This 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”

This 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.

This 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.

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.

Aster shortii

Short’s aster

Asteraceae

Native

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

Impatiens capensis

Spotted jewelweed

Balsaminaceae

Native

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

• Family: Asteraceae
• Genus/species: Coreopsis lanceolata
• Common name: Lance-leaved Coreopsis
• Native to Ohio
• Identified on September 17th 2014. Lance-leaved Coreopsis was located in an enclosed flower bed on west campus on the east side of Howlett Hall. The flower bed was in an urban and cultivated setting. The soil was mainly composed of topsoil with a mixture of commercial fertilizer. The soil was also covered with a half-inch layer of wood-chips.
• Identifying characteristics include the presence of two large lobes and a central depression between the two lobes on each of the petals in the flower. In addition, the presence of bright yellow flower petals and lance-shaped leaves also contributed greatly to the identification of Coreopsis lanceolata.

•  Family: Asteraceae
• Genus/species: Helenium autumnale 
• Common name: Sneezeweed
• Native to Ohio
• Identified on September 17th 2014. Identified on a shallow bank of the Olentangy River west of the Drake Event Center. Helenium autumnale was found amongst many scattered weeds and grasses. The area also contained many sedimentary rocks and muddy deposits from changes in elevation of the river. The soil was rich with sediment and littered with small rocks. This plant is uniquely three-toothed at the tip of each flower petal.

• Family: Asteraceae
• Genus/species: Eupatorium maculatum
• Common name: Spotted Joe-pye Weed
• Native to Ohio
• Identified on September 17th 2014. Identified in an enclosed flower bed in the southeast corner of the Jennings courtyard. The Eupatorium maculatum is the dominant plant in the flower bed. The soil is composed of topsoil and is littered with small herbaceous weeds around two inches high. There are also small stones (1 cm long) scattered on the surface of the soil. The picture on the left depicts the plant during fruiting season, in late summer and autumn. While the picture on the right depicts the plant during flowering season, in late spring and summer. The plant’s height ranges from three feet to six feet.

Queen Anne’s Lace

Genus/species: Daucus carota
Common Name: Queen Anne’s Lace
Family: Apiaceae, the Parsley family
Identification notes: Flowers have umbel inflorescence and are white in color, usually with one purple floret in the center. They become concave when in fruit. The plant stands 1-3′ high.
Location: dry grassy plain near a small pond. Found on 09/17/2014.

Black-eyed Susan

Genus/species: Rudbeckia serotina
Common Name: Black-eyed Susan
Family: Asteraceae, the compound family
Identification Notes: Flower has head inflorescence with yellow rays and disk is a dark brown/black. Stem leaves are slightly toothed. Both stalk and leaves are bristly and pubescent. The plant stands 1-3′ high.
Location: Dry grassy plain near a small pond. Found on 09/17/2014.

Canada Goldenrod

Genus/species: Solidago canadensis
Common Name: Canada Goldenrod
Family: Asteraceae, the compound family
Identification Notes: Florets yellow. Main stem is smooth near the base and pubescent above. Leaves narrow and lancelate. Leaves margins are serrate. The plant stands 1-5′ high.
Location: Dry grassy gently sloping plain. Found on 09/17/2014.

This plant is of the species Viorna. Commonly known as Clematis.  This plant belongs to the Ranunculaceae family.  Its native status is from China and Japan. This Clematis was pictured on 9/14/14 in my backyard in Green, Ohio. This is shown in a nurtured lawn with several different types of planted trees/plants of many different species.

This is a picture of the species Integrifolia, commonly known as a Petunia. This plant belongs to the Solanaceae family. It’s native status is from South America. This Petunia was pictured on 9/14/14 in my backyard in Green, Ohio. This is shown in a nurtured lawn with several different types of planted trees/plants of many different species.

Chrysanthemum, also known commonly as “Mum,” is from the Asteraceae family. It’s native status is from Asia and Northeast Europe. The mum’s original native status was in China. This mum was pictured on 9/14/14 in my backyard in Green, Ohio. This is shown in a nurtured lawn with several different types of planted trees/plants of many different species. Some characters I used to identify this plant were the simple lobed leafs. I also analyzed the floral composition and noticed the flowers were in the shape of a disk. The center portion of the flower cluster had tubular or disk-like flowers. I also noticed that there were many florets–a small flower or an individual flower within a dense cluster.