Plant Sightings – Page 33

Whorled Pogonia 2010, A Flowering Year For A Wild Orchid

June 20, 2010 by wilde

2010 was the first year that we witnessed flowers on this member of the Orchid Family, Orchidaceae. From a florist’s point of view the strap-like blossom of Whorled Pogonia, Isotria verticillata, is nothing to write home about. Heck, it’s barely noticeable that it’s a flower, unless you know what to look for.

Whorled pogonia rises up from the ground with a single, hollow stem. The stems are light-colored grey and smooth.

At the top of the 6 – 12 inch stem is a whorl of five leaves, and sometimes six.

Six Whorled Pogonia plants of different heights.

I’m assuming that the smaller plants in the photo above are later or smaller versions of the taller plants, instead of the rare Small Whorled Pogonia, Isotria medeoloides. Until I saw some of the Whorled Pogonia blooming this year I was uncertain which pogonia we had. The two Isotria species appear the same except for stature and the length of the sepals.

The sixth leaf on a few plants seems to be an afterthought.

Leaves are pointed ovals that are widest near the tips.

Flowering Whorled Pogonia with parallel-veined leaves.

Linear or parallel veins in the leaves help to identify the pogonia as a member of the Monocotyledon which include the grasses, grains, lilies and orchids.

From the center of the whorl of leaves arises a singular flower. A flower stalk holds the blossom about an inch above the circle of leaves. The blossom arches over to one side. Three muted yellow petals enclose the stamens and inner flower parts.

The blossom itself appears somewhat closed as it is enveloped by the very long, strap-like sepals. The sepals are brown to dark maroon with a shiny surface and they stretch out about three inches long. The sepals of Small Whorled Pogonia may be about an inch long in comparison.

Photograph of Whorled Pogonia on 17 May 2010.

The extra long sepals are diagnostic for distinguishing Whorled Pogonia from Small Whorled Pogonia.

Extra long sepals of the flowering pogonia orchid.

Photo taken 15 May 2010.

Flowering Whorled Pogonia on 17 May 2010.

Another specimen of flowering whorled pogonia.

Looking down on the orchid…can you see its flower? The stem enters the ground in the upper left of the photo above.

Very few of the whorled pogonia were blooming. Even though there were only 3 of 68 plants blooming in one area, and slightly north a different patch had a single plant blooming in a group of eleven, I was very excited to see them flowering. I’ve watched these orchids for years now, wondering which pogonia I was looking at. Now I know that we have Whorled Pogonia in our forest.

Star-of-Bethlehem Just Another Roadside Alien

June 18, 2012June 19, 2010 by wilde

: Image via Wikipedia ..pretty lily

Star-of-Bethlehem was another roadside alien with pretty flowers that caught my attention. A return trip to the same location saw more pocketknife action.

Always keep some plastic bags in the trunk, you never know when they’ll come in handy. They’re great for carrying plants, dirt and all!

Star-of-Bethlehem acquired from the roadside.

A long green stripe on the underside of each petal helps to identify this plant as Star-of-Bethlehem, Ornithogalum umbellatum. You can see the green stripe in a few flower buds that are closed. (Click on photos to see closer view.)

Narrow leaves, each having a white midrib, might get a foot long, but they softly arch over forming a mound. All leaves are basal, and leaf margins are entire or toothless.

Star-of-Bethlehem is a Spring-flowering perennial with thin, strap-like foliage that reminds one of grape hyacinth or another bulb plant. Six petals, six stamens and parallel-veined leaves mark this plant as a member of the Lily Family, Liliaceae. Other members of Liliaceae include tulips, hyacinths, onions, trilliums, and of course, lilies.

Midnight acquisition, five-finger discount, extreme gardening…whatever you call it, I picked up a specimen of this spring flowering bulb from the roadside. It was transplanted into a flower garden that marks the septic tank on our property. Since the septic was pumped out recently the plants near the dug out area were moved out-of-the-way. I was glad to see the Star-of-Bethlehem came back this year. When this plant gets a little bigger the flower spray should be awesome.

In the photo above you can see a few spent flowers and a few that have already closed up for the day in addition to the two open blossoms. Flowers are only open in the sunshine. When there are several blooms open at a time, this plant is an eye-catcher. The blossoms are held in clusters and each flower is about an inch wide.

Nothing edible about this poisonous plant as the bulbs and leaves contain toxic alkaloids (Peterson’s Edible Plant Guide). For enjoyment in the garden only.

The blooming period for Star-of-Bethlehem in South-central PA was about one week in 2010.

Yellow and Blue Flowers Dot the Lawn Yard

June 18, 2012June 18, 2010 by wilde

Spring color arrives in many places, even the yard. We don’t care too much about keeping just grass in the lawn or yard. We even let weeds come to their flowering if we feel like mowing around them. Sure, that will only bring more weeds the next year, but who’s really gonna stop them without chemicals? Hey, our drinking water is down there!

I enjoy seeing the Common Cinquefoil, Potentilla simplex, happily dotting the grass with bright yellow smiley faces. In some places the yellow flowers are joined by the light blue blossoms of Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea.

Ground Ivy is also known as Gill-over-the-Ground, which sounds totally Irish, doesn’t it? Perhaps the name suggests where it originally came from as this member of the Mint Family, Lamiaceae, is alien to North America.

Leaves were once used to ferment and flavor beer, as noted in the Audubon North American Field Guide to Wildflowers. Indeed, the name Gill is traced to the French word for ferment, guiller. So, we can deduce that Gill-over-the-ground is an European introduction.

Gill-over-the-Ground is a perennial, scentless mint that trails along the ground, rooting at the leaf nodes in ivy-like fashion.

Blue flowers of ground ivy and yellow flowers of common cinquefoil don’t hide too well among the grass in the lawn.

Ground ivy flowers are irregular in shape with petals fused to make an upper lip, two side petals and a lower lip. The upper lip has two rounded lobes, the side petals flare out to the sides, and the lower lip is broad with three lobes. The inside of the flowers are spotted with dark blue while the rest of the flower is light blue.

Flowers come out from under the leaf axils.

Photos above taken 6 May 2010.

Round leaves grow opposite one another with scalloped edges, or bluntly rounded teeth. Stems creep along the ground, just like the name “ivy” foretells. Ground ivy prefers shady, moist areas.

Springtime flowers of ground-ivy or gill-over-the-ground.

The image above shows Ground-Ivy flowering along a trail on 30 April 2010 at Little Buffalo State Park. Note how the flowers seem to peek out from under the leaves.

Although I haven’t yet tried it, Peterson’s Edible Plant Guide tells us that ground ivy makes a pleasant herbal tea.

Fringed Polygala Flowered Extensively in 2010

June 18, 2012June 17, 2010 by wilde

2010 was a nice flowering year for Fringed Polygala, Polygala paucifolia, Gaywings, or Fairywings. The bright pink blooms were first seen 13 April 2010 and they flowered through the first part of May. The image below shows the gaywings flowers, but there aren’t as many open flowers and the ones that are open are faded and drying out. One good rain and they’re done for the year.

Faded flowers of Fringed Polygala, aka Gaywings.

In the image above there is a lot of new growth as evidenced by the light green leaves. Note the darker older leaves that are slightly larger in the center of the photo, taken 6 May 2010.

Some of the plants that flowered early in the group already have their small flat seed pod developing.

The seedpod will get a little bigger before it disappears. Perhaps the connection that holds the seed to the plant will break off and let the seed roll to a new location. Maybe a critter will come by and eat it. Who knows?

Polygala spreads primarily by underground runners and grows in forests in the Eastern U.S.. The blooming period for fringed polygala was about three weeks long for 2010.

Bastard Toadflax a Parasitic Woodland Herb

June 18, 2012June 16, 2010 by wilde

I can’t believe anyone would name a plant Bastard Toadflax. That funny sounding name deserves some explanation, don’t you think?

The Audubon North American Field Guide to Wildflowers tells us that Bastard Toadflax, Comandra umbellata, is a parasitic plant associated with trees and shrubs. Because the little plant is green, which means it contains chlorophyll and can do photosynthesis, we know that it’s not totally dependent on woody plants for its nutrition. I wonder if the bastard part of the name has to do with its being parasitic?

Also known as Star Toadflax because of the star-like appearance of the flowers, this small perennial herb grows in open woodlands and fields to a height of about 8 – 10 inches. Note the old oak leaves in the background of the image below.

Bastard toadflax, the woodland plant with a funny name.

Alternate leaves are small ovals with rounded tips and practically no stem. The leaf edges are entire, or untoothed. Leaves and flowers share the same stem with the flowers arranged in a loose cluster at the stem tip.

White cup-like flowers, less than a quarter of an inch across, have five rounded ‘petals’, which are actually sepals, that yield a star-like appearance.

Fertilized flowers will develop into small edible nuts. These nutlets could be eaten by mice, chipmunks, squirrels, groundhogs, birds, deer, bear – all of which we’ve seen in the immediate vicinity. I tasted the little nuts one time. They were a little walnutty tasting as I remember.

You could see the fruitless stems where other nutlets had once grown. Did another animal nibble from this same plant? Or had the fruit not developed properly and drop off long ago?

I guess one would could film a plant 24/7 to answer those questions. Hmm, sounds like a fun project!

find flowering plant
set up video cam 24/7
watch fruit develop
see what happens to the fruit!

Since we don’t have that much time we’d have to read a little more to find out who consumes the bastard toadflax nutlets.

The Animal Kingdom might not be the first place you’d look for information on plants like the bastard toadflax, but try to remember that we’re all interconnected to the habitats we share. Reports of animal studies and observation records have helped to form our knowledge on how plants are used by animals.

For example, zoologists will perform necropsies on dead animals. An important part of those animal autopsies is to open up the gastrointestinal tract to see what the animal recently ate. Gathering this type of data helps us to understand animal-plant interactions.

I don’t know of any source where you can go to look up what plants are eaten by whom, but the knowledge gained and shared by a number of biologists over the years has shaped our collective knowledge of these things.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service shares Plant Profiles that may indicate whether a plant is used by wildlife for food or cover. An example is New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus americanus. Scroll down to Wildlife Habitat Values under Classification and you’ll see that large mammals and terrestrial birds make some use of the NJ Tea plant.

No such information was available for Comandra umbellata.

Wild Geranium Blooms During May in PA

August 14, 2012June 14, 2010 by wilde

Wild geranium is one of the first wild flowers that I learned once we moved to our place on the “mountain top”, which is a ridge top in the Ridge and Valley Province of the Appalachians in Pennsylvania. The large pastel-colored blossoms are a pleasant addition to the woodlands that are now green everywhere.

Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum, also called Spotted Geranium, is a perennial that grows in open woods where sunlight reaches the forest floor. We find it along the lane, next to the farmer’s road, and at the edge of the field where the field meets the trees.

Large enough not to be missed by the casual woods walker, wild geranium flowers and leaves are prominent. The foliage is easy to spot so you can find it even when the flowers aren’t in bloom. The palmate leaves of wild geranium are deeply cut and have rounded teeth or lobes.

A nice specimen of wild geranium along the lane near the pond on 2 May 2010. — A nice specimen of wild geranium along the lane.

Flowering wild geranium along a country road. Photo taken 17 May 2010.

In the image above note the rounded petals of the lilac-colored flowers. Five-petal flowers of lilac, pink or light purple occur in clusters at the stem tips.

Note that the drooping flower buds have not yet opened. When the wild geranium flowers are spent, the petals dry up, turn a deeper blue color and fall away.

Pink to faded blue flowers of wild geranium.

New lilac and old blue flowers of wild geranium. Photo above taken 17 May 2010. From these observations it appears that Geranium maculatum has at least a two-week blooming period.

Blue False Indigo Flowers in Spring

April 18, 2013June 12, 2010 by wilde

Blue False Indigo is a very attractive plant that blooms in the middle of Spring. A perennial that sports large clover-like leaves in light green flowers quite beautifully in dark blue and deep purple.

So far, I’ve only seen it in flower beds and not in the wild anywhere. As a matter of fact, the blue false indigo photographed here grew from seeds collected from seed pods of a group that had flowered so nicely the spring before. Blue False Indigo, Baptisia australis, is a member of the Pea Family that is native to North America.

My introduction to this deep purple flowering perennial were a dozen or more plants that were part of the landscaping at the local college library. I made a mental note to myself to return to the scene of the lovely deep purple flowers when the seed pods seemed to be ripe and rattle with seeds.

When I went back there it must have been the end of the summer. The seed pods had turned their faded purple color and the seeds rattled in their pods. Took out my trusty pocket knife, sliced off a few flower stems and slipped them in my backpack. Each one had a half dozen or so seed pods.

A couple years later the seeds were finally planted in a flower bed next to the house. What you see in the image below is a cluster of plants that are about six years old. No flowers appeared the first year on the scant foliage, only a few blooms opened the second year. I’m sure the plant would be considered mature now as the deep purple to blue flowers have been outstanding for the last four years.

Look for the blue false indigo to start blooming in the beginning of May.

Purple flower spikes and clover-like leaves of blue false indigo.

The pointed, oval leaves appear in threes, and they start out in an accordian shape, all folded up. The clover-like leaves are widest near the tip.

Long flower spikes rise up above the foliage.

Violet and indigo flowers command attention in the bright May sunshine. Once the blooming is in full swing the spikes tend to arch over with the weight of the flowers and developing seedpods. Photos above taken 2 May 2010.

The same false indigo plant flowered beautifully last year, as seen in the photo above taken 23 May 2009.

Pea-type flowers produce several seeds inside elongated seed pods.

Photo above taken 23 May 2007.

In the image below taken 23 May 2009 is a fertilized false indigo flower. Note that a seed pod is growing out of the flower and that the side wing petals have fallen away to leave the broad purple standard petal at the top and, in this case, a white keel at the bottom of the bloom. Stamens are usually tucked inside the keel.

By the end of May the flowers are past done and all seed pods are well-formed. The pods will turn a deep purple to black as they ripen. The stalks of colorful seed pods can be used as points of interest in flower arrangements.

Peterson’s Medicinal Plants Guide indicates that Blue False Indigo, as well as other species of Baptisia, are potential immune system stimulants. Native Americans used the roots in treating inflammation.

Once the stems get 3 feet tall or so it only takes a brief storm to knock them over. We’ve tried different ways of staking up the greenery of false blue indigo and so far we like this little fence idea the best. Small slats of wood were interlaced to form a sort of fence to hold up the stems.

Primitive wooden fence for holding up false blue indigo stems in summer.

Sour Grass is Yellow Oxalis in the Yard

June 12, 2010June 11, 2010 by wilde

The yellow flowering oxalis is a very common plant in our location here among the trees. It seems to prefer areas of moisture and shade. You can find it in lawns, gardens, waste places, fields, roadsides and open woodlands.

As kids we called the yellow-flowering oxalis “sour grass”. The seed pods are edible and taste a bit sour. I wonder if this is one of those things that big brother had me try first! Actually, it was probably just one of those things that people know about their own landscape, like what plants are edible and which aren’t. Some of this knowledge is passed on orally from generation to generation, but if it’s not in your experience, how would you know? Good thing you stopped by! 🙂

Oxalis herbs are also referred to as Wood Sorrels. The wood sorrels are marked by clover-like leaves in threes with each leaflet being heart-shaped. Yellow Wood Sorrel, Oxalis europaea, is an introduced species here in Pennsylvania and it’s native to Europe. There is also a pink flowering species, called Violet Wood Sorrel, Oxalis violacea, that I have not seen growing wild in our area of Pennsylvania.

Small yellow oxalis came up through cracks between flagstones. Never mind the dandelion in the background.

Leaves are light green to maroon. When the plant has maroon leaves it makes the yellow blossoms really stand out.

Wood sorrel flowers have five petals and ten stamens and measure about a half-inch across. Oxalis flowers and leaves close up in the evening and re-open in the sunlight. Cloudy days will keep many Oxalis plants from opening their flowers at all.