Month: September 2014

Olentangy River and Hefner Wetland Flowers

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Impatiens pallidaThis is Impatiens pallida also known as pale “touch me not”. This plant is a member of the family balsaminaceae. It is a native species to Ohio and another one listed in Newcombs  is as well which is Impatiens capensis. This plant was found growing along an edge on top of the dam near the footbridge over the Olentangy River south of the OSU wetlands on September 17, 2014.  It was fairly open  where it was found with small shrubs such as Lonicera spp. and some other small trees. Easy ways to determine this plant is by the unique flower. It is zygomorphic or irregular and has a bowl underneath three lobed petals on the flower. It has alternate leaf arrangement along the stem meaning the leaves are staggered on different sides of the stem, but not at the same point, and the leaves are serrate meaning they look like a knife on the leaf edge. Lastly this flower is yellow and has light green seed pods that when touched lightly will explode, hence the name “touch me not”

 

Helenium autumnaleThis is Helenium autumnale also known as sneeze weed. It is a member of the family asteraceae and is native to Ohio.  This plant was found down in the OSU wetland surrounded by young Salix sp. and other members of asteraceae. It was found on September 17, 2014. Another Helenium alutumnale was found further south growing in the bank of the Olentangy River.

 

Aster novae-angliaeThis is Aster novae-angliae or New England aster. This plant was found along the edge of the bike trail at the OSU wetlands on September 17, 2014. Like the sneeze weed this a member of the family asteraceae. The other plants surrounding it mostly were Sarix sp. and Lonicera sp. and Toxicodendron radicans.

Backyard Plants

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

Practice identifying plants

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Ipomoea purpurea

Common morning glory

Convolvulaceae

Native to Mexico and central America

Field notes: Found in Delaware county Ohio, Delaware. 9/15/2014. Cultivated garden.

Morning glory is a climbing vine. The stem is often hairy, the leaves are cordate and the flowers are trumpet shaped and can be a variety of colors.

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Aster shortii

Short’s aster

Asteraceae

Native

Field notes: Found in Delaware county Ohio, Delaware. 9/15/2014. Cultivated garden.

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Impatiens capensis

Spotted jewelweed

Balsaminaceae

Native

Field notes: Found in Delaware county Ohio, Delaware. 9/15/2014. Mesic forest

 

 

Welcome to My Backyard

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My backyard has a wide variety of plant life. Let’s take a look and see what I found!

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Primula laurentiana

Common Name: Bird’s-eye Primrose

Plant Family: Primulaceae

Introduced to Ohio, native to the  Northeastern United States

Field Notes: The pink Bird’s-eye Primrose depicted below was identified on September 14, 2014 in Hudson, Ohio. The habitat was a cultivated lawn with scattered, planted trees. The soil was rich with nutrients to encourage the flowering of this plant. The yellow eye within the flower along with the umbel arrangement helped to identify this plant.

 

Nodding Wild Onion collected in Hudson, OH

 

Allium cernuum

Common Name: Nodding Wild Onion

Family: Liliaceae

Native to Ohio

Field Notes: This white Nodding Wild Onion was identified near a rock retaining wall in a cultivated lawn in Hudson, Ohio on September 14, 2014. The soil was rich, moist, and provided excellent drainage for this plant. Helpful characteristics used to identify this plant include the small, white (or purple) flowers that grow in an umbel, or originating from one central point of growth. The smell of onion might be the most crucial piece of information in identifying this plant, the raw onion smell will be the most intense within the leaves. The leaves have a parallel venation pattern, meaning that the veins of the leaves are running in straight lines from the bottom of the leaf to its apex. Lastly, the “nodding” is a result of the curvature of the flower stem near the umbel.

 

Black-eyed Susan collected in Hudson, OH

Rudbeckia hirta

Common Name: Black-eyed Susan

Family: Asteraceae

Native to Ohio

Field Notes: This Black-eyed Susan was found near the bottom of a man-made hill in an overgrown, cultivated lawn in Hudson, Ohio on September 14, 2014. The soil was moist to moderately wet. This flower is distinguished by its large black head and yellow petals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited
Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide: The Classic Field Guide for Quick Identification of Wildflowers, Flowering Shrubs and Vines. Boston: Little, Brown, 1977. Print.
“Plants Profile for Allium Cernuum (nodding Onion).” Plants Profile for Allium Cernuum (nodding Onion). United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
“Plants Profile for Primula Laurentiana (birdeye Primrose).” Plants Profile for Primula Laurentiana (birdeye Primrose). United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
“Plants Profile for Rudbeckia Hirta (blackeyed Susan).” Plants Profile for Rudbeckia Hirta (blackeyed Susan). United States Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.

Ohio Plants

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

 

 

Kinnear Road Plants

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All plants found on September 17, 2014 outside of the Ohio State Museum of Biological Diversity

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Species name: Cichorium intybus
Common name: Chicory
Family: Asteraceae
Status: Native to Europe, but considered naturalized in the United States
Notes: This plant can produce tall flowers in open, undisturbed habitats, but is also capable of producing short flowers in areas like lawns that are regularly mowed. This plant was growing in an open mulch bed along with some other weeds including Taraxacum spp.

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Species name: Echinacea purpurea
Common name: Purple Coneflower
Family: Asteraceae
Status: Native to the Lower 48 United States
Notes: This herbaceous plant only grows naturally in prairies with well drained soil, however it thrives in most conditions when planted. The pink drooping petals are unique to the flowers of this plant. The spiky “hedgehog-like” seed pods for which the genus (Echinacea) is named are also a diagnostic feature.

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Species name: Solidago canadensis
Common name: Canada Goldenrod
Family: Asteraceae
Status: Native to most of North America
Notes: This plant is an early successor and is often one of the first plants to colonize scorched ground. However, it’s also one of the first plants to give way to other herbaceous plants and tree saplings during succession. This group of plants was planted in a garden with a bit of mulch.

Prairie Oaks Specimens

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Cichorium intybus
Common Chicory
Asteraceae
Introduced, naturalized species.
This specimen was found on the edge of a wooded area next to a prairie.

 

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Cirsium vulgare
Bull Thistle
Asteraceae
Introduced, naturalized species.
This specimen was found on the edge of a prairie next to a parking lot.

 

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Solidago gigantea
Late Goldenrod
Asteraceae
Native.
This specimen was found on the edge of a prairie next to a parking lot.

To narrow the goldenrod down to species was difficult, and I’m still not sure it’s entirely correct. I based my identification on the reddish main stem that is covered in a white, glaucous coating which can be rubbed off. This specimen also has the three veined trait that some goldenrods possess. This means a prominent mid-vein, and two veins that run parallel to it.

Practice identifying plants

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Genus/Species: Dahlia pinnata

Common name: Garden Dahlia

Plant Family: Asteraceae

Introduced from Mexico

Field Notes: Found in the Oletangey Commons apartment complex, it was located in a cultivated garden surrounded by other flowers and weeds. It was planted in rocky soil. This flower can be identified by its brightly colored petals. It also has many petals that surround the center of the flower. The center of the flower also has little flower-like structures sticking out of it. This specimen was found on September 16th 2014.

 

 

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Genus/Species: Cirsium vulgare

Common Name: Bull thistle

Plant Family: Asteraceae

Introduced plant native to Europe, Asia, and Africa

Field Notes: Located in the Oletangey Commons apartment complex, it was found in a ravine/prairie type of environment. It was surrounded by many other types of weeds and other herbaceous plants. The soil was dust like with some rocks sprawled throughout.This plant was located on September 16th,2014.

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Genus/Species: Pinus virginiana

Common Name: Virginia Pine

Plant Family: Pinaceae

Native to Ohio

Field Notes: Also found in the Olentangy Commons apartment complex, It was an isolated tree surrounded by manicured grass. It had it’s own separate plot and was nowhere near other trees. The conifer was planted in soil with litter from the tree spread throughout. It was located on September 17th, 2014

 

Cichorium intybus, Daucus carota, Prunella vulgaris

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Chicory

Species Name: Cichorium intybus

Common Name: Chicory

Family Name: Asteraceae

Status: non-native, but naturalized

Field Notes: Collected 14 September 2014 in Pickaway County, OH. Growing in a roadside habitat.

 

Queen Anne's Lace

Species Name: Daucus carota

Common Name: Queen Anne’s Lace

Family Name: Apiaceae

Status: non-native, but naturalized

Field Notes: Collected 14 September 2014 in Pickaway County, OH. Growing in an uncultivated, dry prairie. This plant was recognized by its hairy stem and white head of flowers atop the stem. The flower heads of older plants curl up and resemble a bird’s nest.

 

Self heal

Species Name: Prunella vulgaris

Common Name: Selfheal

Family Name: Lamiaceae

Status: native

Field Notes: Collected 14 September 2014 in Pickaway County, OH. Growing in a lawn with scattered deciduous trees.

 

Plants around campus

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Species name: Potentilla simplex

Common name: Common cinquefoil

Plant family: Rosaceae

Native

Field notes: This plant was found on September 17th on the Knowlton Rooftop Garden, this is a flat garden, with a lot of sunlight. The flower has 5 green sepals, 5 yellow petals, 20 stamen.

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Species name: Hesperis matronalis 

Common name: Dame’s violet

Plant family: Brassicaceae

Native

Field notes: This plant was found on September 17th behind Knowlton Hall, in a shady plot of soil by the back sidewalk

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Species name: Liriope muscari

 

Common name: Lily Turf

 

Plant family: Asparagaceae

Not Native – comes from East Asia

 

Field notes: This plant was found on September 17th behind Knowlton Hall, in a shady plot of soil by the back sidewalk. I picked this plant because it was very out of place, the only one of its kind in the patch, and I did not think it was actually planted there