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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
January Botany + Plant Quiz
Of course, working on tree bud and bark identification this time of year is fun and all, but it still makes me want a little green. So I decided to see what was green and herbaceous at my local (Central Indiana) woods. Here is a selection of eight that I found. Some of these plants I am pretty sure of, some I think I know, and some I have no clue and would appreciate any help. (Although time should tell.)
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5 comments:
Wow... no snow?
Here are my thoughts...
1. Ranunculus recurvatus
2. Geum canadense
3. Carex plantaginea? Maybe C. albursina, but I can't see the base of the plant... the leaves look a bit wrinkled like I normally see C. plantaginea
4. Osmorhiza longistylis (could be O. claytonii)
5. Caltha palustris (if not this, I'd go with Cardamine bulbosa or C. douglasii... I have confused the two as seedlings in the past)
6. Botrychium dissectum
7. Hesperis matronalis
8. Not sure... Allium sp.?
1. At first I was thinking Mitella diphylla, but its winter leaf has more of a Red Maple shape. Ranunculus recurvatus sounds better.
2. Agreed.
3. I agree it's probably one of those two. C. plantaginea often has more leaves, though, and often (but not always) a yellowish shade of green. And it's purple at the base - Scott alluded to that.
4. Agreed. One of those two Osmorhiza's.
5. I was thinking it could only be one of those two Cardamines, not knowing Caltha palustris seedlings looked like that. Good to know!
6. Also known as the outlandishly variable Botrychium dissectum.
7. Huh. Good to know. I've seen that in winter but never knew what it was.
8. I see an Allium that looks like that frequently in places like Potato Creek, in woods. I don't recall ever seeing it in flower or fruit.
I wanna play...
1. Agree with Scott and Keith.
2. Agree
3. I like C. albursina best.
4. Agree
5. Given the geographical range and habitat requirements of Caltha palustris, I would have to say that this is very, very likely Cardamine douglasii. Cardamine bulbosa babies look more like Barbarea basals.
6. Agree. This would have been considered B. dissectum var. obliquum, but that entities has been debunked (as we all know).
7. Agree. Only a champ like Scott Namestnik would know Hesperis matronalis at this stage.
8. I would put money on this being A. canadense. Those wads of greenery are likely last years cluster of bulblets.
That is a great format for a quiz, Ben. When our snow melts, I'm going to follow suit.
1. I had no clue about this one. I'll have to watch it mature. I am sure you are right.
3. I'll check the base of the plant. G&C says that C. plantaginea is a characteristic plant of beech/maple forests, which seems to fit more than their description for C. albursina.
5. I think C. douglasii makes the most sense with this woods. These are very attractive seedlings.
7. That makes sense! It had the right seed pods for that and is very frequent in the disturbed part of the woods. Thanks.
#3: In my experience, both sedges are regular elements of the Beech-Maple community. Carex albursina, White Bear Sedge, was named for its abundance around White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It's certainly the easiest sedge to remember: the pistillate scales are white, and so short that they do little to conceal the perigynia, leaving them partially naked. White...Bare...Sedge!!
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