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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
- Nombre científico o latino: Rosa centifolia
- Nombre común o vulgar: Rosal romano, Rosal de cien hojas, Rosa aromática, Rosa de mayo, Rosa de Provenza
- Familia: Rosaceae (Rosáceas).
- Arbusto de 1 a 2 m de altura.
- Se usa en decoración de jardines como seto informal.
- Especie de hábito terrestre. Se le llega a encontrar en bosques de encino, pino o pino-encino.
- Se cultiva sobre todo en la región de Grasse, en el sur de Francia, y su perfume es parecido al de la Rosa gallica.
- Esta especie se reproducen en vivero, generalmente a través de varetas (estacas).
- La flor tiene diversos usos medicinales y en perfumería.
- Agua de Rosas Rojas:
- El agua de Rosas Rojas se obtiene de pétalos frescos de Rosa centifolia, entre otras especies de rosas, a través de un proceso de destilación simple.
- Se necesitan alrededor de 1.000 flores de la variedad seleccionada para producir 473 ml de agua de rosas de buena calidad. Este agua de rosas concentrado se diluye más tarde según se requiera.
- Usos del Agua de rosas:
- Se añade como condimento a platos dulces, flanes, natillas y helados. También actúa como medio para cualquier medicamento oral con sabor desagradable. El agua de rosas se utiliza como ambientador en habitaciones donde se reúne un gran número de gente.
- Es también un excelente tónico facial.
- Indicaciones del Agua de rosas:
- Destaca como tónico hepático y fortalecedor cardiaco, t ónico astringente, diaforético, afecciones menores de la piel.
MODO DE EMPLEO
- Para beber diluir al gusto una o dos cucharadas soperas en un litro de agua azucarada
- Para la piel usar directamente.
- Esencias para perfumes
- La Rosa centifolia de Grasse permite obtener una esencia absoluta a partir de un tratamiento por extracción de los disolventes volátiles.
- La recogida se efectúa desde el alba, flor a flor, lo más rápidamente posible. Es hacia las 8,30 horas cuando la flor es más rica en productos volátiles.
- Es preciso saber que cinco toneladas de flores se necesitan para obtener un solo kilo de esencia, lo que da un poco menos de un gramo de aceite esencial por hora.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This perennial wildflower is 8-20" tall, erect, and unbranched. The central stem is light green to brown, terete, and canescent to short-pubescent. Pairs of opposite leaves occur at intervals along the central stem. The leaf blades are 2-3" long and ¾–1½" across; they are lanceolate, ovate, or oval in shape and their margins are smooth. The upper surfaces of the blades are green and hairless, while their lower surfaces are pale green and canescent to short-pubescent. On each blade, the lateral veins extend outward from the central vein toward the outer margins. The petioles are about ¼" in length. The central stem terminates in a a dome-shaped umbel of flowers about 1½–2" across; there are usually 1-3 additional umbels of flowers that develop from the axils of the upper leaves. Each umbel has 8-24 flowers that are more or less white. Individual flowers are about ¼" across, consisting of a short reproductive column in the center, 5 surrounding hoods with inwardly curving horns, and 5 drooping corolla lobes. The hoods are white or cream-colored, while the corolla lobes are white, greenish white, or pale purplish white. The slender pedicels of the flowers are about ¾–1" long and short-pubescent.
The blooming period occurs from late spring to mid-summer and lasts about 3 weeks. Fertilized flowers are replaced by spindle-shaped seedpods (follicles) about 2-3" long that have smooth and canescent outer surfaces. These seedpods are held erect. At maturity, each seedpod splits open along one side, releasing seeds with tufts of light brown hair. The seeds are distributed by the wind. The root system is rhizomatous.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, dry conditions, and sandy soil; other kinds of soil are tolerated, if water drainage is good. This small milkweed could be cultivated in rock gardens.
Range & Habitat: The native Oval-Leaved Milkweed is rare in Illinois and state-listed as endangered; it is found in only a few northeastern counties. This milkweed is more typical of prairies in the northern plains; Illinois lies at the southeastern limit of its range. Habitats include hill prairies and dry sand prairies, typical savannas and sandy savannas, and openings in upland oakDistribution Map woodlands. Occasional wildfires are probably beneficial as this reduces the encroachment of woody vegetation. Oval-Leaved Milkweed is found in high quality natural areas.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, wasps, ants, butterflies and skippers, and probably some moths. Ants are nectar robbers, but they may provide the flowering plant with some protection from aphids and other small insects. Little information about floral-faunal relationships is available for this milkweed specifically, but in general milkweed species (Asclepias spp.) attract a distinctive group of insects that feed on the leaves and other parts of these plants. These insect feeders include the weevil Rhyssomatus lineaticollis, Lygaeus kalmii (Small Milkweed Bug), Oncopeltus fasciatus (Large Milkweed Bug), Tetraopes basalis (Milkweed Longhorn), Tetraopes femoratus (Large Red Milkweed Beetle), Tetraopes tetrophthalmus (Red Milkweed Beetle), Aphis nerii (Introduced Milkweed Aphid), the aphids Myzocallis asclepiadis and Myzocallis punctatus, the moths Cycnia inopinatus (Unexpected Cycnia) and Cycnia tenera (Delicate Cycnia), and the butterfly Danaus plexippus (Monarch). Because the foliage is toxic and bitter as a result of its milky latex, mammalian herbivores usually avoid milkweeds. Sometimes, the Eastern Goldfinch uses the tufted hairs of the seeds in the construction of its nests.
Photographic Location: A nature preserve in Cook County, Illinois. The photograph of the flowering plant was taken by Lisa Culp (Copyright © 2009).
Comments: This little-known milkweed has reasonably attractive flowers and foliage. It is one of several milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) in Illinois with flowers that are more or less white. To identify Oval-Leaved Milkweed correctly, the following two characteristics should be considered: 1) its stems and leaf undersides are canescent or short-pubescent, rather than hairless or long-haired, and 2) its larger leaves are usually ovate to oval, rather than linear or lanceolate. For example, the white-flowered Asclepias lanuginosa (Woolly Milkweed) has more slender leaves and its stems are covered with spreading hairs. This latter milkweed produces only a single terminal umbel of flowers per plant, while Oval-Leaved Milkweed often produces 1-3 axillary umbels of flowers. Other common names of Asclepias ovalifolia are Dwarf Milkweed and Oval Milkweed.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This perennial plant becomes about 2-3' tall when it is mature, branching occasionally in the upper half. The stems are covered in a dense mat of short white hairs. The alternate leaves are up to 3½" long and 1" across. They are usually oblanceolate, narrowly ovate, or linear. The lower leaves may have a few lobes or coarse teeth towards their tips, while the upper leaves have smooth margins. Like the stems, the leaves have a dense mat of short white hairs, especially on the lower surface. This variety of White Sage has dense white hairs on the upper surface of the leaves as well, except for the oldest leaves toward the bottom of the plant. The leaves are sessile against the stem, or have short petioles. Some of the upper stems terminate in elongated spikes or narrow racemes of compound flowers. Each flowerhead is only 1/8" (3 mm.) across, and contains numerous whitish green disk florets that are inconspicuous. The blooming period is late summer to early fall, and lasts about 2-3 weeks. There is no floral scent, although the foliage of this plant is quite aromatic. Pollination is by wind, rather than insects. The tiny seeds are without tufts of hair, but are small enough to be distributed by the wind. The root system is rhizomatous, and can form a dense mat of roots near the surface of the ground. As a result, this plant has a strong tendency to form clonal colonies that exclude other plants.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and dry conditions. Poor soil containing hardpan clay, rocky material, or sand is actually preferred as a medium for growth, as this reduces competition from other plants. The foliage is very attractive and doesn't have significant problems with disease. This plant can spread aggressively in some situations.
Range & Habitat: White Sage is occasional in northern and western Illinois, but rare or absent in other parts of the state (see Distribution Map). Some authorities think this plant is native to Illinois (e.g., Britton & Brown), while others believe it is adventive from the west (e.g., Mohlenbrock). It is usually found along railroads and roadsides, and sometimes in dry upland areas of prairies. Cultivated forms of this plant can be found in flower gardens because of the attractive foliage. If this plant is native, Illinois would be at the eastern boundary of its distribution.
Faunal Associations: The flowers don't attract insects because they are wind-pollinated. White Sage has the potential to cause allergies in humans because of this pollen, but this species isn't very common within the state. Several grasshopper species feed on the foliage of White Sage (see Grasshopper Table), including an uncommon oligolectic grasshopper, Hypochlora alba (Cudweed Grasshopper), which often feeds hides in the foliage during the day. Other insect feeders include Ophraella artemisiae (Leaf Beetle sp.), Macrosiphoniella ludovicianae (Aphid sp.), and the larvae of Phaneta argenticostana (Tortricid Moth sp.); the moth larvae feed on the seedheads. Mammalian herbivores don't consume this plant because the aromatic foliage has a bitter taste. The seeds are too small to be of much interest to birds.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana, Illinois, where a small colony of plants was located in a restored prairie. The plants were not in bloom.
Comments: This variety of White Sage has striking foliage. The typical variety, Artemisia ludoviciana ludoviciana, has greener foliage with fewer white hairs. The leaves of this latter variety are supposed to be broader and more likely to have lobes or serrated margins toward the leaf tips. However, the hairiness and shape of the leaves can be rather variable for this species, regardless of the variety. Other Artemisia spp. have foliage that is more green and pinnately lobed. A few species, such as the introduced Artemisia vulgaris (Mugwort), have silvery hairs on the lower surface of the leaves, but their upper surface is predominantly green.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This plant is a biennial or short-lived perennial. During the 1st year, a rosette of basal leaves is produced. The basal leaves are up to 4" long and 3" across; they are deeply pinnatifid or bipinnatifid with narrow linear lobes (up to 2" long and less than 3 mm. across). The upper surface of basal leaves is grayish blue and canescent; the petioles of these leaves are variable in length. During the 2nd and later years (if any), this plant bolts to become 1½-3½' tall, while the rosette of basal leaves withers away. The central stem and ascending lateral stems are light green to dark red and terete. Usually the young tips of stems are tomentose (with short white cobwebby pubescence), otherwise they are mostly glabrous. The cauline leaves alternate along these stems; they are more common along the lower half of the central stem and lower lateral stems. The lower cauline leaves resemble the basal leaves, except they are more green. Middle cauline leaves are smaller in size and less divided into linear lobes, while the upper cauline leaves are short (less than 1" long) and linear in shape. The upper surface of these leaves is green to whitish green, flat, and tomentose, becoming more glabrous with age. The lower surface of these leaf leaves is green, rounded (convex), and glabrous. The foliage is not strongly aromatic.
The central stem (and upper lateral stems, if any) terminates in a panicle of flowerheads that is about 4-18" long and about one-half as much across. Leafy linear bracts occur along the rachis (central stalk) and lateral branches of this panicle. The rachis and lateral branches are light green to dark red and glabrous to canescent. The rachis of the panicle is more or less erect, while its primary lateral branches are ascending. Individual flowerheads are whitish green or yellowish green and 2-4 mm. long and similarly across. Each flowerhead has 8-30 inner disk florets that are perfect and 5-20 outer disk florets that are pistillate. Each inner floret consists of a narrow tubular corolla with 5 teeth along its upper rim, some fertile stamens, and an abortive ovary that is sterile. Each outer floret consists of a narrow tubular corolla with 2-3 teeth along its upper rim and a fertile ovary with a divided style. The base of each flowerhead is surrounded by appressed overlapping bracts (phyllaries); individual bracts are lanceolate to ovate, mostly green, and up to 2 mm. long. At maturity, the flowerheads droop from short pedicels. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early autumn, lasting about 2-3 weeks. The florets are cross-pollinated primarily by the wind. Afterwards, the outer florets of the flowerheads are replaced by bullet-shaped achenes that are up to 1.0 mm. in length. These achenes are without tufts of hair or a crown of scales; they are usually distributed only a short distance from the mother plant by the wind. The root system consists of a woody taproot or caudex with fibrous roots. This plant reproduces by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, dry conditions, and sandy soil. During hot dry periods, it is not uncommon for the lower leaves to wither away. This plant has some tolerance to road salt.
Range & Habitat: The native Beach Wormwood is occasional in northern Illinois, and it is also occasional in the central section of the state along the Illinois River, otherwise it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Only ssp. caudata occurs within the state; the typical subspecies is found in Europe. Habitats include semi-stabilized sand dunes along Lake Michigan, dry areas of beaches, dry sand prairies, openings in sandy savannas, rocky glades, ledges along cliffs, sand bars and gravel bars along major rivers, abandoned sandy fields, and sandy roadsides. Beach Wormwood prefers sandy areas where there has been some disturbance from wind or wildfires.
Faunal Associations: To a limited extent, Beach Wormwood may be cross-pollinated by small bees and flies seeking pollen from the flowerheads. Other insects feed destructively on Beach Wormwood and other wormwood species (Artemisia spp.). Two plant bugs, Europiella bakeri and Lygus atritibialis, have been observed to feed on Beach Wormwood specifically (Knight, 1941). Other insects that feed on wormwood species in open areas include such grasshoppers as Hesperotettix viridis (Snakeweed Grasshopper), Hypochlora alba (Cudweed Grasshopper), and Melanoplus angustipennis (Narrow-winged Sand Grasshopper); see Vickery & Kevan (1985). The caterpillars of several butterflies and moths feed on the foliage and/or flowerheads of these plants, including Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady), Vanessa virginiensis (American Painted Lady), Scrobipalpula artemisiella (Wormseed Webworm), Phaneta argenticostana (Tortricid moth sp.), and Protoschinia nuchalis (Wormseed Flower Moth); see Marcovitch (1916), Marshall (2006), and various internet websites. Several aphids (Macrosiphoniella spp.) suck plant juices from the stems, leaves, and/or flowerheads of wormseed species (Hottes & Frison, 1931; Blackman & Eastop, 2013). Because of the bitter taste of the foliage and its mild toxicity, cattle and other mammalian herbivores in the Midwestern region usually avoid consumption of Beach Wormwood and similar species. However, vertebrate wildlife in the Western region of the United States utilize these plants as sources of food to a greater extent (Martin et al., 1951/1961).
Photographic Location: Sand dunes along Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park in NW Indiana.
Comments: Beach Wormwood is the primary host of a rare parasitic plant, Orobanche fasciculata (Clustered Broomrape). The pale flowering stalk of this parasitic plant can be observed near Beach Wormwood during late spring or summer. A similar species, Orobanche ludoviciana (Prairie Broomrape), is also parasitic on Beach Wormwood, but this latter species is parasitic on a variety of other species in the Asteraceae. Among the several Artemisia spp. in Illinois, Beach Wormwood can be identified by the toothless linear lobes (less than 3 mm. across) of its deeply divided leaves. It is also unusual in having perfect florets with sterile ovaries, which are normally fertile in other Artemisia spp. Another common name of Artemisia campestris caudata is Field Sagewort. A scientific synonym of this species is Artemisia caudata.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This is a low prostrate shrub about 2-8" tall that branches occasionally, often forming a mat of trailing branches and leafy shoots. The older branches are woody with thin bark; young shoots are whitish green to red, more or less pubescent, and terete (circular in circumference). Alternate evergreen leaves occur along the young shoots; these leaves are ascending to widely spreading, and they overlap more toward the tips of shoots than toward their bases. Individual leaves are ½–1" long and ¼–½" across; they are oblanceolate or oblanceolate-elliptic in shape, while their margins are entire (toothless) and slightly ciliate. The upper leaf surface is dark green, hairless, and shiny, while the lower leaf surface is medium green and hairless. Leaf texture is leathery and leaf venation is pinnate. The leaves taper gradually into short petioles about 1/8" (3 mm.) long. Short clusters of 2-15 drooping flowers are produced from the tips of last year's twigs. Each flower is about ½" long and ½" across, consisting of a white to pink urn-shaped corolla, a very short calyx with 5 half-orbicular lobes, 10 inserted stamens, and a glabrous ovary with an inserted style.
Mature Drupes
The corolla is constricted around its neck, above which there are 5 tiny lobes that are recurved and half-orbicular in shape. The interior of the corolla is hairy. The lobed calyx is predominately light green to red; its lobes have white- membranous margins. Both the peduncle and pedicels of the inflorescence are light green to red, glabrous to short-pubescent, and terete. The blooming period occurs from late spring to early summer, lasting about 2-3 weeks. Afterwards, fertile flowers are replaced by drupes that develop during the summer. Mature drupes are ¼–½" across, globoid to subgloboid in shape, smooth, and bright red. The fleshy interior of each mature drupe is dry, mealy, and tasteless, containing 4-5 hard seeds that are irregularly shaped. The woody root system can extend 3-6' into the ground. This shrub reproduces primarily by layering; when its branches and shoots become submerged in sand or soil, they can develop new roots. By this means, clonal colonies are produced. To a lesser extent, this shrub also reproduces by reseeding itself. The evergreen leaves become red to dark red during the winter.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, dry conditions, and sterile soil containing acidic rocky material or sand. Growth and development is slow. This winter-hardy evergreen shrub can be started from rooted cuttings. It can be used as a low ground cover in sunny rock gardens. The long-lasting drupes can persist into autumn, winter, and early spring.
Range & Habitat: The native Bearberry occurs primarily in northern Illinois, where it is rare and state-listed as 'endangered' (see Distribution Map). However, some large healthy populations of this low shrub can be found along the sand dunes of Lake Michigan. Illinois lies along the southern range-limit of this species. Bearberry has a wide distribution in boreal areas of North America; it also occurs in boreal areas of Eurasia. Habitats include dry sandy woodlands, dry sandy prairies, sandstone glades, exposed sandstone cliffs, and sand dunes along Lake Michigan. In the latter habitat, Bearberry is often codominant with Trailing Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis). This conservative shrub is found in high quality natural areas. It is also cultivated occasionally in gardens. Wildfire resistant is relatively poor, although some crowns and submerged rooted branches can survive light fires (Crane, 1991).
Faunal Associations: The urn-shaped flowers are probably cross-pollinated by long-tongued bees, where both nectar and pollen are available as floral rewards. A relatively small number of insects feed on the leaves and other parts of Bearberry. These species include two aphids, Tamalia coweni and Wahlgreniella nervata; Clastoptera saintcyri (Heath Spittlebug); two leafhoppers, Limotettix arctostaphyli and Texananus cumulatus; the larvae of two butterflies, Callophrys augustinus (Brown Elfin) and Callophrys polios (Hoary Elfin); and the larvae of a Pyralid moth, Pyla arenaeola (see Hottes & Frison, 1931; Hamilton, 1982; DeLong, 1948; Opler & Krizek, 1984; and Panzer et al., 2006). Two polyphagous insects, Lepidosaphes ulmi (Oystershell Scale) and Pseudococcus sorghiellus (Trochanter Mealybug), also reportedly feed on Bearberry. Foliage of Bearberry is browsed sparingly by White-tailed Deer and Elk. However, it is consider unpalatable and slightly toxic to horses, cattle, and other livestock. The fruits of this shrub are eaten by various upland gamebirds, songbirds, black bears, and small mammals, especially during the winter and early spring, as a source of emergency food (see Crane, 1991; Martin et al., 1951/1961; Rumble & Anderson, 1996). Most of these observations for vertebrate animals have occurred in the western United States and Canada.
Photographic Location: Sand dunes along Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park in NE Illinois.
Comments: Along with Trailing Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis), Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) plays an important role in stabilizing the sand dunes along Lake Michigan in NE Illinois. It is typically found along the slopes or the tops of such dunes. Taller shrubs that colonize this area include Low Common Juniper (Juniperus communis depressa), Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila), and Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). Bearberry has attractive flowers, fruits, and foliage throughout the year. Because of its wide distribution, there is some variability across different populations, and different varieties/subspecies have been described. Bearberry resembles another species in the Heath family, American Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), in appearance. This latter species can be distinguished by its somewhat larger leaves (1-2" long), the wintergreen aroma of its leaves when they are crushed, the spicy flavor of its fruits, and the more pointed calyces of its flowers. It produces solitary flowers from the leaf axils, rather than clusters of 2-15 flowers from the tips of twigs. Another common name of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is Kinnikinnik. This was originally an Amerindian name for this shrub; its dried leaves were often used as an ingredient in tobacco by them.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant becomes about 2½–5' tall at maturity. Initially, this plant develops an erect central stem with opposite leaves during the late spring, but during early to mid-summer it branches abundantly. The stems are light green to red, terete, glabrous, and sometimes glaucous. At intervals along these stems, there are pairs of opposite leaves. These leaves are 1½–3½" long and about one-third as much across; they are broadly elliptic to broadly elliptic-oblong in shape and smooth (entire) along their margins. The upper leaf surface is medium green or yellowish green and glabrous, while the lower leaf surface is light green, glabrous, and sometimes glaucous. Leaf venation is pinnate. When petioles are present, they are up to ¼" long, light green, and glabrous; otherwise, the leaves are sessile. Plants with sessile leaves are sometimes referred to as Apocynum sibericum. The stems and leaves contain a milky latex that is bitter-tasting and toxic. The upper stems and some lateral stems terminate in panicles of flowers spanning 1–3" across; these panicles are flat-headed to dome-shaped.
Each small flower is about 2-3 mm. across and 3-5 mm. long, consisting of 5 white petals, a light green calyx, 5 stamens, and a pistil. The petals are ovate to oval in shape and they are erect to slightly spreading; the calyx is glabrous and it has 5 triangular teeth. The branches and pedicels of the panicles are light green or light yellowish green, terete, and glabrous; individual pedicels are 2-6 mm. long. The blooming period usually occurs during the summer for about 1 month. The flowers are sweetly fragrant. Afterwards, cross-pollinated flowers are replaced by pairs of follicles (seedpods that open along one side). Mature follicles are 4-8" long, narrowly cylindrical in shape, and dark brown. These follicles eventually split open to release their seeds to the wind. Individual seeds are 4-6 mm. long, linear in shape, and brown; they have tufts of white hair at their apices that help to carry them aloft. The root system is long-rhizomatous, often producing clonal colonies of plants.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and wet to mesic conditions. This weedy plant adapts to mildly acidic to alkaline soil containing loam, clay-loam, or clay-gravel. It readily tolerates flooded conditions during the spring, while tolerating drought later in the year. By late summer, the lower leaves of this plant turn yellow and begin to fall off as its condition steadily deteriorates. In moist open areas, clonal colonies can spread aggressively from underground rhizomes.
Range & Habitat: The native Common Dogbane occurs in every county of Illinois, where it is quite common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include wet prairies, prairie swales, soggy thickets, moist meadows along rivers, edges of swamps, seasonal wetlands in open areas, abandoned fields, poorly drained areas along fence rows, poorly drained areas in vacant lots, poorly drained areas in junkyards, roadside ditches, and gravelly depressions along railroads. Common Dogbane is usually found in degraded wetlands that have a history of disturbance. It is a pioneer species of such habitats.
Faunal Associations: The abundant nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, including cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), Halictid bees, plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), masked bees (Hylaeus spp.), Sphecid wasps, Syrphid flies, bee flies (Bombyliidae), Tachinid flies, Calliphorid flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles (Robertson, 1929). These insects vary in how effectively they cross-pollinate the flowers. The larvae of several moths feed on Common Dogbane, including the Delicate Cycnia (Cycnia tenera), Oregon Cycnia (Cycnia oregonensis), Six-spotted Gray (Spargaloma sexpunctata), and a Gracillariid moth (Marmara apocynella); see Wagner (2005), Covell (1984/2005), and Needham et al. (1928). Larvae of the last moth bore through the stems of this plant. Other insect feeders include larvae and adults of the Dogbane Beetle (Chrysochus auratus), larvae of the Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus), larvae of the Dogbane Flower Midge (Clinodiplosis apocyni), the Large Milkweed Bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), and an aphid (Aphis asclepiadis); see Clark et al. (2004), Yanega (1996), Felt (1917), Hoffman (1996), and Hottes & Frison (1931). Mammalian herbivores usually avoid the consumption of Common Dogbane because the bitter foliage contains cardiac glycosides and other toxic compounds.
Photographic Location: A fence row near Urbana, Illinois, and a remnant prairie along a railroad in Savoy, Illinois.
Comments: Another common name for this plant is Indian Hemp, because native Amerindians obtained strong silky fibers from the stems. These fibers were used as twine in basketry, mats, netting, rope, and other artifacts. Some early French explorers remarked upon the abundance of this plant in the original prairie, which they referred to as 'hemp' in their writings. Common Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) can be distinguished from a similar species, Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium), by its smaller flowers with more erect petals. The flowers are Spreading Dogbane are about 6-8 mm. long and similarly across; their petals are ascending, rather than erect, and the tips of their petals are recurved, rather than straight. Unlike Common Dogbane, Spreading Dogbane is typically found in upland habitats where the soil is more sandy and/or acidic.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This perennial herbaceous plant is up to 1' tall, but more commonly ½' or less. It consists of a rosette of basal leaves, which sometimes produces an inflorescence on a short stalk during the spring. The basal leaves are up to 2" long and ½" across; they are oblanceolate, with smooth margins. There is a single prominent vein on the upper surface of each basal leaf, while the lower surface is white and hairy. There are small alternate leaves along the pubescent flowering stalk; they are narrowly lanceolate or linear.
At the top of each stalk, a plant produces a few flowerheads about 1/3" (8 mm.) long that are either staminate or pistillate. These flowerheads resemble compact tufts of white hair. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring and lasts about 3 weeks. There is no noticeable floral scent. The flowerheads are quickly replaced by achenes with small tufts of white hair, which are distributed by the wind. Field Pussytoes spread by means of horizontal stolons that are hairy and have small alternate leaves that are narrowly lanceolate or linear. These stolons develop plantlets that root in the ground, and resemble the mother plant. The root system consists of a central taproot. This plant often forms small colonies.
Cultivation: The preference is partial or full sun, and mesic to dry conditions. This plant flourishes in soil that is rocky or contains clay; it also grows readily in fertile loam. Most of the growth and development occurs during the spring, before pests and disease become troublesome.
Range & Habitat: The native Field Pussytoes occurs occasionally in northern and central Illinois; it is less common in southern Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include mesic to dry black soil prairies, clay prairies, slopes of open woodlands, dry meadows in woodland areas, savannas, shale glades, eroded clay banks, pastures, abandoned fields, and roadsides. This plant is allelopathic, and tends to reduce the height of neighboring grasses and forbs. It is more commonly found in prairies than Antennaria plantaginifolia (Plantain-leaved Pussytoes.
Faunal Associations: Some authorities state that this is primarily a wind-pollinated plant, while others emphasize the role of insects in promoting cross-pollination. Primarily small bees and flies visit the flowers, including Halictid bees, Andrenid bees, cuckoo bees (Nomada spp., Sphecodes spp.), Syrphid flies, Muscid flies, Calliphorid flies, and Tachinid flies (Graenicher, 1909). The caterpillars of a butterfly, Vanessa virginiensis (American Painted Lady), feed on the foliage (Bouseman & Sternburg, 2001). Other insect feeders that feed on the foliage and other parts of Field Pussytoes and other Antennaria spp. include the gall-forming larvae of two flies, Asphondylia antennariae (Everlasting Bud Midge) and Rhopalomyia antennariae, larvae of a moth, Tebenna gnaphaliella (Everlasting Tebenna Moth), a plant bug (Melanotrichus catulus), and an aphid (Pleotrichophorus antennarius); see Felt (1917), Needham et al. (1928), Wheeler et al. (1983), and Blackman & Eastop (2013). Among vertebrate animals, some upland gamebirds feed on the foliage and/or seedheads, including the Ruffed Grouse, Bobwhite Quail, and Greater Prairie Chicken; White-tailed Deer also feed on these plants, especially during the spring (Martin et al., 1951/1961; Korschgen, 1962).
Photographic Location: The photograph of the colony of blooming plants (both staminate & pistillate) was taken along a roadside in Vermilion County; the photograph of the basal leaves was taken at Prospect Cemetery Prairie in Ford County, Illinois; the photograph of of the blooming pistillate plants was taken at an upland savanna of the Champaign County Forest Preserve in Champaign County, Illinois.
Comments: Field Pussytoes is similar to Antennaria plantaginifolia (Plantain-Leaved Pussytoes), but the latter has wider basal leaves with 3 prominent parallel veins. These are both cute-looking little plants that could be grown in rock gardens; they are particularly attractive while blooming during the spring.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is about 1-2' tall. The basal leaves occur in whorls from long stalks that emerge out of the ground. They are divided into 3-5 lobes and have dentate margins. From each whorl of the basal leaves often emerges a second whorl of leaves. These secondary leaves are smaller than the basal leaves, but otherwise similar in form. From each whorl of the secondary leaves emerges a long stalk bearing a single white flower. In less mature plants, sometimes the basal leaves produce flowering stalks, rather than whorls of secondary leaves. Sometimes there are small alternate leaves sparsely distributed along the flowering stalks, but they are more narrow and less lobed than the whorled lower leaves. There are scattered white hairs on both the leaves and their stalks. Each flower is about ¾" across, and has 5 petal-like sepals that often fail to open fully. In the center, is a small green cone that is surrounded by numerous stamens with yellow anthers. As the flower withers, the green cone develops into an elongated fruit that resembles a cylindrical green thimble up to 1½" long, hence the name of the plant. This thimble is at least twice as long as it is wide.
The blooming period occurs from early to mid-summer and lasts about a month. There is no floral scent. The thimble-like fruits develop during the summer, and then become transformed into cottony tufts during the fall. These cottony tufts contain scattered dark seeds and persist during the winter. The seeds are distributed by the wind. The root system consists of a taproot and tough slender rhizomes, which can form vegetative offsets. This plant produces an allelopathic substance, protoanemonin, which inhibits seed germination and seedling growth of many species of plants.
Cultivation: The preference is full to partial sun, and mesic to dry conditions in a rather sandy or gritty soil. In rich fertile soil, this plant has trouble competing with taller, more aggressive plants. Thimbleweed is often temperamental about being transplanted and difficult to start from seed; transplantation should occur during the spring after danger of hard frost has passed. Established plants, however, are reliable and easy to deal with. Foliar disease is rarely a problem.
Range & Habitat: The native Thimbleweed occurs occasionally in northern Illinois, it is scattered and uncommon in central Illinois, and rare or absent in southern Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include dry upland areas of black soil prairies, loess hill prairies, scrubby barrens, limestone glades, sandy Black Oak savannas, open sandy woodlands, abandoned fields, and open areas along roadsides. This plant is usually found in less disturbed habitats.
Faunal Associations: The abundant pollen of the flowers attract small bees and Syrphid flies. The bee visitors include Plasterer bees and Halictid bees. Mammalian herbivores usually avoid consumption of this plant because the foliage is toxic, causing a burning sensation in the mouth and irritation of the gastrointestinal tract.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This unusual plant has attractive thimble-shaped seedheads that later look like white tufts of cotton; otherwise, its appearance isn't particularly showy. Among the native anemones, Thimbleweed has the greatest fidelity to prairies and the best tolerance of drought (not including the Pasque Flower). It can be distinguished from other anemones by the cylindrical seedheads, which are at least twice as long as they are across. Unlike Anemone canadensis (Canada Anemone), Thimbleweed's leaves have petioles, whereas the leaves of the former are sessile. Thimbleweed's leaves differ from Anemone virginiana (Tall Anemone) by having less dentation along the margins, and some of its leaves are palmate.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This perennial wildflower produces basal leaves about ½' tall and flowering stems about ¾-2' tall. The basal leaves are 3-6" long and similarly across. Each basal leaf is deeply divided into 3-5 primary lobes that are more or less oblanceolate in shape; each primary lobe is subdivided into 2-3 secondary lobes. In addition to their lobes, the basal leaves have scattered dentate teeth along their margins. The upper blade surface of these leaves is medium to dark green and either hairless or sparsely short-hairy, while the lower blade surface is pale green and sparsely hairy, especially along the veins. The petioles of the basal leaves are about 4-8" long, light green, terete, and hairy. The flowering stems produce pairs of opposite leaves (leafy involucral bracts) in 1-2 tiers. The opposite leaves are similar to the basal leaves, except they are sessile; leaves of the second tier are also smaller in size. The stems are light green, terete, and hairy. Above each tier of opposite leaves, 1-3 flowers are produced from pedicels about 2-4" long. Each flower is 1-1½" across, consisting of 5 white petaloid sepals, a cluster of pistils, and numerous stamens with yellow anthers. The pedicels are light green, terete, and hairy.
The blooming period occurs from late spring to mid-summer for about 1-1½ months. Afterwards, each flower is replaced by a cluster of achenes. The achenes have bodies about 4-6 mm. long and a little less across, while their beaks are 2-6 mm. long; they are also flattened and slightly hairy. The root system is rhizomatous. Vegetative colonies of plants are often produced.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, moist conditions, and calcareous soil containing loam or gravelly material.
Range & Habitat: The native Meadow Anemone is occasional in northern and central Illinois, while in the southern section of the state it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist prairies, sedge meadows, openings in floodplain woodlands, woodland borders, banks of streams, and swampy areas. These habitats can be either sandy or non-sandy. Because of its attractive flowers and foliage, Meadow Anemone is cultivated occasionally in gardens.
Faunal Associations: Floral visitors include small bees (Andrenid, Halictid) that collect pollen and Syrphid flies that feed on pollen. The larvae of a fly, Dasineura anemone, form bud galls on Meadow Anemone. Another insect, Rhizoecus falcifer (Ground Mealybug), feeds on the roots. Because the foliage contains blistering agents that can irritate the gastrointestinal tract, mammalian herbivores usually avoid consumption of this plant.
Photographic Location: The Toledo Botanical Garden in Toledo, Ohio.
Comments: Meadow Anemone is similar in appearance to Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana) and Candle Anemone (Anemone cylindrica), except that it has larger flowers, sessile opposite leaves, and achenes that are only sparsely hairy, instead of being embedded in a cottony mass of hairs. In addition to these three species, other native species of this genus in Illinois are smaller plants that bloom earlier in the year. Another common name of Anemone canadensis is Canada Anemone.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This perennial plant is usually 1-2' tall, but sometimes it becomes considerably higher; this plant often branches in the upper half. The stems are are pale green, terete, and pubescent-hairy; they have vertical lines of fine hairs. Both alternate and opposite leaves occur along the length of the central stem. The leaves are up to 5" long and 2" across; they are lanceolate in outline, but their structure is primarily simple-pinnate (although some leaves may be double-pinnate with secondary lobes that are few in number and small in size). The primary lobes are narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate in shape and shallow to moderately deep, tapering to blunt narrow tips; the sinuses between the lobes are either flat or concave. Depending on the local ecotype, these lobes are widely spaced along the leaf margins, or they are more abundant and crowded. The leaf margins are toothless or nearly so, and they are either flat or somewhat elevated. Both the upper and lower leaf surfaces are grayish green or whitish green and more or less covered with short fine pubescence.
Western Ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya) is monoecious, producing spike-like racemes of staminate (male) florets from the upper stems, while cyme-like clusters of pistillate (female) florets are produced below. The staminate racemes are 1-4" in length (becoming longer as they mature), cylindrical in outline, and whitish to yellowish green. The staminate flowerheads are produced along the entire length of their racemes, facing in all directions. Each staminate flowerhead spans 2-5 mm. across, becoming short-campanulate (short bell-shaped) during the blooming period. Each staminate flowerhead has 3-5 phyllaries (floral bracts) that are broadly ovate and pubescent; they are arranged in a single series and joined together along their lower halves. The interior of each staminate flowerhead has 4 or more staminate florets; these florets have stamens with yellow anthers. The peduncles of staminate flowerheads are 1-4 mm. long and pubescent; these flowerheads often droop from their short peduncles. Underneath a cluster of pistillate flowerheads there is a leafy outer bract up to 1¼" long. In addition, pairs of smaller outer bracts are located immediately below individual pistillate flowerheads. Each pistillate flowerhead has a cup-shaped involucre about 8 mm. long and 3 mm. across that has several tooth-like projections; this involucre consists of fused phyllaries (floral bracts) and it is pubescent. The interior of this flowerhead contains a single pistillate floret. The blooming period can occur from mid-summer to autumn, lasting about 1-3 weeks for a colony of plants. The florets are cross-pollinated by the wind. Afterwards, the pistillate florets are replaced by achenes. Mature achenes are 2.5–4 mm. long, dark brown, and obovoid in shape; each achene usually has a short beak at its apex and about 4 tiny tubercles around the edge of its upper margin. The root system is fibrous and rhizomatous. This plant often forms clonal colonies of varying size from its rhizomes.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and poor soil. Although this plant can grow perfectly well in moist fertile soil, in Illinois it is usually found on drier soil that contains significant amounts of clay, sand, or gravelly material, as this reduces competition from other ground vegetation. This plant is easy to grow, but it can become aggressive in situations that are well-drained and sunny. It doesn't appear to be bothered much by foliar disease.
Range & Habitat: Western Ragweed occurs occasionally in northern and western Illinois, while in the rest of the state it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). It is unclear if this plant is adventive from the west, or native to Illinois. Habitats include upland areas of prairies, old cemeteries, areas along railroads, roadsides, abandoned fields, pastures, and barren waste areas. Western Ragweed is more common in disturbed areas, especially if the soil contains clay, sand, or gravel. Sometimes this plant is used in prairie restorations, or it shows up unexpectedly in prairie restorations as a result of contaminated seed.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are wind-pollinated and rarely attract pollen- or nectar-seeking insects. Caterpillars of the Common Pinkband (Ogdoconta cinereola), Ragweed Flower Moth (Schinia rivulosa), and other moths feed on Western Ragweed and other ragweeds (Ambrosia spp.); see the Moth Table) for a listing of these species. Such grasshoppers as the Little Pasture Grasshopper (Melanoplus confusus), Red-legged Grasshopper (Melanoplus femurrubrum), and Migratory Grasshopper (Melanoplus sanguinipes) feed on the foliage of Western Ragweed (see Grasshopper Table). These grasshoppers are an important source of food to some insectivorous songbirds and upland gamebirds. Other insects that feed on Western Ragweed include the Brown Ambrosia Aphid (Uroleucon ambrosiae), the stink bugs Chlorochroa persimilis and Chlorochroa uhleri, and such leaf beetles as Exema dispar, Microrhopala xerene, and Zygogramma suturalis. Like Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), the seeds of Western Ragweed are a popular source of food for many kinds of granivorous songbirds and upland gamebirds (see Bird Table). The seeds are nutritious and remain available through the winter months. Some rodents eat the seeds, including the Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel (Martin et al., 1951/1961). Mammalian herbivores eat the bitter foliage of this and other ragweeds to a limited extent.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the Windsor Road Prairie in Champaign, Illinois.
Comments: Like other ragweeds, the airborne pollen of Western Ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya) can cause allergic reactions in people during the late summer and fall. This plant has high ecological value to birds, grasshoppers, and other insects. Across its range, there is some variability in the pubescence of its foliage, and in the number and shape of the primary lobes of its leaves. Western Ragweed resembles Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) to some extent. However, the leaves of Western Ragweed are usually simple-pinnate, while the leaves of Common Ragweed are double-pinnate and more deeply lobed. Plants that display mixed characteristics may be hybrids of these two species.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This perennial plant consists of a rosette of basal leaves that are about 6-12" long and 2-3 mm. across. These erect to semi-erect leaves are linear, flat, and often slightly arching; they are medium green and glabrous. Each leaf has a poorly defined keel along its midvein, while its margins are smooth. Occasionally, flowering stalks emerge from the ground that are about the same height as the leaves, or slightly higher. These stalks are terete (round in cross-section), rather than flat, and they are held stiffly erect. Each stalk terminates in an inflorescence that has a sack-like covering spanning about ¾" across. This sack-like covering is white-membranous and ovoid in shape, tapering into a long beak at its apex. This covering splits open and withers away to reveal an umbel of about 6-12 pedicellate flowers or a similar number of sessile bulblets (frequently some combination of both).
The star-shaped flowers are about ½" across. Each flower has 6 tepals, 6 stamens, and a light green ovary with a style. The tepals are lanceolate to elliptic in shape and white, light pink, or pink. The bulblets are about ¼" long, ovoid in shape, and light green to pinkish red. Wild Garlic is especially likely to flower or have reddish bulblets in a sunny situation. The pedicels of the flowers are about ¾" long, medium green, glabrous, and terete. The blooming period occurs during early summer and lasts about 3-4 weeks. There is no noticeable floral scent, although the foliage exudes a typical onion scent. After the blooming period, the flowers are replaced by seed capsules; each capsule contains several small dark seeds. The root system consists of a bulb with thick fibrous roots, from which offsets may occasionally develop. This plant can also reproduce by its seeds and/or aerial bulblets.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun or partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and a fertile loam. This plant also grows in light shade in wooded areas, but it is less likely to flower (instead, only aerial bulblets are produced). While growth is best in a fertile loam, other kinds of soil are tolerated. Periods of dry weather are also tolerated. While Wild Garlic spreads readily by means of offsets and bulblets, it often fails to produce viable seeds. This is one of the first plants to develop leaves during the spring.
Range & Habitat: Wild Garlic occurs in every county of Illinois, where it is native and quite common. Habitats include moist to mesic black soil prairies, upland and floodplain woodlands, moist meadows near rivers and woodlands, thickets, banks of streams, thinly wooded bluffs, abandoned fields, pastures, areas along railroads, roadsides, and waste areas. Wild Garlic has low fidelity to any particular habitat; it is often observed in degraded prairies and woodlands. This plant doesn't compete well against taller forbs, such as Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), preferring areas with less ground cover.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract the Onion Bee (Heriades carinatum), mason bees (Hoplitis spp.), Stelid bees (Stelis spp.), Halictid bees (Lasioglossum spp.), plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), masked bees (Hylaeus spp.), Syrphid flies, bee flies (Bombylius spp.), and wasps. Other insects suck plant juices, feed on bulbs, and other parts of Wild Garlic and other Allium spp. These species include the Green Stink Bug (Acrosternum hilaris), the Onion Plant Bug (Lindbergocapsus allii), larvae of the False Japanese Beetle (Strigoderma arbicola), the Onion Maggot (Delia antiqua), larvae of the Black Onion Fly (Tritoxa flava), larvae of the Onion Bulb Fly (Eumerus strigatus), and Onion Thrips (Thrips tabaci). During the early spring when little else is green, the vernal basal leaves of Wild Garlic are occasionally browsed by White-tailed Deer (personal observation). Other hoofed mammalian herbivores, such as cattle, will consume Wild Garlic along with grass and other plants. This can cause the milk of such animals to have an off-flavor. Rabbits avoid consumption of this plant because they appear to dislike the onion scent and spicy taste of the foliage. The foliage and bulbs are edible to humans, although the consumption of large amounts may be slightly toxic.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at Red Bison Railroad Prairie in Savoy, Illinois.
Comments: This is the most common species of native onion (Allium sp.) in Illinois. Wild Garlic (Allium canadense) can be readily distinguished from other native onions, such as the Cliff Onion (Allium stellatum) and Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum), by the presence of aerial bulblets in its inflorescence. An introduced onion in Illinois, Field Garlic (Allium vineale), also produces such bulblets. However, the leaves of Field Garlic are elliptic in cross-section with a hollow interior (at least at their bases), while Wild Garlic has leaves that are flat and solid throughout. There is a variety of the Wild Garlic (Allium canadense var. mobilense) that produces only flowers, rather than bulblets and flowers, or only bulblets. However, it is less common than the typical variety, as shown in the photographs.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This perennial wildflower forms a low rosette of basal leaves, from which there develops an erect flowering stalk about 1½-3' tall. The basal leaves are 2-7" long and ¼-1" across; they are lanceolate-oblong, elliptic-oblong, or oblanceolate-oblong in shape and smooth along their margins. The basal leaves are pale green to yellowish green and glabrous; their venation is parallel. Along the lower half of the flowering stalk, there are widely-spaced alternate leaves that are less than 1" long and 1/8" across; they are lanceolate in shape, pale green to yellowish green, glabrous, and thin-textured. The lower half of the flowering stalk is pale green to yellowish green, glabrous, and terete.
Along the upper half of the flowering stalk, is a spike-like raceme of flowers about ½-1½' long. Each flower is 7-10 mm. in length, consisting of a 6 white tepals with slightly recurved tips, 6 inserted stamens, and a pistil. The elongated tepals are joined together, except at their tips, forming a narrow tubular shape. The outer white surfaces of the tepals have a texture that is conspicuously warty-mealy. At the base of each flower, there is a short slender pedicel. At the base of each pedicel, there is a slender deciduous bract about 2-3 mm. in length. The central stalk of the raceme is pale green, shallowly grooved, and often pubescent. The blooming period occurs from late spring to mid-summer, lasting about a month. Afterwards, small ovoid seed capsules develop that become 3-5 mm. in length. Each seed capsule is 3-celled and contains numerous tiny seeds about 0.5 mm. in length. Each seed capsule splits open toward its apex to release the seeds to the wind. The root system consists of stout rootstock that resembles a rhizome; it has fibrous roots below.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, moist to dry conditions, and very sandy soil. Colic Root is intolerant of competition from taller plants.
Range & Habitat: The native Colic Root occurs in northeast Illinois, where it is uncommon (see Distribution Map). Habitats consist of sand prairies, sandy shrub prairies, sand flats, openings in sandy savannas, and sandy areas along railroads. Open areas with sterile sandy soil are preferred.
Faunal Associations: Apparently very little information is available about floral-faunal relationships for this species. Consumption of excessive amounts of the rootstock is known to cause diarrhea and vomiting in humans.
Photographic Location: An upland sand prairie at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in NW Indiana.
Comments: When Colic Root is in bloom it is very conspicuous because of its tall spike-like racemes of white flowers. These flowers often rise far above the surrounding ground vegetation in the open sandy areas where this species occurs. The low basal leaves, on the other hand, are relatively inconspicuous and easily overlooked. The flowers of Colic Root are quite distinct in appearance because of the warty-mealy outer surface of their tepals. Thus, Colic Root is easily identified when it is in bloom. This is a wonderfully unique wildflower.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This perennial plant is 2-3½' tall, branching occasionally near the apex. The four-angled stems are light green and glabrous to finely pubescent. The opposite leaves are up to 4" long and 2" across, and they have short petioles. The leaves are cordate to broadly lanceolate in shape and their margins are crenate to crenate-serrate. The upper surface of the leaves is conspicuously veined and dull green, while the lower surface is white and finely canescent. The foliage has an anise scent.
The upper stems terminate in spikes of flowers about 3-6" long. The small flowers are arranged in dense whorls that are crowded along the spike, although sometimes the whorls are less crowded and more interrupted. The calyx of a flower is tubular and has five teeth; it is usually dull blue-violet or a similar color, becoming more colorful toward its tips. The tubular flowers are about 1/3" (8 mm.) long, extending beyond the calyx. They are blue-violet. The corolla of a flower is divided into a short upper lip and a longer lower lip. The lower lip has 2 small lateral lobes and a larger central lobe. Exerted from the throat of the flower are 4 stamens with blue-violet anthers, and a style that is cleft toward its tip. The flowers bloom in scattered locations along the spikes for about 1-2 months from mid- to late summer. During this time, calyx of each flower remains somewhat colorful. There is no floral scent. The flowers are replaced by nutlets that are oval-shaped and smooth. The root system produces a taproot.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, and mesic to dry conditions. The soil can consist of loam, clay-loam, or contain some rocky material. Foliar disease isn't a significant problem, although some of the lower leaves may drop from the central stem in response to a drought. Occasionally, slugs and insects will feed on the leaves, creating holes. This member of the Mint family is more resistant to drought than many others.
Range & Habitat: In the wild, Anise Hyssop is rare in Illinois; it is known to occur in only Menard county in central Illinois (see Distribution Map). This species is more common in areas that lie northwest of Illinois. Typical habitats include openings in dry upland forests, upland areas of prairies, scrubby barrens, and thickets. Cultivated forms of Anise Hyssop are often grown in flower gardens; these cultivars are often hybrids and vary in their fidelity to the wild forms of this plant. In Menard county, the population of plants was likely introduced. Other populations in the wild, if they exist, are likely to be plants that have escaped cultivation.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are cross-pollinated primarily by honeybees, bumblebees, digger bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (Lasioglossum spp., etc.), and Masked bees (Hylaeus spp.), which seek nectar or pollen. The flowers are also visited by an oligolectic bee, Dufourea monardae, which has extended its range into Illinois. Other occasional floral visitors are Syrphid flies, bee flies, and various butterflies, skippers, and moths. Mammalian herbivores normally avoid consumption of this plant as the anise scent of the foliage is repugnant to them. The anise scent may also deter some leaf-chewing insect species.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken of plants growing in the wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Because of its rarity, Anise Hyssop is not normally thought of as a prairie species in Illinois, nor does it appear in many field guides of prairie plants for the tallgrass prairie. This plant does occur in the northwestern area of the tallgrass prairie, however, with a few scattered remnant populations elsewhere. Other members of this genus are woodland species. One of them, Agastache scrophulariaefolia (Purple Giant Hyssop), has flowers with similar coloration to Anise Hyssop. However, the foliage of Purple Giant Hyssop doesn't have an anise scent and the the undersides of its leaves are green, rather than white. Purple Giant Hyssop is more pubescent or hairier than Anise Hyssop, and it tends to be a taller plant. The calyx of each flower remains green for this species, unlike Anise Hyssop, where each calyx assumes a coloration that is more similar to the flowers. This latter characteristic can cause Anise Hyssop to look like it is in flower, even when it is not.
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Miss Chen
2017年08月05日
Description: This plant is a summer annual about 1-2' tall that usually branches abundantly. It is more or less erect. The slender stems are rather angular with flat ridges, green to reddish purple, and hairless to mostly hairless. The opposite leaves are up to 3" long and 1/8" (3 mm.) across; they are green to purplish/reddish green, linear, glabrous, and sessile.
Individual flowers and their buds are produced from the axils of the leaves on the upper and outer stems; these flowering stems can be regarded as leafy racemes. The swollen flower buds are conspicuously white. Each flower is about ½–¾" across, consisting of a short tubular corolla with 5 petal-like lobes and a tubular calyx with 5 short teeth. The corolla is pink, purplish pink, or medium purple; its 5 rounded lobes are quite large in relation to its tubular base. The lobes are finely ciliate along their margins. The lower interior of the corolla has dark purple spots and a pair of faint yellow lines. Near the upper interior of the corolla, there are 4 stamens with hairy white anthers and an undivided white style (sometimes with a pale yellow tip). The slender pedicels of the flowers are green to reddish purple; they are usually as long or longer than the flowers (at least ½" long). The blooming period occurs during the late summer or early fall and lasts about 2-3 weeks. Each flower lasts only a day or two before its corolla falls to the ground. There is no noticeable floral scent. Each flower is replaced by a globoid seed capsule containing many small seeds that can be blown about by the wind. The root system is fibrous. Slender False Foxglove is partially parasitic on other plants.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, moist to slightly dry conditions, and a rather loose, friable soil containing silt or sand that is slightly to moderately acidic. This species also adapts to thin rocky soil. Its growth is more robust when a suitable host plant is present nearby.
Range & Habitat: Slender False Foxglove is occasional throughout Illinois, where it is native. Habitats include moist to mesic prairies, sand prairies, savannas, sandy savannas, woodland borders, sandstone glades, thickets, low sand flats, silty or sandy roadside ditches, and edges of fields. This species tends to occur in slightly disturbed habitats with infertile soil and sparse ground vegetation. It has low fidelity to any particular habitat.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts long-tongued bees (bumblebees, honeybees, and Large Leaf-Cutting bees), Panurgine bees (Calliopsis andreniformis & others), and butterflies. Some Halictid bees collect pollen, while Syrphid flies occasionally feed on the pollen. Large Leaf-Cutting bees (Megachile spp.) sometimes cut the petals (lobes) of the flowers for nesting material. Among these various insects, the long-tongued bees and Panurgine bees are more effective at cross-pollination of the flowers (see Robertson, 1929). The caterpillars of the butterfly Junonia coenia (Buckeye) feed on the foliage. Mammalian herbivores may browse on the foliage of Slender False Foxglove, although it is reportedly toxic to sheep.
Photographic Location: The edge of a field in Vermilion County, Illinois. This species was also growing along the roadside in the same area.
Comments: Slender False Foxglove is very showy during the short period in which it is in full bloom. This is the most common and widespread Agalinus sp. in Illinois, probably because it can adapt to a broad range of habitats. There is some variation in the length of the leaves, the presence or absence of fascicled leaves, the size of the flowers, and the color of the flowers across different local populations. Such minor variations have led to the description of different varieties and even different species by some authorities. Generally, Slender False Foxglove differs from many other Agalinus spp. by having flowers with shorter corolla tubes and longer pedicels. In contrast, Agalinus purpureus (Purple False Foxglove) has more elongated flowers (up to 1" long) and shorter pedicels (less than ¼"). Slender False Foxglove also has darker foliage (green to reddish purple) and darker seeds than some Agalinus spp. Members of this latter group (e.g., Agalinus skinneriana) have pale green to yellowish green foliage and pale-colored seeds.
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