Lamiaceae family: Salvia officinalis

key characteristic: the key for me was the aromatic smells the plant produced. The aromatic smell is not found in all the species of the Lamiaceae family. Also it was a short herbaceous plant similar to the one discussed in class

Asteraceae family: Rudbeckia hirta

key characters: several key factors to put this plant in the Asteraceae family. The many flower parts as well as the modified bracts were the first noticeable features. The other main feature I saw was the large capitulum which contains the inflorescence.

Juglans nigra

key characters: walking back from class I first notice a walnut on the ground and looked up to see this black walnut between two houses. Then saw the pinnately compound leaves with the deep grooved bark and confirmed it was Juglans nigra.

Solidago canadensis

key characters: immediately recognized the bright yellow flowers in this field. Upon further investigation I saw the long alternate leaves connected to the tall stock.

Umbel: Gypsophila cerastiodes

An umbel is a cluster of flowers protruding from the same spot (usually the tip) with similar length stocks forming an umbrella shape formation.

Aggregate Fruit: Rubus occidentalis

Found this Rubus occidental near a wetland with fruits already missing which is common for this time of the year. But aggregate fruit is the fusion of many Carples to form as in this case berries

1. Characteristics

Simple, Opposite, Entire leaves

Cornus ssp. 

Dogwood, found in the weed garden between Aronoff and Jennings

Simple, Alternate, Serrate

Found inside gardens in the Jennings courtyard

2. Sight ID

Andropogon gerardii

Found outside of Jennings lecture hall 1, easy to tell because of the “turkey foot”, commonly known as big blue stem or turkey foot

Acer saccharinum 

Sugar maple, found by Mirror Lake

Identifiable by the five lobes in the leaf, and palmate venation

3. Family identification

Lamiaceae

Agastache urticifolia 

Horse nettle, give away for this family is the square stem

Found in weed garden outside of Aronoff

Fabaceae

Trifolium ssp. 

Clover, which are found in the Fabaceae family

Found in the grass outside of Aronoff

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Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Family: Asteraceae

This flower can be found outside of the James Cancer Research Hospital.  It contains 7 regular parts, alternate, slightly toothed, rough, leaves.  The leaves have netted venation and this flower is a native species that grows well in dry or moist soil.

Rosa multiflora

Family: Rosaceae

Invasive Species

This cultivated multiflora rose is found outside the James Cancer Research Hospital with 5 petals, 5 sepals, many stamen, inferior ovary, leaves toothed, netted venation, and alternate ovate leaves.

Phlox paniculata

Phlox paniculata

Family: Polemoniaceae

This flower is a cultivated form of the Garden Phlox, which is normally a magenta pink color with leaves of different venation.  This particular invasive flower can be found outside of the James Cancer Research Hospital.  It has opposite leaves of pinnate venation with 5 regular parts.  The leaves are very shiny with entire margins.

Sassafras albidum (Nutt.), commonly called sassafras, is a native member of the family Lauraceae that is native to the eastern portion of North America. The exact specimen I found at Deep Woods, which is 1.3 miles SE of Bloomington, Ohio, was taken from an open canopy upland forest. The canopy layer was dominated by shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) and black oak (Quercus velutina). There were black oak, shagbark hickory, and sassafras in the understory, but I was not able to see what was in the herbaceous layer.

Lindara benzoin (L), commonly called spicebush is also a native member of the family Lauraceae that is native to the eastern part of North America. The exact spicebush plant I found was at Deep Woods, about 1.3 miles southeast of Bloomington, Ohio. The specimen was taken from a slope that transitioned from a mesic to an upland forest habitat. In the immediate area of the spicebush, the canopy was dominated by cedars. Meanwhile, the understory was made of swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) and black cherry (Prunus serotina). The herbaceous layers were dominated by spicebush and Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii).

Species name: Arctium minus

Common name: common burdock

Plant family: Asteraceae

Introduced or native: Introduced

Field notes: Found September 17, 2014 in a cultivated lawn in a somewhat shaded area surrounded by herbaceous plants. Soil type unknown.

Species name: Vitis riparia

Common name: riverbank grape

Plant family: Vitaceae

Introduced or native: Native

Field notes: Found September 17, 2014 growing in shaded area along fence surrounding cultivated lawn. Surrounded by a few trees and other herbaceous plants. Soil type unknown.

Species name: Rudbeckia fulgida

Common name: orange coneflower or black-eyed Susan

Plant family: Asteraceae

Introduced or native: Native

Field notes: Found September 17, 2014 within cultivated lawn surrounded by other herbaceous plants and bamboo. Soil type unknown.

*Plant can be recognized easily if flowers are in bloom because of their distinctive black cone shaped center and yellow petals.  The leaves are dark green, alternate, rough, and dentate. At first I confused this plant with the similar Rudbeckia serotina (also referred to as black-eyed Susan. But R. serotina has leaves that are more pubescent and not as noticeably toothed. It is also an annual and Rudbeckia fulgida is a perennial.

Oxalis stricta 

Yellow Wood Sorrel

Oxalidaceae

Native to North America

Field Notes: 09/17/14 Found in backyard lawn of Columbus, OH. Disturbed land, dry soil, surrounded by other weeds. The alternate leaves of the Yellow Wood Sorrel have distinctive heart-shaped leaflets. There are three palmate leaflets in each group of leaflets. The yellow blooms have not fully bloomed yet, they bloom anytime between July and October.

Oxalis corniculata

Creeping Wood Sorrel

Oxalidaceae

Native to United States of America

Field Notes: 09/17/14 Found in backyard lawn of Columbus, OH. Disturbed land, dry soil, surrounded by other weeds.

Plantago aristata

Bracted Plantain

Plantaginaceae

Native to United States of America

Field Notes: 09/17/14 Found in backyard lawn of Columbus, OH. Disturbed land, dry soil, surrounded by other weeds.

Species Name: Cirsium arvense

Common Name: Canada Thistle

Family: Asteraceae

Status: Introduced

Notes: Collected 9/17/2014. Found in a field nearby 2 small ponds. Area was fairly low and was moderately wet.

Species Name: Rudbeckia hirta

Common Name: Black-eyed Susan

Family: Asteraceae

Status: Native

Notes: Collected 9/17/2014. Found in a field nearby 2 small ponds. Area was fairly low and was moderately wet. Key characteristic to identifiying this species is the is the large daisy like flowers with large black head, that makes it easy to quickly identify. The plant duration is annual and the habit is herb.

Species Name: Helianthus decapetalus

Common Name: Thin-leaved Sunflower

Family: Asteraceae

Status: Native

Notes: Collected 9/17/2014. Found in a field nearby 2 small ponds. Area was fairly low and was moderately wet.