文章
Miss Chen
2018年06月23日
7.Two Small Succulents in a Tiny Pot
Even two small succulents in a tiny pot can make a big statement. These succulents, are only about two inches tall and the pot is about one and a half inches tall and two inches wide.
What makes this tiny succulent pot really work is the topdressing of gravel - it gives it a finished look and marries the plants to the pot.
The plants used in this pot are: Ghost plant, also known as mother of pearl plant or Graptoptalum paraguayense, 'Ghosty'
The trailing plant is Calico Kitten, Crassula marginalis, rubra, 'Veriegata'
8.Echeveria Flowers
While echeverias are rarely grown for their flowers, they can put on a spectacular display during the summer months. Echeverias are easy to grow succulents and they are spectacular. There are about 150 species of echeveria, with a wide range of colors and textures.
Like all succulents, echeverias need fast draining potting soil and will rot if kept too wet. However, they don't like to be too dry either. They prefer bright light, though full sun can scorch them.
9.Succulent Plants in a Strawberry Pot
I love how succulent plants look in a strawberry pot. This is a medium sized strawberry pot, and it holds lots of plants.
When I brought this pot home from the store and unwrapped it, I realized there were no drainage holes. I am not a good enough gardener to risk trying to any plant, much less a succulents which really don't like to be too wet, without the benefit of drainage holes. So I got out my trusty drill, fitted it with a bit for drilling ceramics and put in several large holes.
Planting Strawberry Pot with Succulent Plants
Cover Drainage Holes - Use a piece of plastic window screening, paper towel or a coffee filter to cover drainage holes - anything that will keep soil in and let water out.
Fill Strawberry Jar with Potting Soil - Make sure to use either a potting mix that is designed specifically for succulents or add perlite or pumice to any good potting soil. Fill your jar, making sure that all the pockets are filled as well and then firm the soil gently.
Plant Succulents - Carefully take your plants out of their pots. If there is extra soil, you can gently take some off. Put your largest succulent plants in the top of the strawberry jar, making sure to plant them at the same level they were in their nursery pot. Fill the pockets with smaller succulents. Some succulents, like hens and chicks will root if placed on top of the soil
Water Gently - Add water to your strawberry pot so that the soil becomes moist, not wet. You will want to make sure that the pockets get some water too. During the summer, keep the soil moist but not wet. If you live in a cold climate, bring your succulents inside to overwinter them and water only after the soil has dried out. Keep in bright indirect light.
Most plants in this container were provided by Costa Farms.
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年06月15日
Description: This herbaceous perennial wildflower is 3-7' tall and largely unbranched, except for the short flowering stalks along the upper one-fourth of its length. The central stem is terete, light green, and either glabrous or canescent. The alternate leaves are 3-8" long and and 2-4" across; they are ovate to broadly ovate and crenate-dentate along their margins. Some leaves may have a pair of lobes that are shallow and broad. The upper leaf surface is yellowish green to medium green and glabrous (or nearly so), while the lower leaf surface is pale green and canescent. The slender petioles are 2-5" long and either light green or reddish green. At the base of each petiole, there is a pair of small linear stipules. The upper flowering stalks are 1½–3" long and canescent; each stalk has a single leaf and a single flower.
Individual flowers are 4-6" across and a similar length, consisting of 5 white or pink petals, 5 light or yellowish green sepals, a reproductive columnar structure with numerous stamens along its length and 5 styles with knobby stigmata at its apex. The persistent sepals are ovate and canescent (or tomentose); they are united at the base. Each flower usually has a reddish purple throat at the base of its petals, although sometimes this is absent. Directly underneath the sepals, there are about 12 linear bracts that curve upward; they are 1" in length. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall and lasts about 1 month. Individual flowers are short-lived; usually only 0-2 flowers are in bloom at the same time on a single plant. The flowers are replaced by seed capsules that are about 1–1¼" long and a little less across; they are globoid-ovoid, short-beaked, and glabrous. Each seed capsule contains a ring of seeds; individual seeds are reniform, flattened, and hairless. This wildflower spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full to partial sun, wet to consistently moist conditions, and soil containing loam, silt, or some sand with organic material.
Close-up of Flower
Range & Habitat: The native Swamp Rose Mallow is found in widely scattered localities along the eastern half of Illinois, where it is uncommon. Illinois lies near the NW range-limit for this species in North America. Swamp Rose Mallow is also found in east Asia, where some additional color forms exist. Habitats include marshes, open swamps, and low soggy areas along rivers and ponds. Along the Atlantic coast of the U.S., this wildflower is also found in brackish marshes. Because of its attractive flowers, Swamp Rose Mallow is cultivated occasionally in gardens; some cultivars display evidence of hybridization with other Hibiscus spp. (Rose Mallows).
Faunal Associations: The flowers are cross-pollinated by bumblebees and other long-tongued bees, including Melitoma taurea and Ptilothrix bombiformis (Rose Mallow bee). The Rose Mallow bee is a specialist pollinator (oligolege) of native Hibiscus spp. (Rose Mallows); it sucks nectar and collects pollen from the flowers, while other long-tongued bees suck nectar primarily. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is another nectar-seeking visitor of the flowers. Some insects feed on various parts of Rose Mallows. The introduced pest, Popillia japonica (Japanese Beetle), gnaws on the flowers and young leaves, while the aphids Aphis gossypii and Macchiatiella rhamni suck plant juices. The caterpillars of Pyrgus communis (Common Checkered Skipper) and the butterfly Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) sometimes feed on the leaves, while the caterpillars of the butterfly Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak) feed on the developing seeds. The caterpillars of several moths also feed on Rose Mallows, including Acontia delecta (Delightful Bird-Dropping Moth), Anomis erosa (Yellow Scallop Moth), Automeris io (Io Moth), and Eudryas unio (Pearly Wood Nymph).
Photographic Location: A prairie swale at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Swamp Rose Mallow has exotic oversized flowers that are very striking, particularly when they occur in a colony of plants. Other native Hibiscus spp. (Rose Mallows) in Illinois are similar to Swamp Rose Mallow in appearance and they are found in similar habitats. These species include Hibiscus lasiocarpos (Hairy Rose Mallow) and Hibiscus laevis (Halberd-Leaved Rose Mallow). Hairy Rose Mallow has felty leaves that are conspicuously hairy on both their upper and lower surfaces; Swamp Rose Mallow has leaves that are hairless (or nearly so) on their upper surfaces. Hairy Rose Mallow also has hairy ovaries/capsules, while the ovaries/capsules of Swamp Rose Mallow are glabrous. Sometimes Hairy Rose Mallow is regarded as a subspecies of Swamp Rose Mallow, or Hibiscus moscheutos lasiocarpos. The remaining similar species, Halberd-Leaved Rose Mallow, has leaves with divergent basal lobes (shaped like a halberd) or palmate lobes (maple-leaf shaped), leaf surfaces that are hairless on both the lower and upper sides, and seeds that are quite hairy. In contrast, Swamp Rose Mallow lacks such strongly lobed leaves, the lower surfaces of its leaves are canescent (or tomentose), and its seeds are hairless. In the past, the pink-flowered form of Swamp Rose Mallow that lacks a reddish purple throat was classified as a distinct species, Hibiscus palustris. However, it is now considered one of several color forms of Swamp Rose Mallow.
Individual flowers are 4-6" across and a similar length, consisting of 5 white or pink petals, 5 light or yellowish green sepals, a reproductive columnar structure with numerous stamens along its length and 5 styles with knobby stigmata at its apex. The persistent sepals are ovate and canescent (or tomentose); they are united at the base. Each flower usually has a reddish purple throat at the base of its petals, although sometimes this is absent. Directly underneath the sepals, there are about 12 linear bracts that curve upward; they are 1" in length. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall and lasts about 1 month. Individual flowers are short-lived; usually only 0-2 flowers are in bloom at the same time on a single plant. The flowers are replaced by seed capsules that are about 1–1¼" long and a little less across; they are globoid-ovoid, short-beaked, and glabrous. Each seed capsule contains a ring of seeds; individual seeds are reniform, flattened, and hairless. This wildflower spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full to partial sun, wet to consistently moist conditions, and soil containing loam, silt, or some sand with organic material.
Close-up of Flower
Range & Habitat: The native Swamp Rose Mallow is found in widely scattered localities along the eastern half of Illinois, where it is uncommon. Illinois lies near the NW range-limit for this species in North America. Swamp Rose Mallow is also found in east Asia, where some additional color forms exist. Habitats include marshes, open swamps, and low soggy areas along rivers and ponds. Along the Atlantic coast of the U.S., this wildflower is also found in brackish marshes. Because of its attractive flowers, Swamp Rose Mallow is cultivated occasionally in gardens; some cultivars display evidence of hybridization with other Hibiscus spp. (Rose Mallows).
Faunal Associations: The flowers are cross-pollinated by bumblebees and other long-tongued bees, including Melitoma taurea and Ptilothrix bombiformis (Rose Mallow bee). The Rose Mallow bee is a specialist pollinator (oligolege) of native Hibiscus spp. (Rose Mallows); it sucks nectar and collects pollen from the flowers, while other long-tongued bees suck nectar primarily. The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is another nectar-seeking visitor of the flowers. Some insects feed on various parts of Rose Mallows. The introduced pest, Popillia japonica (Japanese Beetle), gnaws on the flowers and young leaves, while the aphids Aphis gossypii and Macchiatiella rhamni suck plant juices. The caterpillars of Pyrgus communis (Common Checkered Skipper) and the butterfly Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) sometimes feed on the leaves, while the caterpillars of the butterfly Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak) feed on the developing seeds. The caterpillars of several moths also feed on Rose Mallows, including Acontia delecta (Delightful Bird-Dropping Moth), Anomis erosa (Yellow Scallop Moth), Automeris io (Io Moth), and Eudryas unio (Pearly Wood Nymph).
Photographic Location: A prairie swale at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Swamp Rose Mallow has exotic oversized flowers that are very striking, particularly when they occur in a colony of plants. Other native Hibiscus spp. (Rose Mallows) in Illinois are similar to Swamp Rose Mallow in appearance and they are found in similar habitats. These species include Hibiscus lasiocarpos (Hairy Rose Mallow) and Hibiscus laevis (Halberd-Leaved Rose Mallow). Hairy Rose Mallow has felty leaves that are conspicuously hairy on both their upper and lower surfaces; Swamp Rose Mallow has leaves that are hairless (or nearly so) on their upper surfaces. Hairy Rose Mallow also has hairy ovaries/capsules, while the ovaries/capsules of Swamp Rose Mallow are glabrous. Sometimes Hairy Rose Mallow is regarded as a subspecies of Swamp Rose Mallow, or Hibiscus moscheutos lasiocarpos. The remaining similar species, Halberd-Leaved Rose Mallow, has leaves with divergent basal lobes (shaped like a halberd) or palmate lobes (maple-leaf shaped), leaf surfaces that are hairless on both the lower and upper sides, and seeds that are quite hairy. In contrast, Swamp Rose Mallow lacks such strongly lobed leaves, the lower surfaces of its leaves are canescent (or tomentose), and its seeds are hairless. In the past, the pink-flowered form of Swamp Rose Mallow that lacks a reddish purple throat was classified as a distinct species, Hibiscus palustris. However, it is now considered one of several color forms of Swamp Rose Mallow.
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年06月15日
escription: This herbaceous perennial plant is 3-7' tall and usually unbranched, except where the inflorescence occurs. The central stem is light green to light reddish green, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, terete, and sometimes shallowly grooved. Sometimes the central stem is also glaucous. The alternate leaves are up to 10" long and 6" across, becoming gradually smaller as they ascend. The lower to middle leaves are hastate or deltate (triangular) in shape and serrated along their margins; the upper leaves are deltate or lanceolate in shape and serrated along their margins. The lower and middle leaves have winged petioles up to 5" long, while the upper leaves are nearly sessile. The tips of leaves are acute to narrowly acute, while their bases are indented, truncate, or broadly wedge-shaped. The basal lobes of hastate leaves are deltate with acute tips. The upper and lower surfaces of the leaves are medium green and glabrous. Leaf venation is pinnate. The central stem and axillary stems from the upper leaves terminate in a panicle (or compound corymb) of flowerheads that is more or less flat-headed. The branches and peduncles of this inflorescence are light green, mostly glabrous, and sometimes glaucous (however, minute hairs may be visible with a hand lens).
Individual flowerheads have 20-40 perfect disk florets and no ray florets; they are 8-12 mm. long and short-cylindrical in shape, although swelling slightly above while blooming. The corollas of the disk florets are white, cylindrical in shape, and deeply 5-lobed above. The base of each flowerhead is surrounded by linear phyllaries (floral bracts) in a single series; these phyllaries are light green to nearly white and glabrous. Underneath the base of each flowerhead, there are several linear bractlets that are widely spreading and up to 8 mm. long. These bractlets are light green to nearly white and glabrous; sometimes their tips curl upward. The blooming period occurs during late summer to early autumn, lasting about 2-3 weeks. The flowerheads have a pleasant sweet fragrance. Afterwards, fertile disk florets are replaced by achenes with tufts of white or tawny hair; they are distributed by the wind and perhaps by water. Mature achenes are about 6 mm. (¼") long, bullet-shaped, and brownish. The root system is shallow and coarsely fibrous. Sometimes clonal offsets develop from the root system.
Cultivation: The preference is light shade to full sun, wet to moist conditions, and soil containing silt, loam, or calcareous sand. This plant can spread aggressively in gardens.
Range & Habitat: Sweet Indian Plantain is uncommon in northern Illinois and rare elsewhere within the state, where it is native (see Distribution Map). Habitats include borders of bottomland woodlands, edges of soggy thickets, river bottom prairies, stream banks, and calcareous fens (including sandy fens). The disturbance of occasional floods along rivers and streams may play an important role in maintaining populations of this species. Such disturbance may reduce competition from less flood-tolerant plants and create areas of exposed topsoil that can be colonized. Sweet Indian Plantain is found in both high quality habitats and more disturbed habitats in floodplain areas.
Faunal Associations: Very little is known about floral-faunal relationships for Sweet Indian Plantain. The nectar and pollen of the flowerheads probably attract a variety of insects, including bees, wasps, flies, small to medium-sized butterflies, skippers, and moths. An aphid (Uroleucon sp.) has been reported to feed on the foliage and plant juices of this plant (Blackman & Eastop, 2013). White-tailed Deer also browse on the foliage (Sharp, 2001).
Photographic Location: A prairie in Fayette County, Illinois. The photographs were taken by Keith & Patty Horn (Copyright © 2015).
Comments: Sweet Indian Plantain (Hasteola suaveolens) has striking triangular-shaped leaves. Because this plant is uncommon throughout its range, it should be cultivated more often. In the past, this plant has been assigned such scientific names as Cacalia suaveolens and Synosma suaveolens. Another common name of this species is False Indian Plantain. It is similar in appearance to some Arnoglossum spp. (Indian Plantain species), including Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium) and Prairie Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum tuberosum). Sweet Indian Plantain can be distinguished from these species by its deltate and hastate leaves; its flowerheads also have conspicuous spreading bractlets at their bases that these other species lack.
Individual flowerheads have 20-40 perfect disk florets and no ray florets; they are 8-12 mm. long and short-cylindrical in shape, although swelling slightly above while blooming. The corollas of the disk florets are white, cylindrical in shape, and deeply 5-lobed above. The base of each flowerhead is surrounded by linear phyllaries (floral bracts) in a single series; these phyllaries are light green to nearly white and glabrous. Underneath the base of each flowerhead, there are several linear bractlets that are widely spreading and up to 8 mm. long. These bractlets are light green to nearly white and glabrous; sometimes their tips curl upward. The blooming period occurs during late summer to early autumn, lasting about 2-3 weeks. The flowerheads have a pleasant sweet fragrance. Afterwards, fertile disk florets are replaced by achenes with tufts of white or tawny hair; they are distributed by the wind and perhaps by water. Mature achenes are about 6 mm. (¼") long, bullet-shaped, and brownish. The root system is shallow and coarsely fibrous. Sometimes clonal offsets develop from the root system.
Cultivation: The preference is light shade to full sun, wet to moist conditions, and soil containing silt, loam, or calcareous sand. This plant can spread aggressively in gardens.
Range & Habitat: Sweet Indian Plantain is uncommon in northern Illinois and rare elsewhere within the state, where it is native (see Distribution Map). Habitats include borders of bottomland woodlands, edges of soggy thickets, river bottom prairies, stream banks, and calcareous fens (including sandy fens). The disturbance of occasional floods along rivers and streams may play an important role in maintaining populations of this species. Such disturbance may reduce competition from less flood-tolerant plants and create areas of exposed topsoil that can be colonized. Sweet Indian Plantain is found in both high quality habitats and more disturbed habitats in floodplain areas.
Faunal Associations: Very little is known about floral-faunal relationships for Sweet Indian Plantain. The nectar and pollen of the flowerheads probably attract a variety of insects, including bees, wasps, flies, small to medium-sized butterflies, skippers, and moths. An aphid (Uroleucon sp.) has been reported to feed on the foliage and plant juices of this plant (Blackman & Eastop, 2013). White-tailed Deer also browse on the foliage (Sharp, 2001).
Photographic Location: A prairie in Fayette County, Illinois. The photographs were taken by Keith & Patty Horn (Copyright © 2015).
Comments: Sweet Indian Plantain (Hasteola suaveolens) has striking triangular-shaped leaves. Because this plant is uncommon throughout its range, it should be cultivated more often. In the past, this plant has been assigned such scientific names as Cacalia suaveolens and Synosma suaveolens. Another common name of this species is False Indian Plantain. It is similar in appearance to some Arnoglossum spp. (Indian Plantain species), including Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium) and Prairie Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum tuberosum). Sweet Indian Plantain can be distinguished from these species by its deltate and hastate leaves; its flowerheads also have conspicuous spreading bractlets at their bases that these other species lack.
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年06月14日
Description: This wildflower is a biennial that forms a rosette of basal leaves during the first year, followed by a flowering plant about 2-7' tall the following year. The basal leaves are up to 16" long and 6" across, although they are normally closer to about one-half that size. Aside from a tendency to be larger in size, they are similar to the alternate leaves of a flowering plant (as described below). A typical flowering plant is unbranched below and occasionally branched above. The central stem and any lateral stems are light green, terete, and longitudinally furrowed; they are finely hairy above, becoming more glabrous below. Alternate leaves are up to 10" long and 4" across, becoming gradually smaller in size as they ascend the stems. In outline, these leaves are lanceolate-oblong to elliptic-oblong; they are also pinnatifid with several pairs of lanceolate to linear-lanceolate lobes that have spiny tips. The lobes of the alternate leaves usually have smaller secondary lobes or sharp teeth that may also have spiny tips. The spines are golden yellow and up to 1/8" (3 mm.) long. The upper leaf surface is medium to dark green and glabrous to sparsely short-pubescent. The lower leaf surface is usually whitened from a dense coating of short white hairs while young, but it becomes more pale green with age from a thinning of such hairs.
The central stem and any upper stems terminate in either individual flowerheads or open corymbs of 2-5 flowerheads. The peduncles of these flowerhead are 1-6" long, light green (less often pale purple), terete, finely grooved, and finely hairy to nearly glabrous. There is usually a single leafy bract (up to 3" long) at the base of each peduncle and, less often, there may be a whorl of a few leafy bracts (up to 1½" long) underneath the flowerhead. Otherwise, the peduncle is naked. The leafy bracts resemble the alternate leaves, except they are smaller in size and their spiny lobes are more narrow. Each peduncle terminates in a flowerhead that is about 1¼-2" across and similarly in length. At the flattened top of the flowerhead, there is a dense cluster of numerous disk florets; there are no ray florets. The disk florets are perfect and fertile. The corollas of the disk florets are narrowly cylindrical below, becoming slightly wider above with 5 narrow lobes. These corollas vary in color from pink to pinkish purple. The sides of the flowerhead consist of overlapping floral bracts (phyllaries) that are appressed together in several series. These floral bracts are lanceolate to ovate in shape; their tips taper into erect minute spines, or such spines may be absent. The sticky floral bracts have narrow mid-ribs that are pale green, otherwise they are blackish green; appressed woolly hair usually occurs between the floral bracts. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall, lasting about 1½ months. Afterwards, the ray florets are replaced by small achenes with tufts of white hair. Individual achenes are about 5 mm. long, oblongoid, and dark brown to black with bands of yellow at their upper ends. They are distributed by the wind. The root system consists of a stout taproot.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, wet to moist conditions, and calcareous sand, although partial sun and other soil types are tolerated. The size of individual plants can be highly variable, depending on moisture level, soil fertility, and competition from other plants.
Range & Habitat: The native Swamp Thistle is occasional in NE Illinois, otherwise it is uncommon or absent elsewhere in the state (see Distribution Map). This plant is more common further to the north. Habitats include wet sand prairies, sandy swamps, marshes, fens, interdunal swales near Lake Michigan, limestone bluffs (where some seepage of ground water occurs), pastures, and abandoned sandy fields. Swamp Thistle is found primarily in sandy wetlands and rocky areas where seepage through limestone occurs. It is perhaps most common in fens.
Faunal Associations: The flowerheads of Swamp Thistle and similar Cirsium spp. (thistles) attract many insects, especially long-tongued bees and butterflies. Typical floral visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Cuckoo beesTiger Swallowtail Nectaring at Flowerhead (Triepeolus spp.), Swallowtail butterflies (Papilio spp.), Fritillary butterflies (Speyeria spp.), Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa spp.), and day-flying moths. Most of these insects suck nectar, although some bees also collect pollen. A long-horned bee, Melissodes desponsa, is an oligolege (specialist pollinator) of thistles. Other insect feed destructively on these plants. Swamp Thistle is the preferred host plant for the caterpillars of an uncommon butterfly, Calephelis mutica (Swamp Metalmark). Other insect feeders of thistles include caterpillars of Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady), caterpillars of Platyptilia carduidactyla (Artichoke Plume Moth) and Papaipema arctivorens (Northern Burdock Borer Moth), the leaf beetle Cassida rubiginosa, stem-boring larvae of Lixus concavus (Rhubarb Weevil), Melanoplus borealis (Northern Grasshopper), Brachycaudus cardui (Thistle Aphid) and Capitophorus elaeagni (Artichoke Aphid), and the treehopper Entylia bactriana. See the Insect Table for a more complete listing of these species. Because Swamp Thistle has some protection from its spines and it occurs in less accessible wetland habitats, it is usually ignored by mammalian herbivores. Some small songbirds, however, eat the seeds of thistles, especially the American Goldfinch. This bird also uses the hair tufts of thistle seeds in the construction of its nests. Another small bird, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, occasionally visits the flowerheads of thistles for their nectar.
Photographic Location: A fen in NE Illinois. The photographs were taken by Lisa Culp (Copyright © 2011).
Comments: Swamp Thistle (Cirsium muticum) resembles the more common Pasture Thistle (Cirsium discolor) and other tall-growing thistle species. It can be distinguished from these other species by the lack of significant spines on its floral bracts (phyllaries) and its preference for wetland habitats. While the leaf undersides of Swamp Thistle tend to be somewhat whitened, they are usually less whitened than either the Pasture Thistle or Tall Thistle (Cirsium altissimum). A Eurasian species that has not been found in Illinois, but appears to be spreading in other areas of the United States, is the Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre). Like the Swamp Thistle, Marsh Thistle also prefers wetland habitats, but it has smaller flowerheads (1" across or less) and its floral bracts have outward-pointing fine spines. This Eurasian thistle also tends to be somewhat smaller in size than the Swamp Thistle. Another common name of Cirsium muticum is Fen Thistle.
The central stem and any upper stems terminate in either individual flowerheads or open corymbs of 2-5 flowerheads. The peduncles of these flowerhead are 1-6" long, light green (less often pale purple), terete, finely grooved, and finely hairy to nearly glabrous. There is usually a single leafy bract (up to 3" long) at the base of each peduncle and, less often, there may be a whorl of a few leafy bracts (up to 1½" long) underneath the flowerhead. Otherwise, the peduncle is naked. The leafy bracts resemble the alternate leaves, except they are smaller in size and their spiny lobes are more narrow. Each peduncle terminates in a flowerhead that is about 1¼-2" across and similarly in length. At the flattened top of the flowerhead, there is a dense cluster of numerous disk florets; there are no ray florets. The disk florets are perfect and fertile. The corollas of the disk florets are narrowly cylindrical below, becoming slightly wider above with 5 narrow lobes. These corollas vary in color from pink to pinkish purple. The sides of the flowerhead consist of overlapping floral bracts (phyllaries) that are appressed together in several series. These floral bracts are lanceolate to ovate in shape; their tips taper into erect minute spines, or such spines may be absent. The sticky floral bracts have narrow mid-ribs that are pale green, otherwise they are blackish green; appressed woolly hair usually occurs between the floral bracts. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall, lasting about 1½ months. Afterwards, the ray florets are replaced by small achenes with tufts of white hair. Individual achenes are about 5 mm. long, oblongoid, and dark brown to black with bands of yellow at their upper ends. They are distributed by the wind. The root system consists of a stout taproot.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, wet to moist conditions, and calcareous sand, although partial sun and other soil types are tolerated. The size of individual plants can be highly variable, depending on moisture level, soil fertility, and competition from other plants.
Range & Habitat: The native Swamp Thistle is occasional in NE Illinois, otherwise it is uncommon or absent elsewhere in the state (see Distribution Map). This plant is more common further to the north. Habitats include wet sand prairies, sandy swamps, marshes, fens, interdunal swales near Lake Michigan, limestone bluffs (where some seepage of ground water occurs), pastures, and abandoned sandy fields. Swamp Thistle is found primarily in sandy wetlands and rocky areas where seepage through limestone occurs. It is perhaps most common in fens.
Faunal Associations: The flowerheads of Swamp Thistle and similar Cirsium spp. (thistles) attract many insects, especially long-tongued bees and butterflies. Typical floral visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Cuckoo beesTiger Swallowtail Nectaring at Flowerhead (Triepeolus spp.), Swallowtail butterflies (Papilio spp.), Fritillary butterflies (Speyeria spp.), Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa spp.), and day-flying moths. Most of these insects suck nectar, although some bees also collect pollen. A long-horned bee, Melissodes desponsa, is an oligolege (specialist pollinator) of thistles. Other insect feed destructively on these plants. Swamp Thistle is the preferred host plant for the caterpillars of an uncommon butterfly, Calephelis mutica (Swamp Metalmark). Other insect feeders of thistles include caterpillars of Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady), caterpillars of Platyptilia carduidactyla (Artichoke Plume Moth) and Papaipema arctivorens (Northern Burdock Borer Moth), the leaf beetle Cassida rubiginosa, stem-boring larvae of Lixus concavus (Rhubarb Weevil), Melanoplus borealis (Northern Grasshopper), Brachycaudus cardui (Thistle Aphid) and Capitophorus elaeagni (Artichoke Aphid), and the treehopper Entylia bactriana. See the Insect Table for a more complete listing of these species. Because Swamp Thistle has some protection from its spines and it occurs in less accessible wetland habitats, it is usually ignored by mammalian herbivores. Some small songbirds, however, eat the seeds of thistles, especially the American Goldfinch. This bird also uses the hair tufts of thistle seeds in the construction of its nests. Another small bird, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, occasionally visits the flowerheads of thistles for their nectar.
Photographic Location: A fen in NE Illinois. The photographs were taken by Lisa Culp (Copyright © 2011).
Comments: Swamp Thistle (Cirsium muticum) resembles the more common Pasture Thistle (Cirsium discolor) and other tall-growing thistle species. It can be distinguished from these other species by the lack of significant spines on its floral bracts (phyllaries) and its preference for wetland habitats. While the leaf undersides of Swamp Thistle tend to be somewhat whitened, they are usually less whitened than either the Pasture Thistle or Tall Thistle (Cirsium altissimum). A Eurasian species that has not been found in Illinois, but appears to be spreading in other areas of the United States, is the Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre). Like the Swamp Thistle, Marsh Thistle also prefers wetland habitats, but it has smaller flowerheads (1" across or less) and its floral bracts have outward-pointing fine spines. This Eurasian thistle also tends to be somewhat smaller in size than the Swamp Thistle. Another common name of Cirsium muticum is Fen Thistle.
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年06月12日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant becomes 3-7' tall, forming either a solitary or a cluster of central stems that branch occasionally to abundantly. The central stems are light green, vertically veined, glabrous, and sometimes glaucous; they are terete (circular in circumference), except for the decurrent bases of the leaves. This latter characteristic causes them to appear heavily winged. Spreading to drooping alternate leaves occur along the entire length of these stems at regular intervals, becoming gradually smaller in size as they ascend. The leaves of the central stems are up to 7" long and 1½" across; they are oblong-lanceolate in shape, while their margins are entire (toothless) and often slightly wavy (vertically) or undulate (horizontally). These leaves taper gradually, forming narrow acute tips, while their bases strongly clasp the central stems. The basal margins of these leaves extend downward 1-3" along their stems, forming pairs of wings up to ¾" across. The upper leaf surface is medium to dark green and glabrous, while the lower leaf surface is a slightly lighter shade of green, glabrous, and sometimes glaucous. Leaf venation is pinnate; the central veins of these leaves are prominent, particularly toward their bases. Slender ascending lateral stems develop from the axils of the leaves, particularly along the middle to upper leaves of the central stems. The alternate leaves of these lateral stems are up to 3" long and ½" across; they are elliptic or linear-lanceolate in shape, entire along their margins, and either sessile or decurrent at their bases. When their bases are decurrent, the basal margins of these secondary leaves extend downward up to 1" along their stems, forming pairs of wings up to ¼" across.
The central stems terminate in large panicles of flowerheads (up to 2' long and 2' across) that are more or less dome-shaped. On robust plants, many lateral stems will also terminate in smaller panicles of flowerheads. The branches of these inflorescences are similar to the stems, except they are less winged from the decurrent bases of their leafy bracts. These bracts are up 3" long and ½" across and they are similar in appearance to the leaves of lateral stems, although they can become smaller in size. Each daisy-like flowerhead is ¾–1" across, consisting of 40-60 ray florets that surround a dense head of 180+ disk florets. The ray florets are pistillate (female), while the disk florets are perfect (male and female). The petaloid rays of these flowerheads are linear-oblong in shape and white (rarely lavender or light purple). The corollas of the disk florets are about 2 mm. long, yellow, tubular in shape, and 5-lobed along their upper rims. Around the base of each flowerhead, light green phyllaries (floral scales) are arranged in about 3 overlapping series. These phyllaries are linear-oblanceolate in shape, membranous along their margins, and appressed together. When the flowerhead blooms, these phyllaries form an involucre that is shaped like a shallow plate or flat disk. The peduncles (basal stalks) of these flowerheads are up to 3" long. The blooming period occurs during late summer into autumn, lasting about 1-2 months. Afterwards, the fertile florets are replaced by achenes about 1.5–2.5 mm. in length. These achenes are obovoid, somewhat flattened, and slightly winged along their margins; solitary pairs of awn-like scales occur at their apices. The achenes can be blown about by the wind or float on water. The root system is shallow and fibrous.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, wet to moist conditions, and fertile soil containing loam, clay-loam, or silty deposits. However, this plant can adapt to drier conditions in gardens if it is watered during dry spells. Growth and development from seed is usually rapid, as this plant can bloom during the first year. Some stakes or a wire cage may be necessary to keep it upright in a flower garden or rain garden.
Range & Habitat: The Decurrent False Aster is largely restricted to several counties in central and SW Illinois, where it is found along the floodplain of the Illinois River (see Distribution Map). This species has also been found at Lake County in NE Illinois, where it is adventive. Outside of Illinois, a few small colonies of plants have been found along the floodplain of the Mississippi River in eastern Missouri. Decurrent False Aster is a rare plant that is listed as 'threatened' in Illinois, and it is also listed as 'threatened' at the Federal level of the United States. Populations of this plant can vary considerably from year-to-year depending on the pattern of precipitation and flooding along the Illinois River and Mississippi River. Flood-control projects, wetland habitat destruction, and excessive sediment in the water during floods can undermine the long-term survival of this plant. Habitats include riverbottom prairies, shallow marshes, and mud flats along major rivers. This is a conservative species that is found in wetland habitats along rivers that are prone to occasional flooding. Such floods reduce competition from other herbaceous plants and woody vegetation.
Faunal Associations: Very little is known about the floral-faunal relationships of Decurrent False Aster (Boltonia decurrens), although it is probably similar to the more common False Aster (Boltonia asteroides). Pollinators of the flowerheads probably consist of long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. Both nectar and pollen are available as floral rewards. One bee species, Perdita boltoniae, is a specialist pollinator (oligolege) of Boltonia spp., and another bee, Melissodes boltoniae, may be a weak oligolege of these plants (Robertson, 1929). The larvae of a beetle, Microrhopala xerene, mine the leaves of False Aster and other species in the Aster family (Clark et al, 2004). The relationship of Decurrent False Aster to vertebrate animals is probably similar to many wetland asters (Aster spp.).
Photographic Location: A flower garden in Champaign, Illinois.
Comments: This rare wildflower adapts to gardens readily and it should be cultivated more often. Decurrent False Aster (Boltonia decurrens) is similar in appearance to False Aster (Boltonia asteroides), except the latter species lacks decurrent wings along its stems. Decurrent False Aster also lacks the wandering rhizomes of the latter species, although it is capable of developing more than one shoot from its root system. Decurrent False Aster is sometimes classified as a variety of this latter species, or Boltonia asteroides decurrens. False asters (Boltonia spp.) differ from asters (Aster spp., Symphyotrichum spp., etc.) by lacking tufts of hair on the apices of their achenes. Instead, the achenes of false asters have awn-like scales in pairs. In addition, the bases of their flowerheads (involucres) are more flattened in appearance (shaped like a shallow dish or flat disk), while those of asters are more cup-like or turban-shaped (turbinate). The flowerheads of False Asters resemble those of fleabanes (Erigeron spp.), except the flowerheads of the latter bloom earlier in the year and their achenes have sessile tufts of bristly hairs.
The central stems terminate in large panicles of flowerheads (up to 2' long and 2' across) that are more or less dome-shaped. On robust plants, many lateral stems will also terminate in smaller panicles of flowerheads. The branches of these inflorescences are similar to the stems, except they are less winged from the decurrent bases of their leafy bracts. These bracts are up 3" long and ½" across and they are similar in appearance to the leaves of lateral stems, although they can become smaller in size. Each daisy-like flowerhead is ¾–1" across, consisting of 40-60 ray florets that surround a dense head of 180+ disk florets. The ray florets are pistillate (female), while the disk florets are perfect (male and female). The petaloid rays of these flowerheads are linear-oblong in shape and white (rarely lavender or light purple). The corollas of the disk florets are about 2 mm. long, yellow, tubular in shape, and 5-lobed along their upper rims. Around the base of each flowerhead, light green phyllaries (floral scales) are arranged in about 3 overlapping series. These phyllaries are linear-oblanceolate in shape, membranous along their margins, and appressed together. When the flowerhead blooms, these phyllaries form an involucre that is shaped like a shallow plate or flat disk. The peduncles (basal stalks) of these flowerheads are up to 3" long. The blooming period occurs during late summer into autumn, lasting about 1-2 months. Afterwards, the fertile florets are replaced by achenes about 1.5–2.5 mm. in length. These achenes are obovoid, somewhat flattened, and slightly winged along their margins; solitary pairs of awn-like scales occur at their apices. The achenes can be blown about by the wind or float on water. The root system is shallow and fibrous.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, wet to moist conditions, and fertile soil containing loam, clay-loam, or silty deposits. However, this plant can adapt to drier conditions in gardens if it is watered during dry spells. Growth and development from seed is usually rapid, as this plant can bloom during the first year. Some stakes or a wire cage may be necessary to keep it upright in a flower garden or rain garden.
Range & Habitat: The Decurrent False Aster is largely restricted to several counties in central and SW Illinois, where it is found along the floodplain of the Illinois River (see Distribution Map). This species has also been found at Lake County in NE Illinois, where it is adventive. Outside of Illinois, a few small colonies of plants have been found along the floodplain of the Mississippi River in eastern Missouri. Decurrent False Aster is a rare plant that is listed as 'threatened' in Illinois, and it is also listed as 'threatened' at the Federal level of the United States. Populations of this plant can vary considerably from year-to-year depending on the pattern of precipitation and flooding along the Illinois River and Mississippi River. Flood-control projects, wetland habitat destruction, and excessive sediment in the water during floods can undermine the long-term survival of this plant. Habitats include riverbottom prairies, shallow marshes, and mud flats along major rivers. This is a conservative species that is found in wetland habitats along rivers that are prone to occasional flooding. Such floods reduce competition from other herbaceous plants and woody vegetation.
Faunal Associations: Very little is known about the floral-faunal relationships of Decurrent False Aster (Boltonia decurrens), although it is probably similar to the more common False Aster (Boltonia asteroides). Pollinators of the flowerheads probably consist of long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. Both nectar and pollen are available as floral rewards. One bee species, Perdita boltoniae, is a specialist pollinator (oligolege) of Boltonia spp., and another bee, Melissodes boltoniae, may be a weak oligolege of these plants (Robertson, 1929). The larvae of a beetle, Microrhopala xerene, mine the leaves of False Aster and other species in the Aster family (Clark et al, 2004). The relationship of Decurrent False Aster to vertebrate animals is probably similar to many wetland asters (Aster spp.).
Photographic Location: A flower garden in Champaign, Illinois.
Comments: This rare wildflower adapts to gardens readily and it should be cultivated more often. Decurrent False Aster (Boltonia decurrens) is similar in appearance to False Aster (Boltonia asteroides), except the latter species lacks decurrent wings along its stems. Decurrent False Aster also lacks the wandering rhizomes of the latter species, although it is capable of developing more than one shoot from its root system. Decurrent False Aster is sometimes classified as a variety of this latter species, or Boltonia asteroides decurrens. False asters (Boltonia spp.) differ from asters (Aster spp., Symphyotrichum spp., etc.) by lacking tufts of hair on the apices of their achenes. Instead, the achenes of false asters have awn-like scales in pairs. In addition, the bases of their flowerheads (involucres) are more flattened in appearance (shaped like a shallow dish or flat disk), while those of asters are more cup-like or turban-shaped (turbinate). The flowerheads of False Asters resemble those of fleabanes (Erigeron spp.), except the flowerheads of the latter bloom earlier in the year and their achenes have sessile tufts of bristly hairs.
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Miss Chen
2018年06月11日
Description: This annual or biennial plant is 1-4' tall, branching occasionally. The green or reddish stems are glabrous to slightly hairy. The opposite compound leaves are odd-pinnate, dividing into 3-7 slender segments. Compound leaves are up to 8" long and 4" across; they are much wider at their bases than toward their tips. The leaflets are slightly ciliate and coarsely dentate; sometimes they are divided into narrow pointed lobes. From terminal stems, or from the axils of upper leaves, there develops from 1 to 3 flowerheads on slender and slightly hairy stalks. An individual plant may have several flowerheads in bloom at the same time. Each daisy-like flowerhead is about 2" across, consisting of 8-10 ray florets that surround numerous disk florets. The tiny corollas of the disk florets are tubular in shape and golden yellow, while the petaloid rays are bright yellow and oblong-elliptic in shape. Each flowerhead is subtended by 12-18 green outer bracts (phyllaries) that are each about ¾" long, linear in shape, coarsely ciliate, and rather contorted. Less visible, there are also several inner bracts that are pale yellow and lanceolate in shape. The blooming period occurs from late summer to early fall, lasting about 1-2 months. The flowers are slightly fragrant, which becomes quite noticeable in a large colony of plants. The dark brown achenes are rather flat and rough-textured with central longitudinal ridges; they are about 1½–2 times as long as they are wide. These achenes lack significant awns at their apices. The root system consists of a shallow branching taproot.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and wet to moist conditions. The soil should be rich in organic material. This plant is easy to grow, but tends to be aggressive at a disturbed site that is sunny and moist. It can form large colonies by reseeding itself. This species of Bidens appears to have some tolerance of hot dry weather.
Range & Habitat: Long-Bracted Tickseed Sunflower is occasional in the southern half of Illinois and NE Illinois, but it is rare or absent in the remaining northern counties (see Distribution Map). This plant is native. Habitats include moist prairies, prairie swales, low areas along ponds and streams, gravelly seeps, ditches along railroads and roadsides, muddy fields, and miscellaneous waste areas. It usually occurs in or around poorly drained areas that are prone to standing water, or near sources of more or less permanent water. Disturbed areas are favored because of reduced competition from deep-rooted perennial plants.
Faunal Associations: The flowerheads are popular with many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. Typical bee visitors include bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Epeolus spp., Coelioxys spp.), long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), green metallic bees, plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), and Andrenid bees (Calliopsis spp., Heterosarus spp.). The caterpillars of the butterfly Nathalis iole (Dainty Sulfur) are known to favor the foliage of Bidens spp. as a food source. The caterpillars of several moths feed on the foliage, flowerheads, or the pith of stems, including Epiblema otiosana (Bidens Borer Moth), Condica mobilis (Mobile Groundling), Condica confederata (The Confederate), Cirrhophanus triangulifer (Goldenrod Stowaway), and Palthis asopialis (Faint-Spotted Palthis). Other insect feeders include leaf beetles (Calligrapha spp.), larvae of the fruit fly Icterica seriata, and several aphid species.
The seeds are eaten by small rodents and various birds, including the Ring-Necked Pheasant, Bobwhite, Swamp Sparrow, and Purple Finch. The foliage is eaten occasionally by the Cottontail Rabbit. Even though their awns are tiny or absent, the achenes of Bidens polylepis can cling to the the fur of animals or clothing of humans; this is largely because of their rough edges. Small rodents can carry the achenes to their dens for some distance from the mother plants.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at a prairie swale in Meadowbrook Park, Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is one of the more pretty and drought-tolerant Bidens spp. that occasionally strays from wetlands to moist prairies. Long-Bracted Tickseed Sunflower can be distinguished from other Bidens spp. by its attractive flowers and slender pinnate foliage. It has a very similar appearance to Bidens aristosa (Tickseed Sunflower). However, the flowerheads of this latter species are individually subtended by 8-10 outer bracts (phyllaries); these bracts are shorter, less hairy, and less contorted than those of Bidens polylepis. The achenes of Bidens aristosa usually have pairs of conspicuous awns at their apices, otherwise they are very similar in appearance to those of Bidens polylepis. However, a rare variety of the Tickseed Sunflower, Bidens aristosa mutica, also has achenes that lack significant awns. Because of its distinct outer bracts and awnless achenes, Long-Bracted Tickseed Sunflower is usually classified as a distinct species (Mohlenbrock, 2002). Scientific synonyms of this species are Bidens aristosa retrorsa and Bidens involucrata.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and wet to moist conditions. The soil should be rich in organic material. This plant is easy to grow, but tends to be aggressive at a disturbed site that is sunny and moist. It can form large colonies by reseeding itself. This species of Bidens appears to have some tolerance of hot dry weather.
Range & Habitat: Long-Bracted Tickseed Sunflower is occasional in the southern half of Illinois and NE Illinois, but it is rare or absent in the remaining northern counties (see Distribution Map). This plant is native. Habitats include moist prairies, prairie swales, low areas along ponds and streams, gravelly seeps, ditches along railroads and roadsides, muddy fields, and miscellaneous waste areas. It usually occurs in or around poorly drained areas that are prone to standing water, or near sources of more or less permanent water. Disturbed areas are favored because of reduced competition from deep-rooted perennial plants.
Faunal Associations: The flowerheads are popular with many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. Typical bee visitors include bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Epeolus spp., Coelioxys spp.), long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), green metallic bees, plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), and Andrenid bees (Calliopsis spp., Heterosarus spp.). The caterpillars of the butterfly Nathalis iole (Dainty Sulfur) are known to favor the foliage of Bidens spp. as a food source. The caterpillars of several moths feed on the foliage, flowerheads, or the pith of stems, including Epiblema otiosana (Bidens Borer Moth), Condica mobilis (Mobile Groundling), Condica confederata (The Confederate), Cirrhophanus triangulifer (Goldenrod Stowaway), and Palthis asopialis (Faint-Spotted Palthis). Other insect feeders include leaf beetles (Calligrapha spp.), larvae of the fruit fly Icterica seriata, and several aphid species.
The seeds are eaten by small rodents and various birds, including the Ring-Necked Pheasant, Bobwhite, Swamp Sparrow, and Purple Finch. The foliage is eaten occasionally by the Cottontail Rabbit. Even though their awns are tiny or absent, the achenes of Bidens polylepis can cling to the the fur of animals or clothing of humans; this is largely because of their rough edges. Small rodents can carry the achenes to their dens for some distance from the mother plants.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at a prairie swale in Meadowbrook Park, Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is one of the more pretty and drought-tolerant Bidens spp. that occasionally strays from wetlands to moist prairies. Long-Bracted Tickseed Sunflower can be distinguished from other Bidens spp. by its attractive flowers and slender pinnate foliage. It has a very similar appearance to Bidens aristosa (Tickseed Sunflower). However, the flowerheads of this latter species are individually subtended by 8-10 outer bracts (phyllaries); these bracts are shorter, less hairy, and less contorted than those of Bidens polylepis. The achenes of Bidens aristosa usually have pairs of conspicuous awns at their apices, otherwise they are very similar in appearance to those of Bidens polylepis. However, a rare variety of the Tickseed Sunflower, Bidens aristosa mutica, also has achenes that lack significant awns. Because of its distinct outer bracts and awnless achenes, Long-Bracted Tickseed Sunflower is usually classified as a distinct species (Mohlenbrock, 2002). Scientific synonyms of this species are Bidens aristosa retrorsa and Bidens involucrata.
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Miss Chen
2018年06月08日
Description: This perennial plant consists of a rosette of basal leaves about 1' tall. The basal leaves are up to 7" long and 4" across (excluding the long petioles), and they are oval to ovate in shape. Their margins are smooth, while both the upper and lower surfaces are devoid of hairs. The leaf venation is parallel primarily, although there are secondary veins that radiate laterally to provide a slightly wrinkly appearance to the upper surface. The texture of these leaves is rather thick and fleshy. From the center of the rosette, a large whorled panicle of flowers develops during the summer that is up to 3' tall. This inflorescence is heavily branched and more or less erect. The green flowering stalks are hairless, and sometimes angular or finely ribbed along their length. At the base of each group of whorled branchlets, there are 3 deciduous green bracts that are lanceolate with elongated pointed tips.
The small flowers are individually about ¼" across. Each flower consists of 3 white petals, 3 green sepals, and 6 stamens. There is a small patch of yellow at the base of each petal, while the center of the flower is green. For this species of water plantain, the petals are about 50% longer than the sepals. The blooming period usually occurs during mid-summer and lasts about a month. Each flower is replaced by a flat whorl of seeds (technically, they are achenes). Each flat-sided seed is longer than broad, with a tiny beak at the top. The seeds are probably distributed by the movement of water. The root system consists of a cluster of shallow fibrous roots and rhizomes. This plant often forms colonies.
Cultivation: This emergent-aquatic plant prefers shallow water or wet mucky soil. The surrounding water should be slow-moving or stagnant. It can withstand droughty conditions better than most emergent-aquatic plants, although the foliage may become yellowish green in response. Full or partial sun is required, otherwise this plant may not bloom.
Range & Habitat: Large-Flowered Water Plantain is an uncommon plant that is found primarily in northern Illinois and scattered counties in central Illinois (see Distribution Map). This native plant occurs primarily in seasonal wetlands that are prone to drying out during summer droughts, including shallow marshes, edges of shallow ponds and lakes, sloughs and temporary pools in wet meadows or prairies, and shallow slow-moving streams. Like Alisma subcordatum (Small-Flowered Water Plantain), this species can tolerate considerable disturbance.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are visited by flower flies, small bees (usually Halictid bees), and small beetles (such as ladybird beetles) for their nectar or pollen. Two aphids, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (Waterlily Aphid) and Rhopalosiphum nigrum, suck plant juices from Alisma spp. during the summer. The latter aphid has been found only in Canada so far. Deer occasionally chomp off the panicles of flowers and the tops of the foliage. Apparently, waterfowl and other kinds of birds rarely eat the seeds.
Photographic Location: A seasonal wetland consisting of small pools of water at Judge Webber Park in Urbana, Illinois. The photographs were taken during a major drought when the pools of water had dried up – the plants produced large healthy panicles of flowers, nonetheless.
Comments: The large inflorescence of Alisma triviale has a rather ungainly appearance because the flowers are so small. The more common Alisma subcordatum (Small-Flowered Water Plantain) has even smaller flowers (only about 1/8" across), with the petals about the same length as the sepals. Otherwise, these two species are similar in appearance. In the past, they have been considered different varieties of the same species, Alisma plantago-aquatica americanum and Alisma plantago-aquatica parviflorum. The scientific name Alisma plantago-aquatica is commonly used for the water plantain of Eurasia. The common name refers to the similarity of the leaves to those of the common yard weed, Plantago major (Common Plantain).
The small flowers are individually about ¼" across. Each flower consists of 3 white petals, 3 green sepals, and 6 stamens. There is a small patch of yellow at the base of each petal, while the center of the flower is green. For this species of water plantain, the petals are about 50% longer than the sepals. The blooming period usually occurs during mid-summer and lasts about a month. Each flower is replaced by a flat whorl of seeds (technically, they are achenes). Each flat-sided seed is longer than broad, with a tiny beak at the top. The seeds are probably distributed by the movement of water. The root system consists of a cluster of shallow fibrous roots and rhizomes. This plant often forms colonies.
Cultivation: This emergent-aquatic plant prefers shallow water or wet mucky soil. The surrounding water should be slow-moving or stagnant. It can withstand droughty conditions better than most emergent-aquatic plants, although the foliage may become yellowish green in response. Full or partial sun is required, otherwise this plant may not bloom.
Range & Habitat: Large-Flowered Water Plantain is an uncommon plant that is found primarily in northern Illinois and scattered counties in central Illinois (see Distribution Map). This native plant occurs primarily in seasonal wetlands that are prone to drying out during summer droughts, including shallow marshes, edges of shallow ponds and lakes, sloughs and temporary pools in wet meadows or prairies, and shallow slow-moving streams. Like Alisma subcordatum (Small-Flowered Water Plantain), this species can tolerate considerable disturbance.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are visited by flower flies, small bees (usually Halictid bees), and small beetles (such as ladybird beetles) for their nectar or pollen. Two aphids, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (Waterlily Aphid) and Rhopalosiphum nigrum, suck plant juices from Alisma spp. during the summer. The latter aphid has been found only in Canada so far. Deer occasionally chomp off the panicles of flowers and the tops of the foliage. Apparently, waterfowl and other kinds of birds rarely eat the seeds.
Photographic Location: A seasonal wetland consisting of small pools of water at Judge Webber Park in Urbana, Illinois. The photographs were taken during a major drought when the pools of water had dried up – the plants produced large healthy panicles of flowers, nonetheless.
Comments: The large inflorescence of Alisma triviale has a rather ungainly appearance because the flowers are so small. The more common Alisma subcordatum (Small-Flowered Water Plantain) has even smaller flowers (only about 1/8" across), with the petals about the same length as the sepals. Otherwise, these two species are similar in appearance. In the past, they have been considered different varieties of the same species, Alisma plantago-aquatica americanum and Alisma plantago-aquatica parviflorum. The scientific name Alisma plantago-aquatica is commonly used for the water plantain of Eurasia. The common name refers to the similarity of the leaves to those of the common yard weed, Plantago major (Common Plantain).
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Miss Chen
2018年06月07日
Description: This perennial wildflower consists of a rosette of low basal leaves about 4-7" across, from which several flowering stalks develop. The blades of the basal leaves are 1½-3" long and similarly across; in outline, they are oval, orbicular, or orbicular-reniform. Early leaf blades usually lack lobes, while later blades have 3-5 major lobes and sometimes smaller secondary lobes. These palmate lobes are irregular in shape and they usually extend up to one-half of the distance, and sometimes even more, into the interior of a blade. The margins of early leaf blades are finely crenate, while the margins of later blades are smooth, crenate, or dentate. Upper surfaces of the leaf blades are medium to dark green and hairless (or nearly so), while their lower surfaces are light green and usually hairy along the major veins. The petioles of the basal leaves are relatively stout and long (about 2-4" in length), light green to pale purplish green, and either smooth or hairy.
Individual flowers develop from ascending pedicels; the flowers are usually held above or beyond the leaves. The pedicels are either smooth or hairy. Each flower is about ¾-1" across, consisting of 5 spreading blue-violet petals, 5 light green linear-lanceolate sepals, 5 inserted stamens, and a pistil with a single style. The two lateral petals have small tufts of white hairs at their bases, while the bottom petal has several violet veins on a white background that function as guides to the short nectar spur in the back of the flower. These flowers bloom during mid- to late spring for about 3 weeks. Later during the summer, inconspicuous cleistogamous flowers are produced on short pedicels; these flowers are self-fertile. The flowers are replaced by ovoid-oblong seed capsules that split open into 3 sections, ejecting their seeds. The small seeds are globoid and brown. The root system consists of a vertical crown with fibrous roots. This wildflower spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is partial sun, mesic to dry conditions, and soil that is loamy or rocky. This violet is relatively intolerant of heavy leaf litter and competition from taller ground vegetation.
Range & Habitat: Three-Lobed Violet is a native wildflower that is occasional in the southern half of Illinois, becoming uncommon or absent in the northern half of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats consist of upland woodlands, rocky open woodlands, wooded slopes, riverbanks, and thinly wooded bluffs. In these habitats, oaks are often dominant as canopy trees. Three-Lobed Violet is usually found in higher quality woodlands where the original ground flora is still intact.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are usually pollinated by bees, including Mason bees (Osmia spp.) and Andrenid bees. One bee species, Andrena violae, is a specialist pollinator of violets. Occasionally, butterflies and ants visit the flowers for nectar; the latter are ineffective at cross-pollination. The foliage and flowers of violets are eaten by several kinds of insects. These insect feeders include the caterpillars of several Fritillary butterflies (Boloria spp., Speyeria spp., & Euptoieta claudia), the caterpillars of the moths Elaphria grata (Grateful Midget) and Eubatha mendica (The Beggar), the thrips Odontothrips pictipennis, the larvae of Ametastegia pallipes (Violet Sawfly), and Neotoxoptera violate (Violet Aphid). The seeds are coated with a substance that is attractive to ants, which help to disperse the seeds into new areas. Violets are a minor source of food to some vertebrate animals. For example, the Wood Turtle (Clemmys insculpta), Eastern Chipmunk, and White-Tailed Deer sometimes eat the foliage, while the Mourning Dove and possibly other birds eat the seeds.
Photographic Location: Along a path on a wooded hill in Lakeview Park near Charleston, Illinois.
Comments: The most unusual characteristic of this violet is the highly variable shape of its leaf blades. Three-Lobed Violet has been considered a separate species in the past (known as Viola triloba), but it is now classified as the typical variety of Viola palmata. It differs from another variety, Viola palmata dilatata, by having leaf blades with either fewer lobes (3-5) or no lobes. The latter variety, referred to here as the Cleft Violet, has leaf blades with 5-9 lobes and it never produces leaves without lobes. Both varieties occupy similar habitats, although the Cleft Violet may prefer habitats that are more rocky and barren.
Individual flowers develop from ascending pedicels; the flowers are usually held above or beyond the leaves. The pedicels are either smooth or hairy. Each flower is about ¾-1" across, consisting of 5 spreading blue-violet petals, 5 light green linear-lanceolate sepals, 5 inserted stamens, and a pistil with a single style. The two lateral petals have small tufts of white hairs at their bases, while the bottom petal has several violet veins on a white background that function as guides to the short nectar spur in the back of the flower. These flowers bloom during mid- to late spring for about 3 weeks. Later during the summer, inconspicuous cleistogamous flowers are produced on short pedicels; these flowers are self-fertile. The flowers are replaced by ovoid-oblong seed capsules that split open into 3 sections, ejecting their seeds. The small seeds are globoid and brown. The root system consists of a vertical crown with fibrous roots. This wildflower spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is partial sun, mesic to dry conditions, and soil that is loamy or rocky. This violet is relatively intolerant of heavy leaf litter and competition from taller ground vegetation.
Range & Habitat: Three-Lobed Violet is a native wildflower that is occasional in the southern half of Illinois, becoming uncommon or absent in the northern half of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats consist of upland woodlands, rocky open woodlands, wooded slopes, riverbanks, and thinly wooded bluffs. In these habitats, oaks are often dominant as canopy trees. Three-Lobed Violet is usually found in higher quality woodlands where the original ground flora is still intact.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are usually pollinated by bees, including Mason bees (Osmia spp.) and Andrenid bees. One bee species, Andrena violae, is a specialist pollinator of violets. Occasionally, butterflies and ants visit the flowers for nectar; the latter are ineffective at cross-pollination. The foliage and flowers of violets are eaten by several kinds of insects. These insect feeders include the caterpillars of several Fritillary butterflies (Boloria spp., Speyeria spp., & Euptoieta claudia), the caterpillars of the moths Elaphria grata (Grateful Midget) and Eubatha mendica (The Beggar), the thrips Odontothrips pictipennis, the larvae of Ametastegia pallipes (Violet Sawfly), and Neotoxoptera violate (Violet Aphid). The seeds are coated with a substance that is attractive to ants, which help to disperse the seeds into new areas. Violets are a minor source of food to some vertebrate animals. For example, the Wood Turtle (Clemmys insculpta), Eastern Chipmunk, and White-Tailed Deer sometimes eat the foliage, while the Mourning Dove and possibly other birds eat the seeds.
Photographic Location: Along a path on a wooded hill in Lakeview Park near Charleston, Illinois.
Comments: The most unusual characteristic of this violet is the highly variable shape of its leaf blades. Three-Lobed Violet has been considered a separate species in the past (known as Viola triloba), but it is now classified as the typical variety of Viola palmata. It differs from another variety, Viola palmata dilatata, by having leaf blades with either fewer lobes (3-5) or no lobes. The latter variety, referred to here as the Cleft Violet, has leaf blades with 5-9 lobes and it never produces leaves without lobes. Both varieties occupy similar habitats, although the Cleft Violet may prefer habitats that are more rocky and barren.
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Miss Chen
2018年05月25日
Spike of FlowersDescription: This perennial wildflower is 3-12" tall, consisting of an unbranched flowering stalk, 1-2 basal leaves, and a few alternate leaves. Usually, individual plants are less than 7" tall. The basal leaves are 1-6" long and ¼-¾" across; they are lanceolate, oblanceolate, or elliptic in shape, while their margins are smooth. The alternate leaves are located along the lower half of the flowering stalk; they are often bladeless and sheath-like, but sometimes there are blades ¾-2½" long and about ¼" across. When alternate blades are present, they are narrowly lanceolate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, and their margins are smooth. Both basal and alternate leaves are medium to dark green and glabrous. The erect central stalk is medium to dark green, terete, and relatively narrow; it is glabrous below, becoming short-pubescent and glandular above. This stalk terminates in a spike of flowers about ¾-4" long. The flowers of each spike are densely arranged into 3-ranks (a double spiral). Each flower has 6 white tepals, a green ovary, and other reproductive organs. The tepals form a tubular corolla about 4-5 mm. long that is slightly curved and nodding. The corolla has an upper hood consisting of 3 fused tepals, a lower lip consisting of a single tepal, and 2 lateral tepals. As each flower develops, the lateral tepals become free toward the base and extend along the sides of the corolla. The lower lip extends to about the same length, or slightly beyond the hood. This lip is somewhat recurved, narrowly oval in shape, and its margins are slightly undulate and crisped. At the base of the lip, there is a pair of slender curved callosities (resembling minute claw-like extensions). The interior of the corolla is usually white, otherwise it is pale cream. The ovary is medium green, ovoid-oblongoid in shape, usually short-pubescent, and about 4-5 mm. long (although it becomes larger after the blooming period). Partially obscuring the ovary, there is a green bract (about 5-8 mm. in length) that is lanceolate-elliptic, short-pubescent, and glandular. The blooming period occurs during the early fall, sometimes extending into mid-fall. The flowers bloom from the bottom to the top of the raceme. Afterwards, the seed capsules develop, becoming about the same length as the bracts; they are sessile and ovoid-oblongoid in shape. Eventually, these capsules release numerous minute seeds that are carried aloft by air currents. The root system consists of a few roots that are fleshy and fibrous.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight to light shade, moist to mesic conditions that are well-drained, and soil containing loam or clay-loam with some decaying organic matter. In addition to these requirements, appropriate strains of a fungus or fungi should be present in the soil that can form a symbiotic association with the root system.
Range & Habitat: The native Lesser Ladies' Tresses has been found mostly in southern and central Illinois, where it is uncommon (see Distribution Map). However, this species appears to be slowly spreading into other parts of the state. Habitats include moist to mesic woodlands, rocky upland woodlands, open woodlands, areas along paths in woodlands, edges of swamps, and semi-shaded areas along abandoned fields. Lesser Ladies' Tresses appears to flourish when disturbance reduces competition from shrubs, trees, and tall vegetation. Such disturbance may be related to fire, wind storms, or human actions. In the wooded habitats where this wildflower occurs, the dominant trees are deciduous.
Faunal Associations: Various kinds of bees visit the flowers of Spiranthes spp. (Ladies' Tresses Orchids) for nectar, including bumblebees, Halictid bees, leaf-cutter bees (Megachile spp.), and little carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.). The foliage and flowers are browsed occasionally by mammalian herbivores, including the White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, and Groundhog. Because of its small size and inconspicuous nature, Lesser Ladies' Tresses can be overlooked by these herbivores, however.
Photographic Location: In a wooded area of a park in Champaign County, Illinois.
Comments: There are two varieties of Lesser Ladies' Tresses. The typical variety requires cross-pollination by insects to produce fertile seeds; it is found in several southern states. The other variety, Spiranthes ovalis erostella, has a more northern distribution that includes Illinois. This latter variety lacks some of the reproductive structures (specifically, the rostellum and viscidium) that prevent self-pollination. Therefore, in the absence of cross-pollination by insects, this variety of Lesser Ladies' Tresses is capable of self-pollination, increasing the likelihood that seeds will be produced. Lesser Ladies' Tresses can be distinguished from other Spiranthes spp. (Lady Tresses' Orchids) by its small size (typically 3-6" tall), small flowers (tepals less than 6 mm. long), and narrow flowering stalks. In particular, the base of the lower lip of each flower has a pair of slender curved callosities (resembling minute claw-like extensions) that are distinct for this species. In contrast, the callosities of a more common species, Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Ladies' Tresses), resemble a pair of wart-like protuberances at the base of the lower lip of each flower. This distinction usually requires a 10x hand lens to see.
Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight to light shade, moist to mesic conditions that are well-drained, and soil containing loam or clay-loam with some decaying organic matter. In addition to these requirements, appropriate strains of a fungus or fungi should be present in the soil that can form a symbiotic association with the root system.
Range & Habitat: The native Lesser Ladies' Tresses has been found mostly in southern and central Illinois, where it is uncommon (see Distribution Map). However, this species appears to be slowly spreading into other parts of the state. Habitats include moist to mesic woodlands, rocky upland woodlands, open woodlands, areas along paths in woodlands, edges of swamps, and semi-shaded areas along abandoned fields. Lesser Ladies' Tresses appears to flourish when disturbance reduces competition from shrubs, trees, and tall vegetation. Such disturbance may be related to fire, wind storms, or human actions. In the wooded habitats where this wildflower occurs, the dominant trees are deciduous.
Faunal Associations: Various kinds of bees visit the flowers of Spiranthes spp. (Ladies' Tresses Orchids) for nectar, including bumblebees, Halictid bees, leaf-cutter bees (Megachile spp.), and little carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.). The foliage and flowers are browsed occasionally by mammalian herbivores, including the White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, and Groundhog. Because of its small size and inconspicuous nature, Lesser Ladies' Tresses can be overlooked by these herbivores, however.
Photographic Location: In a wooded area of a park in Champaign County, Illinois.
Comments: There are two varieties of Lesser Ladies' Tresses. The typical variety requires cross-pollination by insects to produce fertile seeds; it is found in several southern states. The other variety, Spiranthes ovalis erostella, has a more northern distribution that includes Illinois. This latter variety lacks some of the reproductive structures (specifically, the rostellum and viscidium) that prevent self-pollination. Therefore, in the absence of cross-pollination by insects, this variety of Lesser Ladies' Tresses is capable of self-pollination, increasing the likelihood that seeds will be produced. Lesser Ladies' Tresses can be distinguished from other Spiranthes spp. (Lady Tresses' Orchids) by its small size (typically 3-6" tall), small flowers (tepals less than 6 mm. long), and narrow flowering stalks. In particular, the base of the lower lip of each flower has a pair of slender curved callosities (resembling minute claw-like extensions) that are distinct for this species. In contrast, the callosities of a more common species, Spiranthes cernua (Nodding Ladies' Tresses), resemble a pair of wart-like protuberances at the base of the lower lip of each flower. This distinction usually requires a 10x hand lens to see.
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文章
Miss Chen
2018年05月22日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is about 3½-8' tall, branching occasionally. The stems are often 4-angled and furrowed; they are slightly hairy or glabrous. The opposite leaves are up to 7" long and 3½" across (excluding the petioles), becoming somewhat smaller as they ascend the stems. These leaves are medium to dark green, cordate-ovate to ovate in shape, serrated along their margins, thin-textured, and largely hairless, except for some short pubescence along the undersides of their veins. The slender petioles are up to 2½" long; they are light green to red and glabrous to slightly hairy. The upper stems terminate in elongated panicles of flowers up to 1' long. Each panicle is somewhat cylindrical in shape, consisting of an erect central stalk (rachis) with short lateral branches that are widely spreading to ascending. Both the central stalk and lateral branches are light green; the latter also have short glandular pubescence, and they are slender and wiry. There are individual bracts (green, linear in shape, and up to 1" in length) that become progressively smaller as the panicle branches.
Individual flowers are about 8 mm. (1/3") long and short-cylindrical in shape; each flower has a short-tubular green calyx with 5 blunt teeth and a corolla with 5 rounded lobes. The exterior of the corolla is dull green, while its interior is predominantly reddish brown. Each corolla has a pair of upper lobes that function as a hood, 2 short lateral lobes, and a lower lobe that curves downward. All of these lobes are reddish brown on the inside, except the lower lobe, which is greenish yellow. Appressed against the upper interior of this corolla, there is an infertile stamen that is reddish brown or purple. The 4 fertile stamens have yellow anthers; they are located toward the bottom of the corolla. The slender pedicels are a little longer than the flowers. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall, lasting about a month; only a few flowers are in bloom at the same time. Each flower is replaced by a 2-celled capsule that contains numerous tiny seeds. The root system is rhizomatous and knotty-tuberous.
Cultivation: The preference is medium shade to partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and soil that is loose and loamy. The size of this plant can be highly variable, depending on its age, location, and environmental conditions.
Range & Habitat: Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica) is a fairly common plant that has been observed in most counties of Illinois (see Distribution Map), where it is native. Habitats include mesic deciduous woodlands, sandy woodlands, savannas, edges of shaded hillside seeps, woodland borders, thickets, and fence rows that are overgrown with trees. This species tolerates minor to moderate levels of disturbance.
Faunal Associations: The small flowers contain abundant nectar, which attracts the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, honeybees, bumblebees, leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), a long-horned bee (Melissodes bimaculata), Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp., etc.), Vespid wasps (Polites spp., Vespula spp.), and various Eumenine wasps (Robertson, 1929). Halictid bees also collect pollen from the flowers. Insects that feed destructively on the leaves, plant juices, and other parts of Late Figwort and other figworts (Scrophularia spp.) include larvae of the gall fly Lestodiplosis scrophulariae, the stink bug Cosmopepla lintneriana, the aphid Myzus scrophulariae, the flea beetle Capraita thyamoides, and caterpillars of the moth Elaphria chalcedonia (Chalcedony Midget). Because the foliage is bitter and acrid, it is rarely browsed by mammalian herbivores.
Photographic Location: Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois. A small colony of Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica) was growing in a mesic area of this deciduous woodlands.
Comments: The figworts (Scrophularia spp.) have weird little flowers that attract many wasps and bees. They are not grown in gardens very often because their flowers are not very showy (by human standards). The only other figwort that occurs in Illinois is Early Figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata). This species is less common than Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica); in Illinois, it is found only in the northern section of the state. Early Figwort blooms a little earlier than Late Figwort (hence their common names), although their respective blooming periods overlap to some extent. The flowers of Early Figwort have sterile stamens that are yellow, rather than reddish brown or purple (the sterile stamens of both species are located along the upper interior of their corollas).
Individual flowers are about 8 mm. (1/3") long and short-cylindrical in shape; each flower has a short-tubular green calyx with 5 blunt teeth and a corolla with 5 rounded lobes. The exterior of the corolla is dull green, while its interior is predominantly reddish brown. Each corolla has a pair of upper lobes that function as a hood, 2 short lateral lobes, and a lower lobe that curves downward. All of these lobes are reddish brown on the inside, except the lower lobe, which is greenish yellow. Appressed against the upper interior of this corolla, there is an infertile stamen that is reddish brown or purple. The 4 fertile stamens have yellow anthers; they are located toward the bottom of the corolla. The slender pedicels are a little longer than the flowers. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall, lasting about a month; only a few flowers are in bloom at the same time. Each flower is replaced by a 2-celled capsule that contains numerous tiny seeds. The root system is rhizomatous and knotty-tuberous.
Cultivation: The preference is medium shade to partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and soil that is loose and loamy. The size of this plant can be highly variable, depending on its age, location, and environmental conditions.
Range & Habitat: Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica) is a fairly common plant that has been observed in most counties of Illinois (see Distribution Map), where it is native. Habitats include mesic deciduous woodlands, sandy woodlands, savannas, edges of shaded hillside seeps, woodland borders, thickets, and fence rows that are overgrown with trees. This species tolerates minor to moderate levels of disturbance.
Faunal Associations: The small flowers contain abundant nectar, which attracts the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, honeybees, bumblebees, leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), a long-horned bee (Melissodes bimaculata), Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp., etc.), Vespid wasps (Polites spp., Vespula spp.), and various Eumenine wasps (Robertson, 1929). Halictid bees also collect pollen from the flowers. Insects that feed destructively on the leaves, plant juices, and other parts of Late Figwort and other figworts (Scrophularia spp.) include larvae of the gall fly Lestodiplosis scrophulariae, the stink bug Cosmopepla lintneriana, the aphid Myzus scrophulariae, the flea beetle Capraita thyamoides, and caterpillars of the moth Elaphria chalcedonia (Chalcedony Midget). Because the foliage is bitter and acrid, it is rarely browsed by mammalian herbivores.
Photographic Location: Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois. A small colony of Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica) was growing in a mesic area of this deciduous woodlands.
Comments: The figworts (Scrophularia spp.) have weird little flowers that attract many wasps and bees. They are not grown in gardens very often because their flowers are not very showy (by human standards). The only other figwort that occurs in Illinois is Early Figwort (Scrophularia lanceolata). This species is less common than Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica); in Illinois, it is found only in the northern section of the state. Early Figwort blooms a little earlier than Late Figwort (hence their common names), although their respective blooming periods overlap to some extent. The flowers of Early Figwort have sterile stamens that are yellow, rather than reddish brown or purple (the sterile stamens of both species are located along the upper interior of their corollas).
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