文章
Miss Chen
2017年12月24日
Description: This perennial plant consists of a basal rosette of leaves, from which emerges one or more stalks of flowers. The leaves are up to 6" long and 2½" across, and oblong or oblanceolate. They are greyish green or green with a prominent central vein and smooth margins. There are finer side veins that are pinnately arranged. The foliage and other parts of this plant are hairless. A green or red flowering stalk emerges from the rosette that is about 1½' tall, from which an umbel of about 6-40 flowers dangle downward. Each flower has 5 petals that are reflexed upward, converging at the base of the flower, which consists of a pointed yellowish tube with white and brown accents. The petals are white, light pink, or rosy pink. There is no floral scent. In overall appearance, the inflorescence looks like a collection of pretty shooting stars, hence the common name for this plant. The blooming period occurs during late spring and lasts about a month. The entire plant dies down when summer arrives, although the dried up stalks persist somewhat longer. The small dark seeds are contained in seed capsules that are held erect (unlike the flowers). They are somewhat cylindrical, but taper at the ends. Gusts of wind shake the stalks holding the seed capsules, and can carry the seeds several feet away. The root system is fibrous. Over time, offsets can slowly form.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, and moist to slightly dry soil. Shooting Star can thrive on dry sunny slopes if there is sufficient rainfall during the spring because it dies down before summer droughts arrive. The soil can consist of loam with lots of organic material, or contain some rocky material. There is a preference for slopes, which reduces competition from taller plants. The foliage of mature plants dies down before disease can affect it. Shooting Star can be difficult to start from seed because of damping off, and it is slow to develop because of the short period of active growth. Transplants can also be temperamental, particularly if they are too small, or dug into the ground after the cool rainy weather of spring.
Range & Habitat: The native Shooting Star occurs in the majority of counties in Illinois (see Distribution Map). This plant is occasional to locally common in high quality habitats, otherwise it is rare or absent. Habitats include moist to slightly dry black soil prairies, hill prairies, openings in rocky upland forests, limestone glades, bluffs along major rivers, fens, and abandoned fields. An occasional wildfire during the late summer or fall is beneficial because it reduces the dead vegetation that can smother this plant during the spring.
Faunal Associations: Queen bumblebees are the most typical visitors of the oddly shaped flowers. They obtain pollen from the flowers by the rapid vibration of their thoracic muscles, which is sometimes called 'buzz pollination.' Other bees visiting the flowers are Anthophorine bees, Eucerine Miner bees, and Green Metallic bees. All of these insects collect pollen, as the flowers offer no nectar reward. The seeds are too small to be of much interest to birds. Mammalian herbivores may feed on the foliage during the spring, but little information is available about this.
Photographic Location: The photographs of the flowers and the basal leaf were taken at a wildflower garden near Red Bison Railroad Prairie in Champaign, Illinois.
Comments: This is one of the most beautiful spring wildflowers in the prairie. A colony of these plants in bloom is a sight not to be missed. The flowers of Shooting Star resemble in form those of Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense) and other members of the Nightshade family. This is an example of convergent evolution between plants of different families because of similarities in the method of pollination. Early pioneers called this plant 'Prairie Pointers.'
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, and moist to slightly dry soil. Shooting Star can thrive on dry sunny slopes if there is sufficient rainfall during the spring because it dies down before summer droughts arrive. The soil can consist of loam with lots of organic material, or contain some rocky material. There is a preference for slopes, which reduces competition from taller plants. The foliage of mature plants dies down before disease can affect it. Shooting Star can be difficult to start from seed because of damping off, and it is slow to develop because of the short period of active growth. Transplants can also be temperamental, particularly if they are too small, or dug into the ground after the cool rainy weather of spring.
Range & Habitat: The native Shooting Star occurs in the majority of counties in Illinois (see Distribution Map). This plant is occasional to locally common in high quality habitats, otherwise it is rare or absent. Habitats include moist to slightly dry black soil prairies, hill prairies, openings in rocky upland forests, limestone glades, bluffs along major rivers, fens, and abandoned fields. An occasional wildfire during the late summer or fall is beneficial because it reduces the dead vegetation that can smother this plant during the spring.
Faunal Associations: Queen bumblebees are the most typical visitors of the oddly shaped flowers. They obtain pollen from the flowers by the rapid vibration of their thoracic muscles, which is sometimes called 'buzz pollination.' Other bees visiting the flowers are Anthophorine bees, Eucerine Miner bees, and Green Metallic bees. All of these insects collect pollen, as the flowers offer no nectar reward. The seeds are too small to be of much interest to birds. Mammalian herbivores may feed on the foliage during the spring, but little information is available about this.
Photographic Location: The photographs of the flowers and the basal leaf were taken at a wildflower garden near Red Bison Railroad Prairie in Champaign, Illinois.
Comments: This is one of the most beautiful spring wildflowers in the prairie. A colony of these plants in bloom is a sight not to be missed. The flowers of Shooting Star resemble in form those of Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense) and other members of the Nightshade family. This is an example of convergent evolution between plants of different families because of similarities in the method of pollination. Early pioneers called this plant 'Prairie Pointers.'
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Miss Chen
2017年12月24日
Description: This perennial wildflower consists of a low rosette of basal leaves and a flowering stalk of flowers about ½–1½' tall. The basal leaves are up to 6" long and 2½" across; they are ovate-oblong or obovate, medium green, hairless, and smooth along their margins. The erect flowering stalk is hairless and devoid of leaves; at its apex there is an umbel of 3-20 flowers. The flowers nod downward from their drooping pedicels. Each flower is about ¾" long, consisting of a corolla with 5 oblong lobes, a light green calyx with 5 triangular teeth, and 5 stamens that are appressed together around a single slender style. The corolla is usually rosy pink, although sometimes it is a lighter shade of pink. The lobes of the corolla are turned inside-out, fully exposing the reproductive organs (which are pointed downward). Near its base, the corolla has patches of yellow and white. The anthers of the stamens are yellowish orange. The blooming period occurs during the late spring for about 2 weeks. Afterwards, the pedicels of the flowers turn upward and the developing seed capsules are held erect. At maturity, the papery walls of the seed capsules become light brown. Each seed capsule contains many tiny seeds. The root system consists of a crown of fibrous roots. The foliage withers away by mid-summer. This wildflower reproduces by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun during the period of vegetative growth and development. This occurs during the spring and it is quite rapid. At this time, ample moisture and cool to moderate temperatures are required. This wildflower can adapt to a loamy garden soil, but it often occurs on rocky slopes in its native habitat. Some protection from the hot afternoon sun is desirable, but not required if there is ample moisture.
Range & Habitat: Amethyst Shooting Star is found in only a few counties in NW and west-central Illinois (see Distribution Map); it is native and uncommon. Habitats include thinly wooded bluffs, rocky cliffs, and sheltered areas of upland prairies where moisture tends to accumulate. In Illinois, this wildflower is found in hilly areas along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. In other states, it is often found in mountainous areas.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are visited by bumblebees and other bees for their pollen. Through the rapid vibration of their abdominal muscles, bumblebee visitors engage in "buzz pollination," which induces the flower to release its pollen. The low foliage is probably edible to mammalian herbivores, but it is rarely eaten because of its inconspicuous and ephemeral nature.
Photographic Location: The wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is a little jewel of a plant. It closely resembles the more common Dodecatheon meadia (Shooting Star), but the flowers of Amethyst Shooting Star are usually a deeper shade of pink. In general, Amethyst Shooting Star is slightly smaller in size than Shooting Star, and the flowering stalk of each plant has a tendency to produce fewer flowers (less than 20); sometimes, the flowering stalk of a robust Shooting Star produces substantially more than 20 flowers. The most critical difference between these two plants, however, consists of the characteristics of their seed capsules: At maturity, the seed capsules of Amethyst Shooting Star are light brown and thin-walled, while the seed capsules of Shooting Star are dark brown and thick-walled. The basal leaves of these two species are very similar.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun during the period of vegetative growth and development. This occurs during the spring and it is quite rapid. At this time, ample moisture and cool to moderate temperatures are required. This wildflower can adapt to a loamy garden soil, but it often occurs on rocky slopes in its native habitat. Some protection from the hot afternoon sun is desirable, but not required if there is ample moisture.
Range & Habitat: Amethyst Shooting Star is found in only a few counties in NW and west-central Illinois (see Distribution Map); it is native and uncommon. Habitats include thinly wooded bluffs, rocky cliffs, and sheltered areas of upland prairies where moisture tends to accumulate. In Illinois, this wildflower is found in hilly areas along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. In other states, it is often found in mountainous areas.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are visited by bumblebees and other bees for their pollen. Through the rapid vibration of their abdominal muscles, bumblebee visitors engage in "buzz pollination," which induces the flower to release its pollen. The low foliage is probably edible to mammalian herbivores, but it is rarely eaten because of its inconspicuous and ephemeral nature.
Photographic Location: The wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is a little jewel of a plant. It closely resembles the more common Dodecatheon meadia (Shooting Star), but the flowers of Amethyst Shooting Star are usually a deeper shade of pink. In general, Amethyst Shooting Star is slightly smaller in size than Shooting Star, and the flowering stalk of each plant has a tendency to produce fewer flowers (less than 20); sometimes, the flowering stalk of a robust Shooting Star produces substantially more than 20 flowers. The most critical difference between these two plants, however, consists of the characteristics of their seed capsules: At maturity, the seed capsules of Amethyst Shooting Star are light brown and thin-walled, while the seed capsules of Shooting Star are dark brown and thick-walled. The basal leaves of these two species are very similar.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月24日
Description: This herbaceous plant is a summer annual that has stems about ½–1' long. These stems are usually erect or ascending, although sometimes they sprawl across the ground. The stems are unbranched or sparingly branched, light green to red, bluntly 4-angled (at least above), and short-pubescent (var. teres) to hairy (var. setifera). Pairs of opposite leaves occur along the entire length of each stem. These leaves are up to 1½" long and ¼" across; they are linear, linear-lanceolate, or linear-oblong in shape, entire (toothless) and involute (rolled downward) along their margins, and sessile with prominent central veins. The upper leaf surface is medium green and appressed short-pubescent to glabrous, while the lower leaf surface is slightly more pale and short-pubescent primarily along the central vein. The leaf bases along each stem are joined with merged stipules that form shallow cup-like structures. The exterior of these stipules is green to whitish green and sparsely short-pubescent to hairy. Along the upper rim of each pair of merged stipules, there are long erect bristles up to ½" long; these bristles are light green, white, or red.
Either solitary or small clusters of 2-3 flowers are produced from the axils of the middle to upper leaves. Each flower is up to ¼" long, consisting of a tubular-funnelform corolla with 4 spreading lobes, 4 green sepals that are lanceolate in shape, 4 stamens with pale yellow to white anthers, and an inferior ovary with a single white style. The corolla is lilac, pink, or white; its exterior is often finely short-hairy. The sepals are sparsely short-pubescent to hairy; they are shorter than the corolla. The style has a knobby (capitate) tip. Both the stamens and style are included or only slightly exserted from the corolla. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early autumn, lasting about 1-2 months. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by dry fruits (schizocarps) that are obovoid in shape with remnants of the persistent sepals at their apices. Immature fruits are green, while mature fruits are brown. These fruits are sparsely short-pubescent (var. teres) to hairy (var. setifera); their fine hairs are straight and ascending. Eventually, these fruits divide into 2 nutlets each. The nutlets are about 3Distribution Map mm. (1/8") long, half-obovoid in shape, brown, and more or less covered with persistent fine hairs. The root system consists of a slender taproot with secondary feeder roots. This plant often forms colonies by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, dry conditions, and poor soil containing an abundance of sand, gravel, or compacted clay. This plant will also tolerate partial sun and moister conditions with fertile soil, in which case it will be displaced by taller plants eventually. Drought tolerance is quite good because of the long taproot.
Range & Habitat: Rough Buttonweed occurs occasionally in the southern half of Illinois, where it is native, and a few counties in the northern half, where it is probably adventive. Illinois lies along the northern range limit of this species. Habitats include upland prairies where there is sparse vegetation, hill prairies, sand prairies, rocky glades, gravel bars along rivers, pathways with compacted soil, gravelly areas along roadsides, gravelly areas along railroads, and barren waste ground. Areas with a history of disturbance are preferred. Rough Buttonweed is regarded as a common weed in the southern states, but it is less ubiquitous in Illinois.
Faunal Associations: Limited information is available about this plant's relationships to various fauna. The nectar and pollen of the flowers probably attract small bees and flower flies (Syrphidae). It has been reported by Tietz (1972) that caterpillars of the Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa) feed on Rough Buttonweed. This moth has a southern distribution, but it is a strong flyer that migrates to the northern states during the summer. Another insect that feeds on this plant is a flea beetle, Strabala rufa (Clark et al., 2004). This flea beetle has a brownish orange to red carapace. The Greater Prairie Chicken eats the seeds, and possibly other gamebirds feed on them as well.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken of plants growing on a little-used path with compacted soil. This path was located near an abandoned railroad in Champaign County, Illinois. Rather large colonies of Rough Buttonweed occurred in this area, primarily in sunny areas where Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) and Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata) also occurred. The photographed plants are the less hairy variety of Rough Buttonweed, Diodia teres teres.
Comments: Rough Buttonweed (Diodia teres) is not particularly showy and it is easily overlooked. This plant resembles some of the other buttonweeds (Diodia spp.), but it has more narrow leaves and it prefers to grow in drier, sunnier places. Compared to Smooth Buttonweed (Diodia virginica), Rough Buttonweed has shorter flowers, undivided styles, and corollas that are often lilac or pink. Smooth Buttonweed has white flowers with slender divided styles. Other common names of Diodia teres are 'Poorjoe' and 'Poverty Weed.' These are primarily southern names that refer to this plant's preference for poor soil. There are two varieties of Rough Buttonweed: the typical variety (var. teres) and a more hairy variety (var. setifera). This latter variety occurs in southern Illinois.
Either solitary or small clusters of 2-3 flowers are produced from the axils of the middle to upper leaves. Each flower is up to ¼" long, consisting of a tubular-funnelform corolla with 4 spreading lobes, 4 green sepals that are lanceolate in shape, 4 stamens with pale yellow to white anthers, and an inferior ovary with a single white style. The corolla is lilac, pink, or white; its exterior is often finely short-hairy. The sepals are sparsely short-pubescent to hairy; they are shorter than the corolla. The style has a knobby (capitate) tip. Both the stamens and style are included or only slightly exserted from the corolla. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early autumn, lasting about 1-2 months. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by dry fruits (schizocarps) that are obovoid in shape with remnants of the persistent sepals at their apices. Immature fruits are green, while mature fruits are brown. These fruits are sparsely short-pubescent (var. teres) to hairy (var. setifera); their fine hairs are straight and ascending. Eventually, these fruits divide into 2 nutlets each. The nutlets are about 3Distribution Map mm. (1/8") long, half-obovoid in shape, brown, and more or less covered with persistent fine hairs. The root system consists of a slender taproot with secondary feeder roots. This plant often forms colonies by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, dry conditions, and poor soil containing an abundance of sand, gravel, or compacted clay. This plant will also tolerate partial sun and moister conditions with fertile soil, in which case it will be displaced by taller plants eventually. Drought tolerance is quite good because of the long taproot.
Range & Habitat: Rough Buttonweed occurs occasionally in the southern half of Illinois, where it is native, and a few counties in the northern half, where it is probably adventive. Illinois lies along the northern range limit of this species. Habitats include upland prairies where there is sparse vegetation, hill prairies, sand prairies, rocky glades, gravel bars along rivers, pathways with compacted soil, gravelly areas along roadsides, gravelly areas along railroads, and barren waste ground. Areas with a history of disturbance are preferred. Rough Buttonweed is regarded as a common weed in the southern states, but it is less ubiquitous in Illinois.
Faunal Associations: Limited information is available about this plant's relationships to various fauna. The nectar and pollen of the flowers probably attract small bees and flower flies (Syrphidae). It has been reported by Tietz (1972) that caterpillars of the Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa) feed on Rough Buttonweed. This moth has a southern distribution, but it is a strong flyer that migrates to the northern states during the summer. Another insect that feeds on this plant is a flea beetle, Strabala rufa (Clark et al., 2004). This flea beetle has a brownish orange to red carapace. The Greater Prairie Chicken eats the seeds, and possibly other gamebirds feed on them as well.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken of plants growing on a little-used path with compacted soil. This path was located near an abandoned railroad in Champaign County, Illinois. Rather large colonies of Rough Buttonweed occurred in this area, primarily in sunny areas where Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) and Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata) also occurred. The photographed plants are the less hairy variety of Rough Buttonweed, Diodia teres teres.
Comments: Rough Buttonweed (Diodia teres) is not particularly showy and it is easily overlooked. This plant resembles some of the other buttonweeds (Diodia spp.), but it has more narrow leaves and it prefers to grow in drier, sunnier places. Compared to Smooth Buttonweed (Diodia virginica), Rough Buttonweed has shorter flowers, undivided styles, and corollas that are often lilac or pink. Smooth Buttonweed has white flowers with slender divided styles. Other common names of Diodia teres are 'Poorjoe' and 'Poverty Weed.' These are primarily southern names that refer to this plant's preference for poor soil. There are two varieties of Rough Buttonweed: the typical variety (var. teres) and a more hairy variety (var. setifera). This latter variety occurs in southern Illinois.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月24日
Description: This perennial wildflower is 1½-3' tall, more or less erect, and either unbranched or sparingly so. The central stem is light green, terete, and hairy. Alternate trifoliate leaves occur along the entire length of this stem; they have short petioles (nearly sessile to ¼" in length) and leaflets that are 1-3" long and ¼-¾" across (at least 3 times longer than they are across). The leaflets are narrowly oblong to lanceolate-oblong and smooth along their margins; they are blunt at the tips and bases. The upper surface of the leaflets is dull green and sparsely covered with stiff appressed hairs, while the lower surface is pale green and hairy along the veins. At the base of each trifoliate leaf, there is a pair of small stipules that are linear-lanceolate; these soon wither away. The central stem (and any lateral stems) terminates in a narrow inflorescence about 6-12" long. This inflorescence is usually a simple raceme of flowers, although sometimes it is a sparingly branched panicle. The central stalk of thisRaceme inflorescence is light to medium green and hairy. Individual flowers are about ¼" across, consisting of 5 petals that are white, pink, or rose-pink, a short tubular calyx with 5 teeth, several stamens, and a pistil with a single style. The petals form an upper banner and 2 wings that enclose a keel; at the base of the banner, there is a patch of pale yellow. The hairy calyx varies from light green to purple. Each flower has a short slender pedicel up to ¼" long. The blooming period occurs during mid- to late summer and lasts about 3-4 weeks. Usually, only a few flowers are in bloom at the same time. There is no noticeable floral scent. The flowers are replaced by flattened seedpods called 'loments' that consist of 1-3 segments with convex upper and lower sides. The lower side of each segment is more convex that the upper side. The loments are pale green and covered with hooked hairs. The loments have a tendency to break apart into individual segments; each segment contains a single seed. The root system consists of a deep taproot. This wildflower spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, dry conditions, and sandy soil. However, this wildflower will tolerate partial sun and either loamy or rocky soil. The root system adds nitrogen to the soil via symbiotic bacteria.
Range & Habitat: The native Sessile-Leaved Tick Trefoil is occasional in southern, west-central, and NE Illinois, while in the rest of the state it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include dry sand prairies and typical prairies, railroad prairies, dry sandy savannas and typical savannas, rocky open woodlands, limestone glades, and roadside embankments.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are cross-pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, which collect pollen. These floral visitors include bumblebees, leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), alkali bees (Nomia spp.), and others. Some insects feed on the foliage, flowers, or seeds of Sessile-Leaved Tick Trefoil and other species of this genus. This includes the caterpillars of several skippers, specifically: Achalarus lyciades (Hoary Edge), Epargyreus clarus (Silver-Spotted Skipper), Thorybes bathyllus (Southern Cloudywing), and Thorybes pylades (Northern Cloudywing). Other insect feeders include caterpillars of the butterflies Everes comyntas (Eastern Tailed Blue) and Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak), caterpillars of the moths Hypena scabra (Green Cloverworm) and Grapholita fana (Chesire Cat Moth), leaf-mining larvae of the Buprestid beetles Pachyschelus confusus and Pachyschelus laevigatus, larvae of the seed weevil Apion decoloratum, the thrips Echinothrips americanus and Neohydatothrips desmodianus, and the aphid Microparsus variabilis. There are also several leaf beetles that feed on tick trefoil species, specifically: Anomoea laticlavia (Clay-colored Leaf Beetle), Bassareus lituratus, Cerotoma trifurcata (Bean Leaf Beetle), Colaspis brunnea (Grape Colaspis), Cryptocephalus insertus, Odontota dorsalis (Locust Leaf Miner), Pachybrachis nigricornis, Pachybrachis othonus, Phyllecthris dorsalis, and Saxinis omogera.
Some vertebrate animals also feed on these plants. Both the Bobwhite Quail and Wild Turkey eat the seeds, while the White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, horses, cattle, and other mammalian herbivores readily consume the foliage. Because the hooked hairs of the loments can cling to clothing and fur, the seeds are distributed into new areas by humans and mammals.
Photographic Location: The wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Sessile-Leaved Tick Trefoil is one of the Desmodium spp. that is often found in prairies. It produces smaller and fewer flowers than another prairie species, Desmodium canadense (Showy Tick Trefoil). Sessile-Leaved Tick Trefoil can be distinguished from other species in this difficult genus by its more narrow leaflets (at least 3 times as long as across), very short petioles (¼" in length or less), and its narrow inflorescence (a simple raceme or sparingly branched panicle).
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, dry conditions, and sandy soil. However, this wildflower will tolerate partial sun and either loamy or rocky soil. The root system adds nitrogen to the soil via symbiotic bacteria.
Range & Habitat: The native Sessile-Leaved Tick Trefoil is occasional in southern, west-central, and NE Illinois, while in the rest of the state it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include dry sand prairies and typical prairies, railroad prairies, dry sandy savannas and typical savannas, rocky open woodlands, limestone glades, and roadside embankments.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are cross-pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, which collect pollen. These floral visitors include bumblebees, leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), alkali bees (Nomia spp.), and others. Some insects feed on the foliage, flowers, or seeds of Sessile-Leaved Tick Trefoil and other species of this genus. This includes the caterpillars of several skippers, specifically: Achalarus lyciades (Hoary Edge), Epargyreus clarus (Silver-Spotted Skipper), Thorybes bathyllus (Southern Cloudywing), and Thorybes pylades (Northern Cloudywing). Other insect feeders include caterpillars of the butterflies Everes comyntas (Eastern Tailed Blue) and Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak), caterpillars of the moths Hypena scabra (Green Cloverworm) and Grapholita fana (Chesire Cat Moth), leaf-mining larvae of the Buprestid beetles Pachyschelus confusus and Pachyschelus laevigatus, larvae of the seed weevil Apion decoloratum, the thrips Echinothrips americanus and Neohydatothrips desmodianus, and the aphid Microparsus variabilis. There are also several leaf beetles that feed on tick trefoil species, specifically: Anomoea laticlavia (Clay-colored Leaf Beetle), Bassareus lituratus, Cerotoma trifurcata (Bean Leaf Beetle), Colaspis brunnea (Grape Colaspis), Cryptocephalus insertus, Odontota dorsalis (Locust Leaf Miner), Pachybrachis nigricornis, Pachybrachis othonus, Phyllecthris dorsalis, and Saxinis omogera.
Some vertebrate animals also feed on these plants. Both the Bobwhite Quail and Wild Turkey eat the seeds, while the White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, horses, cattle, and other mammalian herbivores readily consume the foliage. Because the hooked hairs of the loments can cling to clothing and fur, the seeds are distributed into new areas by humans and mammals.
Photographic Location: The wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Sessile-Leaved Tick Trefoil is one of the Desmodium spp. that is often found in prairies. It produces smaller and fewer flowers than another prairie species, Desmodium canadense (Showy Tick Trefoil). Sessile-Leaved Tick Trefoil can be distinguished from other species in this difficult genus by its more narrow leaflets (at least 3 times as long as across), very short petioles (¼" in length or less), and its narrow inflorescence (a simple raceme or sparingly branched panicle).
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Miss Chen
2017年12月23日
Description: This herbaceous perennial plant is about 3' tall and normally erect, although it sometimes sprawls along the ground. The green central stem has fine white hairs, sometimes turning brown in response to drought. There are usually a few flowering side stems in the upper half of a large mature plant. The compound leaves consist of three leaflets that are greyish green. Each compound leaf has a short petiole with a pair of small deciduous sheaths at its base. The leaflets are 2-3½" long and less than half as wide. They are oblong or lanceolate in overall shape, but rounded at the tips rather than pointed. Their undersides have fine hooked hairs that cling to clothing or the fur of passing animals.
Numerous pink flowers in an elongated panicle occur at the end of one or more of the upper stems. The flowers are about ½" across (as measured vertically), consisting of an upper and a lower petal. These petals are initially folded and keel-like, but eventually open wide, begining with the upper petal. There is a small patch of dark pink at the center of the flower, from which emerges an upwardly curved white tube containing the stigmas and pistil. There is no floral scent. Each flower occurs on a hairy red pedicel, and has a hairy greenish red calyx.The blooming period occurs during mid-summer and lasts about 3 weeks. The flat seedpods have 3 to 5 segments and are about 2½" long. Like the undersides of the leaves, they are covered with fine hooked hairs, and are distributed by passing animals. Usually, the lower side of a seedpod is more rounded than the upper side. Technically, these seedpods are called 'loments.' The root system consists of a taproot that is long, slender, and brown.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, and moist to mesic conditions. A loamy soil with some organic matter is quite satisfactory. The foliage is often discolored by powdery mildew. This plant increases the nitrogen content of the soil by means of root nodules.
Central Stem & Trifoliate LeavesRange & Habitat: The native Showy Tick Trefoil occurs occasionally in most counties of central and northern Illinois, but is uncommon or absent in southern Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to mesic black soil prairies, moist meadows along rivers, borders of lakes, thickets, limestone glades, and areas along railroads where prairie remnants occur.
Faunal Associations: The most important visitors of the flowers are long-tongued bees, including bumblebees, Melissodes spp. (long-horned bees), and Megachile spp. (leaf-cutting bees). Only pollen is available as a floral reward (Robertson, 1929). Other insects feed on the foliage, seeds, and other parts of Showy Tick Trefoil and other Desmodium spp. (tick trefoils). These species include the seed-eating larvae of such weevils as Apion decoloratum and Apion reconditum; Odontota horni (Soybean Leafminer), Pachybrachis othonus, and other leaf beetles; larvae of such gall flies as Choristoneura hamata and Neolasioptera desmodii; Microparsus desmodiorum, Microparsus olivei, and other aphids; the seed-eating Megalotomus quinquespinosus (Lupine Bug); leaf-eating larvae of Atomacera debilis (an Argid sawfly); leaf-eating larvae of such moths as Caloptilia violacella and Parectopa lespedezaefoliella; leaf-eating larvae of such skippers as Thorybes bathyllus (Southern Cloudywing) and Thorybes pylades (Northern Cloudywing); larvae of two butterflies, Everes comyntas (Eastern Tailed Blue) and Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak); and Neohydatathrips desmodianus (Tick Trefoil Thrips). The flowering stems of Showy Tick Trefoil are a preferred food source of Popillia japonica (Japanese Beetle), which can weaken this plant sufficiently to interfere with the formation of seedpods. For a more complete list of these insect feeders, see the Insect Table. Like many other members of the Bean family, this plant is highly edible to various mammalian herbivores, including deer, rabbits, groundhogs, and livestock. Some upland gamebirds and small rodents eat the seeds, including the Bobwhite Quail, Wild Turkey, White-Footed Mouse, and Woodland Deer Mouse (Martin et al., 1951/1961; Hamilton, 1941). The seedpods can cling to the fur of mammals and clothing of humans, causing this plant to spread into new areas.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is one of the showier Tick Trefoils because of the plentiful flowers, assuming it isn't marred by insects and disease. Showy Tick Trefoil is more attractive when it occurs in colonies, rather than as isolated plants. Distinguishing the different Desmodium spp. is rather difficult. Important features to consider are the number of segments and shape of the loments, and the size and structure of the compound leaves. Showy Tick Trefoil can be distinguished from Desmodium illinoense (Illinois Tick Trefoil) by examining the base of the compound leaves. The leaf-stem (primary petiole) connecting the compound leaf to the stem is much shorter in the former species than the latter species. Similarly, the leafy bracts at the base of the leaf-stem are smaller and more deciduous in the former species than the latter species.
Numerous pink flowers in an elongated panicle occur at the end of one or more of the upper stems. The flowers are about ½" across (as measured vertically), consisting of an upper and a lower petal. These petals are initially folded and keel-like, but eventually open wide, begining with the upper petal. There is a small patch of dark pink at the center of the flower, from which emerges an upwardly curved white tube containing the stigmas and pistil. There is no floral scent. Each flower occurs on a hairy red pedicel, and has a hairy greenish red calyx.The blooming period occurs during mid-summer and lasts about 3 weeks. The flat seedpods have 3 to 5 segments and are about 2½" long. Like the undersides of the leaves, they are covered with fine hooked hairs, and are distributed by passing animals. Usually, the lower side of a seedpod is more rounded than the upper side. Technically, these seedpods are called 'loments.' The root system consists of a taproot that is long, slender, and brown.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, and moist to mesic conditions. A loamy soil with some organic matter is quite satisfactory. The foliage is often discolored by powdery mildew. This plant increases the nitrogen content of the soil by means of root nodules.
Central Stem & Trifoliate LeavesRange & Habitat: The native Showy Tick Trefoil occurs occasionally in most counties of central and northern Illinois, but is uncommon or absent in southern Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include moist to mesic black soil prairies, moist meadows along rivers, borders of lakes, thickets, limestone glades, and areas along railroads where prairie remnants occur.
Faunal Associations: The most important visitors of the flowers are long-tongued bees, including bumblebees, Melissodes spp. (long-horned bees), and Megachile spp. (leaf-cutting bees). Only pollen is available as a floral reward (Robertson, 1929). Other insects feed on the foliage, seeds, and other parts of Showy Tick Trefoil and other Desmodium spp. (tick trefoils). These species include the seed-eating larvae of such weevils as Apion decoloratum and Apion reconditum; Odontota horni (Soybean Leafminer), Pachybrachis othonus, and other leaf beetles; larvae of such gall flies as Choristoneura hamata and Neolasioptera desmodii; Microparsus desmodiorum, Microparsus olivei, and other aphids; the seed-eating Megalotomus quinquespinosus (Lupine Bug); leaf-eating larvae of Atomacera debilis (an Argid sawfly); leaf-eating larvae of such moths as Caloptilia violacella and Parectopa lespedezaefoliella; leaf-eating larvae of such skippers as Thorybes bathyllus (Southern Cloudywing) and Thorybes pylades (Northern Cloudywing); larvae of two butterflies, Everes comyntas (Eastern Tailed Blue) and Strymon melinus (Gray Hairstreak); and Neohydatathrips desmodianus (Tick Trefoil Thrips). The flowering stems of Showy Tick Trefoil are a preferred food source of Popillia japonica (Japanese Beetle), which can weaken this plant sufficiently to interfere with the formation of seedpods. For a more complete list of these insect feeders, see the Insect Table. Like many other members of the Bean family, this plant is highly edible to various mammalian herbivores, including deer, rabbits, groundhogs, and livestock. Some upland gamebirds and small rodents eat the seeds, including the Bobwhite Quail, Wild Turkey, White-Footed Mouse, and Woodland Deer Mouse (Martin et al., 1951/1961; Hamilton, 1941). The seedpods can cling to the fur of mammals and clothing of humans, causing this plant to spread into new areas.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is one of the showier Tick Trefoils because of the plentiful flowers, assuming it isn't marred by insects and disease. Showy Tick Trefoil is more attractive when it occurs in colonies, rather than as isolated plants. Distinguishing the different Desmodium spp. is rather difficult. Important features to consider are the number of segments and shape of the loments, and the size and structure of the compound leaves. Showy Tick Trefoil can be distinguished from Desmodium illinoense (Illinois Tick Trefoil) by examining the base of the compound leaves. The leaf-stem (primary petiole) connecting the compound leaf to the stem is much shorter in the former species than the latter species. Similarly, the leafy bracts at the base of the leaf-stem are smaller and more deciduous in the former species than the latter species.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月23日
Description: This is a herbaceous perennial plant about 2-4' tall that is either unbranched or sparingly so. The central stem is light green, grooved, and either glabrous or sparsely pubescent. The alternate compound leaves are bipinnate and up to 8" long; they have a ferny appearance. Each compound leaf has 8-12 pairs of even-pinnate leaflets; each even-pinnate leaflet consists of 20-40 pairs of closely spaced subleaflets. Individual subleaflets are about 1/8" (3 mm.) long and about one-third as much across; they are light to medium green, lanceolate-oblong in shape, ciliate along their margins, and sessile (or nearly so). The rachises (central stalks) of the compound leaves are whitish green from fine hairs and they are grooved along their upper sides.
Small white flowerheads occur individually from the axils of the upper leaves on slender peduncles up to 3" long. The peduncles are glabrous to sparsely hairy. Each flowerhead is up to ½" across and ovoid-globoid in shape; it consists of a dense head of 25-50 florets that are oriented in nearly all directions. Each floret consists of a short-campanulate calyx with 5 teeth (less than 1 mm. in length), 5 white petals (about 1 mm. in length), an ovary with a single style, and 5 strongly exerted stamens. The stamens have white filaments and pale yellow anthers. When they are fully developed, these flowerheads have a starburst appearance that is typical of compound flowers in the Mimosa family, but they appear more lumpy than spherical because the florets bloom from the bottom to the top gradually, rather than all at once. The blooming period lasts 1-2 months during the summer. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, the flowerheads are replaced by clusters of 5-15 seedpods that become dark brown at maturity. Individual seedpods are about ½" in length and two-valved; they are curved and flattened. Each seedpod splits open along its valves, releasing 2-5 seeds. The seeds are reddish brown, ovoid-reniform in shape, somewhat flattened, and shiny. This plant spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full to partial sun and moist to mesic conditions. Some drought is tolerated, but the leaflets on the lower stems of the plant may fall off, and the buds of compound flowers may abort and turn brown. Growth is best in fertile loam, but other kinds of soil are readily tolerated. This plant fixes nitrogen in the soil. Foliar disease is rarely a problem.
Range & Habitat: The native Illinois Bundleflower occurs primarily in NE Illinois, along the Illinois River valley in central Illinois, and along the Mississippi River valley in SW Illinois, favoring loamy or sandy alluvial soils. This plant is occasional in these areas, while in other areas of the state it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include black soil prairies, moist meadows near rivers, openings in woodlands, limestone glades, areas along railroads, and areas along levees. Because of the relatively high protein content of its foliage, Illinois Bundleflower has been planted in pastures to feed cattle, and it can be used in prairie restorations to improve worn-out soil. However, it recovers poorly from wildfires. Relatively open areas with a history of disturbance are preferred.
Faunal Associations: The flowerheads are occasionally visited by small bees and flies that seek nectar and pollen. The medium-sized seeds are consumed by various upland gamebirds, including the Ring-Necked Pheasant, Bobwhite Quail, and Greater Prairie Chicken. The foliage of this plant is highly palatable to mammalian herbivores because of its high protein content. It may have trouble surviving in areas where there is a surplus population of these animals and a shortage of predators.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: The primary attraction of Illinois Bundleflower is the refined appearance of its fern-like foliage. The subleaflets of the compound leaves fold together at night, and they close partially during hot sunny days in order to reduce moisture loss. During the morning and evening, when sunlight is less intense, the compound leaves orient themselves in the direction of the sun in order to maximize the reception of its light. The small white flowerheads are short-lived and not particularly showy. Illinois Bundleflower is one of two members of the Mimosa family that occur in prairies in Illinois. The other plant, Schrankia uncinata (Sensitive Brier), is a sprawling vine that has pink starburst flowerheads and prickles along its stems and compound leaves.
Small white flowerheads occur individually from the axils of the upper leaves on slender peduncles up to 3" long. The peduncles are glabrous to sparsely hairy. Each flowerhead is up to ½" across and ovoid-globoid in shape; it consists of a dense head of 25-50 florets that are oriented in nearly all directions. Each floret consists of a short-campanulate calyx with 5 teeth (less than 1 mm. in length), 5 white petals (about 1 mm. in length), an ovary with a single style, and 5 strongly exerted stamens. The stamens have white filaments and pale yellow anthers. When they are fully developed, these flowerheads have a starburst appearance that is typical of compound flowers in the Mimosa family, but they appear more lumpy than spherical because the florets bloom from the bottom to the top gradually, rather than all at once. The blooming period lasts 1-2 months during the summer. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, the flowerheads are replaced by clusters of 5-15 seedpods that become dark brown at maturity. Individual seedpods are about ½" in length and two-valved; they are curved and flattened. Each seedpod splits open along its valves, releasing 2-5 seeds. The seeds are reddish brown, ovoid-reniform in shape, somewhat flattened, and shiny. This plant spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full to partial sun and moist to mesic conditions. Some drought is tolerated, but the leaflets on the lower stems of the plant may fall off, and the buds of compound flowers may abort and turn brown. Growth is best in fertile loam, but other kinds of soil are readily tolerated. This plant fixes nitrogen in the soil. Foliar disease is rarely a problem.
Range & Habitat: The native Illinois Bundleflower occurs primarily in NE Illinois, along the Illinois River valley in central Illinois, and along the Mississippi River valley in SW Illinois, favoring loamy or sandy alluvial soils. This plant is occasional in these areas, while in other areas of the state it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include black soil prairies, moist meadows near rivers, openings in woodlands, limestone glades, areas along railroads, and areas along levees. Because of the relatively high protein content of its foliage, Illinois Bundleflower has been planted in pastures to feed cattle, and it can be used in prairie restorations to improve worn-out soil. However, it recovers poorly from wildfires. Relatively open areas with a history of disturbance are preferred.
Faunal Associations: The flowerheads are occasionally visited by small bees and flies that seek nectar and pollen. The medium-sized seeds are consumed by various upland gamebirds, including the Ring-Necked Pheasant, Bobwhite Quail, and Greater Prairie Chicken. The foliage of this plant is highly palatable to mammalian herbivores because of its high protein content. It may have trouble surviving in areas where there is a surplus population of these animals and a shortage of predators.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: The primary attraction of Illinois Bundleflower is the refined appearance of its fern-like foliage. The subleaflets of the compound leaves fold together at night, and they close partially during hot sunny days in order to reduce moisture loss. During the morning and evening, when sunlight is less intense, the compound leaves orient themselves in the direction of the sun in order to maximize the reception of its light. The small white flowerheads are short-lived and not particularly showy. Illinois Bundleflower is one of two members of the Mimosa family that occur in prairies in Illinois. The other plant, Schrankia uncinata (Sensitive Brier), is a sprawling vine that has pink starburst flowerheads and prickles along its stems and compound leaves.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月22日
Description: This perennial wildflower is about 1-2' tall, branching occasionally to frequently. It is ascending to erect, although some of the side branches may sprawl across the ground in open areas. The central stem and side branches are light green, hairless, and terete or angular in cross-section. The alternate compound leaves are odd-pinnate with 5-15 pairs of leaflets and a terminal leaflet; the compound leaves are up to 3" long and they have short petioles. Individual leaflets are 3/8" long and 1/8" across; they are medium green, oblong, hairless, and smooth along their margins. Each leaflet has a very shortFloral Spike petiole and a tiny pointed tip. Upper stems terminate in individual spikes of flowers that are short and cylindrical in shape; individual flowers and their bracts are densely crowded together along the length of each spike in all directions. The petals of these flowers are medium purple or rose-pink (rarely white), while their sepals and bracts are green-white. Each flower has 5 petals, 5 sepals, 5 stamens, and a pistil with a single style. The petals are oblanceolate or obovate and longer than the sepals. The short sepals are lanceolate with green tips and white bases. Underneath each flower, there is a lanceolate bract with an elongated tip that is awn-like. The exerted stamens have white or pale purple filaments and orange to brown stamens. The blooming period occurs from mid- to late summer and lasts about 1-2 months. There is no noticeable floral scent. Each flower is replaced by a short seedpod with a slender beak that is largely enclosed by the persistent sepals; each seedpod contains 1-2 smooth seeds. As the seeds mature, the floral spikes become dark brown. The root system consists of a short stout taproot with fibrous rootlets. This wildflower reproduces by reseeding itself. Individual plants typically live less than 8 years.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sunlight (at least one-half day of sunlight), moist to slightly dry conditions, and a thin rocky soil. The pH of the soil should lie within the range 6.0–8.0; strongly acidic soil should be avoided. This wildflower will adapt to ordinary clay-loam garden soil if its location is sunny and well-drained; however, it is intolerant of competition from taller and more aggressive plants.
Range & Habitat: Leafy Prairie Clover has been observed in only a few counties in northern Illinois (see Distribution Map). Today, it is restricted to 2-3 small colonies in Will County; the populations of the remaining colonies have been extirpated by development or over-collection. Leafy Prairie Clover also occurs in Tennessee and Alabama. Populations have declined in all three states. This native plant is quite rare and it is listed as 'endangered' by both the state of Illinois and the Federal government. In Illinois, habitats are restricted to mesic dolomite prairies and rocky riverbanks. In Tennessee and Alabama, habitats are restricted to cedar glades and meadows along the edges of cedar glades.
Faunal Associations: Floral visitors of Leafy Prairie Clover are probably similar to the floral visitors of Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover); the insect visitors of the latter include many kinds of bees (short-tongued & long-tongued), butterflies, flies, and occasional wasps. These insects are attracted to the nectar and/or pollen of the flowers. The caterpillars of the butterfly Colias cesonia (Dogface Sulfur) feeds on the foliage of Dalea spp. (Prairie Clovers) and other species in the Bean family. Other insects that feed on Prairie Clovers include Apion amaurum (Weevil sp.), Apion capitone (Weevil sp.), and Pachybrachis othonus (Cylindrical Leaf Beetle sp.); none of these records are specific to Leafy Prairie Clover, however. The foliage of Leafy Prairie Clover is highly palatable to mammalian herbivores, including deer, rabbits, groundhogs, cattle, horses, and others. In Illinois, rabbits have been a major cause of plant mortality for this species. This rare wildflower should be protected from such animals where their populations are excessive.
Photographic Location: The wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois; the photographed plant was obtained from a specialist nursery using horticultural sources, rather than wild-collected material.
Comments: Unfortunately, this attractive wildflower is approaching extinction in natural areas. Compared to other Dalea spp. (Prairie Clovers), it has a more leafy appearance. Leafy Prairie Clover can be distinguished from other Prairie Clovers in Illinois by the number of leaflets per compound leaf (typically 21-25, although there can be fewer or more leaflets than this). Both Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover) and Dalea candida (White Prairie Clover) have fewer leaflets per compound leaf (less than 10). As it common name suggests, White Prairie Clover has flowers with white petals. The floral bracts of Purple Prairie Clover are shorter than those of Leafy Prairie as they lack the awn-like tips of the latter. A species that is found in neighboring states (although not Illinois), Dalea villosa (Silky Prairie Clover) has abundant leaflets, but its foliage is covered with abundant silky hairs. In contrast, Leafy Prairie Clover has hairless foliage.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sunlight (at least one-half day of sunlight), moist to slightly dry conditions, and a thin rocky soil. The pH of the soil should lie within the range 6.0–8.0; strongly acidic soil should be avoided. This wildflower will adapt to ordinary clay-loam garden soil if its location is sunny and well-drained; however, it is intolerant of competition from taller and more aggressive plants.
Range & Habitat: Leafy Prairie Clover has been observed in only a few counties in northern Illinois (see Distribution Map). Today, it is restricted to 2-3 small colonies in Will County; the populations of the remaining colonies have been extirpated by development or over-collection. Leafy Prairie Clover also occurs in Tennessee and Alabama. Populations have declined in all three states. This native plant is quite rare and it is listed as 'endangered' by both the state of Illinois and the Federal government. In Illinois, habitats are restricted to mesic dolomite prairies and rocky riverbanks. In Tennessee and Alabama, habitats are restricted to cedar glades and meadows along the edges of cedar glades.
Faunal Associations: Floral visitors of Leafy Prairie Clover are probably similar to the floral visitors of Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover); the insect visitors of the latter include many kinds of bees (short-tongued & long-tongued), butterflies, flies, and occasional wasps. These insects are attracted to the nectar and/or pollen of the flowers. The caterpillars of the butterfly Colias cesonia (Dogface Sulfur) feeds on the foliage of Dalea spp. (Prairie Clovers) and other species in the Bean family. Other insects that feed on Prairie Clovers include Apion amaurum (Weevil sp.), Apion capitone (Weevil sp.), and Pachybrachis othonus (Cylindrical Leaf Beetle sp.); none of these records are specific to Leafy Prairie Clover, however. The foliage of Leafy Prairie Clover is highly palatable to mammalian herbivores, including deer, rabbits, groundhogs, cattle, horses, and others. In Illinois, rabbits have been a major cause of plant mortality for this species. This rare wildflower should be protected from such animals where their populations are excessive.
Photographic Location: The wildflower garden of the webmaster in Urbana, Illinois; the photographed plant was obtained from a specialist nursery using horticultural sources, rather than wild-collected material.
Comments: Unfortunately, this attractive wildflower is approaching extinction in natural areas. Compared to other Dalea spp. (Prairie Clovers), it has a more leafy appearance. Leafy Prairie Clover can be distinguished from other Prairie Clovers in Illinois by the number of leaflets per compound leaf (typically 21-25, although there can be fewer or more leaflets than this). Both Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover) and Dalea candida (White Prairie Clover) have fewer leaflets per compound leaf (less than 10). As it common name suggests, White Prairie Clover has flowers with white petals. The floral bracts of Purple Prairie Clover are shorter than those of Leafy Prairie as they lack the awn-like tips of the latter. A species that is found in neighboring states (although not Illinois), Dalea villosa (Silky Prairie Clover) has abundant leaflets, but its foliage is covered with abundant silky hairs. In contrast, Leafy Prairie Clover has hairless foliage.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月22日
Description: This perennial plant is unbranched or sparsely branched in the upper half, and 1-2½' tall. The pale green central stem has light longitudinal lines. The alternate compound leaves are oddly pinnate and about 2-7" long, consisting of 3-9 pale green leaflets. Each leaflet is linear or narrowly oblanceolate, about 1" long and less than ¼" across. The margins are smooth, and the underside of each leaflet has numerous translucent dots. Both the stems and leaves are hairless. There is a short cylindrical spike of white flowers at the terminus of the central stem and each of the major side stems. This spike is about 1-3" tall and ¾" across. The small flowers form a wreath around the bottom of the spike, which moves upward as the season progresses. Each flower is about ¼" across, with 5 petals and 5 white stamens. The flowers often have a pleasant fragrance. The blooming occurs during early to mid-summer and lasts about a month. The seeds fall a short distance from the mother plant when the wind shakes the cylindrical spikes. The root system consists of a central taproot that can extend 5' into the ground.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and mesic to dry conditions. The soil can contain significant amounts of loam, clay, sand, or gravel. This plant is slow to develop, but otherwise easy. Foliar disease isn't troublesome. Drought resistance is very good.
Range & Habitat: The native White Prairie Clover occurs occasionally in scattered counties of Illinois, but it is rare or absent in the SE section of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include mesic to dry black soil prairies, sand prairies, savannas, openings in upland forests, and limestone glades. It is rarely observed in highly disturbed areas. Recovery from occasional wildfires is good.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract bumblebees, Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), Sphecid wasps, Tiphiid wasps, Syrphid flies, thick-headed flies (Conopidae), and small butterflies. Two oligolectic plasterer bees, Colletes robertsonii and Colletes wilmattae, visit the flowers of White Prairie Clover (Robertson, 1929; Krombein et al., 1979). Other insects feed on the seeds, foliage, and other parts of this plant. They include such species as the larvae of two butterflies, Colias cesonia (Dogface Sulphur) and Hemiargus isola (Reakirt's Blue), the seed-eating larvae of two weevils, Apion amaurum and Apion capitone, and Melanoplus keeleri luridus (Keeler's Grasshopper); see Opler & Krizek (1984), Sauer (2005), and Campbell et al. (1974). This plant is palatable and high in protein, therefore it is readily consumed by mammalian herbivores of all kinds, including rabbits, groundhogs, deer, and livestock. This can cause difficulties in establishing this plant in some areas. It is possible that small rodents may carry the seeds to their dens. Because of their high mortality rate, some of the seeds will remain uneaten, and thus are dispersed by these rodents.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the Lincoln Book Bindery in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: White Prairie Clover often occurs in the same habitats as Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover) – the two are often seen together, although the former begins blooming about 2 weeks earlier than the latter. However, White Prairie Clover is the less common of the two plants. The most obvious difference between them is the coloration of their flowers. In addition, White Prairie Clover tends to have more elongated flowering spikes with hair-like bracts, and its foliage is longer, sparser, with a lighter shade of green. Prior to blooming, it blends into the background of grasses and other forbs rather well, and is easy to overlook.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun and mesic to dry conditions. The soil can contain significant amounts of loam, clay, sand, or gravel. This plant is slow to develop, but otherwise easy. Foliar disease isn't troublesome. Drought resistance is very good.
Range & Habitat: The native White Prairie Clover occurs occasionally in scattered counties of Illinois, but it is rare or absent in the SE section of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include mesic to dry black soil prairies, sand prairies, savannas, openings in upland forests, and limestone glades. It is rarely observed in highly disturbed areas. Recovery from occasional wildfires is good.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract bumblebees, Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), Sphecid wasps, Tiphiid wasps, Syrphid flies, thick-headed flies (Conopidae), and small butterflies. Two oligolectic plasterer bees, Colletes robertsonii and Colletes wilmattae, visit the flowers of White Prairie Clover (Robertson, 1929; Krombein et al., 1979). Other insects feed on the seeds, foliage, and other parts of this plant. They include such species as the larvae of two butterflies, Colias cesonia (Dogface Sulphur) and Hemiargus isola (Reakirt's Blue), the seed-eating larvae of two weevils, Apion amaurum and Apion capitone, and Melanoplus keeleri luridus (Keeler's Grasshopper); see Opler & Krizek (1984), Sauer (2005), and Campbell et al. (1974). This plant is palatable and high in protein, therefore it is readily consumed by mammalian herbivores of all kinds, including rabbits, groundhogs, deer, and livestock. This can cause difficulties in establishing this plant in some areas. It is possible that small rodents may carry the seeds to their dens. Because of their high mortality rate, some of the seeds will remain uneaten, and thus are dispersed by these rodents.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the Lincoln Book Bindery in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: White Prairie Clover often occurs in the same habitats as Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover) – the two are often seen together, although the former begins blooming about 2 weeks earlier than the latter. However, White Prairie Clover is the less common of the two plants. The most obvious difference between them is the coloration of their flowers. In addition, White Prairie Clover tends to have more elongated flowering spikes with hair-like bracts, and its foliage is longer, sparser, with a lighter shade of green. Prior to blooming, it blends into the background of grasses and other forbs rather well, and is easy to overlook.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月22日
Description: This plant is a summer annual about ½-2½' tall that is abundantly branched; robust specimens can be as wide as they are tall, resembling a tumbleweed. The stems are are erect to widely spreading, terete to angular, and pale green; young stems are covered with appressed woolly hairs, often becoming less hairy with age. Along the stems, there are alternate leaves 1-3" long and ¼-¾" across; they are pale green, narrowly ovate to oblong in shape, and shallowly lobed, coarsely toothed, or undulate along their margins. Some upper leaves may have smooth margins. When lobes are present on the leaves, they are usually triangular-shaped with pointed tips. Young leaves have appressed woolly hairs on both the upper and lower sides, although they often become less hairy with age. Leaves are either sessile or they have short pedicels up to ½" long. During the fall, the deciduous foliage of this plant becomes red or purple.
The upper stems terminate in either spikes or panicles of whitish green flowers. The length of these spikes or panicles is 2-12" long; their branches are frequently curved or crooked. Sessile flowers occur individually along these branches and they are widely separated from each other. Individual flowers are about 5 mm. (1/6"), consisting of 5 green sepals that curve inward, 5 stamens, and a flattened ovary with 2-3 styles. Except for its apex, the ovary of each flower is covered by the sepals. Each sepal is lanceolate-ovate, slightly keeled in the center, and membranous along its margins. The flowers lack petals and there are no bracts. Flowers are sometimes pistillate; such flowers lack stamens. The blooming period occurs from late summer into the fall for 2-3 months. The flowers are cross-pollinated by the wind. Each flower is replaced by a single horizontal seed that is covered by the persistent sepals (except at the apex). Surrounding each group of sepals and the seed, there is a pale membranous wing (wider than 0.5 mm.) that is circular and slightly fringed along its outer margin. Individual seeds are covered with translucent membranes that are chaffy. Individual seeds are about 1.5 mm. across, circular and flattened in shape, black, and smooth. During the fall or winter, the entire plant may break off at the base, becoming a tumbleweed that is blown about by the wind. As a result, the seeds are scattered across the landscape. The root system consists of a taproot.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and very sandy soil. The size of individual plants is variable.
Range & Habitat: The native Winged Pigweed is occasional in northern and west-central Illinois, otherwise it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include dry sand prairies, dry sandy savannas, sandy areas along major rivers, beaches and sand dunes along Lake Michigan, sandy fields, and barren areas along railroads. This plant typically occurs in sandy habitats with sparse ground vegetation and loose sand. It is a pioneer species that plays a minor role in stabilizing loose sand in wind-tossed areas.
Faunal Associations: Very little is known specifically about floral-faunal relationships for this species. An unidentified scale insect (Lecanium sp.) and an aphid (Macrosiphum gei) have been observed to suck juices from the foliage. Many insects that feed on Chenopodium spp. (Lamb's Quarters) undoubtedly feed on Winged Pigweed as well. Some upland gamebirds and granivorous songbirds probably eat the seeds, while mammalian herbivores probably feed occasionally on the foliage. Because the small seeds of species in the Goosefoot family can pass through the digestive tracts of both songbirds and mammals, they may be partially distributed by these animals.
Photographic Location: A sandy beach along Lake Michigan at the Indiana Dunes State Park in NW Indiana. The photographs of the foliage were taken during late July, while the photograph of the winged seeds was taken during late September.
Comments: The odd-looking Winged Pigweed is the only species in its genus. It differs from other species in the Goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae) by the appressed woolly hairs on its foliage and the winged membrane around its dry fruit. In contrast, other species in this family have foliage that is white-mealy, glandular-pubescent, or hairless. The flowers of Winged Pigweed occur individually on the branches of an inflorescence, whereas most species in the Goosefoot family have flowers that occur in clusters.
The upper stems terminate in either spikes or panicles of whitish green flowers. The length of these spikes or panicles is 2-12" long; their branches are frequently curved or crooked. Sessile flowers occur individually along these branches and they are widely separated from each other. Individual flowers are about 5 mm. (1/6"), consisting of 5 green sepals that curve inward, 5 stamens, and a flattened ovary with 2-3 styles. Except for its apex, the ovary of each flower is covered by the sepals. Each sepal is lanceolate-ovate, slightly keeled in the center, and membranous along its margins. The flowers lack petals and there are no bracts. Flowers are sometimes pistillate; such flowers lack stamens. The blooming period occurs from late summer into the fall for 2-3 months. The flowers are cross-pollinated by the wind. Each flower is replaced by a single horizontal seed that is covered by the persistent sepals (except at the apex). Surrounding each group of sepals and the seed, there is a pale membranous wing (wider than 0.5 mm.) that is circular and slightly fringed along its outer margin. Individual seeds are covered with translucent membranes that are chaffy. Individual seeds are about 1.5 mm. across, circular and flattened in shape, black, and smooth. During the fall or winter, the entire plant may break off at the base, becoming a tumbleweed that is blown about by the wind. As a result, the seeds are scattered across the landscape. The root system consists of a taproot.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and very sandy soil. The size of individual plants is variable.
Range & Habitat: The native Winged Pigweed is occasional in northern and west-central Illinois, otherwise it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include dry sand prairies, dry sandy savannas, sandy areas along major rivers, beaches and sand dunes along Lake Michigan, sandy fields, and barren areas along railroads. This plant typically occurs in sandy habitats with sparse ground vegetation and loose sand. It is a pioneer species that plays a minor role in stabilizing loose sand in wind-tossed areas.
Faunal Associations: Very little is known specifically about floral-faunal relationships for this species. An unidentified scale insect (Lecanium sp.) and an aphid (Macrosiphum gei) have been observed to suck juices from the foliage. Many insects that feed on Chenopodium spp. (Lamb's Quarters) undoubtedly feed on Winged Pigweed as well. Some upland gamebirds and granivorous songbirds probably eat the seeds, while mammalian herbivores probably feed occasionally on the foliage. Because the small seeds of species in the Goosefoot family can pass through the digestive tracts of both songbirds and mammals, they may be partially distributed by these animals.
Photographic Location: A sandy beach along Lake Michigan at the Indiana Dunes State Park in NW Indiana. The photographs of the foliage were taken during late July, while the photograph of the winged seeds was taken during late September.
Comments: The odd-looking Winged Pigweed is the only species in its genus. It differs from other species in the Goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae) by the appressed woolly hairs on its foliage and the winged membrane around its dry fruit. In contrast, other species in this family have foliage that is white-mealy, glandular-pubescent, or hairless. The flowers of Winged Pigweed occur individually on the branches of an inflorescence, whereas most species in the Goosefoot family have flowers that occur in clusters.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月21日
Description: This wildflower is a summer annual about 6-12" tall that branches occasionally; it is ascending to erect. The stems are light green, terete, and hairy. The alternate leaves are 1–2½" long and about one-third as much across; they are elliptic to oblong, flat, and smooth along their margins. Both the upper and lower sides are hairy. The upper surface is mediumPlant with Seedpods green, while the lower surface is gray-green. Each leaf has a single central vein that is prominent. The petioles are hairy and short (less than 1/8" or 3 mm. long). Occasionally, racemes of 1-4 flowers are produced oppositely from some of the leaves. The peduncle (central stalk) of each raceme is 1½–4" long, while the short pedicels of the flowers are about 1/8" long (except the pedicel of the terminal flower, which is often longer). Both peduncles and pedicels are hairy. At the base of each raceme, there is a pair of large persistent stipules about ½" long. These stipules are joined together, becoming gradually wider toward their pointed tips. Individual flowers are about 1/3" (8 mm.) long; they have a typical pea-like flower structure: the yellow petals form an upright banner and a projecting keel that is enclosed by a pair of lateral wings. Each calyx is light green and covered with long hairs; it has five long teeth. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall for about 2-3 months. Usually, only a few (if any) flowers are in bloom at the same time. The flowers are replaced by inflated seedpods that are short-oblongoid in shape. The seedpods are initially light green, but they later turn dark brown or black at maturity. Full-sized seedpods are 1–1½" long and about one-third as much across; each seedpod contains several seeds, which can rattle if it is shook. The seeds are distributed in part by the wind, which can blow the inflated seedpods across open ground. The root system consists of a taproot. This wildflower reproduces by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, dry-mesic to dry conditions, and barren soil containing sand, gravel, or clay. This wildflower is intolerant of competition from taller ground vegetation.
Range & Habitat: The native Rattlebox is occasional in the southern half of Illinois, while in the northern half of the state it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include sand prairies, gravel prairies, clay prairies, sandy and rocky savannas, upland savannas, rocky glades, openings and small meadows in upland woodlands, fallow fields, and areas along railroads. Rattlebox prefers dry open areas with a history of disturbance.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, including bumblebees (Bombus spp.), Carder bees (Anthidium spp.), Cuckoo bees (Coelioxys spp.), and large Leaf-Cutting bees (Megachile spp.). Sometimes the flowers are visited by small butterflies or skippers, but they are less effective at cross-pollination. The caterpillars of Utetheisa bella (Bella Moth) feed on the foliage of Rattlebox. In addition, there have been reports of the butterfly caterpillars of Callophrys irus (Frosted Elfin) and the skipper caterpillars of Erynnis baptisiae (Wild Indigo Duskywing) feeding on the foliage. The foliage of Rattlebox is toxic to herbivorous mammals, particularly horses, and it is generally avoided by them as a food source. However, sometimes White-Tailed Deer chomp off the tops of individual plants.
Photographic Location: An upland woodland opening at Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is the only Crotalaria sp. (Rattlebox) in Illinois. There are other species in this genus that are located in the southern and western states; they are often perennials with more showy flowers. Rattlebox is easy to identify when its inflated seedpods are present; they are large in size in relation to the rest of the plant and tend to stand out. There are other legumes that produce inflated seedpods (e.g., Baptisia spp.), but they usually have compound leaves.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, dry-mesic to dry conditions, and barren soil containing sand, gravel, or clay. This wildflower is intolerant of competition from taller ground vegetation.
Range & Habitat: The native Rattlebox is occasional in the southern half of Illinois, while in the northern half of the state it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include sand prairies, gravel prairies, clay prairies, sandy and rocky savannas, upland savannas, rocky glades, openings and small meadows in upland woodlands, fallow fields, and areas along railroads. Rattlebox prefers dry open areas with a history of disturbance.
Faunal Associations: The flowers are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, including bumblebees (Bombus spp.), Carder bees (Anthidium spp.), Cuckoo bees (Coelioxys spp.), and large Leaf-Cutting bees (Megachile spp.). Sometimes the flowers are visited by small butterflies or skippers, but they are less effective at cross-pollination. The caterpillars of Utetheisa bella (Bella Moth) feed on the foliage of Rattlebox. In addition, there have been reports of the butterfly caterpillars of Callophrys irus (Frosted Elfin) and the skipper caterpillars of Erynnis baptisiae (Wild Indigo Duskywing) feeding on the foliage. The foliage of Rattlebox is toxic to herbivorous mammals, particularly horses, and it is generally avoided by them as a food source. However, sometimes White-Tailed Deer chomp off the tops of individual plants.
Photographic Location: An upland woodland opening at Busey Woods in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: This is the only Crotalaria sp. (Rattlebox) in Illinois. There are other species in this genus that are located in the southern and western states; they are often perennials with more showy flowers. Rattlebox is easy to identify when its inflated seedpods are present; they are large in size in relation to the rest of the plant and tend to stand out. There are other legumes that produce inflated seedpods (e.g., Baptisia spp.), but they usually have compound leaves.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月21日
Description: This plant is a summer annual about 6-20" tall that branches occasionally to frequently; it is usually ascending or erect. The central stem and any lateral stems are terete, slightly angular, or ribbed; they are pale to medium green and more or less pubescent with branched hairs, becoming more glabrous toward the base of the plant. Narrow alternate leaves are spaced moderately to widely along the stems; they are up to 2" long and 1/8" (3 mm.) across. The leaves are medium green, linear in shape, smooth along their margins, thick-textured, and sessile; they have a tendency to be slightly recurved, rather than straight. Similar to the stems, the leaves are slightly pubescent with branched hairs, becoming more glabrous toward the base of the plant. A single prominent vein extends along the length of each leaf. The upper stems terminate in floral spikes of flowers about 1-6" long and a little less than ½" across. Individual flowers are perfect, consisting of a single sepal, an ovary with a short bifurcated style, and 1-3 stamens; there are no petals. These tiny flowers are largely hidden by their ascending bracts, which are about ½" long, ovate to lanceolate in shape, pubescent, and membranous along their margins. The blooming period occurs from late summer into the fall. The flowers are wind-pollinated. They are replaced by flattened vertical achenes that are 2.5-4.5 mm. long and 2-3.5 mm. across. Each achene is ovate to obovate with a narrow winged margin about 0.2-0.3 mm. across; it contains a single seed. The achenes are distributed by the wind. The root system consists of a taproot. This plant spreads by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and very sandy soil. Most growth and development occurs during the summer.
Range & Habitat: The native American Bugseed is a rare plant in Illinois; it is found along Lake Michigan and scattered localities elsewhere within the northern half of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include beaches and sand dunes along Lake Michigan, sand dunes along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, dry sand prairies, sandy hill prairies, sandy areas along railroads, and barren waste areas. This plant prefers disturbed sandy areas that are subject to wind erosion where vegetation is sparse.
Faunal Associations: Two grasshopper species, Melanoplus foedus (Foedus Grasshopper) and Melanoplus packardii (Packard's Grasshopper), sometimes feed on the foliage of bugseed (Corispermum). These grasshoppers are found in west-central and northwest Illinois. Information about floral-faunal relationships for this genus is very limited and more field work is needed.
Photographic Location: Sand dunes along Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes State Park.
Comments: This is one of the typical beach plants along southern Lake Michigan. For a long time, most authorities regarded this plant as an introduced European species, Corispermum hyssopifolium (Hyssop-Leaved Bugseed), but there is growing archeological evidence that bugseed has been present in North America for thousands of years. Because of minor differences in the characteristics of North American herbarium specimens from their counterparts in Europe, several native species of bugseed have been described. One of these is the plant that is described here, Corispermum americanum (American Bugseed). Another species in this genus that is sometimes found in Illinois, Corispermum nitidum (Shiny Bugseed), has more narrow floral bracts that reveal its winged achenes. The bracts of American Bugseed, in contrast, hide most of its winged achenes from outside observation.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and very sandy soil. Most growth and development occurs during the summer.
Range & Habitat: The native American Bugseed is a rare plant in Illinois; it is found along Lake Michigan and scattered localities elsewhere within the northern half of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include beaches and sand dunes along Lake Michigan, sand dunes along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, dry sand prairies, sandy hill prairies, sandy areas along railroads, and barren waste areas. This plant prefers disturbed sandy areas that are subject to wind erosion where vegetation is sparse.
Faunal Associations: Two grasshopper species, Melanoplus foedus (Foedus Grasshopper) and Melanoplus packardii (Packard's Grasshopper), sometimes feed on the foliage of bugseed (Corispermum). These grasshoppers are found in west-central and northwest Illinois. Information about floral-faunal relationships for this genus is very limited and more field work is needed.
Photographic Location: Sand dunes along Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes State Park.
Comments: This is one of the typical beach plants along southern Lake Michigan. For a long time, most authorities regarded this plant as an introduced European species, Corispermum hyssopifolium (Hyssop-Leaved Bugseed), but there is growing archeological evidence that bugseed has been present in North America for thousands of years. Because of minor differences in the characteristics of North American herbarium specimens from their counterparts in Europe, several native species of bugseed have been described. One of these is the plant that is described here, Corispermum americanum (American Bugseed). Another species in this genus that is sometimes found in Illinois, Corispermum nitidum (Shiny Bugseed), has more narrow floral bracts that reveal its winged achenes. The bracts of American Bugseed, in contrast, hide most of its winged achenes from outside observation.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月21日
Description: This perennial herbaceous plant is 3-8' tall and usually unbranched, except for flowering stems along the upper one-half of its length. The central stem and more slender upper stems are light green, terete, longitudinally veined, glabrous, and sometimes glaucous. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along the entire length of the plant, although they are more common and larger in size along the lower one-half of its length. A few solitary leaves or leafy bracts may occur alternately along the uppermost stems or flowering stalks. These leaves are ascending, widely spreading, or slightly drooping. Most leaves are odd-pinnate with 3 or 5 leaflets. Individual leaflets are up to 5" long and ¾" across; they are linear-elliptic to elliptic in shape, while their margins are entire (toothless) and often short-ciliate. The bases of leaflets are wedge-shaped, while their tips are acute. The lateral leaflets are sessile, while the terminal leaflets have petiolules (basal stalklets) less than ¼" long. The upper leaf surfaces are medium green and glabrous or nearly, while the lower leaf surfaces are light green and minutely pubescent. The petioles of leaves are up to 1½" long and light green.
The upper stems terminate in solitary to cyme-like clusters of flowerheads; flowering stalks also develop from the axils of upper leaves. Collectively, these flowerheads form a rather large and open compound inflorescence that is somewhat flat-headed. Peduncles of these flowerheads are up to 10" long, light green, terete, and glabrous. One or two leafy bracts may occur along the branches and peduncles of this inflorescence; these bracts are up to 1" long and linear-elliptic in shape. Each flowerhead spans about 1½–2" across, consisting of 8 sterile ray florets that surround a dense head of numerous fertile disk florets. The petaloid rays of the flowerheads are yellow, oblong-elliptic in shape, and widely spreading. The corollas of the disk florets are about 5 mm. long, tubular in shape, 4-5 lobed, and dark purple to maroon (reddish brown). The corolla lobes are triangular in shape and spreading to slightly recurved.
Surrounding the base of the flowerhead, there is a single series of 8 phyllaries (inner floral bracts). These phyllaries are 6-8 mm. long, ovate in shape with recurved tips, and brownish yellow during the blooming period. Below the phyllaries, there are about 8 outer floral bracts. These bracts are linear in shape and ascending; they are joined together at a shallow cup-like base. Both the bracts and cup-like base are green and glabrous (or nearly so). The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early autumn, lasting about 1 month for a colony of plants. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, the disk florets are replaced by achenes. These achenes are 4-5 mm. long, brown, broadly oblong or oblanceolate-oblong in shape, flattened, and narrowly winged along their lateral sides. The apices of mature achenes are truncate, lacking tufts of hairs or persistent scales (immature achenes have paired scales that are early-deciduous). The root system is fibrous and long-rhizomatous, often forming loose colonies of clonal plants. Older plants may develop small woody caudices.
Cultivation: The preference is full to partial sun and moist to mesic conditions. This plant isn't particular about soil type, and can be found growing in soil containing substantial amounts of loam, clay-loam, gravel, or sand. Tall Coreopsis tolerates competition from other plants and it is easy to grow. In moist disturbed locations, it can become aggressive. Mature plants tolerate some drought, and foliar disease is rarely a significant problem.
Range & Habitat: The native Tall Coreopsis is occasional to fairly common in most counties of Illinois, but it is uncommon or absent in the NW and SE sections of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include black soil prairies, cemetery prairies, sand prairies, typical savannas and sandy savannas, thickets, edges of seeps, thinly wooded bluffs, meadows in wooded areas, limestone glades, abandoned fields, areas along railroads, and roadsides. Tall Coreopsis occurs in moderately disturbed to high quality habitats. It responds well to fire in areas that have been invaded by shrubby vegetation and trees.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowerheads attract a variety of insects, including bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Triepeolus spp.), digger bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp.), dagger bees (Calliopsis spp., Heterosarus spp.), thread-waisted wasps (Ammophila spp.) and other wasps, Syrphid flies, bee flies (Bombyliidae), Tachinid flies, butterflies, skippers, and the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus); see Robertson (1929). Other insects feed destructively on the plant juices, flowerheads, and other parts of Tall Coreopsis and other Coreopsis spp. These species include the Ragweed Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha bidenticola) and Coreopsis Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha californica coreopsivora), the Red-spotted Aster Mirid (Polymerus basalis), an aphid (Uroleucon reynoldense), and the larvae of such moths as the Dimorphic Gray (Tornos scolopacinarius, Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata), and Common Tan Wave (Pleuroprucha insulsaria). Larvae of the latter two moths feed on the flowerheads; see Clark et al. (2004), Knight (1941), Blackman & Eastop (2013), Covell (1984/2005), and Wagner (2005) for more information. Mammalian herbivores occasionally browse on the foliage of Tall Coreopsis, especially the tender growth of young plants earlier in the year.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at the Red Bison Railroad Prairie in Savoy, Illinois, and the Loda Cemetery Prairie in the southwest corner of Iroquois County, Illinois.
Comments: Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris) is more impressive when it occurs in loose colonies, rather than as a stand-alone specimen. Each plant has a tendency to sway with the passage of every breeze during a sunny afternoon, exerting a hypnotic effect. Tall Coreopsis can be distinguished from other Coreopsis spp. in Illinois by its greater height, later period of bloom, and flowerheads with dark purple or maroon centers. In contrast, most Coreopsis spp. have flowerheads with yellow centers. Because of its greater height, Tall Coreopsis could be confused with one of the sunflowers (Helianthus spp.), but it is readily distinguished from them by its odd-pinnate leaves. In contrast, sunflowers have simple leaves.
The upper stems terminate in solitary to cyme-like clusters of flowerheads; flowering stalks also develop from the axils of upper leaves. Collectively, these flowerheads form a rather large and open compound inflorescence that is somewhat flat-headed. Peduncles of these flowerheads are up to 10" long, light green, terete, and glabrous. One or two leafy bracts may occur along the branches and peduncles of this inflorescence; these bracts are up to 1" long and linear-elliptic in shape. Each flowerhead spans about 1½–2" across, consisting of 8 sterile ray florets that surround a dense head of numerous fertile disk florets. The petaloid rays of the flowerheads are yellow, oblong-elliptic in shape, and widely spreading. The corollas of the disk florets are about 5 mm. long, tubular in shape, 4-5 lobed, and dark purple to maroon (reddish brown). The corolla lobes are triangular in shape and spreading to slightly recurved.
Surrounding the base of the flowerhead, there is a single series of 8 phyllaries (inner floral bracts). These phyllaries are 6-8 mm. long, ovate in shape with recurved tips, and brownish yellow during the blooming period. Below the phyllaries, there are about 8 outer floral bracts. These bracts are linear in shape and ascending; they are joined together at a shallow cup-like base. Both the bracts and cup-like base are green and glabrous (or nearly so). The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early autumn, lasting about 1 month for a colony of plants. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, the disk florets are replaced by achenes. These achenes are 4-5 mm. long, brown, broadly oblong or oblanceolate-oblong in shape, flattened, and narrowly winged along their lateral sides. The apices of mature achenes are truncate, lacking tufts of hairs or persistent scales (immature achenes have paired scales that are early-deciduous). The root system is fibrous and long-rhizomatous, often forming loose colonies of clonal plants. Older plants may develop small woody caudices.
Cultivation: The preference is full to partial sun and moist to mesic conditions. This plant isn't particular about soil type, and can be found growing in soil containing substantial amounts of loam, clay-loam, gravel, or sand. Tall Coreopsis tolerates competition from other plants and it is easy to grow. In moist disturbed locations, it can become aggressive. Mature plants tolerate some drought, and foliar disease is rarely a significant problem.
Range & Habitat: The native Tall Coreopsis is occasional to fairly common in most counties of Illinois, but it is uncommon or absent in the NW and SE sections of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include black soil prairies, cemetery prairies, sand prairies, typical savannas and sandy savannas, thickets, edges of seeps, thinly wooded bluffs, meadows in wooded areas, limestone glades, abandoned fields, areas along railroads, and roadsides. Tall Coreopsis occurs in moderately disturbed to high quality habitats. It responds well to fire in areas that have been invaded by shrubby vegetation and trees.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowerheads attract a variety of insects, including bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Triepeolus spp.), digger bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossum spp.), dagger bees (Calliopsis spp., Heterosarus spp.), thread-waisted wasps (Ammophila spp.) and other wasps, Syrphid flies, bee flies (Bombyliidae), Tachinid flies, butterflies, skippers, and the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus); see Robertson (1929). Other insects feed destructively on the plant juices, flowerheads, and other parts of Tall Coreopsis and other Coreopsis spp. These species include the Ragweed Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha bidenticola) and Coreopsis Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha californica coreopsivora), the Red-spotted Aster Mirid (Polymerus basalis), an aphid (Uroleucon reynoldense), and the larvae of such moths as the Dimorphic Gray (Tornos scolopacinarius, Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata), and Common Tan Wave (Pleuroprucha insulsaria). Larvae of the latter two moths feed on the flowerheads; see Clark et al. (2004), Knight (1941), Blackman & Eastop (2013), Covell (1984/2005), and Wagner (2005) for more information. Mammalian herbivores occasionally browse on the foliage of Tall Coreopsis, especially the tender growth of young plants earlier in the year.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at the Red Bison Railroad Prairie in Savoy, Illinois, and the Loda Cemetery Prairie in the southwest corner of Iroquois County, Illinois.
Comments: Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris) is more impressive when it occurs in loose colonies, rather than as a stand-alone specimen. Each plant has a tendency to sway with the passage of every breeze during a sunny afternoon, exerting a hypnotic effect. Tall Coreopsis can be distinguished from other Coreopsis spp. in Illinois by its greater height, later period of bloom, and flowerheads with dark purple or maroon centers. In contrast, most Coreopsis spp. have flowerheads with yellow centers. Because of its greater height, Tall Coreopsis could be confused with one of the sunflowers (Helianthus spp.), but it is readily distinguished from them by its odd-pinnate leaves. In contrast, sunflowers have simple leaves.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月21日
Description: This is an annual wildflower about 1½–3' tall that branches occasionally. The stems are medium green and glabrous. The leaves are up to 6" long and 4" across (excluding the petioles); they are simple- or double-pinnate, medium green, and glabrous. The leaflets (or lobes) are up to 2" long and less than ¼" across; they are linear, linear-lanceolate, or linear-oblanceolate. The upper stems terminate in flowerheads that individually span about 1-2" across. Each flowerhead has 6-12 ray florets that surround numerous disk florets. The ray florets are reddish brown toward the center of the flowerhead, but become golden yellow toward their tips; less often, they may be reddish brown throughout. Each ray floret becomes wider toward its tip, which is divided into 3 large teeth. The tiny disk florets have corollas that are reddish brown and tubular in shape; each corolla has 4 tiny teeth along its upper rim. The base of each flowerhead is surrounded by glabrous brown bracts (phyllaries); the outer bracts at the very bottom of the flowerhead are small and triangular in shape, while the inner bracts are much larger in size and ovate in shape. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall and lasts about 1-2 months. The fertile disk florets are replaced by small achenes that lack tufts of hair. The root system is fibrous. This wildflower reproduces by reseeding itself.
Cultivation: Preferred growing conditions consist of full sun and moist to mesic sandy soil. However, other kinds of soil are readily tolerated, including those that contain loam, clay-loam, or some gravel. Depending on the cultivar or local ecotype, there is considerable variability in the size of flowerheads and the height of plants.
Range & Habitat: Plains Coreopsis has naturalized in scattered locations throughout Illinois, where it is generally uncommon (see Distribution Map). This introduced species is native to the region of the Great Plains in North America; most local populations in Illinois are descendants of plants that have escaped from cultivation. Habitats include sand prairies, rocky glades, areas along railroads, roadsides, and waste areas, particularly where the soil is rather barren. This species is cultivated in gardens because of the attractive flowerheads.
Faunal Associations: The flowerheads of Coreopsis spp. provide nectar and pollen to a wide variety of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. The caterpillars of the moths Synchlora aerata (Wavy-Lined Emerald) and Tornos scolopacinarius (Dimorphic Gray) feed on the foliage of Coreopsis spp. and similar plants. Another insect that feeds on the foliage of these species is the leaf beetle, Calligrapha californica, which has been found specifically on Plains Coreopsis.
Photographic Location: A flower garden at the Arboretum of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: During the blooming period, Plains Coreopsis produces showy flowerheads in abundance. This species can be distinguished from other wildflowers by the ray florets of its flowerheads, which are yellow-maroon or maroon (reddish brown). Sometimes the ray florets of Rudbeckia hirta (Black-Eyed Susan) and Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower) are partially maroon, but their ray florets have narrow tips that lack large teeth. Furthermore, the leaves of these latter species are not pinnately divided, unlike those of Plains Coreopsis. Other Coreopsis spp. in Illinois are perennial plants; they have ray florets that are yellow throughout. Another common name of Coreopsis tinctoria is Golden Coreopsis.
Cultivation: Preferred growing conditions consist of full sun and moist to mesic sandy soil. However, other kinds of soil are readily tolerated, including those that contain loam, clay-loam, or some gravel. Depending on the cultivar or local ecotype, there is considerable variability in the size of flowerheads and the height of plants.
Range & Habitat: Plains Coreopsis has naturalized in scattered locations throughout Illinois, where it is generally uncommon (see Distribution Map). This introduced species is native to the region of the Great Plains in North America; most local populations in Illinois are descendants of plants that have escaped from cultivation. Habitats include sand prairies, rocky glades, areas along railroads, roadsides, and waste areas, particularly where the soil is rather barren. This species is cultivated in gardens because of the attractive flowerheads.
Faunal Associations: The flowerheads of Coreopsis spp. provide nectar and pollen to a wide variety of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. The caterpillars of the moths Synchlora aerata (Wavy-Lined Emerald) and Tornos scolopacinarius (Dimorphic Gray) feed on the foliage of Coreopsis spp. and similar plants. Another insect that feeds on the foliage of these species is the leaf beetle, Calligrapha californica, which has been found specifically on Plains Coreopsis.
Photographic Location: A flower garden at the Arboretum of the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: During the blooming period, Plains Coreopsis produces showy flowerheads in abundance. This species can be distinguished from other wildflowers by the ray florets of its flowerheads, which are yellow-maroon or maroon (reddish brown). Sometimes the ray florets of Rudbeckia hirta (Black-Eyed Susan) and Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower) are partially maroon, but their ray florets have narrow tips that lack large teeth. Furthermore, the leaves of these latter species are not pinnately divided, unlike those of Plains Coreopsis. Other Coreopsis spp. in Illinois are perennial plants; they have ray florets that are yellow throughout. Another common name of Coreopsis tinctoria is Golden Coreopsis.
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Miss Chen
2017年12月20日
Description: This perennial plant is 1–2½' tall and more or less erect. The central stem is unbranched below, while above it branches occasionally. The stems are medium green, terete, and mostly glabrous, except at the bases of leaves, where they have tufts of hair. Pairs of opposite sessile leaves are distributed evenly along the stems. Lobed leaves are 1-3" long and about one-half as much across (in outline), while unlobed leaves are up to 1" long and less than ¼" across; they are widely spreading to ascending. Each leaf is usually divided into 2 lateral lobes and a terminal lobe; some of the uppermost leaves and small axillary leaves lack lobes. Both lateral and terminal lobes are narrowly oblong in shape; the lateral lobes occur toward the middle of each leaf, where they diverge from each other at about a 60º angle. Both unlobed leaves and the bases of lobed leaves are narrowly oblong. The leaf margins are smooth (entire). Upper leaf surfaces are medium to dark green and glabrous, while lower leaf surfaces are medium green and glabrous. The upper stems terminate in either solitary or pairs of flowerheads (usually the former) on peduncles that are more or less erect and about ½–2" long. These peduncles are medium green, terete, and glabrous.
Each flowerhead spans about 1½–2" across, consisting of a dense head of numerous disk florets that are surrounded by about 8 ray florets. The tiny corollas of the disk florets are yellow, tubular in shape, and 4-5 lobed. The petaloid rays of the flowerheads are yellow, broadly oblong in shape, and somewhat truncate and ragged along their tips. Surrounding the base of each flowerhead, there are about 8 appressed phyllaries (inner floral bracts) in a single series; these phyllaries are yellowish green, broadly ovate in shape, and about 8 mm. long. Slightly below the base of each flowerhead, there are about 8 outer bracts that are ascending to erect; these outer bracts are green, glabrous, narrowly oblong in shape, and 8-12 mm. long. The blooming period occurs during early summer, lasting about 3 weeks. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, the florets are replaced by achenes. These achenes are about 5 mm. long, brown or grayish brown, oblong to elliptic-oblong in shape, slightly concave-convex, longitudinally and finely ridged, and hairless; the apices of these achenes are truncate, lacking hairs or significant scales. The root system is fibrous and long-rhizomatous, often forming colonies of clonal plants. During autumn, the deciduous foliage of this plant often acquires reddish tints.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry-mesic conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, sandy loam, or some gravel. This plant is easy to cultivate. It may sprawl across the ground unless it receives full sun and rather lean treatment with fertilizer and water. While it can spread aggressively from its rhizomes, Prairie Coreopsis is more impressive when it is allowed to form clonal colonies. The foliage usually remains in good condition until hard frost during the autumn.
Range & Habitat: The native Prairie Coreopsis occurs occasionally in most counties of Illinois, but it is rare or absent in SE Illinois and some western counties (see Distribution Map). Habitats include well-drained black soil prairies, sand prairies, gravel prairies, hill prairies, thickets, open areas of rocky upland forests, savannas, limestone glades, and abandoned fields. Prairie Coreopsis is usually found in high quality natural areas because the dispersion of its seeds is rather limited and it is infrequently cultivated.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowerheads attract many kinds of insects because of their abundance and accessibility. These floral visitors include digger bees (Melissodes spp.), cuckoo bees (Epeolus spp., Nomada spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), dagger bees (Calliopsis spp., Heterosarus spp.), Sphecid wasps and other wasps, Syrphid flies (Eristalis spp. and others), bee flies (Exoprosopa spp. and others), thick-headed flies (Conopidae), Tachinid flies, bottle flies (Lucilia spp.), Muscid flies, butterflies, skippers, moths, and beetles (Robertson, 1929). A digger bee, Melissodes coreopsis, is an oligolege (specialist pollinator) of Coreopsis spp. Some insects feed destructively on the plant juices, flowerheads, and other parts of Prairie Coreopsis and other Coreopsis spp. These species include the Red-spotted Aster Mirid (Polymerus basalis), an aphid (Uroleucon reynoldense), the Ragweed Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha bidenticola) and Coreopsis Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha californica coreopsivora), and larvae of such moths as the Dimorphic Gray (Tornos scolopacinarius), Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata), and Common Tan Wave (Pleuroprucha insulsaria). The larvae of the latter two moths feed on the flowerheads. See Knight (1941), Blackman & Eastop (2013), Clark et al. (2004), Wagner (2005), and Covell (1984/2005) for more information. Mammalian herbivores occasionally browse on the foliage of Coreopsis spp., including rabbits, groundhogs, deer, horses, and livestock.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Among the many prairie wildflowers with showy yellow flowerheads, Prairie Coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata) has the advantage of flowering somewhat earlier in the summer than most of them. It also blooms before the warm-season prairie grasses develop rapidly in response to hot summer weather, allowing its flowerheads to be seen from a distance by flower-visiting insects. Prairie Coreopsis can be distinguished from Sand Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) by its more deeply lobed and shorter leaves; these leaves are distributed evenly along the stems, while the leaves of Sand Coreopsis are more clustered toward the bottoms of the stems. In contrast, the leaves of Prairie Coreopsis have wider lobes than the leaves of Large-flowered Coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora) and Whorled Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata). The leaves of these latter two species have lobes that are thread-like, rather than finger-like. Finally, Prairie Coreopsis is a much shorter plant that blooms earlier than Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris). In addition, the deeply lobed leaves of this latter species are much larger in size.
Each flowerhead spans about 1½–2" across, consisting of a dense head of numerous disk florets that are surrounded by about 8 ray florets. The tiny corollas of the disk florets are yellow, tubular in shape, and 4-5 lobed. The petaloid rays of the flowerheads are yellow, broadly oblong in shape, and somewhat truncate and ragged along their tips. Surrounding the base of each flowerhead, there are about 8 appressed phyllaries (inner floral bracts) in a single series; these phyllaries are yellowish green, broadly ovate in shape, and about 8 mm. long. Slightly below the base of each flowerhead, there are about 8 outer bracts that are ascending to erect; these outer bracts are green, glabrous, narrowly oblong in shape, and 8-12 mm. long. The blooming period occurs during early summer, lasting about 3 weeks. There is no noticeable floral scent. Afterwards, the florets are replaced by achenes. These achenes are about 5 mm. long, brown or grayish brown, oblong to elliptic-oblong in shape, slightly concave-convex, longitudinally and finely ridged, and hairless; the apices of these achenes are truncate, lacking hairs or significant scales. The root system is fibrous and long-rhizomatous, often forming colonies of clonal plants. During autumn, the deciduous foliage of this plant often acquires reddish tints.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, mesic to dry-mesic conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, sandy loam, or some gravel. This plant is easy to cultivate. It may sprawl across the ground unless it receives full sun and rather lean treatment with fertilizer and water. While it can spread aggressively from its rhizomes, Prairie Coreopsis is more impressive when it is allowed to form clonal colonies. The foliage usually remains in good condition until hard frost during the autumn.
Range & Habitat: The native Prairie Coreopsis occurs occasionally in most counties of Illinois, but it is rare or absent in SE Illinois and some western counties (see Distribution Map). Habitats include well-drained black soil prairies, sand prairies, gravel prairies, hill prairies, thickets, open areas of rocky upland forests, savannas, limestone glades, and abandoned fields. Prairie Coreopsis is usually found in high quality natural areas because the dispersion of its seeds is rather limited and it is infrequently cultivated.
Faunal Associations: The nectar and pollen of the flowerheads attract many kinds of insects because of their abundance and accessibility. These floral visitors include digger bees (Melissodes spp.), cuckoo bees (Epeolus spp., Nomada spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), dagger bees (Calliopsis spp., Heterosarus spp.), Sphecid wasps and other wasps, Syrphid flies (Eristalis spp. and others), bee flies (Exoprosopa spp. and others), thick-headed flies (Conopidae), Tachinid flies, bottle flies (Lucilia spp.), Muscid flies, butterflies, skippers, moths, and beetles (Robertson, 1929). A digger bee, Melissodes coreopsis, is an oligolege (specialist pollinator) of Coreopsis spp. Some insects feed destructively on the plant juices, flowerheads, and other parts of Prairie Coreopsis and other Coreopsis spp. These species include the Red-spotted Aster Mirid (Polymerus basalis), an aphid (Uroleucon reynoldense), the Ragweed Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha bidenticola) and Coreopsis Leaf Beetle (Calligrapha californica coreopsivora), and larvae of such moths as the Dimorphic Gray (Tornos scolopacinarius), Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata), and Common Tan Wave (Pleuroprucha insulsaria). The larvae of the latter two moths feed on the flowerheads. See Knight (1941), Blackman & Eastop (2013), Clark et al. (2004), Wagner (2005), and Covell (1984/2005) for more information. Mammalian herbivores occasionally browse on the foliage of Coreopsis spp., including rabbits, groundhogs, deer, horses, and livestock.
Photographic Location: Photographs were taken at the webmaster's wildflower garden in Urbana, Illinois.
Comments: Among the many prairie wildflowers with showy yellow flowerheads, Prairie Coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata) has the advantage of flowering somewhat earlier in the summer than most of them. It also blooms before the warm-season prairie grasses develop rapidly in response to hot summer weather, allowing its flowerheads to be seen from a distance by flower-visiting insects. Prairie Coreopsis can be distinguished from Sand Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) by its more deeply lobed and shorter leaves; these leaves are distributed evenly along the stems, while the leaves of Sand Coreopsis are more clustered toward the bottoms of the stems. In contrast, the leaves of Prairie Coreopsis have wider lobes than the leaves of Large-flowered Coreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora) and Whorled Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata). The leaves of these latter two species have lobes that are thread-like, rather than finger-like. Finally, Prairie Coreopsis is a much shorter plant that blooms earlier than Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris). In addition, the deeply lobed leaves of this latter species are much larger in size.
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