every day a plant (sometimes)

This is an attempt to learn the flora of Virginia and Ohio.

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thermopsideae

Ohio has 75 species in Faboideae (the Pea subfamily) - their flowers typically have the distinctive banner, wings, and keel.

There are 2 species in Thermopsideae (the Golden Pea tribe) in Ohio - 2 Baptisia species. Baptisia tinctoria (yellow false indigo) Baptisia australis (blue false indigo) (FACU)

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caesalpinioideae

Ohio has two species in Caesalpinioideae (the Caesalpinia subfamily). I didn't think the description of the flowers in this subfamily really matched what I was seeing. The leaves are variable. There are 5 genera in this subfamily in Ohio, and 2 of those genera have multiple species.

Cercis canadensis (redbud) (FACU)

Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)

Gymnocladus dioicus (Kentucky coffee tree)

Chamaechrista nictitans (wild sensitive plant) (FACU) and Chamaechrista fasciculata (partridge pea) (FACU)

Senna hebecarpa (northern wild senna) (FACW) and Senna marilandica (southern wild senna) (FACW) - very similar

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mimosa

Ohio has two species in Mimosoideae (the Mimosa subfamily). They have alternate leaves that are bipinnate with numerous small leaflets and small flowers in dense clusters with stamens radiating out.

Desmanthus illinoensis (Illinois bundleflower) (FACU)

Albizia julibrissin (Persian silk tree) (Invasive)

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hedysareae

There are 27 species in Hedysareae (the Hedysarum tribe) in Ohio. Coronilla varia (crown vetch) Desmodium (tick trefoil) - 16 species

Desmodium paniculatum

Lespedeza (bush clover) - 10 species

Lespedeza capitata

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fabaceae

Fabaceae (peas) are part of the rosids group, most closely related to Rosaceae (roses), Cucurbitaceae (gourds), Fagaceae (beeches). They have 5 united sepals. The 5 united sepals typically form “banner, wings, and keel”. There are 10 (sometimes 5) stamens. The ovary is perigynous and consists of a single carpel. The fruit is a pea-pod. Leaves are often pinnately compound or trifoliate, but some have simple leaves. Most peas form relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil.

There are 3 subfamilies: Mimosoideae, Caesalpinioideae, and Faboideae. Faboideae has 8-ish tribes. In Ohio, there are about 84 species in 29 genera. Only 5 of those genera contain more than 3 species.

(This info is straight from Botany in a Day. I find the descriptions don’t always hold true for the whole family, and some of the taxonomic groups are based on older information, especially the tribes. I might try to get my hands on a Plant Systematics textbook.)

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new system

I’m trying a new system. I’ve been wanting to learn plants by family so that when I encounter a new-to-me plant, I have a good starting point for identification.

My inspiration was this Ohio Plants blog. I merged the FQAI species list with the USACE wetland plant list for Ohio. This gave me an Excel file with all the vascular plants in Ohio, along with their Coefficient of Conservatism, invasive status, family, and wetland indicator status in different regions. Here it is. Keep in mind the nomenclature doesn’t match perfectly between the two lists.

I’m going through Botany in a Day, an accessible book on plant taxonomy, and marking it up with the genera that are found in Ohio. I am also writing down how many species are in each genus. For genera that have many species, I might break the genera into groups using dichotomous keys in the Flora of Virginia. My goal is to familiarize myself with the taxa within each family without memorizing a lot. I’m starting with the 8 largest plant families: Mint, Parsley, Mustard, Pea, Lily (and allies), Grass, Rose, and Aster. If I make it through those, I’ll figure out what to do next.

Maybe this one will stick. Here goes!

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butterweed vs. golden ragwort

Butterweed (Packera glabella) above, golden ragwort (Packera aurea) below. Note the difference in leaf shape and stoutness. The USDA PLANTS database only shows butterweed in two counties in Ohio which I find confusing since it seems to be such a prevalent weed. Perhaps it only occurs in disturbed areas here and is technically outside its natural range. Or maybe I’m misidentifying it! But I’m pretty sure.

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last sunday

What I remember seeing at Fort Ancient Archaeological Park:

Virginia spiderwort - Tradescantia virginiana (Commenlinaceae - spiderworts)

Agrimony - Agrimonia sp. (Rosaceae - roses)

Sharp-lobed hepatica - Hepatica acutiloba (Ranunculaceae - buttercup family)

Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis (Papaveraceae - poppy family)

Mayapple - Podophyllum peltatum (Berberidaceae - barberry family)

Two-flowered cynthia - Krigia biflora (Asteraceae - asters)

Tree-of-Heaven - Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae)

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thursday

Actaea racemosa (black cohosh) has much longer racemes, and the flowers of Actaea rubra (red baneberry) are on more delicate pedicels. The pedicels of Actaea pachypoda (doll’s eyes) are about the same width as the stem, hence pachypoda = elephant’s foot. Looks like the racemes are usually longer than this.

Galearis sceptabilis (showy orchid) just a little past its prime.

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today

Some plants we found today, in a powerline right-of-way:

Reed canary grass - Phalaris arundinacea (Poaceae - grasses)

Corn salad - Valerianella locusta (Caprifoliaceae – honeysuckle family)

Swamp rose - Rosa palustris (Rosaceae – rose family)

Swamp smartweed - Persicaria hydropiperoides (syn. Polygonum hydropiperoides) (Polygonaceae – smartweeds)

False indigo – Baptisia australis (Fabaceae – legumes)

Butterweed – Packera glabella (Asteraceae - asters)

Bentgrass - Agrostis sp. (Poaceae - grasses)

Spikerush - Eleocharis sp. (Cyperaceae - sedges)

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hello!

Hi, I’m bringing back this blog!

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plant #31 – bottlebrush sedge

Carex comosa – bottlebrush sedge, bristly sedge, or longhaired sedge – is found in wetlands through the U.S., minus a few central states. This Carex is part of the Vesicareae section, which has (among other traits) a terminal all-staminate spike – the bottle brush. Species with similar cylindrical, drooping pistillate spikes include C. pseudocyperus, C. hystericina, and C. lurida. The definitive distinguishing trait of C. comosa is its perigynia beak with 2 widely spreading teeth (see photo). Comosa means “hairy” or “leafy”.

Photos from here, here, and here. That last site is proving to be a great resource sedge I.D.

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plant #30 – silvery sedge

Carex canescens – silvery sedge – forms tussocks in wet woods and wetland edges, and it is common at high latitudes in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Its spikes have a silvery bloom, especially when young, and their shape and position along the stem are distinctive. The most similar Carex is C. brunnescens, but it has smaller spikes, and its perigynia have a longer beak and a slit along the outside. Canescens means “becoming gray”. We nicknamed it “pinecone sedge” in the field!

Photos from here, here, and here.

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plant #29 – prickly bog sedge

Carex often requires fiddly microscope work to make a positive I.D., but I’m just going for a general idea of what will be at my sites for now. Here we go!

Carex atlantica (syn. Carex howei) – prickly bog sedge – is found in acidic wetlands in the eastern half of North America. It grows in tufts, and its flowers and fruit form relatively small spikes whose spikelets look like they’re stacked on top of one another. Prickly bog sedge blooms in May and June. The name of this common sedge genus comes from the Greek for “cut”, “keiro”.

Photos from here and here. Loving descriptions like these...

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plant #28 – white beak-sedge

Rhynchospora alba – white beak-sedge – is a perennial found in acidic, boggy sites, where it forms large tufts. Its spikelets start off white in the summer, and turn light brown as they age into early fall. Its stem is a characteristic triangular sedge stem. White beak-sedge grows in wetlands throughout much of the northern hemisphere, including states in the Midwest and along both coasts. Its Latin name means “white beak-seed”.

Photos from here, here, here, and here.

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plant #27 – three-way sedge

Dulichium arundinaceum – three-way sedge – is found in Ohio’s bogs, as are the next several sedges I’m going to try to learn. Three-way sedge is distinctive due to its three-ranked leaf arrangement which forms three “columns” along the stem. Its ligule has a band of loose, papery tissue along its edge, and its stems are hollow and not particularly triangular (unlike other sedges). Its genus name seems to come from an island described in Greek epics? And the species epithet is related to “arundo”, meaning a cane plant, I think.

Photos from here and here. That last site has a super nice description of some bog sedges, as well as a bunch of other bog plants found in Maine! A great resource.

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plant #26 – wintergreen

Gaultheria procumbens – wintergreen, teaberry, or checkerberry – is a small, woody evergreen ground cover. It is in the Ericaceae family and sprouts short stems from a creeping underground stem. Its opposite leaves are finely toothed. Wintergreen flowers in early summer, and its fruit may persist through the winter. Its berries are edible, and its mature leaves may be used to make tea, hence the common name teaberry. The genus is named in honor of Canadian botanist Jean-François Gauthier, and the species epithet means “prostrate”.

Photos from here, here, and here.