PlantShare
Sign up for PlantShare!
As a member of PlantShare, you will be able to:
- Upload photos of plants to share with others
- Create checklists of plants you want to keep track of
- Publish the location of the plants you have seen on your own map
- Ask one of our expert botanists questions Sign Up
Sightings Locator
Ask the Botanist
Our ace botanists are here to help you identify wild New England plants and to answer questions about their ecology and conservation. When posting a question, please provide the location, habitat (e.g. river, mountain, woodland), and photographs of the plant.
Everyone can read the answers, but only logged-in users can ask questions. Log in to ask a question.
Recently Answered Questions
-
- Question
- Hello Arthur (Ace!) - I need help distinguishing Eurybia divaratica from Symphyotricum cordifolium-- in spring time/now, before they are flowering or the plant has yet grown in height. Here are a few examples... maybe they are all same species, maybe not? Thanks much!
- Answer
- Dear limnjucy@gmail.com, good afternoon. I don't feel that I can assist you with confidence from the images. There does look like the possibility of both species present. Without the plants in hand, I don't want to lead you astray. I'm sorry I can't be of assistance. (Thursday, 10 June 2021)
-
- Question
- We saw this Primula growing along a brook in Monroe State Forest, far from any homes/humans. The closest match I can find is a Primula laurentiana, but that does not seem correct. Thanks!
- Answer
- Dear jenkimar, good morning. The primrose you have found looks like much like a species that is known from New England as an introduction (Primula japonica), but that species usually has several whorls of flowers. In order to identify this primrose, I would need to know what the underside of the leaf looks like (i.e., does it have a grey coating from farina) and what the width of the flowers are. With that information, we might be able to determine who this is. Best wishes. (Thursday, 10 June 2021)
-
- Question
- OK so this question is purely theoretical, but what would happen to plant life if clouds were at ground level instead of in the sky? If water was transmitted through absorbing condensation?
- Answer
- Dear rwalkwalk, good morning. I can't answer your question with confidence because I'm not a plant physiologist. However, there are lots of species that occur at high elevation or along the coast that are constantly inundated by clouds and moisture they contain. You might want to pursue your question by examining plants in those natural communities as a start. (Thursday, 10 June 2021)
More Recently Answered Questions »