Category Archives: Wildflowers

Filing 8 Mystery Weed

Wildflowers, Yellow
Mountain Tansymustard, photo by LGB
Mountain Tansymustard, photo by LGB

7/26/2010 Email from Linda B: “Hello all, I was weeding in the greenbelt between Mt. Harvard and LaPlatta this morning (filing 8) and came across this plant. This is a new one for me. I couldn’t find a positive ID in my copy of Weeds of the West or in the various materials from the weed district or the state.

It is hairy on the stem, has leaves almost like a potentila, the flower on close inspection is more like a pea than a mustard. If anything, on first glance, to looked to me like a close relative of flixweed (a mustard) but the flowers occur on the tip end of the branches. I counted +/- 5 on one bracket, but they are teeny-tiny. The stem is round and the seed pods look like miniature pea pods….

I will keep this one around in some water for a while if anyone wants to inspect it further. Stop by. I’ll keep it on under my large covered front deck …. My yard of wildflowers is at peak just now too if anyone wants to drive past.”

7/26/2010 Email from Linda B with Renee P’s identification: “Hi all, Renee keyed this out; it is a variety of Descurainia (like flixweed) after all. Here is what she wrote… Interesting isn’t it? Cheers. Linda”

Renee wrote: “For me the odd one keys to Descurainia incana http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=109671

This links shows where it has been reported in co http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/list.php?type=1&taxa=Descurainia+incana&country=&state=colorado&county=&local=&upperlat=&upperlat_NS=N&bottomlat=&bottomlat_NS=N&leftlong=&leftlong_EW=W&rightlong=&rightlong_EW=W&pointlat=&pointlat_NS=N&pointlong=&pointlong_EW=W&radiustemp=&radiusunits=mi&radius=&collector=&collnum=&resetrecordcnt=1&display2.x=33&display2.y=18 ”

Descurainia incana by Mary Ellen Harte
Descurainia incana by Mary Ellen Harte

7/29/2010 Notes from Ellen: Here is another link with lots of images from “Forestry Images” website (Forestry Images is a joint project of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, USDA Forest Service and International Society of Arboriculture. The University of Georgia – Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=12525.

I’ve inserted one here showing flowers and fruits. Descuraina incana is not on our GVM plant list so I will add it. Thanks Renee and Linda!! Has anyone else come across this one?

Madwort ID’d

Blue, Wildflowers
Madwort
Madwort

Jim E sent two photos he took of this plant to Jennifer Ackerfield of the CSU Herbarium.

6/24/2010 Jennifer emailed: “Ah, you have Asperugo procumbens. I had it in my yard too this year. Weird little Boraginaceae with downward pointing bristles/hairs on the stem.”

6/24/2010 Jim’s response: “I thought it had to be a borage, what with the coarse ‘hairs’ —Weber & Wittmann say ‘The name borage comes from a Middle Latin source, burra, meaning rough hair or short wool, just as the modern work, bur.’ Somehow, I got trapped in the doublet that led to Symphytum and Anchusa. I should have looked a bit further to Asperugo. The description fits perfectly: ‘Flowers in the axils of the stem leaves; fruiting calyx much larger than the flowers; weakly-stemmed annual with retrorsely prickly hispid leaves. Asperugo Madwort.'”

Meager spring blooms this year

White, Wildflowers

5/19/2010 Email from Jim E today: “I spotted a small plant with basal leaves and a flower cluster atop a stalk. It looked like a saxifrage, but not the one I’m familiar with.  Finally found it in the list under Saxifrage (Micranthes rhomdoidea) and it matches the figure in Weber & Wittmann.  Lots of Pasqueflower still, but little else other than Chiming Bells or Bluebells (Mertensia lanceolata).  And common, a close-to-the-ground Dwarf Mountain Fleabane (Erigeron compositus).

Perhaps early June, we might have another meadow amble to refresh some of the names of the herbaceous gems.  I’m at a loss for the short white-flowered mustard that looks like Candytuft.” Note from Ellen:  Jim keyed it out to Candytuft.

When a flower is not a flower

Yellow

FalseArabis w Fungus4/4/2010 Email from Jim E.: “I spotted the bright yellow fungus on False Arabis (Boechera fendleri), a mustard, as I returned from my meadow walk. As Weber and Wittmann describe, “In early spring, the new vegetative shoots are affected by a rust fungus, Puccinia monoica, which produces an aecial stage of yellow-orange pustules that cover the upper leaves. Every spring someone brings this in to ask what kind of wildflower it might be.” Here’s a photo from online….”