Plant Sightings

How To Know Green-headed Coneflower

Along rivers and streams in our locale of Central Pennsylvania we see lots of sunflowers in the heat of Summer. Some of these sunflowers aren’t technically sunflowers, but their yellow-rayed, composite flowers are similar.

One sunflower look-a-like is the Green-headed Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata, that we found in a local park on a river path in Millerstown.

Other places to look for the Green-headed Coneflower include thickets, forest edges, drainage gulleys, and along roads with partial shade.

On the banks of the Juniata River many of the blooming sunflowers reached over 6 feet tall, but some of them were shorter and yet still flowering.

It’s not too surprising that the Green-headed Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata, can get up to 12 feet tall. We haven’t had a lot of rain lately and surely that would help them grow taller.

The bright yellow flowers of these tall plants help them to be seen in thickets and well into the woods along the river.

The flower centers are cone-shaped with a green cast.

Yellow petals are usually swept back or pointed downward instead of being held out to the sides. We see this petal shape in the Purple Coneflowers, Echinacea spp., in the garden especially as the flowers mature. Echinacea cone heads are definitely larger than this Rudbeckia sp.

The Green-headed Coneflower flower head is about 3 inches across with bright yellow rays surrounding a central green disk.

Blooming occurs in mid-Summer to early Autumn from July to September.

The Green-headed Coneflower isn’t the only sunflower that likes to be near a river or partial shady places. Growing nearby was “Wingstem” which looks similar but on closer inspection is quite different.

Each year we can go back to see the coneflowers blooming in summer as they’re perennial herbs. Considering their height some may call them sub-shrubs.

Green-headed Coneflower is also known as Cutleaf Coneflower and it’s a member of the Aster family, Asteraceae. Being a native to the U.S. and Canada it can be found in many locations. Populations in Rhode Island, however, are classified as threatened.

(Click on any image to see a larger view.)

Check the following line drawings for the various leaf shapes of this interesting coneflower.

Peterson’s Wildflower Guide further describes the Green-headed Coneflower as having a “greenish, buttonlike disk, reflexed golden rays, deeply cut 3- or 5-parted leaves. Stems tall, branched, smooth.”

Woodland Sunflowers Shine At the Edge of the Forest

A community park on the banks of the Juniata River at Millerstown brings people for picnicing, playing soccer, and having a little fun in the outdoors.

We’ve seen lots of folks walking their dogs and taking a stroll along the path next to the river.

The walking path almost extends the length of the small park and is lined with trees on the river side of the walk. It’s a partly shady area where lots of native sunflowers grow and bloom in the heat of summer.

The sunflowers blooming next to the river are composites with swept back petals and green centers.

On closer inspection you can see we’re actually looking at two different plants!

(Click on any image to see a larger view.)

In this particular stand of native bloomers the Green-headed Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata, outnumbered the Wingstem, Verbesina alternifolia.

On both plants the upper leaves are similarly shaped, like pointed ovals, but the lower leaves on each plant differs from the other.

The leaves of the Green-headed Coneflower remind me of giant ragweed leaves in that the lower leaves are pointy and tri-lobed, some intermediate leaves have two lobes, and the upper leaves are not lobed.

The leaves of the Wingstem appear more like a typical sunflower, very rough and the same shape from bottom to top of plant.

These similar yellow-blooming “sunflowers” can be found in damp areas, such as next to a river, in lowlands near highways, in places where runoff collects in culverts, but usually in partial shade.

Welcome back to Flower Poetry Fridays with Mrs. Sigourney. Each Friday a new poem will be posted from her The Voice Of Flowers.

PLANTING FLOWERS ON THE
GRAVE OF PARENTS.

I’VE set the flow’rets where ye sleep,
Father and mother dear ;
Their roots are in the mould so deep,
Their bosoms hide a tear ;
The chrystal of the dewy morn
Their trembling casket fills,
Mixed with that tear-drop from the heart,
Which filial love distils.

Above thy pillow, mother dear,
I’ve placed thy favorite flower—
The bright-eyed purple violet,
That deck’d thy summer bower;
The fragrant chamomile, that spreads
Its leaflets fresh and green,
And richly broiders every niche
The velvet turf between.

I kissed the tender violet,
That droop’d its stranger head,
And called it blessed, thus to grow
So near my precious dead,
And when my venturous path shall lead
Across the deep blue sea,
I bade it in its beauty rise
And guard that spot for me.

There was no other child, my dead !
This sacred task to share ;
Mother ! no nursling babe beside,
E’er claim’d thy tenderest care.
And father ! that endearing name,
No other lips than mine
E’er breathed to prompt thy hallow’d prayer
At morn or eve’s decline.

Pluck not those flowers, thou idle child,
Pluck not the flowers that wave
In sweet and simple sanctity
Around this humble grave,
Lest guardian angels from the skies,
That watch amid the gloom,
Should dart reproachful ire on those
Who desecrate the tomb.

Oh, kindly spare my plants to tear,
Ye groups that wander nigh,
When summer sunsets fire with gold
The glorious western sky :
So when you slumber in the dust,
Where now your footsteps tread,
May griev’d affection train the rose
Above your lowly bed.

Planting flowers on a loved one’s grave is a sad event. It is done here with the thoughts of an only child.

As the only child she pleads for other children not to pick the flowers for they were planted with a higher purpose.

The planted flowers act like guardian angels from above in the hope of resurrection and in a show of deep affection.

Come back next Friday for the next installment in our series of flower poems from Mrs. Sigourney’s The Voice of Flowers, “Alpine Flowers”.

Welcome back to Flower Poetry Fridays with Mrs. Sigourney. Each Friday a new poem will be posted from her The Voice Of Flowers.

THE LILY’S WHISPER.

" Bow down thy head, thou born of clay,—
Bow down thy head to me,"
A drooping Lily seemed to say,
As sank the footsteps of the day,
Upon the grassy lea.

Its dewy lips to mine I prest,
And drank its stifled sigh,
A tear-drop lay within its breast,—
" Hast thou a woe to be confess’d,
Thou favorite of the sky ?"

" Two buds beside my heart awoke,
More pure than opening day,—
But lo ! a hand with sudden stroke
From my embrace those idols broke,
And bore them hence away."

Still deeper seem’d the Lily’s tone
My listening ear to greet :
" Think not for sympathy alone
That thus to thee I make my moan,
Though sympathy is sweet ;

" No. Be my wound thy lesson made,
We love your nobler race,
Whose lot it is like ours to fade,
Like ours, to see in darkness laid
Your blossom’s wither’d grace.

" So, let the Will Supreme be blest,
And still with spirit meek,
Shut rebel tear-drops in your breast,
And wear, as badge of Heaven’s sweet rest
Its smile upon your cheek."

“Heaven’s sweet rest” sounds pretty good on some days in this weary, wicked world.

Come back next Friday for the next installment in our series of flower poems from Mrs. Sigourney’s The Voice of Flowers, “Planting Flowers On The Grave Of Parents”.

The Tree of Heaven that grows here on Earth has a descriptive, but curious name. It’s a small to medium tree that grows so fast it can add on more than 9 feet in height in one season!

Although planted in America purposely long ago, this tree may be considered a nuisance due to its fast growth habit.

The Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima, originated in Asia. It was brought from China to England in the mid-1700s and then introduced to North America in 1874 as an urban ornamental, according to my favorite tree book: Grolier’s Field Guide to North American Trees.

Just being listed in that book, which gives the natural history of 100 introduced species as well as all the native North American trees, shows the tree to have established itself in the U.S.A. long ago.

You can find it across much of the country in cities and in rural areas.

Tree of Heaven was introduced as an urban ornamental because it’s a really hardy species. It can grow in poor soils, in dry conditions and in smoggy cities.

It was often planted in cities to quickly provide green areas and the benefits of shade and air purification.

In our rural landscape in Central Pennsylvania Tree of Heaven can be found growing at the edge of fields, along roads and in fallow fields.

It was discovered here growing right next to Staghorn Sumac along the lane down to the highway.

(Click on any image to see a larger view.
Photos taken 29 July 2015.)

How to Know Tree of Heaven

Tree of Heaven Identifying Characteristics

• huge, feather-like, pinnately compound leaves
• lance-shaped leaflets with basal teeth
• leaflets with short stems
• twig bark smooth
• yellow-green winged seeds dangle in clusters

Nature rubbings show the leaf shape and basal teeth on the lower leaf edge.

Small branches are smooth and distinctly different from the velvety twigs of Staghorn Sumac.

Yellow-green winged seeds dangle from the branch tips. Wings will help to scatter the seeds on the wind, but some of them will remain on the trees all winter.

Welcome back to Flower Poetry Fridays with Mrs. Sigourney. Each Friday a new poem will be posted from her The Voice Of Flowers.

THE STRANGER’S FLOWER.

In some of the South American republics, it was customary for ladies to present a flower to every stranger whom they received as a guest.

STRANGER ! new flowers in these vales are
seen,
With a dazzling eye, and a fadeless green,
They scent the breath of the dewy morn,
They feed no worm, and they hide no thorn,
But revel and glow in our balmy air ;
They are flowers that freedom hath planted
there.

This bud of welcome to thee we give ;
Bid its glowing blush in thy bosom live ;
It shall charm thee from all a stranger’s pain,
Reserve, suspicion, and dark disdain ;
A race in its freshness and bloom are we,
Bring no cares from a worn out world with
thee.

‘Tis a little time since the lance and spear,
And the clamor of war and death were here ;
Our siesta the shout of the murderer broke,
And we struggled to rend a tyrant’s yoke,
Till our midnight slumbers were pale with
fears,
And the fairest cheeks bore a mourner’s tears.

But now on the couch of its mother’s breast,
The infant sleeps long in its dream of rest,
And the lover beneath the evening star,
Woos the young maid with his light guitar ;
These are the blessings that wait the free,
And stranger ! this flower is our gift to thee.

Giving a flower to each stranger who visits your home is a lovely tradition.

It’s like the woman of the house was inviting the stranger in to enjoy their company and at the same time she encouraged them to leave their worries and cares of the world on the doorstep.

The lovely flower would help to break the ice so the stranger would feel relaxed while calling on the host. How welcoming is that?

Come back next Friday for the next installment in our series of flower poems from Mrs. Sigourney’s The Voice of Flowers, “The Lily’s Whisper”.

How to Tell the Difference Between Sumac and Tree of Heaven

Sumac is a plant that we want to encourage growing on the lane down to the highway. In this one location a similar-looking tree also grows, called Tree of Heaven, which serves no utilitarian purpose.

We can see the plants growing throughout the year and then have an easy time telling which trunk belongs to the trees we want to keep and which we want to cut.

Once decisions are made the trees to be cut down are marked with pink spray paint.

Tree of Heaven grows very fast and will quickly overshadow other plants growing there. Since we’d like to encourage sumac to grow much of the Tree of Heaven will be cut down.

But, if the plants are young and there is no fruit present, how to tell the difference? At first glance the huge leaves look the same, so we have to look a little closer.

Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina

• pinnately compound leaves
• lance-shaped leaflets strongly toothed
• leaflets without stems, sessile
• velvet-like twig bark with long hairs
• small round fruits in upright cone-shaped cluster at the ends of branches
• individual fruits fuzzy or hairy and red when mature

(Click on any image to see a larger view.)

Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus altissima

• pinnately compound leaves
• lance-shaped leaflets with basal teeth
• leaflets with short stems
• twig bark smooth
• yellow-green winged seeds dangle in clusters

Study Leaves By Rubbing Them

When learning about new plants it’s helpful to study their leaves up close by rubbing them. You know, as a kid we all did this with the leaves we collected in the fall.

Put a leaf between two sheets of paper and rub the top piece of paper with a pencil, charcoal or crayon. This rubbing action transfers the three-dimensional design of the leaf to the paper.

Making a rubbing of plant leaves reveals the veins, leaf edges and overall shape in a way that’s more memorable than when looking up at the leaves while they’re still hanging on the plant.

In this case the different leaflet shapes of Staghorn Sumac and Tree of Heaven were uncovered and highlighted in a fun way.

Staghorn Sumac has strongly toothed leaflet edges and leaflets with no stems.

Tree of Heaven has slightly wavy leaflet edges and a couple of strong teeth near the base of the leaflets, which do have small stems.

Reading about how a leaf should look a certain way doesn’t give your brain the same strong image as touching and feeling the leaf itself. Making a leaf rubbing involves us in a tactile or sensory way and that probably ingrains the leaf image better in one’s mind.

Do some leaf rubbings with children for a great outdoor activity. Or have a scavenger hunt for leaves and bring them inside on a hot day. The kids don’t have to know you’re studying the leaf shapes, but after all they might learn something, too.