|
Saxifrage Family
Early Saxifrage (Saxifraga virginiensis): Small clusters of fragrant white flowers on naked stalks from the center of oval basal leaves. Blooms April to June. As you can see they like rocks. Location: Shenk's Ferry Wild Flower Preserve, Holtwood Recreation Area, PA.
Swamp Saxiphrage (Saxifraga pensylvanica): Prefers moist places. Location G. Rhichard Thompson W.M.A. Photo by Ken Clark, 05/09. Lettuceleaf Saxifrage (Saxifraga micranthidifolia): Can grow up to 30 inches. Large, dandelion-like toothed basal leaves. Minute white flowers atop nearly naked stems. Blooms in spring. Prefers streams, seeps and other moist areas. Location: SNP, VA. Photo by Dimitri Tundra. Michaux Saxifrage (Saxifraga michauxii): Grows in rock crevices. Blooms in June. Location: Mount Rogers N.R.A., VA. Mints Hoary Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum icanum): Flower clusters in the leaf apeces and at the top. Leaves covered in a down. Location: Duncan Knob. VA. Water horehound (Lycopus americanus): A non-aromatic mint. Clusters of small white flowers around a square stem with opposing toothed, lanceolet leaves. Thrives in wet areas. Location: Williams River, Tea Creek Backcountry, MNF, WV. White Burgamot or Basal Balm (Monarda clinopo-dia): Found in the same areas as M. didyma. Location: Williams River, Tea Creek Backcountry, MNF, WV. Virginia Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum ): Found in dry fields and thickets. Max. height 3 feet. Flowers are very small, white and dotted with violet. Photo by Ken Clark. Virginia Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum ): Found in dry fields and thickets. Max. height 3 feet. Flowers are very small, white and dotted with violet. Photo by Ken Clark. Bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus): Suggestive of mints but without odor. Prefers wet soil. |
Others Fragrant Bedstraw (Galium triflorum): Leaves mostly in whorls of six. Inconspicuous green/white flowers in groups of three. Fragrant when leaves are dried. Downs Park, MD. Wild Madder (Galium mollugo): Alien bedstraw. Prefers open areas/roadsides. Leaves in whorls of eight. Blooms in July. Location: Mount Rogers N.R.A., VA.
Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense).: A Lily. Forms mats through rhizomes. Location: Gunpowder Falls SP, MD. Photo by Ken Clark.
Water
Hemlock (Cicuta
maculata): Grows in wetlands and along rivers and
streams. Very small amounts can kill a man. Related to
Poison Hemlock given to Socrates. Location: Williams River,
Tea Creek Backcountry, MNF, WV.
Yarrow (Achillea
millefolium): Blooms throughout the summer in sunny
areas. Domestic varieties come in assorted colors.
Location: Blue Ridge Center for Environmental
Stewardship, VA.
Trailing
Arbutus (Epigaea repens): Probably the first blooming
heath in this region (March - May). Flowers may be white or
pink. A creeper. Location: Sugarloaf Mt. Photo by Ken Clark.
Erect Hedgeparsley (Torilis japonica): Also called Japanese Parsley. An aggressive invasive alien from Eurasia. Leaves are highly lobed, bottom-most ones more so. Location: Seneca Rocks Trail, WV. Bur Cucumber (Sicyos angulatus): Large maple-like leaves with clusters of small 5-petaled flowers arising from the leaf axils that eventually turn into burs. Location: Morgan Run N.E.A., MD. Lyre-leaved Rock Cress (Arabis lyrata): In the mustard family. Rosette of deeply lobed basal leaves (not shown). Prefers sandy soil. Location: Soldiers' Delight, MD. Photo by Dimitri Tundra.
|
Others (Con't) Wild (Smooth) Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens): Close relative to the domestic variety. These small flowers are a few days away from blooming. Loves moist forest hillsides. Location: Tea Creek Backcountry, MNF, WV. Button Bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis ): Flourishes in moist areas. Location: Great Falls National Park, MD. Photo by Ken Clark. White Baneberry/Doll's eyes (Actaea pachypoda ): Clusters of fine, white flowers give rise to these in late spring/early summer. Location of berries: SNP, VA. Photo by Ken Clark. Location of flower: Tea Creek, MNF, WV. Bristly Sarsaparilla (Aralia hispida): In the Ginseng family. Ovate leaves. Found in dry open woods. Summer bloomer. Bears dark purple grape-like fruit. Location: Strickler Knob, VA.
Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense).: A Lily. Forms mats through rhizomes. Location: Gunpowder Falls SP, MD. Photo by Ken Clark. Garlic Mustard (Alliaria officinalis) is a very invasive alien plant. Environmental groups and government agencies conduct programs just to manually inhibit the spread of this weed. Note the heavily veined maple shaped leaves. Location: GWNF, Mau-Har Trail. White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum): Grows in thickets in shadey woods. Heart-shaped, toothed leaves. Location: Canaan Mt, CLR13, Monongahela National Forest, WV.
Spikenard (Aralia racemosa): In the Ginseng family. Black stem, sharply toothed broad leaves, with several umbels of small flowers. Location: Morgan Run N.E.A.
|
White Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata): Broad, ovate leaves. Flowers simiiar to Poke Milkweed except they don't nod or droop and have tinges of purple instead of green. Photo by Anita Mueller. Wild Leek or Ramp (Allium tricocca): Clusters of small flowers atop naked stems. No visible leaves apparent. Grows in moist woods. Blooms June-July. Location: Otter Creek Trail, MNF, WV. Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota): AKA Wild Carrot. Blooms the entire summer. Roadsides and disturbed areas. Location: AFT, PA. Elder Berry (Sambucus canadensis): Very tall bush with opposite, dark green, lanceolete leaves. Grows in woods and along waterways. Wine and jams are made from its fruit. Location: Williams River, Tea Creek backcountry, MNF, WV. White Clintonia (Clintonia umbellulata): In the lily family. Tight, round cluster of fragrant white flowers atop a 8-20 inch stem. 2-5 waxy basal leaves. Blooms May - July. Produces round, black berries. Location: Cornelius Creek Tr, JNF, VA. Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza claytoni): Fern-like leaves. Six clusters of small flowers, each on a seperate branch, radiate from a central stem. Roots have a licorice scent. Location: Tea Creek, MNF, WV. Corymbed or Dwarf Spirea (Spiraea corymbosa ): Grows to less than 2 feet in height. Clusters on dainty white flowers with pink centers. Blooms in early summer. Location: Brown Mountain Trail, SNP, VA. White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra): White but often tinged in violet. Fall bloomer. Location: Little North Mt, GWNF, VA. Here's a pure white version from Gifford Pinchot SP. PA. |
Others (con't) Swamp Honeysuckle (Rhododendron viscosum): Not a Honeysuckle at all but rather an Azalea. As the name implies it prefers wet, sandy areas. Blooms in June. Location: Downs Park, MD. Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium): Petals are very small. Dry Woods. Location: Duncan Knob, VA. 07/09. Cotton Grass: This variety is Eriophorum virginicum. Grows in peat bogs of WV. Blooms in late summer/early fall. These were found in a couple of places on Canaan Mt, MNF, WV. Mapleleaf Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium: Clusters of tiny white flowers bracketed by two maple-like leaves. Yields small black berries. Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum): Grow along water,in valleys and even on mountains. Bloom in July and are white to light pink. Location: Laurel Run Trail, Great North Mt., GWNF, WV. Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) - Grows along roadsides and edges. Used in dry flower arrangements. Location: Losey Rd, Quehanna Wild Area, PA. Photo by Pat Roberts. Sweet Everlasting, Catfoot (Gnaphalium obtusifolium): Similar to Pearly Everlasting, above, but lower growing, more branched with smaller, more cylindrical flowers. Location: Soldiers' Delight, MD. Photo by Dimitri Tundra. Dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolium): 4-8 inches. Blooms May-July in moist forests. Location: AFT, PA New Jersey Tea (Ceanoyhus americanus): Low growing shrub with round clusters of white flowers rising from leaf axils of new shoots. Colonist would make tea from the leaves. Hence the name. Blooms May - July. Location: Brown Mountain Tr, SNP, VA. Silvery Nailwort (Paronychia argyrocoma): Found on rock ledges and cliffs in the mountains. Requires very little substrate for growth. Location: North Fork Mountain, WV. |