Finncarter
2018年05月13日
Notocactus Haselbergii:
- This suoer spikey cactus coverd, has bright red blooms during mid to late spring. A single cactus of its sort can produce up to 6-7 flowers a year, this plant is also very easy to cross-pollenate.
- This suoer spikey cactus coverd, has bright red blooms during mid to late spring. A single cactus of its sort can produce up to 6-7 flowers a year, this plant is also very easy to cross-pollenate.
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Miss Chen
2018年05月12日
Description: This is a herbaceous perennial plant about ½–2' tall that branches occasionally. The stems are light green to pale red, terete, slightly hairy, and shiny. Both basal and alternate leaves are produced. Basal leaves are compound or simple with long petioles; compound leaves are odd-pinnate with 3-7 leaflets. Simple leaves are orbicular, shallowly cleft, and dentate; the leaflets of compound leaves are ovate, shallowly or deeply cleft, and dentate. Alternate leaves are usually trifoliate with short petioles; their leaflets are narrowly ovate, cleft, and dentate. The upper surfaces of these leaves are medium to dark green and hairless to hairy. At the base of each leaf, there is a pair of large leafy stipules; these stipules are deeply cleft and dentate along their margins.
Flowers develop from the upper stems on long branching stalks; each stalk terminates in an individual flower about ¼" across. Individual flowers also develop from the axils of the upper leaves on long unbranched stalks. These flowering stalks are slightly hairy, shiny, and terete like the stems. Each flower has 5 yellow petals, 5 light green sepals, and a dense cluster of pistils and stamens in the middle. The petals are about the same length as the sepals (less than 1/8" or 3 mm.); the sepals are ovate and hang downward from the rest of the flower. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring and lasts about 3 weeks; only a few flowers are in bloom at the same time. Each flower is replaced by dense cluster of bristly achenes; the receptacle of this clustered fruit is exerted from the calyx on a short stout stalk. The individual achenes are ellipsoid in shape and hairless to pubescent; the hooked bristles at their tips are persistent styles. The root system is fibrous and rhizomatous.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight to light shade, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil. Most growth and development occurs during the spring.
Range & Habitat: The native Spring Avens is common in the southern half of Illinois, while in the northern half of the state it is occasional, uncommon, or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include rich deciduous woodlands, open woodlands, areas along woodland paths, shaped seeps, woodland borders, and fence rows with woody vegetation. Spring Avens can be found in both disturbed and undisturbed areas that receive some shade.
Faunal Associations: The flowers attract small bees primarily, including little carpenter bees, Halictid bees, cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), and masked bees (Hylaeus spp.); these small bees suck mostly nectar, although some of the Halictid bees collect pollen for their larvae. Occasionally, Syrphid flies, Tachinid flies, and other flies also visit the flowers. The leaves of Spring Avens and other woodland Geum spp. (Avens) are grazed sparingly by White-tailed Deer. The bristly achenes can cling to the fur of mammals, feathers of birds, and clothing of humans. By this means, they are distributed into new areas.
Photographic Location: A floodplain woodland in Vermilion County, Illinois.
Comments: This is the first woodland Geum sp. (Avens) to bloom in Illinois. Because the yellow petals of its flowers are quite small and short-lived, Spring Avens is not very showy. In contrast, its leaves are moderately attractive and variable in shape. Other woodland species in this genus include Geum canadensis (White Avens) and Geum laciniatum (Rough Avens). These species have flowers with white or cream petals and they bloom a little latter in the year (late spring to early summer). Unlike other species in the genus, the bristly fruits of Spring Avens are exserted from their calyces on short stout stalks. The fruits of other Avens lack these stalks. Thus, Spring Avens is easily identified by this peculiar characteristic.
Flowers develop from the upper stems on long branching stalks; each stalk terminates in an individual flower about ¼" across. Individual flowers also develop from the axils of the upper leaves on long unbranched stalks. These flowering stalks are slightly hairy, shiny, and terete like the stems. Each flower has 5 yellow petals, 5 light green sepals, and a dense cluster of pistils and stamens in the middle. The petals are about the same length as the sepals (less than 1/8" or 3 mm.); the sepals are ovate and hang downward from the rest of the flower. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring and lasts about 3 weeks; only a few flowers are in bloom at the same time. Each flower is replaced by dense cluster of bristly achenes; the receptacle of this clustered fruit is exerted from the calyx on a short stout stalk. The individual achenes are ellipsoid in shape and hairless to pubescent; the hooked bristles at their tips are persistent styles. The root system is fibrous and rhizomatous.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight to light shade, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil. Most growth and development occurs during the spring.
Range & Habitat: The native Spring Avens is common in the southern half of Illinois, while in the northern half of the state it is occasional, uncommon, or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include rich deciduous woodlands, open woodlands, areas along woodland paths, shaped seeps, woodland borders, and fence rows with woody vegetation. Spring Avens can be found in both disturbed and undisturbed areas that receive some shade.
Faunal Associations: The flowers attract small bees primarily, including little carpenter bees, Halictid bees, cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), and masked bees (Hylaeus spp.); these small bees suck mostly nectar, although some of the Halictid bees collect pollen for their larvae. Occasionally, Syrphid flies, Tachinid flies, and other flies also visit the flowers. The leaves of Spring Avens and other woodland Geum spp. (Avens) are grazed sparingly by White-tailed Deer. The bristly achenes can cling to the fur of mammals, feathers of birds, and clothing of humans. By this means, they are distributed into new areas.
Photographic Location: A floodplain woodland in Vermilion County, Illinois.
Comments: This is the first woodland Geum sp. (Avens) to bloom in Illinois. Because the yellow petals of its flowers are quite small and short-lived, Spring Avens is not very showy. In contrast, its leaves are moderately attractive and variable in shape. Other woodland species in this genus include Geum canadensis (White Avens) and Geum laciniatum (Rough Avens). These species have flowers with white or cream petals and they bloom a little latter in the year (late spring to early summer). Unlike other species in the genus, the bristly fruits of Spring Avens are exserted from their calyces on short stout stalks. The fruits of other Avens lack these stalks. Thus, Spring Avens is easily identified by this peculiar characteristic.
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Miss Chen
2018年05月12日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is 1-2½' tall, consisting of a loose cluster of basal leaves and flowering stems that develop directly from the creeping rootstock. On the lower portion of each flowering stem, there is a pair of opposite leaves. Both the basal leaves and the lower opposite leaves of the flowering stems have a similar appearance. They are up to 5" long and across, and palmately cleft with 5 deep lobes. Each of these lobes is wedge-shaped at the base. The leaf margins have a few secondary lobes and coarse teeth. The upper pairs of leaves on the flowering stems are like the lower leaves, except they are smaller in size and they usually have 3 primary lobes, rather than 5. The upper leaf surface is medium green with fine appressed hairs. The long petioles of these leaves are light green, terete, and coarsely hairy. The flowering stalks (peduncles) are up to 6" long and ascending to erect; like the stems with opposite leaves, they are light green to reddish brown, terete, and coarsely hairy.
Each flowering stalk terminates in a floppy corymb or umbel of 2-5 flowers; sometimes only a single flower is produced. Each flower is about 1–1¼" across, consisting of 5 rounded petals, 5 green sepals, 10 stamens with pale yellow anthers, and a single pistil with 5 carpels. The petals are pale purplish pink and obovate with rounded tips; they have fine veins radiating across their surfaces that function as nectar guides. The sepals are light green, hairy, lanceolate-oblong or elliptic-oblong in shape, and cuspidate (tapering abruptly into short narrow tips); they are shorter than the petals. Both the flowering stalks (peduncles) and pedicels have non-glandular hairs. The blooming period occurs during the late spring to early summer, lasting about 1 month. The pistil of the flower elongates into a beak-like fruit about 1–1½" long. As it matures, the 5 slender carpels of this fruit curl upward and backward to fling the seeds from the mother plant. The seed surface is reticulated. The root system consists of a dark stout rootstock that produces rhizomes; it is high in tannins. This plant often forms colonies.
Cultivation: The preference is light shade to partial sunlight, moist to slightly dry conditions, and rich loamy soil with abundant organic matter. This plant also tolerates full sunlight if there is sufficient moisture in the soil. It is one of the easier woodland species to cultivate.
Range & Habitat: The native Wild Geranium is a common plant of woodlands that occurs in all counties of Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include both floodplain and upland woodlands, savannas, meadows in wooded areas, semi-shaded seeps, and rocky glades. Sometimes it invades hill prairies from adjacent wooded areas. Wild Geranium is a typical species of mesic deciduous woodlands.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract bumblebees, mason bees (Osmia spp.), cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), long-horned bees (Synhalonia spp.), Halictid bees (Lasioglossum spp., etc.), Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), and other bees. An Andrenid bee, Andrena distans, is a specialist pollinator (oligolege) of Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum). The flowers also attract Syrphid flies, dance flies (Empis spp.), butterflies, and skippers. Other insects feed on the leaves and other parts of Wild Geranium. This includes leaf-mining larvae of the beetle Pachyschelus purpureus, Acyrthosiphon malvae (Geranium Aphid) and Macrosiphum geranii (Wild Geranium Aphid), Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus (Yellow Plant Bug), burrowing bugs (Sehirus spp.), stink bugs (Euschistus spp.), and ebony bugs (Corimelaena spp.). The caterpillars of some moths species also feed on Wild Geranium and other Geranium spp., including Lacinipolia lorea (Bridled Arches), Heliothis virescens (Geranium Budworm Moth, Tobacco Budworm Moth), and Archips purpurana (Omnivorous Leafroller Moth). Among vertebrate animals, the Eastern Chipmunk sometimes eats the seeds, while the White-tailed Deer occasionally browses on the foliage.
Photographic Location: A flower garden at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana, Illinois, and Busey Woods in the same city.
Comments: The Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) is the showiest of the native geraniums in Illinois with flowers at least 1" across. All of the others are far less showy because they have smaller flowers. There is a European species, Geranium pratense (Meadow Geranium), with equally large flowers, but it has not been observed in the wild in Illinois. This species has a similar appearance to the Wild Geranium, except that the hairs on its flowering stalks and pedicels are sticky-glandular, and its leaves are more divided and finely cut. Another European species, Geranium sanguineum (Long-Stalked Geranium), is rarely observed as a naturalized plant in Illinois. It has flowers with notched petals and its leaves are smaller in size.
Each flowering stalk terminates in a floppy corymb or umbel of 2-5 flowers; sometimes only a single flower is produced. Each flower is about 1–1¼" across, consisting of 5 rounded petals, 5 green sepals, 10 stamens with pale yellow anthers, and a single pistil with 5 carpels. The petals are pale purplish pink and obovate with rounded tips; they have fine veins radiating across their surfaces that function as nectar guides. The sepals are light green, hairy, lanceolate-oblong or elliptic-oblong in shape, and cuspidate (tapering abruptly into short narrow tips); they are shorter than the petals. Both the flowering stalks (peduncles) and pedicels have non-glandular hairs. The blooming period occurs during the late spring to early summer, lasting about 1 month. The pistil of the flower elongates into a beak-like fruit about 1–1½" long. As it matures, the 5 slender carpels of this fruit curl upward and backward to fling the seeds from the mother plant. The seed surface is reticulated. The root system consists of a dark stout rootstock that produces rhizomes; it is high in tannins. This plant often forms colonies.
Cultivation: The preference is light shade to partial sunlight, moist to slightly dry conditions, and rich loamy soil with abundant organic matter. This plant also tolerates full sunlight if there is sufficient moisture in the soil. It is one of the easier woodland species to cultivate.
Range & Habitat: The native Wild Geranium is a common plant of woodlands that occurs in all counties of Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include both floodplain and upland woodlands, savannas, meadows in wooded areas, semi-shaded seeps, and rocky glades. Sometimes it invades hill prairies from adjacent wooded areas. Wild Geranium is a typical species of mesic deciduous woodlands.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract bumblebees, mason bees (Osmia spp.), cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), long-horned bees (Synhalonia spp.), Halictid bees (Lasioglossum spp., etc.), Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), and other bees. An Andrenid bee, Andrena distans, is a specialist pollinator (oligolege) of Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum). The flowers also attract Syrphid flies, dance flies (Empis spp.), butterflies, and skippers. Other insects feed on the leaves and other parts of Wild Geranium. This includes leaf-mining larvae of the beetle Pachyschelus purpureus, Acyrthosiphon malvae (Geranium Aphid) and Macrosiphum geranii (Wild Geranium Aphid), Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus (Yellow Plant Bug), burrowing bugs (Sehirus spp.), stink bugs (Euschistus spp.), and ebony bugs (Corimelaena spp.). The caterpillars of some moths species also feed on Wild Geranium and other Geranium spp., including Lacinipolia lorea (Bridled Arches), Heliothis virescens (Geranium Budworm Moth, Tobacco Budworm Moth), and Archips purpurana (Omnivorous Leafroller Moth). Among vertebrate animals, the Eastern Chipmunk sometimes eats the seeds, while the White-tailed Deer occasionally browses on the foliage.
Photographic Location: A flower garden at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana, Illinois, and Busey Woods in the same city.
Comments: The Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) is the showiest of the native geraniums in Illinois with flowers at least 1" across. All of the others are far less showy because they have smaller flowers. There is a European species, Geranium pratense (Meadow Geranium), with equally large flowers, but it has not been observed in the wild in Illinois. This species has a similar appearance to the Wild Geranium, except that the hairs on its flowering stalks and pedicels are sticky-glandular, and its leaves are more divided and finely cut. Another European species, Geranium sanguineum (Long-Stalked Geranium), is rarely observed as a naturalized plant in Illinois. It has flowers with notched petals and its leaves are smaller in size.
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Miss Chen
2018年05月12日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is 1-3' tall, branching occasionally. The slender stems have a tendency to sprawl; they are light green to reddish green, angular, and strongly ridged. Usually, there are a few short hairs that provide the stems with a slightly rough texture. At intervals along the stems, there are whorls of 6 sessile leaves. These leaves are up to 2½" long and ½" across; they are oblanceolate in shape, while their margins are smooth and ciliate. Each leaf abruptly tapers to a short pointed tip (cuspidate). Occasionally, 1-3 stalks of flowers develop from the middle to upper whorled leaves; these stalks are often longer than the leaves, and they can be axillary or terminal. Each of these stalks may produce 1-3 flowers on slender pedicels.
Each flower spans about 1/6" (4.5 mm.) across, consisting of 4 greenish white to white petals, 4 stamens, and a bristly 2-celled ovary. Each petal tapers to a narrow tip. The blooming period occurs during the summer for about 2 months. Each flower is replaced by a bristly 2-celled carpel; each globoid cell contains a single small seed. The cells of the carpel eventually separate. The root system produces rhizomes. This plant can spread by reseeding itself, or by forming vegetative offshoots from the rhizomes.
Cultivation: The preference is light shade to partial sun, moist conditions, and a fertile loamy soil.
Range & Habitat: The native Sweet-Scented Bedstraw occurs in most areas of Illinois, where it is occasional to locally common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to mesic deciduous woodlands, rocky bluffs, areas along woodland paths, thickets, moist meadows, partially shaded seeps and springs, partially shaded riverbanks, and bogs. In badly degraded woodlands, this plant is replaced by Galium aparine (Cleavers).
Faunal Associations: The flowers are occasionally visited by small bees or flies; these insects usually suck nectar. The caterpillars of several moths feed on Galium spp. (Bedstraws), including Lobocleta ossularia (Drab Brown Wave), Epirrhoe alternata (White-Banded Toothed Carpet), and Hyles gallii (Galium Sphinx). Other insect feeders include larvae of Dasineura americana (Bedstraw Midge), larvae of the sawfly Halidamia affinis, and the polyphagous aphid Abstrusomyzus phloxae. Deer usually leave the foliage alone. The bristly carpels of Sweet-Scented Bedstraw can cling to the fur of animals and the clothing of humans; by this means, the seeds are distributed to new locations.
Photographic Location: Along a woodland path in a moist area of Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: The common name refers to the vanilla scent of the dried foliage. Sweet-Scented Bedstraw is typically found in moist woodlands. It can be distinguished from other Galium spp. (Bedstraws) by considering the following set of features: 1) there are 6 leaves per whorl, 2) the carpels are bristly rather than glabrous, 3) the leaves are oblanceolate with short pointed tips, and 4) the petals of the flowers taper to narrow tips. Sweet-Scented Bedstraw is one of the larger Bedstraws and its stems can be smooth or slightly rough. Its appearance is similar to Galium aparine (Cleavers), although the latter is an annual plant that occasionally produces 8 leaves per whorl and its bristly stems and leaf margins are more likely to cling to adjacent objects.
Each flower spans about 1/6" (4.5 mm.) across, consisting of 4 greenish white to white petals, 4 stamens, and a bristly 2-celled ovary. Each petal tapers to a narrow tip. The blooming period occurs during the summer for about 2 months. Each flower is replaced by a bristly 2-celled carpel; each globoid cell contains a single small seed. The cells of the carpel eventually separate. The root system produces rhizomes. This plant can spread by reseeding itself, or by forming vegetative offshoots from the rhizomes.
Cultivation: The preference is light shade to partial sun, moist conditions, and a fertile loamy soil.
Range & Habitat: The native Sweet-Scented Bedstraw occurs in most areas of Illinois, where it is occasional to locally common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to mesic deciduous woodlands, rocky bluffs, areas along woodland paths, thickets, moist meadows, partially shaded seeps and springs, partially shaded riverbanks, and bogs. In badly degraded woodlands, this plant is replaced by Galium aparine (Cleavers).
Faunal Associations: The flowers are occasionally visited by small bees or flies; these insects usually suck nectar. The caterpillars of several moths feed on Galium spp. (Bedstraws), including Lobocleta ossularia (Drab Brown Wave), Epirrhoe alternata (White-Banded Toothed Carpet), and Hyles gallii (Galium Sphinx). Other insect feeders include larvae of Dasineura americana (Bedstraw Midge), larvae of the sawfly Halidamia affinis, and the polyphagous aphid Abstrusomyzus phloxae. Deer usually leave the foliage alone. The bristly carpels of Sweet-Scented Bedstraw can cling to the fur of animals and the clothing of humans; by this means, the seeds are distributed to new locations.
Photographic Location: Along a woodland path in a moist area of Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: The common name refers to the vanilla scent of the dried foliage. Sweet-Scented Bedstraw is typically found in moist woodlands. It can be distinguished from other Galium spp. (Bedstraws) by considering the following set of features: 1) there are 6 leaves per whorl, 2) the carpels are bristly rather than glabrous, 3) the leaves are oblanceolate with short pointed tips, and 4) the petals of the flowers taper to narrow tips. Sweet-Scented Bedstraw is one of the larger Bedstraws and its stems can be smooth or slightly rough. Its appearance is similar to Galium aparine (Cleavers), although the latter is an annual plant that occasionally produces 8 leaves per whorl and its bristly stems and leaf margins are more likely to cling to adjacent objects.
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Miss Chen
2018年05月11日
Description: This annual plant is up to 1' long and sparingly branched. Its slender stems are glabrous and sprawling to erect. The alternate leaves are up to 3" long and 2" across; they are pinnately compound with 3-7 narrow leaflets. Each leaflet is linear-oblong, smooth along the margins, and hairless.Close-up of Flower Occasionally, a leaflet may be cleft into 2-3 narrow lobes. Both the stems and leaves are light green and rather mossy in appearance. Individual flowers develop from the axils of the upper leaves. Each flower is about ¼" across, consisting of 3 green sepals, 3 white petals, 6 stamens (usually), and a single style. The sepals are lanceolate-ovate and much larger than the petals. The petals are narrowly oblong and inconspicuous. The slender pedicel of each flower is about 1" long. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late spring and lasts about a month. During the heat of summer, the foliage turns yellow and quickly withers away. Each flower develops 1-3 carpels that are globoid and bumpy across the upper surface. The carpels are initially pale green or pale yellow, but they later turn brown and release the seeds. The root system consists of a slender branching taproot. This plant spreads by reseeding itself, and it often form colonies at favorable sites.
Cultivation: The preference is diffuse sunlight to light shade during the spring when vegetative growth and development occurs, otherwise it can be quite shady. The soil should be consistently moist and loamy or silty. This plant doesn't like to dry out.
Range & Habitat: The native False Mermaid occurs occasionally in northern and east central Illinois, otherwise it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to mesic deciduous woodlands and low-lying areas along springs and small rivers in wooded areas. False Mermaid is usually found in high quality woodlands where the original flora is still intact. This is one of the spring wildflowers in woodlands that is threatened by the invasion of Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard).
Faunal Associations: The small inconspicuous flowers can attract flower flies and small bees. The foliage is not known to be toxic and may be edible to mammalian herbivores, although little is known about floral-faunal relationships for this species.
Photographic Location: A moist area of Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This inconspicuous little plant is easy to overlook, except where it occurs in sizable colonies along the woodland floor. The delicate foliage is attractive and resembles moss or a Galium sp. (Bedstraw). It isn't immediately obvious when False Mermaid is blooming as the flowers are inconspicuous – careful inspection at the right time during the spring will reveal the green sepals, tiny white petals, and the stamens. It is fairly easy to identify this plant because each flower has only 3 sepals and 3 petals, while the alternate leaves are pinnately compound. Other woodland plants with a similar appearance include Galium spp. (Bedstraws) and Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy). Bedstraws have flowers with 4 petals and their simple leaves occur in whorls. Aunt Lucy has pinnately compound leaves, but its flowers have 5 white petals and its foliage is more or less hairy.
Cultivation: The preference is diffuse sunlight to light shade during the spring when vegetative growth and development occurs, otherwise it can be quite shady. The soil should be consistently moist and loamy or silty. This plant doesn't like to dry out.
Range & Habitat: The native False Mermaid occurs occasionally in northern and east central Illinois, otherwise it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to mesic deciduous woodlands and low-lying areas along springs and small rivers in wooded areas. False Mermaid is usually found in high quality woodlands where the original flora is still intact. This is one of the spring wildflowers in woodlands that is threatened by the invasion of Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard).
Faunal Associations: The small inconspicuous flowers can attract flower flies and small bees. The foliage is not known to be toxic and may be edible to mammalian herbivores, although little is known about floral-faunal relationships for this species.
Photographic Location: A moist area of Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This inconspicuous little plant is easy to overlook, except where it occurs in sizable colonies along the woodland floor. The delicate foliage is attractive and resembles moss or a Galium sp. (Bedstraw). It isn't immediately obvious when False Mermaid is blooming as the flowers are inconspicuous – careful inspection at the right time during the spring will reveal the green sepals, tiny white petals, and the stamens. It is fairly easy to identify this plant because each flower has only 3 sepals and 3 petals, while the alternate leaves are pinnately compound. Other woodland plants with a similar appearance include Galium spp. (Bedstraws) and Ellisia nyctelea (Aunt Lucy). Bedstraws have flowers with 4 petals and their simple leaves occur in whorls. Aunt Lucy has pinnately compound leaves, but its flowers have 5 white petals and its foliage is more or less hairy.
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Miss Chen
2018年05月11日
Description: This perennial plant is ½–1½' tall and up to 3½' long, developing as a dwarf shrub or a short woody vine. The central stem is either ascending or sprawling, branching occasionally. The central stem and any lateral stems are light green or purple, terete or angular, and hairless. Pairs of opposite leaves occur at interval along these stems. Individual leaves are up to 2½" long and 1¾" across, obovate, hairless, and finely serrate-crenate along their margins. The upper surface of each leaf is medium green, while the lower surface is slightly more pale with raised pinnate veins. The petioles are about 1/8" (3 mm.) long. Cymes of 1-4 flowers occasionally develop from the axils of the leaves. The peduncle of each cyme is about 1-2" long, while the pedicels of individual flowers are much shorter. Individual flowers are up to 1/3" (8 mm.) across, consisting of 5 pale greenish purple petals, a short green calyx with 5 lobes, 5 short stamens, and a central pistil. The petals are nearly orbicular in shape and slightly overlapping.
The blooming period occurs from mid-spring to early summer and lasts about 1½ months. Each fertile flower is replaced by a tuberculate globoid fruit about ¾" across. This fruit usually has 3 lobed cells (less often, there are 5). The outer surface of the fruit is orange or pink. When it splits open along its lobes, the fleshy arils covering the seeds are revealed; they are scarlet. New rootlets can develop where the stems have contact with the ground; as a result, this plant can reproduce vegetatively.
Cultivation: The preference is partial sun to medium shade, moist to slightly dry conditions, and soil that is loamy or rocky. Well-drained areas are preferred. Because of its habitat of growth, Running Strawberry Bush can be used as a ground cover.
Range & Habitat: Running Strawberry Bush is an uncommon plant that is found only in NE Illinois, east-central Illinois, and southern Illinois (see Distribution Map), where it is native. Illinois lies along the NW edge of its range. Habitats include upland rocky woodlands, wooded slopes, thinly wooded bluffs, and shaded to semi-shaded areas along the edges of cliffs. Running Strawberry is a conservative species that is found in high quality habitats.
Faunal Associations: Information about floral-faunal relationships for this particular species is limited. The nectar and pollen of the flowers probably attract small bees and miscellaneous flies. Some insects that are known to feed on Euonymus spp. include Taedia evonymi (Euonymus Plant Bug), Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Black Vine Weevil), Unaspis euonymi (Euonymus Scale), caterpillars of Herpetogramma thestealis (Pyralid Moth sp.), caterpillars of Yponomeuta multipunctella (American Ermine Moth), and the larvae of Stenocorus cinnamopterus (Long-Horned Beetle sp.). The larvae of this latter insect bore through branches. The fruit of Running Strawberry Bush is probably eaten by the Wild Turkey and other birds, while the foliage is occasionally eaten by White-Tailed Deer and Cottontail Rabbits, even though both the fruit and foliage are supposed to be somewhat toxic.
Photographic Location: Along the wooded slope of a bluff in Vermilion County, Illinois.
Comments: This interesting shrub should be cultivated more often. Running Strawberry Bush differs from other Euonymus spp. by its low habit of growth (less than 2' tall) and stems that often sprawl across the ground (less than 4' long). Other Euonymus spp. are either taller or they have longer stems. The flowers of Running Strawberry Bush have 5 petals, while the flowers of most Eurasian Euonymus spp. in Illinois have only 4 petals. This low shrub can be confused with a small Euonymus americanus (Strawberry Bush). Running Strawberry Bush usually has obovate leaves that are widest above the middle, while the latter shrub has leaves that are widest at or below the middle. A mature specimen of Strawberry Bush is about 3-6' tall.
The blooming period occurs from mid-spring to early summer and lasts about 1½ months. Each fertile flower is replaced by a tuberculate globoid fruit about ¾" across. This fruit usually has 3 lobed cells (less often, there are 5). The outer surface of the fruit is orange or pink. When it splits open along its lobes, the fleshy arils covering the seeds are revealed; they are scarlet. New rootlets can develop where the stems have contact with the ground; as a result, this plant can reproduce vegetatively.
Cultivation: The preference is partial sun to medium shade, moist to slightly dry conditions, and soil that is loamy or rocky. Well-drained areas are preferred. Because of its habitat of growth, Running Strawberry Bush can be used as a ground cover.
Range & Habitat: Running Strawberry Bush is an uncommon plant that is found only in NE Illinois, east-central Illinois, and southern Illinois (see Distribution Map), where it is native. Illinois lies along the NW edge of its range. Habitats include upland rocky woodlands, wooded slopes, thinly wooded bluffs, and shaded to semi-shaded areas along the edges of cliffs. Running Strawberry is a conservative species that is found in high quality habitats.
Faunal Associations: Information about floral-faunal relationships for this particular species is limited. The nectar and pollen of the flowers probably attract small bees and miscellaneous flies. Some insects that are known to feed on Euonymus spp. include Taedia evonymi (Euonymus Plant Bug), Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Black Vine Weevil), Unaspis euonymi (Euonymus Scale), caterpillars of Herpetogramma thestealis (Pyralid Moth sp.), caterpillars of Yponomeuta multipunctella (American Ermine Moth), and the larvae of Stenocorus cinnamopterus (Long-Horned Beetle sp.). The larvae of this latter insect bore through branches. The fruit of Running Strawberry Bush is probably eaten by the Wild Turkey and other birds, while the foliage is occasionally eaten by White-Tailed Deer and Cottontail Rabbits, even though both the fruit and foliage are supposed to be somewhat toxic.
Photographic Location: Along the wooded slope of a bluff in Vermilion County, Illinois.
Comments: This interesting shrub should be cultivated more often. Running Strawberry Bush differs from other Euonymus spp. by its low habit of growth (less than 2' tall) and stems that often sprawl across the ground (less than 4' long). Other Euonymus spp. are either taller or they have longer stems. The flowers of Running Strawberry Bush have 5 petals, while the flowers of most Eurasian Euonymus spp. in Illinois have only 4 petals. This low shrub can be confused with a small Euonymus americanus (Strawberry Bush). Running Strawberry Bush usually has obovate leaves that are widest above the middle, while the latter shrub has leaves that are widest at or below the middle. A mature specimen of Strawberry Bush is about 3-6' tall.
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Miss Chen
2018年05月11日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant consists of 1 or 2 basal leaves and a single-flowered inflorescence up to 6" tall. The basal leaves are 2½-6" long and ½-2" across; they are ascending to erect, elliptic-lanceolate in shape, and smooth (entire) along their margins. The upper leaf surface is mottled pale green and brown or greenish brown, while the lower surface is solid medium green; both surfaces are glabrous and the lower surface is often glaucous. The petioles of these leaves are relatively long, but they are located mostly or entirely underneath the ground surface. Immature shoots are single-leaved and they produce no flowers, while mature shoots have two leaves and they are single-flowered. Immature shoots are more common than mature shoots.
The inflorescence has a long flowering stalk that is terete, glabrous, and light green to pale reddish brown. This stalk is mostly erect or ascending, but it nods downward at its tip where the flower occurs. The nodding flower is ¾-1¼" long, consisting of 6 yellow tepals, 6 stamens, and an ovary with 3 erect stigmata. Initially, the tepals are barely separated from each other, but as the flower matures they become strongly recurved, exposing the reproductive organs. These tepals are narrowly elliptic-lanceolate in shape, and they are often tinted red or reddish brown along their outer sides. The stamens are about ½" long and their anthers are yellow or yellow-brown. The blooming period occurs during mid-spring and lasts about 2 weeks. Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by obovoid seed capsules that are about ½" in length or a little longer. These capsules are glabrous and their apices are truncate to rounded. At maturity, these capsules divide into 3 parts to release their seeds.
The root system consists of a corm with fibrous roots underneath, and 0-3 stolons. The stolons extend below the leaf litter, creating clonal offshoots from the mother plant. As a result, colonies of plants are often formed, consisting largely of immature shoots.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight to medium shade, more or less mesic conditions, and loamy soil with leaf litter and decaying organic matter. Most growth and development occurs during the spring before the trees fully develop their vernal leaves. This wildflower adapts readily to the shade of various deciduous trees. It takes several years of development (typically about 8 years) before individual plants will flower in a typical woodland setting.
Range & Habitat: The native Yellow Trout Lily is occasional in southern Illinois, while in the rest of the state it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). Outside of southern Illinois, it is largely restricted to the eastern half of the state. Illinois lies toward the western range limit of this plant; it is more common further to the east. Habitats include rich woodlands, wooded bluffs, rocky woodlands, and banks of streams. Yellow Trout Lily is found in deciduous woodlands, where Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), and other deciduous trees are present.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract largely bees, including bumblebees, Mason bees, and Andrenid bees. One bee species, Andrena erythronii, is a weak oligolege (specialist pollinator) of Erythronium spp. (Trout Lilies). Like several other woodland wildflowers, the seeds of Yellow Trout Lily are distributed in part by ants, which are attracted to their food appendages. Because the leaves of this plant are relatively small and inconspicuous, they are browsed by White-tailed Deer to only a limited extent. The mottled pattern of the leaves helps to disguise them from such mammalian herbivores as they lack color vision.
Photographic Location: A deciduous woodland at Jim Smith's farm in Vermilion County, Illinois.
Comments: This is the only yellow-flowered Trout Lily (Erythronium) in Illinois, making it easy to identify. The other two species of Trout Lily within the state, Erythronium albidum (White Trout Lily) and Erythronium mesochoreum (Prairie Trout Lily), have either white flowers or bluish white flowers. Both the flowers and foliage of Yellow Trout Lily are quite attractive, although the blooming period is rather short and most plants fail to flower during any given year. In Illinois, Yellow Trout Lily is much less common than White Trout Lily. However, in states further to the east, the reverse is true: Yellow Trout Lily is more common than White Trout Lily.
The inflorescence has a long flowering stalk that is terete, glabrous, and light green to pale reddish brown. This stalk is mostly erect or ascending, but it nods downward at its tip where the flower occurs. The nodding flower is ¾-1¼" long, consisting of 6 yellow tepals, 6 stamens, and an ovary with 3 erect stigmata. Initially, the tepals are barely separated from each other, but as the flower matures they become strongly recurved, exposing the reproductive organs. These tepals are narrowly elliptic-lanceolate in shape, and they are often tinted red or reddish brown along their outer sides. The stamens are about ½" long and their anthers are yellow or yellow-brown. The blooming period occurs during mid-spring and lasts about 2 weeks. Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by obovoid seed capsules that are about ½" in length or a little longer. These capsules are glabrous and their apices are truncate to rounded. At maturity, these capsules divide into 3 parts to release their seeds.
The root system consists of a corm with fibrous roots underneath, and 0-3 stolons. The stolons extend below the leaf litter, creating clonal offshoots from the mother plant. As a result, colonies of plants are often formed, consisting largely of immature shoots.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight to medium shade, more or less mesic conditions, and loamy soil with leaf litter and decaying organic matter. Most growth and development occurs during the spring before the trees fully develop their vernal leaves. This wildflower adapts readily to the shade of various deciduous trees. It takes several years of development (typically about 8 years) before individual plants will flower in a typical woodland setting.
Range & Habitat: The native Yellow Trout Lily is occasional in southern Illinois, while in the rest of the state it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). Outside of southern Illinois, it is largely restricted to the eastern half of the state. Illinois lies toward the western range limit of this plant; it is more common further to the east. Habitats include rich woodlands, wooded bluffs, rocky woodlands, and banks of streams. Yellow Trout Lily is found in deciduous woodlands, where Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), and other deciduous trees are present.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract largely bees, including bumblebees, Mason bees, and Andrenid bees. One bee species, Andrena erythronii, is a weak oligolege (specialist pollinator) of Erythronium spp. (Trout Lilies). Like several other woodland wildflowers, the seeds of Yellow Trout Lily are distributed in part by ants, which are attracted to their food appendages. Because the leaves of this plant are relatively small and inconspicuous, they are browsed by White-tailed Deer to only a limited extent. The mottled pattern of the leaves helps to disguise them from such mammalian herbivores as they lack color vision.
Photographic Location: A deciduous woodland at Jim Smith's farm in Vermilion County, Illinois.
Comments: This is the only yellow-flowered Trout Lily (Erythronium) in Illinois, making it easy to identify. The other two species of Trout Lily within the state, Erythronium albidum (White Trout Lily) and Erythronium mesochoreum (Prairie Trout Lily), have either white flowers or bluish white flowers. Both the flowers and foliage of Yellow Trout Lily are quite attractive, although the blooming period is rather short and most plants fail to flower during any given year. In Illinois, Yellow Trout Lily is much less common than White Trout Lily. However, in states further to the east, the reverse is true: Yellow Trout Lily is more common than White Trout Lily.
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年05月10日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is about 4-6" tall, consisting of 1-2 basal leaves and a flowering stalk with a single flower. Immature plants produce a single leaf and fail to flower, while mature plants that bloom produce a pair of leaves. The basal leaves are up to 6" long and 2" across. They are elliptic, lanceolate, or narrowly ovate, and smooth (entire) along their margins. The upper leaf surface is mottled pale green and brownish or grayish green, while the lower leaf surface is pale to medium green. Both leaf surfaces are glabrous; the upper leaf surface is often waxy. The leaves often curve upward slightly from the midvein to the margins. A naked flowering stalk develops between the basal leaves of mature plants. This stalk is light green to reddish brown and glabrous; it nods downward at its apex, where the flower occurs.
Each nodding flower is about 1½" long and across; it consists of 6 white tepals, 6 stamens with long yellow anthers, and a slender style with a stigma that has 3 lobes that spread outward. The tepals are linear-lanceolate and strongly recurved, while the stamens and style are exerted. The blooming period occurs during mid-spring and lasts about 2 weeks. Each fertilized flower is replaced by a 3-chambered seed capsule that is ovoid and about ¾" long. Each chamber of the seed capsule contains 2 rows of flattened seeds. The root system consists of a corm that is several inches below the surface of the ground; this corm produces fibrous roots at its base and occasionally sends out underground stolons that can form new plants a few inches away from the mother plant. White Trout Lily can produce large colonies of plants if it is left undisturbed for several decades.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight during the spring, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil with decaying leaf mould. Situations involving more shade are tolerated later in the year. The foliage withers away during the summer. It takes several years for a new plant to fully develop and bloom. Corms can be transplanted successfully during the fall, while the establishment of new plants from seeds is difficult and slow.
Range & Habitat: The native White Trout Lily is a common plant that occurs in every county of Illinois, except for Jo Davies county in the extreme NW corner of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to mesic deciduous woodlands and gentle slopes in wooded areas. An abundance of this plant indicates that a woodlands has never been subjected to the plow or bulldozed over. White Trout Lily is one of the spring wildflowers that is threatened by the spread of Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard) in wooded areas.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are primarily pollinated by both long-tongued and short-tongued bees, including honeybees, mason bees (Osmia spp.), cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), digger bees (Synhalonia belfragii), Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp.), plasterer bees (Colletes inaequalis), and Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.). The bees suck nectar from the flowers; honeybees and short-tongued bees also collect pollen. An oligolectic bee of Erythronium spp. (Trout Lilies) is Andrena erythronii. Less typical insects visiting the flowers for nectar include the Giant Bee Fly (Bombylius major), butterflies, and skippers. Trout Lilies (Erythronium spp.) are occasionally eaten by White-tailed Deer, but the damage is usually minor because of the low stature and ephemeral nature of the foliage.
Photographic Location: A deciduous woodlands at Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: White Trout Lily usually blooms a little earlier than other spring wildflowers in woodlands; this blooming period is short, and immature plants that don't bloom always outnumber mature plants. Both the flowers and foliage are attractive (especially if the latter is mottled). The other Trout Lilies in Illinois are less common; they include Erythronium americanum (Yellow Trout Lily) and Erythronium mesochoreum (Prairie Trout Lily). Yellow Trout Lily has yellow flowers and the lobes of its stigmas are united, rather than spreading. Prairie Trout Lily resembles a White Trout Lily with unmottled foliage. However, it produces a larger seed capsule (about 1" long) that nods downward from its stalk, sometimes touching the ground. White Trout Lily has a smaller seed capsule (about ¾" long) that remains more or less erect on its stalk. The flowers of Prairie Trout Lily are light blue-violet more often than those of White Trout Lily, and its basal leaves tend to be less broad and more strongly folded upward along their midveins.
Each nodding flower is about 1½" long and across; it consists of 6 white tepals, 6 stamens with long yellow anthers, and a slender style with a stigma that has 3 lobes that spread outward. The tepals are linear-lanceolate and strongly recurved, while the stamens and style are exerted. The blooming period occurs during mid-spring and lasts about 2 weeks. Each fertilized flower is replaced by a 3-chambered seed capsule that is ovoid and about ¾" long. Each chamber of the seed capsule contains 2 rows of flattened seeds. The root system consists of a corm that is several inches below the surface of the ground; this corm produces fibrous roots at its base and occasionally sends out underground stolons that can form new plants a few inches away from the mother plant. White Trout Lily can produce large colonies of plants if it is left undisturbed for several decades.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight during the spring, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil with decaying leaf mould. Situations involving more shade are tolerated later in the year. The foliage withers away during the summer. It takes several years for a new plant to fully develop and bloom. Corms can be transplanted successfully during the fall, while the establishment of new plants from seeds is difficult and slow.
Range & Habitat: The native White Trout Lily is a common plant that occurs in every county of Illinois, except for Jo Davies county in the extreme NW corner of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to mesic deciduous woodlands and gentle slopes in wooded areas. An abundance of this plant indicates that a woodlands has never been subjected to the plow or bulldozed over. White Trout Lily is one of the spring wildflowers that is threatened by the spread of Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard) in wooded areas.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are primarily pollinated by both long-tongued and short-tongued bees, including honeybees, mason bees (Osmia spp.), cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), digger bees (Synhalonia belfragii), Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp.), plasterer bees (Colletes inaequalis), and Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.). The bees suck nectar from the flowers; honeybees and short-tongued bees also collect pollen. An oligolectic bee of Erythronium spp. (Trout Lilies) is Andrena erythronii. Less typical insects visiting the flowers for nectar include the Giant Bee Fly (Bombylius major), butterflies, and skippers. Trout Lilies (Erythronium spp.) are occasionally eaten by White-tailed Deer, but the damage is usually minor because of the low stature and ephemeral nature of the foliage.
Photographic Location: A deciduous woodlands at Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: White Trout Lily usually blooms a little earlier than other spring wildflowers in woodlands; this blooming period is short, and immature plants that don't bloom always outnumber mature plants. Both the flowers and foliage are attractive (especially if the latter is mottled). The other Trout Lilies in Illinois are less common; they include Erythronium americanum (Yellow Trout Lily) and Erythronium mesochoreum (Prairie Trout Lily). Yellow Trout Lily has yellow flowers and the lobes of its stigmas are united, rather than spreading. Prairie Trout Lily resembles a White Trout Lily with unmottled foliage. However, it produces a larger seed capsule (about 1" long) that nods downward from its stalk, sometimes touching the ground. White Trout Lily has a smaller seed capsule (about ¾" long) that remains more or less erect on its stalk. The flowers of Prairie Trout Lily are light blue-violet more often than those of White Trout Lily, and its basal leaves tend to be less broad and more strongly folded upward along their midveins.
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年05月10日
Description: This herbaceous parasitic plant is 4-18" tall. Small plants are often unbranched, but large plants are paniculately branched with stiff ascending stems. These stems are initially cream, tan, or purple-striped, but they turn brown with age. The surface of each stem is mostly glabrous, but sometimes it is slightly pubescent. The leaves are reduced to insignificant scales; they are located underneath some of the flowers. Along the length of the stems are alternate flowers; the lower stems have cleistogamous (self-fertile) flowers, while the upper stems have perfect flowers that are usually sterile. The cleistogamous flowers are small and bud-like in shape, while the perfect flowers have tubular corollas with short calyces.
The corolla of a perfect flower is about 1/3" (8 mm.) in length, cream- and purple-colored, with 4 short lobes along its outer rim. Each calyx is cream-colored with 5 purple-striped teeth; it is much shorter than the corolla of a perfect flower. Each perfect flower has a single style and four stamens; the latter are hidden within the corolla. The blooming period occurs from late summer into the fall. There is no noticeable floral scent. Each fertile flower is replaced by a small ovoid seed capsule about ¼" (6 mm.) long; it contains numerous tiny seeds that can be blown about by the wind. The root system is fibrous. Sometimes large colonies of this plant can be found.
Cultivation: This parasitic plant contains no chlorophyll and obtains its nutrients from the roots of Fagus grandifolia (American Beech). Without the presence of this tree, Beechdrops cannot survive.
Range & Habitat: The native Beechdrops is uncommon in Illinois; it is found in a few counties of the southern and SE regions of the state (see Distribution Map). Illinois lies at the western range limit of both Beechdrops and the American Beech; both species are more common further to the east. Habitats include mesic woodlands and rocky wooded slopes where American Beech and Sugar Maple trees are usually codominant.
Faunal Associations: Very little information is available about floral-faunal relationships for this species. The perfect flowers may be visited occasionally by long-tongued bees. The ecological value of Beechdrops to animals appears to be low.
Photographic Location: A rocky wooded slope in west central Indiana where American Beech was present.
Comments: From a distance, this plant looks like it is dead, even when it is in bloom, resembling an elongated skeletal hand that has poked up from the ground. When examined up-close, however, it is an interesting plant with beautiful cream and purple-striped flowers and similarly colored stems. Beechdrops is a member of a small group of parasitic plants in the Broomrape family (Orobanchaceae). None of these species are very common in Illinois, and they should be protected in the areas where they occur. Other species in this family tend to be more stout and less branched than Beechdrops; they also produce larger flowers with similar tubular corollas (exceeding ½" in length). These species don't compete directly with Beechdrops because they are parasitic on the roots of plants other than American Beech; typical hosts are oak trees and various members of the Aster family.
The corolla of a perfect flower is about 1/3" (8 mm.) in length, cream- and purple-colored, with 4 short lobes along its outer rim. Each calyx is cream-colored with 5 purple-striped teeth; it is much shorter than the corolla of a perfect flower. Each perfect flower has a single style and four stamens; the latter are hidden within the corolla. The blooming period occurs from late summer into the fall. There is no noticeable floral scent. Each fertile flower is replaced by a small ovoid seed capsule about ¼" (6 mm.) long; it contains numerous tiny seeds that can be blown about by the wind. The root system is fibrous. Sometimes large colonies of this plant can be found.
Cultivation: This parasitic plant contains no chlorophyll and obtains its nutrients from the roots of Fagus grandifolia (American Beech). Without the presence of this tree, Beechdrops cannot survive.
Range & Habitat: The native Beechdrops is uncommon in Illinois; it is found in a few counties of the southern and SE regions of the state (see Distribution Map). Illinois lies at the western range limit of both Beechdrops and the American Beech; both species are more common further to the east. Habitats include mesic woodlands and rocky wooded slopes where American Beech and Sugar Maple trees are usually codominant.
Faunal Associations: Very little information is available about floral-faunal relationships for this species. The perfect flowers may be visited occasionally by long-tongued bees. The ecological value of Beechdrops to animals appears to be low.
Photographic Location: A rocky wooded slope in west central Indiana where American Beech was present.
Comments: From a distance, this plant looks like it is dead, even when it is in bloom, resembling an elongated skeletal hand that has poked up from the ground. When examined up-close, however, it is an interesting plant with beautiful cream and purple-striped flowers and similarly colored stems. Beechdrops is a member of a small group of parasitic plants in the Broomrape family (Orobanchaceae). None of these species are very common in Illinois, and they should be protected in the areas where they occur. Other species in this family tend to be more stout and less branched than Beechdrops; they also produce larger flowers with similar tubular corollas (exceeding ½" in length). These species don't compete directly with Beechdrops because they are parasitic on the roots of plants other than American Beech; typical hosts are oak trees and various members of the Aster family.
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Miss Chen
2018年05月10日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is up to 1' tall, branching sparingly. It produces both basal and alternate compound leaves with a similar appearance. The stems are reddish green, hairless, and slender. The compound leaves are trifoliate and they have slender petioles. The terminal leaflet has a longer petiolule (basal stalklet) than the two lateral leaflets. These leaflets are up to 1" long and ¾" across. They are ternately lobed, cleft, and hairless. The white flowers occur individually or in groups of 2-3. Each flower spans about ¾" across, consisting of 5 petal-like sepals that are white, no petals, several slender stamens with yellow anthers, and a few green pistils in the center. The blooming period occurs during mid-spring and lasts about 3 weeks. Afterwards, the pistils are replaced by beaked follicles (seedpods that split open along one side) that individually contain several seeds. The root system is fibrous and occasionally small tubers are produced. Vegetative clones of the mother plant are often produced from these tubers; reproduction also occurs by the seeds. False Rue Anemone often forms dense colonies of plants.
Cultivation: The preference is partial sun to medium shade, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil with abundant leaf mould.
Range & Habitat: The native False Rue Anemone is fairly common in the majority of counties in Illinois, otherwise it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include in rich mesic woodlands and low woodlands along streams where deciduous trees are dominant. This species can be extirpated from a woodlands by an invasion of Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard) and non-native shrubs.
Faunal Associations: Except for visitors of the flowers, little is known about the floral-faunal relations of this species. The pollen of the flowers attracts medium- to small-sized bees and flies primarily, including Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp., etc.), Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), honeybees, Syrphid flies, and other flies. The bees collect pollen, while the flies feed on pollen. Occasionally various beetles also feed on the pollen, but they are less effective at cross-pollination. Some of these insects probably search in vain for nectar, as the flowers lack nectaries. The foliage of False Rue Anemone is rarely browsed by mammalian herbivores (personal observation).
Photographic Location: A mesic deciduous woodlands at Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Another scientific name for False Rue Anemone is Isopyrum biternatum. This species blooms a little earlier than many other spring wildflowers in a woodlands, and it has attractive flowers and foliage. Two other members of the Buttercup family that occur in woodlands, Anemone quinequefolia (Wood Anemone) and Anemonella thalictroides (Rue Anemone), resemble False Rue Anemone. Wood Anemone has leaflets that are coarsely serrated along the margins and their lobes taper to sharp points; it also differs from False Rue Anemone by the whorl of leaves underneath its flowers. Rue Anemone also has whorled leaves underneath its flowers, otherwise its foliage is very similar to that of False Rue Anemone (which has alternate leaves along the stems). While Wood Anemone and Rue Anemone produce small clusters of beaked achenes (each containing a single seed within a hardened exterior), False Rue Anemone produces small clusters of beaked follicles that each contain 2 or more seeds. Sometimes the white flowers of Wood Anemone and Rue Anemone have more than 5 petal-like sepals, while the flowers of False Rue Anemone never have more than 5 petal-like sepals.
Cultivation: The preference is partial sun to medium shade, moist to mesic conditions, and a rich loamy soil with abundant leaf mould.
Range & Habitat: The native False Rue Anemone is fairly common in the majority of counties in Illinois, otherwise it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include in rich mesic woodlands and low woodlands along streams where deciduous trees are dominant. This species can be extirpated from a woodlands by an invasion of Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard) and non-native shrubs.
Faunal Associations: Except for visitors of the flowers, little is known about the floral-faunal relations of this species. The pollen of the flowers attracts medium- to small-sized bees and flies primarily, including Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp., etc.), Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), honeybees, Syrphid flies, and other flies. The bees collect pollen, while the flies feed on pollen. Occasionally various beetles also feed on the pollen, but they are less effective at cross-pollination. Some of these insects probably search in vain for nectar, as the flowers lack nectaries. The foliage of False Rue Anemone is rarely browsed by mammalian herbivores (personal observation).
Photographic Location: A mesic deciduous woodlands at Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Another scientific name for False Rue Anemone is Isopyrum biternatum. This species blooms a little earlier than many other spring wildflowers in a woodlands, and it has attractive flowers and foliage. Two other members of the Buttercup family that occur in woodlands, Anemone quinequefolia (Wood Anemone) and Anemonella thalictroides (Rue Anemone), resemble False Rue Anemone. Wood Anemone has leaflets that are coarsely serrated along the margins and their lobes taper to sharp points; it also differs from False Rue Anemone by the whorl of leaves underneath its flowers. Rue Anemone also has whorled leaves underneath its flowers, otherwise its foliage is very similar to that of False Rue Anemone (which has alternate leaves along the stems). While Wood Anemone and Rue Anemone produce small clusters of beaked achenes (each containing a single seed within a hardened exterior), False Rue Anemone produces small clusters of beaked follicles that each contain 2 or more seeds. Sometimes the white flowers of Wood Anemone and Rue Anemone have more than 5 petal-like sepals, while the flowers of False Rue Anemone never have more than 5 petal-like sepals.
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求助
Lucky Coyote
2018年05月09日
what are these red bulbs forming on my cactus? and is it normal for the babies to grow right behind the parent plant?
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meriunkat：Hmm maybe it will bloom? And yes babies do grow that way :)
文章
Miss Chen
2018年05月09日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is about 4-8" tall. It consists of a rosette of basal leaves spanning about 6" across. These basal leaves are greyish green to green and glabrous. Each of these leaves is ternately compound and divided into 3 primary leaflets, while each primary leaflet is divided into 3 secondary leaflets. These secondary leaflets are pinnately cleft into linear or oblanceolate lobes. The long petioles of the compound leaves are slender and glabrous; they are pale red, tan, or brown. From the center of the rosette, there develops a semi-erect raceme of 2-6 pairs of white flowers on a long peduncle (flowering stalk). This raceme tends to bend to one side, while the flowers droop upside-down from their pedicels. Both the peduncle and pedicels are pale red or yellowish brown, terete, glabrous, and sometimes glaucous. The pedicels are about ¼" in length; in the middle of each pedicel, there is a pair of tiny linear bracts.
Each flower is about ¾" long and assumes the form of an upside-down Dutchman's Breeches, hence the common name of the plant. It consists of 2 outer petals that are white and 2 inner petals that are pale yellow. The two outer petals form two nectar spurs that are long and spreading; they are joined together at the base. The two inner petals are much smaller and form the base of the flower; they have small wings that curl upward. The 2 sepals of each flower are white and more or less ovate in shape; they are much shorter than the petals. The blooming period occurs from early to mid-spring and lasts about 2-3 weeks. There is no noticeable floral scent. The flowers are replaced by oblongoid-ovoid seed capsules that taper into points at both ends. These capsules eventually split apart into 2 segments to release their seeds. The root system consists of a bulbous base with fleshy scales and secondary roots.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight of woodlands, mesic conditions, and a fertile loamy soil with abundant organic matter. This plant develops early and can resist moderate frost without damage.
Range & Habitat: Dutchman's Breeches is a common plant that occurs in nearly every county of Illinois (see Distribution Map), where it is native. Habitats include deciduous mesic woodlands, especially along gentle slopes, ravines, or ledges along streams. This species occurs in original woodland that has never been plowed under or bulldozed over. It's abundance in such woodlands can be highly variable – from uncommon to common.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts long-tongued bees primarily, including honeybees, bumblebees, mason bees (Osmia spp.), and Anthophorid bees (Anthophora ursina, Synhalonia spp., Habropoda laboriosus). Less common visitors include short-tongued Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), Bombylius major (Giant Bee Fly), various butterflies, and skippers. The butterflies and skippers are not effective cross-pollinators of the flowers. Because the seeds have elaisomes (fleshy or oily appendages), they are distributed by ants. Ants carry the seeds to their nests, eat the elaisomes, and discard the seeds some distance from the mother plant. The foliage is toxic to mammalian herbivores and it is not often eaten by them.
Photographic Location: A mesic area of Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois, and an upland woodlands in McLean County, Illinois.
Comments: This is a delightful spring wildflower of woodlands – both the flowers and foliage are attractive. Dutchman's Breeches is one of the earlier woodland wildflowers to bloom. The only other species with a similar appearance is Dicentra canadensis (Squirrel Corn). Squirrel Corn also occurs in mesic deciduous woodlands and blooms only a little later than Dutchman's Breeches. The nectar spurs of Squirrel Corn are shorter and more rounded than those of Dutchman's Breeches, and its white flowers are fragrant. It also has a root system that produces small edible tubers. Within the Fumitory family, Dicentra spp. differ from Corydalis spp. by the structure of their flowers – the former have flowers with 2 nectar spurs, while the latter have flowers with a single nectar spur.
Each flower is about ¾" long and assumes the form of an upside-down Dutchman's Breeches, hence the common name of the plant. It consists of 2 outer petals that are white and 2 inner petals that are pale yellow. The two outer petals form two nectar spurs that are long and spreading; they are joined together at the base. The two inner petals are much smaller and form the base of the flower; they have small wings that curl upward. The 2 sepals of each flower are white and more or less ovate in shape; they are much shorter than the petals. The blooming period occurs from early to mid-spring and lasts about 2-3 weeks. There is no noticeable floral scent. The flowers are replaced by oblongoid-ovoid seed capsules that taper into points at both ends. These capsules eventually split apart into 2 segments to release their seeds. The root system consists of a bulbous base with fleshy scales and secondary roots.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight of woodlands, mesic conditions, and a fertile loamy soil with abundant organic matter. This plant develops early and can resist moderate frost without damage.
Range & Habitat: Dutchman's Breeches is a common plant that occurs in nearly every county of Illinois (see Distribution Map), where it is native. Habitats include deciduous mesic woodlands, especially along gentle slopes, ravines, or ledges along streams. This species occurs in original woodland that has never been plowed under or bulldozed over. It's abundance in such woodlands can be highly variable – from uncommon to common.
Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts long-tongued bees primarily, including honeybees, bumblebees, mason bees (Osmia spp.), and Anthophorid bees (Anthophora ursina, Synhalonia spp., Habropoda laboriosus). Less common visitors include short-tongued Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), Bombylius major (Giant Bee Fly), various butterflies, and skippers. The butterflies and skippers are not effective cross-pollinators of the flowers. Because the seeds have elaisomes (fleshy or oily appendages), they are distributed by ants. Ants carry the seeds to their nests, eat the elaisomes, and discard the seeds some distance from the mother plant. The foliage is toxic to mammalian herbivores and it is not often eaten by them.
Photographic Location: A mesic area of Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois, and an upland woodlands in McLean County, Illinois.
Comments: This is a delightful spring wildflower of woodlands – both the flowers and foliage are attractive. Dutchman's Breeches is one of the earlier woodland wildflowers to bloom. The only other species with a similar appearance is Dicentra canadensis (Squirrel Corn). Squirrel Corn also occurs in mesic deciduous woodlands and blooms only a little later than Dutchman's Breeches. The nectar spurs of Squirrel Corn are shorter and more rounded than those of Dutchman's Breeches, and its white flowers are fragrant. It also has a root system that produces small edible tubers. Within the Fumitory family, Dicentra spp. differ from Corydalis spp. by the structure of their flowers – the former have flowers with 2 nectar spurs, while the latter have flowers with a single nectar spur.
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