Quiz, Yo! Answer, Yo!

I recently posted the following plant quiz...
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What is it?


I will even provide you with a hint on this one... it is not Thismia americana.


Good luck!
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Thank you, Anonymous, for ending this excruciating quiz!


Anonymous answered correctly. This is, in fact, Kuhnia eupatorioides, now known as Brickellia eupatorioides.


Brickellia eupatorioides, commonly known as False Boneset, is a species found throughout much of the United States in prairies and open woodlands of varying soil types. The species has been divided into six varieties, but some botanists do not consider these varieties to be distinct.


Congratulations, Anonymous!

Prophetstown Fen Spiranthes

Last Saturday I attended an INPAWS field trip to Prophetstown State Park near Lafayette, IN.

The focus of the field trip was to see the fen, which I had never been to. The park is fairly new and not too far away, so it is worth a visit. Most of the park is restored/planted prairie. The prairie is a little lacking in diversity, but the Big Bluestem was impressive. The fen was to the left of the Sycamore stand in the background. The field trip had a good turnout, despite the sprinkles. I was happy to see a fen.

I found this Spiranthes orchid while venturing out to identify a tree. (It turned out to be a Persimmon.) There were several around. I believe that this is Spiranthes cernua, since it has a larger lip, multi-ranked flowers, and nodding flowers.

I love close-up views of Spiranthes. This is the same flower as the photo above. The flower was on a stalk that was at least 18 inches.

This Spiranthes was in the same fen, but quite a ways from the first orchid. This was near the open marl run that had a lot of wonderful fen species like Grass-of-Parnassus and Purple False Foxglove blooming. I believe that this is Spiranthes ovalis, since it is on a slender stem with small flowers, a lip that is less than 5mm, it wasn't flowering in the spring, it didn't have a green center, and the flowers were arranged in three ranks.

Close-up of the S. ovalis. According to Orchids of Indiana by Homoya, this is primarily a southern Indiana species that occurs further north along the Wabash River. It is supposed to prefer partial shade, which was not the case here, but it was in calcareous soil.

Aster novae-angliae, skippers and bees

Common in the Midwest, New England Aster is extremely attractive to insects, especially skippers and bees. The larger butterfly is probably a Silver-Spotted Skipper. If anyone could identify the others, that would be wonderful.

"The delicate tremble of a butterfly’s wings in my hand, the soft petals of violets curling in the cool folds of their leaves or lifting sweetly out of the meadow grass, the clear firm outline of face and limb, the smooth arch of a horse’s neck and the velvety tough of his nose – all these, and a thousand resultant combinations, which take shape in my mind, constitute my world." Helen Keller

Forkin' Aster

Until last week, the only place I had ever seen Aster furcatus (or Eurybia furcata, if you choose to split Aster) was in Warren County, Indiana. I can now add Porter County, Indiana to my list of sites for Forked Aster (or The Forkin' Aster, as I prefer to call it). Unlike many of our state-listed species in Indiana, Aster furcatus is truly a rare plant, known only from Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, and considered a species of conservation concern in all of these states. There are also apparently historic records of the species from Arkansas.


Aster furcatus is considered globally rare or uncommon (G3), and as of 1991, there were less than 50 known populations of this species in existence.


Why is The Forkin' Aster so rare? One explanation could be that it is thought to be self-incompatible. This may be changing, though... more recent research has shown that Aster furcatus is developing self-compatibility, supposedely in response to its existence in small populations.


Another reason why it is so rare may be loss of habitat, in part from succession. Aster furcatus is said to be somewhat shade intolerant. It is a calciphile that is often found on north-facing slopes, along streams, and in seepy areas. It is also found in areas with some disturbance, including along railroads and woodland edges.


As seen in the photograph above, Aster furcatus spreads rhizomatously and forms colonies. This lack of genetic diversity could be yet another reason for its rarity.

Name That Plant - Aster lanceolatus var. hirsuticaulis

I recently posted the following plant quiz...

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This one probably isn't for the faint of botanical heart. I've included several photos to hopefully give someone enough to come up with the name of this plant. Tony shouldn't participate by providing an answer, as he was with me when we saw this plant in Douglas County, Wisconsin. Good luck!

Underside of leaf

Top of leaf

Leaf venation

Stem and leaves

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Below are a couple of additional photographs of this plant.

The best that I can tell, this is Aster lanceolatus var. hirsuticaulis, a hairy-stemmed variety of Aster lanceolatus. Aside from the fairly densely pubescent stem and pubescent leaf undersides, this variety looks like Aster lanceolatus var. lanceolatus. I have only ever seen this hairy-stemmed variety in Douglas County, Wisconsin, though it is said to occur also in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota, as well as in Ontaria and Manitoba.


Anonymous had guessed Aster lanceolatus ssp. hesperius, a more western species that ranges east into Wisconsin. The stems of this species are said in Flora of North America to be "glabrous or at most hairy in lines." In addition, the flowering heads of this species are subtended by large leaf-like bracts, and the outer phyllaries are 2/3 as long as the inner ones (versus 1/3 to 2/3 as long as the inner ones in A. lanceolatus var. hirsuticaulis). Without the last two photos that I've posted, you wouldn't have been able to see these floral characters.

Nice job to all who made guesses, as all were very close and my photos weren't that good.

Bleached Blazing Stars

You often will find botanists and wildflower enthusiasts doing flips and cartwheels in the field when chance brings them to plants with petals of a pigment that differs from the norm for a given species. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it is pretty exciting to find "forma" that are not as common as the typical species.

Last weekend, I led a field trip at Pine Station and Clark and Pine Nature Preserves in Northwest Indiana for Shirley Heinze Land Trust. A common species in the panne and swale communities is Liatris spicata, which normally has pinkish-purple flower heads clustered in a wand-like spike.


We were lucky enough to also see the white-flowered form of this species, Liatris spicata forma albiflora.


Also locally common in the drier sand at these sites is Liatris cylindracea, which normally has an open inflorescence of lavender-pink flower heads.


Lo and behold, we stumbled upon Liatris cylindracea forma bartelii, which has stark white disc flowers.


I never grow tired of seeing Liatris and the many insect species that visit them in their natural habitats, but it is even more of a thrill to see the white needle in the amethyst haystack once in a while.

Spiranthes romanzoffiana

I had Scott help me with the ID. The lip was more than 5.5 mm, and the pubescence of inflorescence was capitate. I kept missing the fiddle-shaped lip, not knowing quite what that looks like. That kept taking me to S. cernua.







This orchid was growing along a dry trail border in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario.

Plant Quiz Solved - Oxalis violacea, Violet Wood Sorrel

Rats - I was hoping to stump the botanists! Good call, Scott. Yes, it's a remontant bloom of Oxalis violacea wihout leaves. In fact, if you zoom in on the picture, you can see oxalate deposits at the tips of the sepals on unopened flowers. These can also be seen in the notch on the emarginate leaflets when they are present. I would like to know if remontant bloom on this plant is always scapose (a flowering scape without leaves).

The plants are flowering at Fred Rose Park in Hobart, Indiana, where Sandy O'Brien is doing an EXCELLENT job of restoring the savannah with prescribed burns. Two of these plants were discovered on a dry clay slope in partial sun. Photographed on 8-12-2010.

Plant Quiz - Aralia hispida

Full plant view
Growing on the granite shores of the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron

At least I think I know the family ;)

River Scenes and Plant Quiz

Some of you know that I spend a lot of time on beautiful rivers in “the land of sky blue water,” northern Wisconsin.
When I see a river purling beside me I always wonder where it’s going, and where it comes from.

I wonder what kinds of fish live in it, and what wonderful plants grow on its islands and forested slopes.

I wonder what it looked like when the early Frenchmen plied its waters. Did the Indians travel this water? Did they fish here and leave arrowheads and spearpoints on the bottom?

Now I must admit that I’ve been misleading. While the statements are true, the photos are not from the northwoods at all (I never said they were!). You may have noticed the absence of birch, white pine, balsam fir and other favorites of the north country. The photos were taken within the city limits of South Bend, Indiana, along the St. Joseph River. No kidding. They’re just snapshots from a point and shoot camera which rarely records the color of the sky correctly.

The city recently completed a multi-use path that follows the west side of the river from Darden Road all the way to Angela Drive. The opposite shoreline is mostly undeveloped – part of it is an Izaac Walton preserve, and most belongs to St. Mary’s College. The city plans to extend the path soon and connect with Mishawaka’s Riverwalk.

Projects like this enhance the quality of life for city dwellers and anyone who visits. Many people use the path for walking, jogging and biking, and it’s common to see canoes, kayaks, and fishing boats going about their merry way on the river. Occasional fishermen (and women) try their luck along the shore. Admittedly, the river is not pristine and pure along this stretch after passing through Elkhart and Mishawaka, and carrying away their (treated) effluent. Even so, the city officials of South Bend and Mishawaka are to be commended for making an effort to improve the quality of life for everyone by making it easier to get outside and get active in a scenic place. The views of the river are surprisingly nice, and they make one wonder if it looked much different in the days of LaSalle, Coquillard, and Navarre.

Finally, since this is a botany blog, here’s a grass that was growing along the path. It has a distinctive look, even before flowering. Can you name it?

Flowers? Heck, where have all the BOTANISTS gone?

Professional botanists and ecologist throughout the United States were sent a questionnaire last year regarding the state of botanical study and practice at the academic and applied levels. Having all but forgotten the survey, I was surprised to find a synopsis of the report in the most recent issue of the Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter. The article directs readers to the full report at the following web address:

http://www.bgci.org/files/UnitedStates/BCAPReportInBriefGov.pdf

I thought this might be an interesting forum (via comments) to discuss the results. So, what do you think? And, more importantly, what does it all mean?

It's A Purple Platanthera Party...

... and you're all invited!

On Thursday morning, on a tip from Derek Nimetz of Indiana Department of Natural Resources - Division of Nature Preserves, Tony and I swung by a site in Lake County, Indiana to find Platanthera psycodes, Small Purple Fringed-Orchid, in bloom. We certainly were not disappointed!


Then, on Saturday afternoon at the Goose Pond Biodiversity Survey in Greene County, Indiana, on a tip from Kirk Roth, I had the opportunity to see the other purple Platanthera in Indiana, Platanthera peramoena, Purple Fringeless-Orchid. (For more information on the results of the Goose Pond Biodiversity Survey, visit my blog entry at Through Handlens and Binoculars.)


It is difficult to argue the attractiveness of either of these purple beauties. Although both are found in Indiana, Platanthera psycodes is found primarily in the northern tier of counties, whereas Platanthera peramoena primarily inhabits counties in the southern half of the state. The habitat in which these two similar looking species grow is also quite different. As Keith pointed out in his post about a year ago, P. psycodes is found in forested seep wetlands, along springy streams, in wet prairies, and in bogs; in Indiana, it nearly always is associated with groundwater-fed wetlands. Conversely, P. peramoena grows most commonly in floodplains and uplands, though it can sometimes be found along ditches, ponds, or lakes. When found in forested areas, as it sometimes is, the plants are spindly and the flowers are a paler color. However, it is often found looking very healthy in open areas that have resulted from disturbance.

These two purple Platanthera are sometimes confused for one another, but if habitat and location weren't enough, taking a close look at the flowers can quickly provide a correct identification.


The photograph above shows the flower of Small Purple Fringed-Orchid; by looking at the lip, you can see where it gets its name. In addition, psycodes means "butterfly," apparently a reference to the shape of the flowers.


The photograph above shows the flower of Purple Fringeless-Orchid. It kind of looks like some loving Saturday morning cartoon character, doesn't it? Although the lip can be erose in this species, it is not fringed as in Platanthera psycodes. Coincidentally, peramoena means "very loving," referring to the beautiful inflorescense.

I hope you've enjoyed this brief Purple Platanthera Party. If you haven't had enough, get out there and find them for yourself! Photographs do not do justice to the elegance of these species.


Reference:
Homoya, M. (1993). Orchids of Indiana. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science.

Plant Quiz=Panicum flexile

A plant quiz is far from overdue.

The ability to identify grasses without fertile material is not for the faint of heart and is one of the most challenging (and ignored) aspects of floristic botany. Most species can readily be identified by their leaves, sheaths, ligules, stems, pubescence, habit and habitat. Familiarity is the key.

Since this is especially challenging, I'll add a new clue each day until someone gets it right. Good luck!