Sometimes Prairie Milkweed has difficulty in forming seedpods because many flower-visiting insects are not very effective in removing and transferring pollinia from one plant to another. In addition, it is not uncommon for some of these insects to become entrapped on the flowers and unable to escape. Another common name of this plant is Sullivant's Milkweed.
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Dummer. ゛☀
2017年08月06日
BOTANICAL NAME: Rubus fruticosus
PLANT TYPE: Fruit
SUN EXPOSURE: Full Sun
SOIL TYPE: Sandy
SOIL PH: Acidic
Basically, there are three types of blackberries: 1. erect thorny blackberries, 2. erect thornless blackberries, 3. trailing thornless blackberries. The erect blackberries are bushes that support themselves. The trailing blackberries have long canes that must be trellised for support.
All blackberries are perennials; the roots come back year after year. However, the top of the plant above the soil is what we call biennial. This means that the canes grow vegetatively for a year, bear fruit the next year, and then die. However, every year the plant sends up new canes to replace those that died! For a great fruit harvest and to avoid a messy plant, pruning is important.
PLANTING
Blackberries and hybrids are all self-fertile, so multiple plants are not needed for fruit production.
Select a site that receives full sun for the best berry yields.
Soil needs to be fertile with good drainage. Add organic content to enrichen your soil.
Make sure you plant your blackberries far away from wild blackberries that may carry viruses.
For semi-erect cultivars, space plants 5 to 6 feet apart. Space erect cultivars 3 feet apart. Space trailing varieties 5 to 8 feet apart. Space rows about 8 feet apart.
Plant shallowly: about one inch deeper than they were grown in the nursery.
Planting may be done in late fall, however, it should be delayed until early spring in very cold areas as low temperatures could kill some hybrids.
CARE
Mulching is important throughout the season to conserve moisture and suffocate weeds. Keep a thick layer of mulch surrounding plants at all times.
Blackberries require plenty of moisture, especially when growing and ripening. Ensure plants receive one inch of water per week and more in hot temperatures.
Blackberries benefit from fertilizing in early spring with an all-purpose fertilizer such as 10-10-10, or a 16-16-8.
Trellis Trailing Blackberries
As mentioned above, trailing blackberries need a trellis or support. Explore a two-wire system, running a top wire at five to six feet with a second line 18 inches below the top wire. After the first year, there will be fruiting floricanes along the wires. Train the new primocanes into a narrow row below the fruiting canes. Directing all canes in one direction may make it simpler.
Pruning
We have provided detailed pruning information below, but do not be scared. The main idea is to simply remove the old canes that already bore fruit and let new ones take their place.
Trailing blackberries: After the fruit harvest period, the old fruiting (floricanes) are removed to the ground. However, unless there is a lot of disease, it’s best to delay removing the old fruiting canes until they have died back considerably. This allows the dying canes to move nutrients back into the crown and roots. After old fruiting canes are removed, train the primocanes up on the wires. Work with one or two canes at a time in a spiral around the trellis wires. Canes from adjacent plants may overlap a little. No pruning of primocanes is necessary.
In areas with low winter temperatures, leave the primocanes on the ground for the winter where they could be mulched for winter protection. In the spring, after danger of extreme cold has passed, train the old primocanes (now considered floricanes) up on the wires. Avoid working with the canes in cold weather, as they are more prone to breaking.
Erect blackberries produce stiff, shorter canes that come from the crown and from root suckering (often forming a hedgerow).
Erect blackberries benefit from summer pruning. Remove the top one to two inches of new primocanes when they are four feet tall. This causes the canes to branch, increasing next year’s yields. Plants will require several pruning sessions to tip each cane as it reaches the four foot height. Primocanes (suckers) that grow outside the hedgerow should be regularly removed.
In the winter, remove the dead floricanes (old fruiting canes) from the hedgerow. Also shorten the lateral branches to about 1½ to 2½ feet.
If you have primocane-fruiting erect blackberries, cut all canes off just above the ground in the late winter for the best fruit. In the summer, when the primocanes are 3½ feet tall, removed the top 6 inches. The primocanes will branch, thereby producing larger yields in the fall.
If you have semi-erect blackberries, they are easier to manage on a Double T Trellis. Install four-foot cross arms at the top of a six-foot post. Install a three-foot cross arm about two feet below the top line. String high-tensile wire down the rows, connecting to the cross arms.
Semi-erect berries need to be pruned in the summer. When the primocanes are five feet tall, remove the top two inches to encourage branching. Several pruning sessions will be required as canes reach the appropriate height. In the winter, remove the dead floricanes (old fruiting canes). Spread the primocanes (new floricanes) out along the trellis. Canes do not need to be shortened. However, they can be if they are difficult to train.
PESTS/DISEASES
Raspberry Borers
Fruit Worms
Gray Mold
Viruses
If your plant is suffering from the blackberry disease known as Raspberry Bushy Dwarf virus, the leaves will be have some bright yellow on them, and the leaves of the fruiting vines may have a bleached look in the summer. The disease known as Blackberry Calico will cause faint yellow blotches on the leaves of the plant.
PLANT TYPE: Fruit
SUN EXPOSURE: Full Sun
SOIL TYPE: Sandy
SOIL PH: Acidic
Basically, there are three types of blackberries: 1. erect thorny blackberries, 2. erect thornless blackberries, 3. trailing thornless blackberries. The erect blackberries are bushes that support themselves. The trailing blackberries have long canes that must be trellised for support.
All blackberries are perennials; the roots come back year after year. However, the top of the plant above the soil is what we call biennial. This means that the canes grow vegetatively for a year, bear fruit the next year, and then die. However, every year the plant sends up new canes to replace those that died! For a great fruit harvest and to avoid a messy plant, pruning is important.
PLANTING
Blackberries and hybrids are all self-fertile, so multiple plants are not needed for fruit production.
Select a site that receives full sun for the best berry yields.
Soil needs to be fertile with good drainage. Add organic content to enrichen your soil.
Make sure you plant your blackberries far away from wild blackberries that may carry viruses.
For semi-erect cultivars, space plants 5 to 6 feet apart. Space erect cultivars 3 feet apart. Space trailing varieties 5 to 8 feet apart. Space rows about 8 feet apart.
Plant shallowly: about one inch deeper than they were grown in the nursery.
Planting may be done in late fall, however, it should be delayed until early spring in very cold areas as low temperatures could kill some hybrids.
CARE
Mulching is important throughout the season to conserve moisture and suffocate weeds. Keep a thick layer of mulch surrounding plants at all times.
Blackberries require plenty of moisture, especially when growing and ripening. Ensure plants receive one inch of water per week and more in hot temperatures.
Blackberries benefit from fertilizing in early spring with an all-purpose fertilizer such as 10-10-10, or a 16-16-8.
Trellis Trailing Blackberries
As mentioned above, trailing blackberries need a trellis or support. Explore a two-wire system, running a top wire at five to six feet with a second line 18 inches below the top wire. After the first year, there will be fruiting floricanes along the wires. Train the new primocanes into a narrow row below the fruiting canes. Directing all canes in one direction may make it simpler.
Pruning
We have provided detailed pruning information below, but do not be scared. The main idea is to simply remove the old canes that already bore fruit and let new ones take their place.
Trailing blackberries: After the fruit harvest period, the old fruiting (floricanes) are removed to the ground. However, unless there is a lot of disease, it’s best to delay removing the old fruiting canes until they have died back considerably. This allows the dying canes to move nutrients back into the crown and roots. After old fruiting canes are removed, train the primocanes up on the wires. Work with one or two canes at a time in a spiral around the trellis wires. Canes from adjacent plants may overlap a little. No pruning of primocanes is necessary.
In areas with low winter temperatures, leave the primocanes on the ground for the winter where they could be mulched for winter protection. In the spring, after danger of extreme cold has passed, train the old primocanes (now considered floricanes) up on the wires. Avoid working with the canes in cold weather, as they are more prone to breaking.
Erect blackberries produce stiff, shorter canes that come from the crown and from root suckering (often forming a hedgerow).
Erect blackberries benefit from summer pruning. Remove the top one to two inches of new primocanes when they are four feet tall. This causes the canes to branch, increasing next year’s yields. Plants will require several pruning sessions to tip each cane as it reaches the four foot height. Primocanes (suckers) that grow outside the hedgerow should be regularly removed.
In the winter, remove the dead floricanes (old fruiting canes) from the hedgerow. Also shorten the lateral branches to about 1½ to 2½ feet.
If you have primocane-fruiting erect blackberries, cut all canes off just above the ground in the late winter for the best fruit. In the summer, when the primocanes are 3½ feet tall, removed the top 6 inches. The primocanes will branch, thereby producing larger yields in the fall.
If you have semi-erect blackberries, they are easier to manage on a Double T Trellis. Install four-foot cross arms at the top of a six-foot post. Install a three-foot cross arm about two feet below the top line. String high-tensile wire down the rows, connecting to the cross arms.
Semi-erect berries need to be pruned in the summer. When the primocanes are five feet tall, remove the top two inches to encourage branching. Several pruning sessions will be required as canes reach the appropriate height. In the winter, remove the dead floricanes (old fruiting canes). Spread the primocanes (new floricanes) out along the trellis. Canes do not need to be shortened. However, they can be if they are difficult to train.
PESTS/DISEASES
Raspberry Borers
Fruit Worms
Gray Mold
Viruses
If your plant is suffering from the blackberry disease known as Raspberry Bushy Dwarf virus, the leaves will be have some bright yellow on them, and the leaves of the fruiting vines may have a bleached look in the summer. The disease known as Blackberry Calico will cause faint yellow blotches on the leaves of the plant.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Pequeños o medianos arbustos remontantes de ramillas abiertas, larguiruchos.
Flores simples o dobles, que aparecen en solitario o en grupos de 2-13. Floración de verano a otoño.
Poseen folíolos acuminados y brillantes.
Necesitan posición protegida.
Son adecuados para borduras y muros.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
- Nombre científico o latino: Rosa rugosa
- Nombre común o vulgar: Rosa rugosa
- Familia: Rosaceae (Rosáceas).
- Origen: China, Corea, Japón.
- Arbusto caducifolio redondeado que oscila entre 1.5 y 2 m. de altura.
- Tallo cubierto de espinas con hojas de superficie rugosa.
- Ramas tomentosas, con numerosas espinas.
- Hojas compuestas, de unos 18 cm de longitud, formadas por 5 folíolos elípticos, coriáceos y rugosos.
- Flores solitarias, blancas o rosa-púrpuras, de 8-9 cm de diámetro, muy olorosas.
- El fruto redondo y rojizo se semeja a un tomatito.
- Algunas variedades seleccionadas son fragantes, algunas tienen flores dobles desde blanco hasta rojo y púrpura, pasando por rosado. Todas tienen grandes frutos rojos.
- No se utiliza tanto como se debería, dadas sus cualidades resistentes, su adaptación a la costa y su disfrute de suelos arenosos, que lo hacen idóneo para setos y divisiones al lado del mar.
- Especie de gran valor decorativo por sus flores y sus llamativos frutos, permaneciendo éstos durante largo tiempo en la planta después de su maduración.
- Generalmente se emplea en jardinería para ser plantada de forma aislada o formando pequeños grupos en parques y jardines. Ideal para setos libres.
- Es uno de los rosales cultivados más ancestrales.
- Luz: pleno sol.
- Poco exigente respecto a las características del suelo.
- Ocasionalmente, quitar las ramas viejas en primavera para rejuvenecer la planta.
- Siembra: estratificación previa de las semillas en frío de 3º ó 4º C.
- Este gran rosal arbustivo de crecimiento suelto y amplio alcanza una altura y una envergadura de 1,5 m.
- Sus grandes flores blancas, semidobles y fragantes, aparecen a principios de verano; la floración se prolonga durante todo el verano.
- Los pétalos son sedosos y ligeramente arrugados.
- Los escaramujos de color rojo anaranjado no maduran tan fácilmente como en el similar 'Alba'.
- Al igual que casi todos los derivados de R. rugosa, tiene tallos muy espinosos y las hojas tienen nerviaciones profundas.
- Esta especie de deliciosa fragancia, denominada según el jardín de rosas de idéntico nombre que se halla en el sur de París, creado por Jules Gravereaux, florece durante toda la temporada y es mejor plantarla en pequeños grupos.
- De crecimiento robusto, puede alcanzar una altura de 2,4 m, e idéntica envergadura; se cubre de grandes flores semidobles de color carmesí purpúreo aterciopelado y fuerte aroma.
- Cada flor mide 10 cm de diámetro y nace en medio del abundante y típico follaje de esta especie.
- Esta variedad destaca notablemente por el color vino de sus flores.
- Este rosal arbustivo, también conocido como 'Frau Dagmar Hartopp', es más compacto que otros, por lo que resulta muy adecuado para setos con el atractivo adicional de sus escaramujos de color rojo brillante, semejantes a pequeños tomates, que aparecen durante el verano y el otoño.
- Las hojas son de color verde manzana con nerviaciones grabadas. Las plantas responden bien a un recorte en invierno.
- Su floración se inicia a mediados del verano y dura largo tiempo.
- Las flores sencillas miden hasta 8 cm de diámetro y son de color rosa con estambres dorados, primero de forma acopada y después más aplanadas.
- Las hojas en otoño tienen un bello tono amarillo dorado.
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