Ozark and Ouachita Highlights

Some of you knew that Justin Thomas, Brad Slaughter, Doug Ladd, and I took a spring botany trip to the Ozarks and Ouachitas in late April 2010, and I'd promised that I would post photos both here and at Through Handlens and Binoculars. Below are some of the highlights from our trip.


Our journey certainly started out on the right foot as we visited Victoria Glade near St. Louis on our way to the Ozarks. The highlight at this location was Clematis fremontii, shown above. The genus name Clematis means "a climbing plant," however this species happens to be the only non-vine member of the genus that occurs in Missouri. This species was named in honor of the 19th century American explorer John Charles Fremont.


At Frog Hollow, a property owned in part by Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission Botanist Theo Witsell, we were delighted to see a couple of Cypripedium kentuckiense plants in bloom. This towering lady's slipper (up to 70 cm tall) dwarfs the other members of the genus that I've seen, and has the largest flower of any Cypripedium. The flowers are cream colored and the end of the "slipper" is blunt in shape.


Amsonia hubrichtii is nearly a Ouachita endemic, know from one Ozark county in Arkansas outside of the Ouachitas. It can be found growing on gravel bars and near creeks and streams. We saw three species of Amsonia on our journeys; this one was observed at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area.


The identity of the species above, observed at Dry Lost Creek Glade in Bauxite Natural Areas, is still in question. It would key to Phemeranthus rugospermus, but Theo told us that this is a species new to science that is currently being described. There are several plant species that fit this bill in the Ouachitas. As Justin told us, the Ouachitas are geologically more similar to the Appalachians than they are to the Ozarks. It seems that the Ouachitas were once part of the Appalachian range, but the two ranges have since been geographically separated. This geographical and genetic separation has led to speciation occurring in the isolated Ouachitas. There are still many species new to science to be described in this part of the United States.


At Camp Road Shale Barrens, we saw Valerianella longiflora, shown above. The flowers of this cornsalad have a pinkish tinge and, as the Latin name implies, a long corolla tube. A species endemic to Arkansas and Olkahoma, Longtube Cornsalad grows in rocky glades and open woodlands. This was one of four species of Valerianella that we saw on our trip.


One of our target species in the open woodlands surrounding the Shut-in Mountain Fens in Shannon County, Missouri was Nemastylis geminiflora, pictured above. The flowers of this species open before noon and close before sundown. After leaving Shut-in Mountain, we stopped at a roadside glade and found more Prairie Pleatleaf, but the flowers had already closed as dusk was approaching. Nemastylis geminiflora is found in woodlands, prairies, glades, and pastures in the southern United States from Kansas and Texas to Tennessee and Alabama.


Justin and Brad had both seen Trillium pusillum var. ozarkanum before, but this was my first personal experience with this species. We found it near Winona, Missouri, growing more densely in the mowed roadside than in the surrounding forest. Ozark Wakerobin is only known to occur in five states: Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. As seen in the photo, the flowers of this species are on pedicels, placing it in subgenus Trillium (the sessile-flowered species are placed in subgenus Phyllantherum).


Astragalus crassycarpus var. trichocalyx was one of my target species on the trip, and I wasn't disappointed when we found it. Groundplum Milkvetch is found in the central United States from Illinois to Texas. The first part of the common name refers to the edible fruit that look like plums. This member of the family Fabaceae grows in glades, prairies, and rocky open woods. We found Buffalo Pea, as it is also known, at Spurgeon Hollow in the lower Ozarks of Missouri.


Another Astragalus that was on my trip wish list was Astragalus distortus var. engelmannii, shown above. This diminutive milkvetch grows on limestone and shale glades in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. We saw this species on shale barrens at Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area.


The genus Lonicera often gets a bad rap, and generally for good reason. With so many non-native and invasive species of honeysuckle choking out our woods, it's easy to despise the entire group of species. However, there are also native and very attractive honeysuckles around, and we saw two of them, both vines, on our trip. Above is Lonicera flava, and below is Lonicera sempervirens, both observed at several of the sites we visited. It amazes me that these species are not more commonly used as native landscaping plants.


We also saw four species of Tradescantia, including the widespread Bluejacket (Tradescantia ohiensis, not shown).


The spiderwort above, Tradescantia longipes, was one of my targets on the trip, and we found it in bloom in dry woods at Spurgeon Hollow. Wild Crocus, as it is known, is endemic to Missouri and Arkansas. Unlike most other members of the genus, the leaves of this Tradescantia are basal.


The spiderwort that we observed most frequently on our excursion was Tradescantia ernestiana, pictured above. Ernest's Spiderwort is known from the southcentral United States, from Texas to Alabama. We found it growing most commonly in wooded situations, often on ledges and bluffs, but occasionally also in open habitats and on roadsides.


Another of my target species on this trip, shown above, was Tradescantia hirsuticaulis, and we found it in bloom at Frog Hollow. The hirsute stem for which it is named is one of the characters used to distinguish Hairystem Spiderwort from similar species. This species grows on glades and in open woods from Oklahoma to South Carolina.

If you're not bored yet and want to see more photos and hear more about our trip, click here and here.

Trillies, Lilies, and the Rest of the Bunch

I've been so busy this spring that I haven't had much time to get out and botanize. This past Tuesday evening, I visited property of friends of ours just northeast of Potato Creek State Park in St. Joseph County, Indiana. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough daylight for me to take photos at that time. Today, Lindsay, Bootypants, and I went back to this mesic upland forest to snap some shots.

Trillium recurvatum.

Trillium grandiflorum.

Erythronium americanum. Very few individuals of this species still had flowers; most had dropped petals and were developing fruit.

Arisaema triphyllum.

Asarum canadense. I'd never noticed the white portion of the inside of the calyx.

Claytonia virginica.

Dicentra cucullaria.

Enemion biternatum.

Phlox divaricata. The best I can tell, this is ssp. divaricata, with notched petals. Unfortunately, the references I've seen say that the unnotched variety/subspecies sometimes has notched petals, and vice versa.

Phlox divaricata ssp. laphamii. Notice the unnotched petals. The two varieties apparently overlap near the Indiana-Illinois state line, with ssp. divaricata more eastern and ssp. laphamii more western.

Viola pubescens.

Many other species were blooming, but I missed seeing the earliest species (Sanguinaria canadensis, Erigenia bulbosa, etc.) in Indiana this year.

Additional photos can be found at Through Handlens and Binoculars by clicking here.

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) and Nursery Web Spider

The elongated spurs of our beloved Dutchman’s Breeches sometimes carry a pinkish tinge, as shown below. Fernald mentioned a forma “purpuritincta” with “calyx deep purple and the corolla pink, deep orange at the flexure.” This doesn’t seem to be that form, but it’s worth watching for, even though formae don’t usually carry a lot of taxonomic significance. Imagine you’re a little bee buzzing in for a landing on the upper flower… Everything seems OK, right?...

The second picture shows the same plant from a different angle, where a small Nursery Web Spider waits for its prey. Interestingly, I did not see the spider when taking the photos. If I was a bee, Shelob would be having me for dinner.

More photos of Dutchman’s Breeches, for those who, like me, can never grow tired of seeing and photographing this curious little plant!

The question is not what you look at, but what you see. Henry David Thoreau Journal, 1851.

ID This - A Correct Quiz Answer

I recently posted the following photo as a plant quiz...


Some of the guesses included Boehmeria cylindrica, Urtica dioica (or maybe Laportea canadensis), and Pilea pumila. None of these were correct, but what do they all have in common? They are all in the family Urticaceae. When I first saw this plant, I was convinced it was in the family Urticaceae, but nothing fit. As I was about to give up until I could see a more mature specimen, I thought... man, those leaves look like mulberry. Then it hit me that there was an herbaceous, non-native mulberry that I had never seen. I looked up Fatoua villosa, Mulberry Weed, and sure enough, it was a perfect fit. Interestingly, this species was once known as Urtica villosa.


This is Fatoua villosa, Mulberry Weed, or Hairy Crabweed (Moraceae). It was introduced in the United States from east Asia as recently as the 1960s. First found in Louisiana, it has rapidly spread throughout the southeastern United States, pushing north into Indiana and Ohio; it has also been recorded in California and Washington. Much of its spread has been attributed to the horticultural trade, where it persists as a weed in greenhouses.


In many of the northern locations for this plant, it has been found more commonly inside greenhouses. Only very recently (1991 in Ohio) has this species been observed outside of greenhouses in the northern extent of its range.


Mulberry weed is an annual that continuously produces an abundance of seeds from the time it is a very small plant until it reaches a maximum height of up to 80 cm. When mature, the seeds are "explosively expelled," according to Flora of North America.


Watch for this weed around greenhouses, in waste areas, and in disturbed sites as it continues its northward expansion.

Congratulations, Justin and Susan, for correctly identifying the plant in this plant quiz.

Plant Quiz

Location - Southeastway Park, Indianapolis, IN, mesic woodland.
Growing with dog-tooth violets, harbinger-of-spring, spring beauties, and bloodroot in a Beech/Maple woods.

The land of flowers 2

I am working at getting a handle on the plants I am seeing at work. Sometimes, the desire, effort, or time is lacking while I am working, but putting the photos online helps me get better at paying attention.
Hypoxis juncea - Yellow stargrass
In the dry prairie at Myakka River State Park.

Lyonia lucida
In the dry prairie with blueberries at Myakka River State Park.

Nuttallanthus (formerly Linaria)- probably floridanus or canadensis.
This flower was growing profusely throughout cattle pastures and along roadsides.

Sisyrinchium - Blue-eyed Grass from Sarasota County, FL. Feel free to ID, I'll try to key later. I tried for several days to get the camera focus on these guys.

Salvia lyrata - Lyreleaf Sage
I did not see many individuals of this flower blooming yet.

Hypericum from Manatee County, FL. Feel free to take a shot at ID. Sorry for the incomplete ID.

Emilia fosbergii - Florida Tasselflower
This 'weed' was growing very commonly in sandy margins of ag fields in Manatee County.

Fumaria officinalis - drug fumitory
Growing very weedy in a disturbed site in Hillsborough County. I thought it was a Corydalis at first.

Northern Indiana Update

Upon returning home to northern Indiana from sunny and green Florida, I was hopeful that spring had arrived in my absence. Not the case, but at least there's no snow! I haven't been out botanizing, but the only plant in bloom on our property is Acer saccharinum (Silver Maple).

Some flowers of Acer saccharinum are perfect, but others are fully pistillate (like those above) or fully staminate (like some of those shown below).

The land of flowers

It is fun to see things blooming again. I am sure there will be more pictures as I get a chance to process things.
Bidens alba - Romerillo

Lindernia grandiflora - Savannah False Pimpernel

Asimina incana - Pawpaw
It is very cool to find out that there are other pawpaws out there in the world.

Vaccinium myrsinites - Shiny Blueberry

Gelsemium sempervirens - Evening Trumpetflower
This native is so prolific that it seems like an invasive. The flowers are gorgeous.

Houstonia procumbens - Roundleaf Bluet
Blooming at Hillsborough River State Park

JT Reporting from Southern Missouri

Spring Peepers are going gang-busters. Last weekend I saw Thlaspi perfoliata in bloom and yesterday Lamium amplexicaule. The Phoebes that insist on nesting on my porch are back and staking their claims. More warm weather on the way!

A Green River Drainage Endemic

I recently posted about Aquilegia barnebyi, a species endemic to the Green River Drainage in Utah and Colorado, on Through Handlens and Binoculars.


Click here to find out more about this species and the unique lake around which we saw it growing.