Plant Quiz - Answer

I recently posted the following plant quiz...

 

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Anyone able to ID this plant from what is shown in this photograph? 

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There were several good guesses, and BOUCUR got the genus correct (Valeriana), but no one figured out the species.  Here is what it would have looked like in flower...

This is Valeriana uliginosa (Marsh Valerian), a species of fens primarily in the Great Lakes region. Because of its rarity, V. uliginosa is a species of conservation concern in most of the states in which it occurs.  In the quiz photo, the "plumose pappus-like" structures are actually the calyx lobes, which are inrolled when the plant is in flower and expanded when it goes to fruit. 

Plant Quiz Solved - Large-flowered Valerian!

Good Call, A.L. and M.Y.O.Q. It is Valeriana pauciflora. It is interesting to note that “pauciflora” means few-flowered, but the common name is Large-flowered Valerian. This native plant has a limited distribution in North America, but can be locally abundant where it occurs. Maps on the USDA Plants database seem to show that Indiana has more known locations than other states in the plant’s limited range. These were abundant in low, rich woods along the Salamonie River in the Kokiwanee Nature Preserve, Wabash County, Indiana.

Do you recognize this plant? Without seeing leaves, identification is much more challenging. Feel free to name it or just take a guess! It was growing in shaded, wet woods.