ID Trees

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Tiarella Cordifolia, Foamflower

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Epipremnum aureum, Golden Pothos

Epipremnum Aureum, also known as Devils Ivy, is native to the Solomon Islands featuring an attractive foliage making it a most common house plant. Its heart shaped leaves are waxy green with splashes of yellow or white streaks, which can grow up to 4″ white stretching out up to 4′-15′. Devils Ivy can be easily grown in a pot containing well-draining soil, although it does prefer peated mix. Make sure to water epipremnum aureum especially if it is in bright light, however over watering can lead to rotting, pest and disease problems. 

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Phytolacca americana, Poke Weed

Poke Weed is a aggressive perennial shrub with a strong taproot that is native to Eastern & Southeastern United States.  Despite this plants striking appearance, it is dismissed merely as a weed. Growing up to 8 feet tall, branching regularly the plant features reddish-purple stems with large green leaves. The leaves are considered poisonous but must be cooked and even then it is best to change the water once. They are used like spinach. Only the young leaves should be used since they become toxic with age but these practices can not be recommended. Once the small white flowers fade away, these carpels develop into fruits. When mature, they become dark purple and rather shiny on the surface, containing reddish purple juice. The berries are especially poisonous but are edible for several birds. Beware, when damaged this plant exudes a bitter rank odor.

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Andropogon Gerardii, Big Bluestem

Big Bluestem is the star component of the Big Four native grass species that characterize the tallgrass prairies of central North America.This robust, warm-season bunchgrass requires full sun and can be easily grown in average, dry to medium soils but thrives in moist, fertile soils.

It may be grown as an ornamental grass because of its attractive foliage which changes color seasonally, its good architectural height and its interesting flower/seed heads. This grass develops an extensive root system and is somewhat slow to establish, but, once established, has excellent drought tolerance and is easy to maintain. It can still get quite aggressive when its established in a favorable, undisturbed location.

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Joe pye Weed, Eutrochium purpureum

Joe pye Weed is a tall conspicuous perennial with outstanding ornamental attributes. Belonging to the Astaraceae family, it is native to Eastern and Central North America and found in moist prairies, wood edge, and wooden slopes within its states. Easily grown in average, medium moisture soils in full sun to part shade but prefers moist, fertile, humusy soils. It’s vanilla scented inflorescence attract birds and butterflies. The flowers bloom during the early summer to fall and produces large compounded inflorescences that can range from white, pinkish- purple or dust rose reaching 5 to 7 feet.

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Canada Anemone, Anemone canadensis

Family: Ranunculaceae

Description:

Anmenone is herbaceous plant that produces tiny white flowers (2″) that grows in large colonies along river margins, river floods, low moist meadows, ditches and moist thickets. It prefers moist, hummusy soil in part shade. Put can tolerate full sun in cool summers. Beware, the plant can be aggressive.

Genus name is often said to be derived from the Greek word anemos meaning wind. However, Canada anemone is a species that actually prefers a site protected from wind since strong winds can bend or break the thin flowerstalks.

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Penstemon digitalis, Smooth White Beardtongue

This clump forming wildflower is a herbaceous perennial that is native to the Eastern/South Eastern parts of North America. It can grow up to 3′-5′ feet in full/partial sun. Does well in average to dry soils as long as it is well drained. This flower attracts long tongued bees such as honeybees, bumblebees, mason bees ect.. As well as hummingbirds and butterflies.

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Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi, Common Bearberry

Family: Ericaceae

This ground cover is a native hugger to northern parts of North America, Europe and Asia. Grown in acidic, dry to medium, well drained soils in full sun but can be grown in poor infertile soils, and can be drought tolerant once established. Its obovate evergreen leaves are dark green on top and pale green on the bottom producing white to pink flowers in the Spring. Its red berries rippen in the fall and can remain through out the winter creating interest along with its bronze leaves. 

Its fruits are edible by humans but are not found very desirable. However, birds love them. 

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Monarda Fistulosaa, Wild bergamot

Family: Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

Thus aromatic herbaceous perennial grows clusters of clusters of lavender, pink or white flowers, looking like ragged pompoms, bloom atop 2-5 ft., open-branched stems. The flowers are two-lipped tubular flowers appear in dense, globular, solitary, terminal heads atop square stems. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. The toothed, aromatic, oblong, grayish-green leaves (to 4") smell minty and may be used in teas. Long summer bloom period.

Powdery mildew can be a significant problem with the monardas, particularly in crowded gardens with poor air circulation.

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Eucalyptus deglupta, Rainbow Eucalyptus

Common Name: Rainbow eucalyptus, Mindanao gum, rainbow gum

Family: Myrtaceae

Description

Eucalyptus deglupta, commonly called Mindanao gum or rainbow eucalyptus, is a very large, fast-growing, broadleaved evergreen tree that is native to moist humid tropical forested areas with high rainfall in New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippine Islands (Island of Mindanao). It is the only eucalyptus tree that is indigenous to the northern hemisphere.

This distinctive tree has a unique multi-hued bark featuring hues of blue, purple, orange and maroon. These colorful streaks are formed by the trees peeling process- in which patches of outer bark are shed annually at different times, exposing a new bright green inner bark. As it ages, the bark’s hues change creating those vertical hued streaks.

This tree has acuminate, lance-shaped (6in) leaves that are aromatic when crushed and produce white tiny flowers that bloom at various times during the year depending on its location.

The tree is a source of hardwood timber. It is used for particleboard, boats, construction lumber, plywood, and many other options. This tree has been used to help reforest areas recently devastated by volcanic activity, landslides, or human deforestation.  It thrives in rich, medium to wet soil in full sun and is intolerant of frost.

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Maranta Leauconeura (var. erythroneura), Prayer Plant

Common Name: Prayer Plant

Family: Marantaceae

Description:

Mostly known as a house plant, Maranta Leauceura is a tropical evergreen perennial, native to Brazil. Many ornamental varieties have been developed. My favorite (var. erythroneura) can be identified by its oval shaped dark leaves that can range from green and/or dark green with red/pink veins the alternate in the center.

It is commonly called prayer plant due to its leaves, which lay flat during the day but at night, close upward resembling praying hands. It performs well in a soil based potting mix with bright indoor light but no direct sunlight. Because it is a tropical plant, it likes humidity and moisture. It does not like temperatures below 60 degrees making it intolerant to frost and soil should be kept moist through the spring and summer, slightly drier in winter. It may be grown outdoors in sheltered areas in moist, hummus, well drained soils with part/full shade.

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Lobelia Siphilitica, Blue Cardinal Flower

Family: Campanulaceae

Common Name: Great Lobelia, Tall Blue Lobelia, Virginia Bellflower, Vomit Root

Blue cardinal flower is a clump-forming perennial which features light to dark blue, tubular, 2-lipped flowers during the late summer. Each flower is split into two lips - the upper lip has two segments while the lower lip has three - and erect on the 2-3 ft leafy stem. This plant is effective near ponds and streams as it needs constant moisture. It is easily grown in rich, humusy, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade but will adapt to drier conditions with more shade.

The blooms entice bees, hummingbirds and butterflies

Blue Cardinal Flower is friends with sedges like bur sedge cattail sedges and palm sedges. Also, Joe pie weeds and turtleheads.

Trivia

The unfortunate species name, siphilitica, is based on the fact that it was a supposed cure for syphilis.

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Diervilla lonicera, Northern Bush Honeysuckle

Common Names: Low bush honeysuckle, dwarf bush honeysuckle, or yellow-flowered upright honeysuckle

Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family)

Description:

This honeysuckle is a great shrub for those difficult dry, shaded areas. This small, mound-shaped shrub will spread to form thickets over time, making it a good choice for massing, hedgerows or shrub borders since It spreads somewhat aggressively by rhizomes. Its foliage is dense, dark green that turns yellow-orange, then red to purple in the autumn. The color will be more dramatic on plantings that receive more sunlight.

The flowers, which turn reddish in color as they mature, attract butterflies and other pollinators The fruit capsules are desirable to many songbirds, autumn through winter. It is drought tolerant and adapts easily to poor, rocky soils.

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Cecropia Peltata, Trumpet Tree

Common Names: Tropical Trumpet Tree, Snakewood

Description:

Cecropia Peltata is a fast growing evergreen tree that can reach up 20 meters or more, with slender trunks as thin as 20 inches and a narrow/thin crown. Its leaves are large U-shaped, that are deep lobed, ovate to palmate and scabrous above with felty white underneath.

Habitat:

Cecropia Peltata is identified on the Global Invasive Species Database as one of the ‘worst 100’ invasive species. This species got its common name from it’s hollow branches and leaf petioles which are cut and used as blow tubes or trumpets. It is found in moist tropical and sub-tropical regions often in steep slopes, alongside riverbanks, agricultural sites, lava flows, forest canopy gaps, and other disturbed areas as it rapidly invades. C. Peltata needs high rainfall and humidity. As well as high light levels for seed germination to occur. It can grow on neutral to acidic soils, and in a range of soil textures but clay soils are preferable. It is not tolerant to frost and shade.

Agroforestry Uses: The branches and leaf petioles of Cecropia species are often hollow and can harbour stinging ants. The trees attract the ants by means of producing a honey-like sap and the ants respond by working to keep the tree free of leaf-eating pests - which can include humans

Cultivated Uses: The fruit is eaten raw, with a sweet and jelly-like flesh. The inner bark of young branches yields very tough fibre used for socks, ropes, and cordage. Latex from the trunk is used to make a crude type of rubber. The leaves, on the other hand, are used as a type of sandpaper because of its rough texture

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Alpinia purpurata, Pink Cone Ginger

Family: Zingiberaceae

Common Names: red ginger, fire ginger, ostrich plume, pine cone ginger.

Description:

This plant is a tall, upright, herbaceous, evergreen. It grows in shrub like form, up to 3-15 feet. It’s evergreen foliage are long sheaths measuring up to 12-32 ft inches long and 4-9 inches wide with a pointed apex. Most people assume that the flower is a spiked inflorescence with long bracts overlapping forming a cone or funnel like shape that can grow up to 6-12 inches long. But the flower is actually small, ¼ inches, white which the bracts subtend.

Habitat:

Pink Cone Ginger grows best in tropical climates as it prefers rich soils and wet habitats with well drained soils or else problems occur. Soil must be kept moist. It also grows best in full sun but can grow in partial sun and shade. Pink Cone Ginger is not tolerant of temperatures below 50 F, as it does not allow the bracts and flowers to grow to its fullest potential. It also is not salt/wind or drought tolerant.

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Heliconia Rostrata, Lobster-Claw

Common Names: Hanging Lobster Claw, False Bird of Paradise, Crab Claw, Hanging Heliconia

Family: Heliconiaceae

Description:

Heliconias are clump forming herbaceous perennials which can grow up to15 feet and whose cup shaped flowers store water for birds and insects. However, Heliconia Rostrata has downward facing flowers which provides a source of nectar for birds. Rostrata means "beaked", in reference to the bracts' resemblance to a parrot's beak. The flowers hang in showy clusters that emerge from second year stalks. They are enclosed by bracts that can range from 8 to 35 sections. The bracts are red at base, yellow at the tip, with a green edge, 10 cm long.

Habitat:

Ideal heliconia growing conditions are humid and warm, similar to a tropical rainforest, however, this species is also a little more tolerant to cooler temperatures than the rest and can be grown in temperatures as low as 15 c. Best to be in sheltered areas because strong winds can shred the leaves. Also, height will tend to increase if the plant is subjected to shade.

[ispeakjibberish]

Oklahoma State Flower!

Phoradendron Serotinum, Mistletoe

Family: Vicaceae

An evergreen shrub parasitic on trees. Widely used in the United States as a Christmas decoration. Stems smooth, green, brittle. Leaf blades thick, leathery, roughly elliptic, up to 2 inches long and 1 1/8 inches wide, with smooth margins, a rounded tip, and tapered base. Plants male or female, easily distinguished in winter by shiny, white berries 3/16 inch wide on the female, and spikes of greenish yellow flowers on the male. Especially common on Sugar Hackberry