Family: Cyperaceae (Sedge) Family
Scientific Name: Carex vulpinoidea
Native cool-season perennial sedge that grows up to 3 ft high. Grows in wet, moist meadows, marshes, lake shores, stream sides, and road sides.
Watch for: Dense clumps of sedges with a brown seed head that resembles a fox’s tail. Blooms May to July. Leaves are generally longer than the stem. Remember: “Sedges have edges” on the stem.
Other names: Brown Fox Sedge, Common Fox Sedge
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Family: Asteraceae
Scientific Name: Aster novae-angliae
As a prime example of a native plant which is highly cultivated, this entry will look at both. New England Aster is a very common and native perennial herb which favors upland moist to saturated conditions. Purple Dome Aster is a close cultivar of it’s New England predecessor, but is smaller and better suited to gardens. Both Asters flower from late summer into fall until the frost.
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Family: Asteracea (Sunflower)
Scientific name: Eupatorium perfoliatum
Native perennial wildflower from 2-4 ft tall. Prefers low, moist to wet soils with plenty of organic material, with full to partial sun.
Watch for: The stem is covered with white hairs and forms branches at the top. Leaves are opposite along the stem and tend to grow together. Clusters of white flowers appear in late summer to early fall.
Other names: Throughwort, Wild Sage, Ague Weed, Feverwort, Vegetable Antimony Read more
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Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Scientific Name: Echinacea angustifolia
Perennial herb up to 2 ft tall, established predominately on the great plains, in dry upland prairies, often in rocky soil.
Watch for: Long, alternate leaves and a large cone-shaped flower with ray petals. Center crowns of flower large and circular, similar to Black-eyed Susans.
Other names: Comb Flower, Snakeroot, Kansas Snakeroot, Scurvy Root, Hedge Hog, Echinaecea. Read more
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Tagged Plants, Purple Coneflower
Family: Asteraceae (Aster)
Scientific Name: Helenium autumnale
Native perennial herb that grows on low-lying, moist prairies and other open spaces throughout the United States and Canada.
Watch for: Alternate, lance-shaped to elliptic leaves. Flower clusters at the ends of branches have yellow, wedge-shaped petals with three “teeth” on the ends.
Other names: Common Sneezeweed, Large-flowered Sneezeweed Read more
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Tagged Plants, Sneezeweed
Family: Asteraceae (Aster)
Scientific Name: Achillea millefolium
Perennial herb introduced with genotypes that are both native and introduced. Common in disturbed areas and open forests in the US, spread across all Northern continents.
Watch for: Lance-shaped leaves finely divided, resembling a fern. White flowers have four petals, forming a dome shape in a cluster at the top of the stem. Entire plant is 8-16″ high.
Other names: Milfoil, Thousandleaf, Old-man’s Pepper, Soldier’s Wound-wort, Bloodwart. Read more
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Family: Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed)
Scientific Name: Asclepias tuberosa
Perennial herb found on roadways, abandoned farmlands, open woodlands, and prairies. Sandy, loamy, or rocky limestone soils.
Watch for: Lance-shaped alternate leaves smooth above and velvet beneath. Flowers are a showy orange, with 5 petals which together form a rounded group on the top. Usually the flash of orange along highways in summer.
Other names: Orange milkweed, Pleurisy Root, Chigger weed. Read more
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Tagged Butterfly Milkweed, Plants
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower)
Scientific Name: Liatris punctata
Perennial herb of prairies and native pastures. Dry, course soils.
Watch for: Purple star-shaped flowers arranged in spikelike groups at the ends of stems. Leaves dotted and narrow, up to 15 cm long, closely spaced and arching upward, with a solid smooth feel. 1/4′ to 2 3/4′ tall.
Other names: Dotted Blazing Star, Gayfeather, Button Snakeroot, Starwort. Read more
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Tagged Blazing Star, Plants
Family: Poacaea (Grass)
Scientific Name: Andropogon Gerardii
Prairies (clay, black soil, sand), savannas, grassy fens (wetlands), well-managed native pastures, roadsides. The most common grass of the native tall grass prairie. Pre-colonial settlement, Big Blue Stem once covered a massive range from Maine to the Rocky Mountains, from Quebec to Mexico.
Watch for: Long, hairy and wavy leaves from the stem. Leaves flat and wide, smooth below and rough above. Stems jointed, with a purple 3-part “turkey foot” seed head. In mid-summer, the yellow flower parts dangle from the seed head like decorations.
Other names: Turkey Foot, Bluejoint Beardgrass, Cattle’s Ice-cream Read more
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Tagged Big Blue Stem, Plants
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint) Family
Scientific name: Monarda fistulosa
Grows on prairie hillsides, pastures, roadsides, stream banks, and occasionally in open woods. Usually in rocky soil. Perennial herb.
Watch for: Purple flower, leaves simple, opposite and lance-shaped. Fragrant, lower surfaces hairy, with square stem.
Other names: Wild Bergamont, Oswego Tea (Lake Oswego, Oregon), Long-flowered Horsemint, Fern Mint. Read more
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