PlantShare
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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 Get Started
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
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- Hello- new to the plant world. This plant is in my wooded back yard. Brunswick, Maine. Area is surrounded by blackberry bushes. Sunny along a cleared path. This plant is tall 5 feet or so, prickly green stems. I was concerned that it might be hemlock and that i should destroy it. Please help in the ID. Thanks
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- Dear Sarah, good morning. You've photographed Eupatorium perfoliatum (boneset thoroughwort). This is a native member of the composite family with leaves that are fused at the base to provide the illusion that the stem pierces through the leaves. This plant is visited by native pollinators. Best wishes. (Tuesday, 4 August 2020)
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- In a sunny spot next to a busy trail in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Is it Euphorbia? The leaves are not quite opposite but it goes much better in the opposite key than the alternate key. The flower anatomy confuses me. Are the two large triangular leaves considered bracts?
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- Dear jfc, good afternoon. Yes, you have photographed a species of Euphorbia. It looks like a species in the E. esula complex. I can't determine the leaf widths, so I can't be certain you don't have Euphorbia cyparisius or its hybrid with E. esula. Hopefully knowing the group will get you started on your study. Best wishes. (Monday, 3 August 2020)
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- I'm a novelist conducting research for an upcoming book. I need to find a plant or tree that is native to both northern Russia and southern South America from which sap could be extracted that could act as a slow-burning but high temperature fuse. If such a tree does not exist, I would like to create a fictional tree with those properties. If anyone here can help, I would greatly appreciate any information you are willing to provide. Feel free to email me at Cap@CapDaniels.com if you would like.
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- Dear CapDaniels, good afternoon. You aren't likely to find species that occur in the regions you've specified--that isn't a likely native range scenario. There are others, such as eastern North America and western Asia, that are well-documented to have closely related species occurring in both regions. I think you are going to need to fabricate a species for this one. Good luck. (Monday, 3 August 2020)
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