Twoleaf Miterwort

Twoleaf Miterwort

Mitella diphylla

This is the last day of July, another month gone by. I thought I'd celebrate with one of my favorite plants, Miterwort, also known as Bishop's Cap.  This plant is somewhat uncommon and found in high quality woodlands.  They're perfect little plants with some basal leaves and exactly two leaves on their stems, hence the common name.  They're somewhat inconspicuous in the woods, then you suddenly notice the spikes of white dots floating above the other vegetation.  Further investigation might reveal that they're quite common in the area, although you didn't notice them at first.

The common names seem to be a misnomer, since the flowers don't look anything like a bishop's miter, or cap.  The flowers are delicate and pretty and could have reminded someone of some sort of headdress, but not a miter.  If anyone knows, please comment on this blog.





Two leaves!

Neckweed

Neckweed

Veronica peregrina

The species name for this plant, peregrina, is peculiar since it is Latin for "foreign", or "coming from a different country". From which country was the taxonomist referring to?

It is native to the U.S., although only one subspecies.  Another subspecies is of European origin (peregrina?) and is found around here, but that's getting a little picky.

Neckweed, also called Purslane Speedwell, is common in lawns all across the U.S.  It is almost unnoticeable in the grass.  It is very short with tiny flowers.  The plant is more erect than other similar Speedwells.



The flowers are teeny tiny

The plants are short and erect

Thymeleaf Speedwell

Thymeleaf Speedwell

Veronica serpyllifolia

The Speedwells, Veronica genus, have a religious origin for their genus name.  All good Catholics are familiar with the Stations of the Cross, a series of 14 pictures or sculptures depicting the crucifixion of Jesus.  Station number 6 depicts a lady named Veronica who felt pity for Jesus and gave him her veil to wipe the sweat and blood from his face.  He did so and then gave it back to her.  The blood and sweat left the imprint of his face on the cloth.

Perhaps one of the 500 species of Veronica reminded someone of a facial imprint of Jesus.

The plants grow in mats on lawns. They are prostrate at the base, then start growing upwards.

False Mermaidweed

False Mermaidweed

Floerkea proserpinacoides

Given the cool name for this plant, you'd think it would be a cool looking plant with a cool flower.  It turns out that this plant got its name deviously.  There is another genus of plants, Proserpiniaca, called Mermaidweed, which are native and grow in water and are sold as aquarium plants.  Under water in an aquarium they look nice, but without showy flowers.  False Mermaidweed looks somewhat like Mermaidweed stranded on the land.  It has divided leaves and small flowers.  It's fairly common around here in moist woodlands and you have probably seen it but not noticed it because it looks like young plants that haven't flowered yet.

I know I've gone on and on about naming plants "False" something or other, but this is one case where a plant actually benefits from stealing the name of another plant, even if it does have to have "False" in its name.



The three-petaled flowers are tiny and unnoticeable

The plants form loose mats in mid-spring



Rue Anemone

Rue Anemone

Thalictrum thalictroides

Rue Anemone is a spring woodland wildflower that can be planted in your native wildflower garden.  The foliage and the flowers are attractive.

Here's a poem by someone who really loved this plant:

The Rue-Anemone

Under an oak-tree in a woodland, where
The dreaming Spring had dropped it from her hair,
I found a flower, through which I seemed to gaze
Beyond the world and see what no man dare
Behold and live the myths of bygone days
Diana and Endymion, and the bare
Slim beauty of the boy whom Echo wooed;
And Hyacinthus whom Apollo dewed
With love and death: and Daphne, ever fair;
And that reed-slender girl whom Pan pursued.

I stood and gazed and through it seemed to see
The Dryad dancing by the forest tree,
Her hair wild blown: the Faun with listening ear,
Deep in the boscage, kneeling on one knee,
Watching the wandered Oread draw near,
Her wild heart beating like a honey-bee
Within a rose. All, all the myths of old,
All, all the bright shapes of the Age of Gold,
Peopling the wonder-worlds of Poetry,
Through it I seemed in fancy to behold.

What other flower, that, fashioned like a star,
Draws its frail life from earth and braves the war
Of all the heavens, can suggest the dreams
That this suggests? in which no trace of mar
Or soil exists: where stainless innocence seems
Enshrined; and where, beyond our vision far,
That inaccessible beauty, which the heart
Worships as truth and holiness and art,
Is symbolized; wherein embodied are
The things that make the soul's immortal part.

Madison Julius Cawein




Three leaves of three leaflets

The flowers have more than five petals, rather than False Rue Anemone which has exactly five.

Field Pennycress

Field Pennycress

Thlaspi arvense

There are a lot of similar looking species called "cress" of some sort.  This one is easy to identify because the seedpods look like pennies, although with an indentation at the top.

Parlin's Pussytoes

Parlin's Pussytoes

Antennaria parlinii

John Crawford Parlin was an amateur botanist of some reknown.  Born in 1863, died in 1948, he was at his peak in the late 1800's when he helped found the Josselyn Botanical Society in Maine.  He wrote one book, "Our Local Flora", in 1891, although I haven't seen it and don't know what the locality was.  It is available on Amazon.  He graduated from Harvard and became a teacher, pursuing botany on the side.  It was as hard to make a living at botany then as it is now!

It's nice to know that he will be forever remembered via the one plant with his name, which he discovered - Parlin's Pussytoes.  There are several members of this genus found in Indiana, including one called Woman's Tobacco, which is a cool name for a plant.



This species has smooth leaves

There are several flowerheads grouped together

Longspur Violet

Longspur Violet

Viola rostrata

The great thing about the Longspur Violet is that it's easy to identify!  There is so much variability among the violets that some taxonomists make a living just sorting them out. Fortunately this species is different than the others and doesn't have so much variability that the taxonomists are tempted to split/lump it ad infinitum.

This is a somewhat unusual violet in Indiana.  These pics were taken at the Wendell & Evelyn Dygert Nature Preserve in northeast Indiana.  This and numerous other nature preserves are owned and operated by Acres Land Trust, an awesome organization  that owns over 5000 acres in northeast Indiana and parts of Michigan and Ohio.  They have been around since 1960 and are one of the biggest and most influential land trusts in Indiana.



The bracts at the base of the leaves are jagged

The plants have a different "look" to them than other violets

Downy Yellow Violet

Downy Yellow Violet

Viola pubescens

Previous comments suggest that some of you like the poems in my posts.  Maybe I'll write one someday but for now here's one about by William Cullen Bryant.  This poem was found at Poetry Foundation.

The Yellow Violet

By William Cullen Bryant 1794–1878

When beechen buds begin to swell,

  And woods the blue-bird’s warble know,

The yellow violet’s modest bell

  Peeps from the last year’s leaves below.

 

Ere russet fields their green resume,

  Sweet flower, I love, in forest bare,

To meet thee, when thy faint perfume

  Alone is in the virgin air.

 

Of all her train, the hands of Spring

  First plant thee in the watery mould,

And I have seen thee blossoming

  Beside the snow-bank’s edges cold.

 

Thy parent sun, who bade thee view

  Pale skies, and chilling moisture sip,

Has bathed thee in his own bright hue,

  And streaked with jet thy glowing lip.

 

Yet slight thy form, and low thy seat,

  And earthward bent thy gentle eye,

Unapt the passing view to meet

  When loftier flowers are flaunting nigh.

 

Oft, in the sunless April day,

  Thy early smile has stayed my walk;

But midst the gorgeous blooms of May,

  I passed thee on thy humble stalk.

 

So they, who climb to wealth, forget

  The friends in darker fortunes tried.

I copied them—but I regret

  That I should ape the ways of pride.

 

And when again the genial hour

  Awakes the painted tribes of light,

I’ll not o’erlook the modest flower

  That made the woods of April bright.



The heart-shaped leaves are about as long as they are wide

This is one of those Violet species that has leaves along the stem rather than just basal leaves

Garden Asparagus

Garden Asparagus

Asparagus officinalis

Asparagus is another garden plant that escapes to the wild and can persist for a long time.  I have a patch growing out back that was there when we bought the place twenty years ago and it's still going strong.  Once I tried to divide some plants out to give a friend and found watermelon-sized roots that practically took a backhoe to remove.  I'm guessing those plants will be there long after we're gone.



Asparagus has delicate little flowers that are barely noticeable in the spring

The fresh shoots are a real treat in the springtime. I just pluck them and eat them raw right in the garden!

The plants are large, about 4-5 feet tall, and feathery looking

Garden Rhubarb

Garden Rhubarb

Rheum rhabarbarum

Although rhubarb pie is delicious, the leaves are poisonous.  They contain oxalic acid, which can make you sick and enough of it will kill you.  In fact, the amount necessary to kill a person has been carefully calculated at about eleven pounds of leaves for a 150 pound person.  That seems like way more that anybody would ever eat, so I doubt that anyone has ever died from eating rhubarb leaves.  However, a smaller amount would certainly make you very sick.

Rhubarb originated in China and made its way across Europe and eventually to America.  It's more of a cooler climate plant.  It's a perennial that needs a good dormant season so that it can burst forth in the springtime.

So, why is it in this blog?  A lot of garden plants escape and can be found in the wild, at least for a while, and so they are included in the field guides.




Huge leaves.
Just cut off the leaf and the base of the stem, then cut up the stem in short lengths, put them in a pot with a little sugar and water and cook until it's a sauce ... yum yum!

The plants eventually bolt and produce these fat stems with a multitude of tiny flowers

Wild Chives

Wild Chives

Allium schoenoprasum

Wild chives is the exact same species that you grow in your garden.  I'm not sure why they call them "Wild". Maybe it has something to do with their character, e.g. Wild Chives and Soybean Soup (haven't seen it, tell me if you like it).

Chives are one of the Allium plants, which include onions, garlic, and leek.  They all can be used for cooking, adding a nice, distinct flavor to many dishes.

While Wild Chives are found wild in Indiana, they are just an escapee from your garden.  They are native to more northern U.S; Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and New England.

Common Wheat

Common Wheat

Triticum aestivum

The farmers are busy harvesting the winter wheat right now, at least in northeast Indiana.  Drive down the country roads and you'll eventually find a field that is cut, or partially cut.  For some reason you often see a couple of rows harvested and no more.  I think they go out and get a load and have it tested for moisture or whatever before they go out and harvest the whole field.  If there are any farmers out there that know for sure, please leave a comment (Darci!).

Wheat is another one of those plants that is a farm crop that escapes and can be found here and there in the off season.  It's not native and wouldn't survive long if it were no longer farmed here, but since it is, it is included in the field guides.



Fields of wheat are less common than corn and soybeans, but still found commonly in northeast Indiana

One plant

Almost ready to harvest

Poet's Narcissus

Poet's Narcissus

Narcissus poeticus

What a nice name for a plant - Poet's Narcissus.  It's easy to picture a poet sitting on the lawn admiring these plants while thinking of rhymes.  Here's one by Milton:

Sweet Echo, sweetest nymph, that liv'st unseen
Within thy aery shell
By slow Meander's margent green.
And in the violet-embroidered vale,
Where the love-lorn nightingale
Nightly to thee her sad song mourneth well;
Canst thou not tell me of a gentle pair
That likes thy Narcissus are?
Oh, if thou have
Hid them in some flowery cave,
Tell me but where,
Sweet queen of parly, daughter of the sphere,
So may'st thou be translated to the skies,
And give resounding grace to all heaven's harmonies.

This plant is found around old homesteads where the early settlers planted it.  The buildings may be gone, but the Narcissus remains.  It's not too hard to distinguish from the other Narcissus found in the area, the Daffodil.  This plant has white petals and a short, somewhat flattened looking tube.  The edge of the tube tends to have a red or dark orange ring.

Daffodil

Daffodil

Narcissus pseudonarcissus

Most nature preserves and parks  in northeast Indiana have the remains of old homesteads and it has become obvious to me that daffodils were favorite flowers to plant around the houses.  Generally not much remains of the house, maybe some of the foundation, but the daffodils do remain!  They come in all colors and varieties and it's a springtime surprise to see a bunch of them in the woods.  These plants must live for a hundred years!

There are two species that are considered naturalized in Indiana, the Daffodil and tomorrow's Plant of the Day - Poet's Narcissus.  It's a bit difficult to distinguish the different species of daffodils, since they come in all shapes and colors, but the basic Daffodil has a tubular flower with petals that flare outwards or backwards.



One of the many varieties found in the woods of northeast Indiana

Spring Draba

Spring Draba

Draba verna

Spring Draba is a small, unassuming plant that can be very common in farm fields in the early and mid spring. Most people would never notice it because it is small, the flowers are small and white and barely noticeable, and most folks don't go looking for spring wildflowers in farm fields in the spring.  They get plopped in the category of "weeds".

It is originally from Europe, although some researchers believe that it may also be native to western United States.  I wonder how they determine if a plant is native or not?  It's not as easy as you might think.

For such a small, unassuming, non-native plant, it has a lot of common names, including Spring Whitlow Grass, Spring Whitlow Mustard, Shadflower, Nailwort, Early Witlow Grass, and Vernal Whitlow Grass.  Given all of these names, it must have been a useful plant to early settlers of America, although I don't know how.  It is edible, although said to be bitter.  Perhaps an early settler named Whitlow used it to spice up his meals.



Note the four deeply cleft petals

The pod shape is often a characteristic feature of the various Mustard plants

A small basal rosette are the only leaves it has

Cutleaf Toothwort

Cutleaf Toothwort

Cardamine concatenate

Cutleaf Toothwort is one of the most common spring wildflowers of woodlands in Indiana.  It's a small, delicate plant that is grouped in the same genus; Cardamine,  as the Bittercresses, although some taxonomists challenge this and put some of the Cardamine species, including this one, in a separate genus;  Dentaria.

I have not yet found out who decides these sorts of things, but I sure would like to.  If anyone knows who the taxonomists are, let me know!

Hairy Bittercress

Hairy Bittercress

Cardamine hirsuta

One of the identification points of Hairy Bittercress is that the stem is smooth ... no hairs!  The only hairs on the plant are a few short ones on the base of the leaf stems.  I find it interesting that botanists are so worked up about hairs on plants that whenever they find just a few on a plant, they name a whole new species after it. :-)  I'm sure that there is a whole web page out there that discusses the role of hairs on plants.

Hairy Bittercress is a European plant that grows in disturbed areas around Indiana.  Most people would consider it a weed.  Even the wild edibles people consider it a bitter plant to eat, although I'm sure that it's chock full of vitamins.

I haven't found it particularly invasive or noxious, since it tends to grow along gravel drives and other places where native plants don't do so well anyway.



Nice smooth stem

Rather drab looking plant