Author: Steven Nagel

Plant Scavenger Hunt!

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Joe pye-weed_SN

A plant with whorled leaves — Eutrochium spp. Joe pye weed: Family Asteraceae. Found in Jenning’s courtyard.

Clover Flower

A member of the Fabaceae with an explanation of the characters that you used to determine the classification.
Trifolium repens: White Clover; The central flower has the distinctly “boat” shape with a banner, two wings, and a keel. Additionally, the flowers are zygomorphic with one style and stigma. Found growing in the grass beside Aronoff Lab’s entrance.

Virginia Creeper_SN

Parthenocissus quinquefolia: Virginia Creeper. Found growing across from the veterinary hospital on the fence line bordering 315. Palmately compound leaf. 5 leaflets.

Sedge Stem_SNSedge Inflorescence_SN

 

A member of the Cyperaceae with an explanation of the characters that you used to determine identification.
Unknown Sedge spp. “Sedges have edges”. The picture on the left demonstrates the triangular stem. The inflorescence also shows the flower subtended by a bract. Found outside in the planter area of the Jennings Loading Zone.

Rhamnus spp_SNRhamnus spp_SN2

 

Rhamnus cathartica (common buckthorn). Black drupe fruit. “Wannabe” thorn at the terminus of the branch. Found off of 1315 Kinnear Road (The MBD) growing along the fence among honeysuckle.

Rosaceae2_SN Rosaceae1_SN

 

A plant with pinnately compound leaves and stipules. Rosaceae cultivar. Found in planted circle beside the Ohio Stadium. Characters: stipules on Rosaceae petioles, compound leaves.

Convolvulus sepium, Solanum dulcamara, Rudbeckia triloba

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Hedge bindweed1_SN Hedge bindweed2_SN Nightshade1_SN Nightshade2_SN Thin-eyedConeflower1_SN Thin-eyedconeflower2_SN

 

Plant Number 1 (first two pictures – white flowers):

Convolvulus sepium
Hedge bindweed
Convolvulaceae
Native
Found growing on Solidago spp. in pairie swell outside of Aronoff Lab on Sunday, September 14th, 2014, Columbus, OH. No obvious roots observed, could not determine microhabitat.

Plant Number 2 (violet flowers)
Solanum dulcamara
Bittersweet Nightshade
Solanaceae
Introduced
Found on the edge of the prairie swell outside of Aronoff Lab on Sunday, September 14th 2014. Only three plants of this species were found, Columbus OH. Plant growing in soil.

Description of Characters used:
I used the 5 part regular flower, lobed leaves, and backward pointing flower lobes to identify the plant. Initially, I had difficulty determining the plant because it did not appear to be a vine. However, upon further examination, I discovered it had only just begun to creep up the side of the tree nearby.

Plant number 3 (yellow flowers):
Rudbeckia triloba
Thin-leaved Coneflower
Asteraceae
Native
Found growing with various grasses in the prairie swell outside of Aronoff Lab on Sunday, September 14th, 2014, Columbus, OH. Plant growing in soil.

Red Cedar

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DSCN1830

 

Red cedar (Juniperus) observed at Niagara Parks outside the Buttefly Conservatory. I found this around the same site as the blazing star. This grew near a water filled depression on the dry, field dominated by prairie plants. Notice the bluish-white “berries”. These “berries” are actually the cones of the plant.