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Questions and Answers
2019
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- Good Evening, can you suggest most deer resistant nectar plants for Monarch habitat in addition to native milkweeds to be planted on Fire Island NY near our Lighthouse; sandy soil, full sun, salt spray. Note- we are not allowed to fence or pen plants on LH grounds. Question #2, we lost our seaside amaranthus pumilus from storms and dune erosion... is it possible to purchase seeds from other native areas to replenish this endangered plant? Thank you, Ellen
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- This spiranthes was seen September 16 in Groton, MA. Next time I will get closeups of the basal leaves and flower for species ID.
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- Hi, the attached images were photographed on July 5 and not Mansfield in Vermont. I find Spiranthes to be very confusing for ID. In the first image it appears that there may be spots on the lower lip of the individual flowers, but they are not completely open. In the second image it appears that we have a good view of a basal leaf if we blow up the plant on the lower left. Also there are plenty of leaves that are not basal. As you may guess from the second photo, there were dozens of spires.
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- Hello May I ask? Does anyone here knows about this plant? What kind of plant is this? I’m happy if anyone here will answer my concern. I’m eager to know about this plant. No one knows about this plant and it’s just nothing to them. But I believe every plant has a purpose and this plant is weird for me. I’m from Cebu, Philippines. Thank you in advance! Best regards.
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- Opposite leaves, about .5 inches long, hairy on both surfaces, found today partially submerged in a woodland seep in southeastern Vermont with Dirca palustris, Dryopteris intermedia, Tiarella cordata and a sedge of some kind. What is it?
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- Hi. I was on Seal Island (outer Penobscot Bay, Me) this summer and found what I believe is the 1st record of a willow out there. The stems were about 3 feet tall, but the tops seemed dead. It's not an easy place to be a willow. The willow had no catkins, and I'd be surprised if it ever does in this harsh environment. I realize definite ID is unlikely from the attached photos, but wondered if you had any guesses. You can see the underside of the leaves in the background of the first photo. Thx
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- Hello, Arthur. Can you explain why Japanese Knotweed is known by so many scientific names, and why botanists can't seem to come to agreement over naming such a well-known plant? Also, can you lend credence to reports that it may be effective both as a prophylactic and treatment for Lyme Disease? It is one of my favorite foraging foods- easy to gather and freeze, and as I hear, quite nutritious.
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- Hi, This plant or sapling has finely serrated, alternating ovoid, flat leaves, with brilliant red fall color on both the stems and leaves. After the first freeze, the leaves and stem turned brown. This plant was found in Scarborough location where several pine trees had been removed In recent years. Thank you so much for your assistance.
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- Arthur et al., can you tell from the image below if this is Paspalum leave or P. seteceum? We see a solitary fruit per node on the spike and spikelets are 2.5 mm or greater. Is that enough to render a decision as P. leave?
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- Thanks so much for providing this service! Recently rediscovered this photo I took of a short (~1ft) plant in bloom on August 16 of this year in midcoast Maine. The plant was at a wood margin by the road where the canopy opened up. It was growing among some Parthenocissus quinquefolia. I'm sorry the photos are poor, but I figured it would be an easy thing to key out once I got home. Unfortunately I'm still stumped. Pubescence on leaves and stem, leaves look compound? and opposite. Thank you!
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- This looks more like Polypodium appalachianum than P. virginianum to me, but I am a botanical novice and these pictures are from Tolland county (the edge of it—Gay City State Park) which apparently the former has not been documented to appear in according to the distribution map on this site (though it has in the immediately adjacent county). Is it possible to tell which species they are (assuming I have the genus right, of course) from these images?
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- I bought this plant in Singapore and have no clue as to what it is. Doesn't seem to take too much water as even a little bit of water comes out of pot almost immediately Kindly help to identify it. Thank you
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- Hello there! I bet no one has told you, you sure are good looking! I am hoping someone will be able to tell me what is going on here in this photo. The flowers are on a Black Cherry, I believe Prunus serotina. The first photo is the one with the unusual pods. Are Black Cherries monoecious and the elongated whitish pods are male structures, or something like that? Thank you very much for your attention and expertise. SueLB
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- Hello there, I was wondering if it is possible for anyone to shed light on what species this blueberry bush is. It is a high bush, located in the woods of Salem Sound, Massachusetts. It flowers nicely but does not produce many berries. Thank you Very Much, SueLB
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- Hello, I am having a very difficult time identifying a shrub in my back yard (Milton, MA). The leaves look like "Shrubby Rose Mallow" however I have never seen this plant with flowers which makes ID'ing 10x harder. I have a few pictures of the leaves if you could please take a look at them?
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- I'm having trouble distinguishing Ilex verticillata from I laevigata in winter. I find the fruit color somewhat subjective, depending on light conditions, and I'm not sure of what is meant by long and short shoots on the twigs/branches. I found this source comparing the two, and I wonder if you agree with it. https://archewild.com/how-to-identify-ilex-verticillata-and-ilex-laevigata/ I've been surveying the plants on Plumb Island, and most of them look like these photos. Thanks.
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- Recently, while attempting to identify a moss (Deer Island, Amesbury), I have seen that this group seems not to have been included, while ferns and their allies are. Is there a reason for this, and if Go Botany does not cover mosses, might it be helpful if other useful sources were referenced?
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- I believe this plant is a wild geranium. Both pink and white specimens looking just like this one pop up randomly in this area of Salem Sound, Massachusetts. Having perused your sight I am unable to match the species. The flower petal margins are somewhat notched. I would appreciate your thoughts on identification. Thank you, SueLB
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- I'd like to report finding Rhodotypos scandens (Black Jet-bead) in Highland Park, Greenfield, MA. It does not show up on your map of its occurrence as being present in Franklin County, MA. Also, I'd like to confirm with you that GoBotany's keys will key out invasive plants. Although this plant is in GoBotany's database, I could not get it to key out and had to resort to other methods. Sorry photo is mediocre. Eventually, I could go back and take a photo of the patch of plants in Highland Park.
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- This low growing plant resides on a swamp edge alongside moss. After photographing it I was unable to find it again, despite it being right under my nose. Is it possible for you to ID it? Thank you very much! Salem Sound, Massachusetts SueLB
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- I was wondering if it is possible to ID this plant. I always believed this low growing, sprawling, prickly plant with few berries was a Bramble. Go Botony does not confirm that. Thanks for your thoughts! It grows in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. SueLB
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- Hello Go Botony, Here I have a shrub that randomly grows here in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. I would greatly appreciate an ID. I have not been able to sort it out myself. Please forgive that some photos are not properly oriented and that the sequence is not in order. I am working with a new photo program. Thank you very much, SueLB
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- Hello Arthur. Can you confirm if this is Elliot's Goldenrod? ( In front of Joppa Flats Education Center, Newburyport - taken 9/26/18) If I'm wrong, I'll crop out the name. If right, you are welcome to use any of them. Thanks.
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- Hello there, I was told that this is a Wild Onion. It was growing in thickets, in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. Can this be determined to be true or not. Might I also ask "why." I would appreciate an ID on the species as well. Thank you so much for your help! SueLB
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- I think this is Allegheny Monkey Flower (Mimulus ringens). Is that correct? Found in wet field Kennebunk Maine 07-29-2019. Thanks
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- Do you know what this growth on Poison Ivy is? I've tried Googling Poison Ivy galls and Poison ivy parasitic plants and haven't gotten anything. (Deer Island, Amesbury)
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- Hello again, Here is a shrub that I would like help with identification please. It is located in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. Thank you very much! SueLB
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- Hello Dear Botanist, Here I have what I believe to be a Hawthorne tree. Is this correct? Is it possible to ID the Genus and Species? It is located in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. Thank you very much! SueLB
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- was wondering what this plant is?
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- Here's a close-up from my submission yesterday, and I hope the resolution is good enough. The plant in question is the one with the two opposite facing long green leaves, just protruding from the ground, Wetlands, bog on Monadnock. Thanks for your previous help yesterday. Great service you do. Tks
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- Hello Dear Botanist! I am wondering what plant I have here. It doesn't seem to be a Sphagnum Moss? to me? It was found in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. Thank you very much, SueLB
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- Hello, Here I have an unknown aquatic plant. It grows in a wetland swamp, that dries out when there is little rain that is located in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. I have not noted it to flower. I am hoping it is able to be identified! Thank you very much! SueL-B
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- Hello there, This Raspberry grows wild here in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. Is it possible to identify the species? Thank you very much! SueL-B
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- Hello again, Here is a plant that I believe is a Black Raspberry. Am I correct? Is it possible to determine the species? This plant is present in the wild where I reside, in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. Thank you! SueL-B
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- I got a cannabis plant from my grandfather as a joke. I think it's a really beautiful plant and my friend asked me how long I had it for. I told her I'd had it for a month but it was probably around two months old. She told me that it was male. Obviously I went and did research on it to find out more, and I found out that it's a different plant to most common species. I'm not a stoner so it doesn't really matter whether or not I get buds. I would however like to know the species of the plant
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- Can you confirm these are American Chestnut leaves and bark? They are from a group of about 30 in Lexington, MA conservation land, the largest about 7" in diameter. None appear to have had flowers or fruit this year.
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- A pretty seed head I found in a planted wildflower meadow in Lexington, MA recently. Any idea what the plant is? Each pod expands, and the opening shards of the pod curl back to expose the seeds in long lines. The plant was three feet high, with many of the narrow pods in clusters. Some kind of composite, I suppose. Thanks for any suggestions, Tom
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- Starflower and a type of club moss? Lycopodium ??. some sphagnum moss and not sure about the long slender green leafed plant... two long slender leaves coming from the ground at the same point. Wetland bog … on Mount Monadnock. June 15, 2019 So much stuff in such a small area of the bogs. Thanks...Bob
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- In identifying the type of gall on this goldenrod, it is asserted that it necessary to determine the species of Goldenrod. Is this Solidago gigantea? Thanks.
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- Hi, I saw this wildflower growing near the treeline on Mt. Monadnock in Jaffrey NH on October 14. What do you think it was?
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- I apologize for this non-New Engkand question. My wife would like to know the name of this plant. It appears to be some type of violet. Any suggestions where I could search? The flowers are about 2 inches in diameter.
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- Hi, I saw this 2.5-foot plant growing along the Charles River in Boston, MA about 20 feet from the water in a partly shaded spot. What is it?
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- Hi, I saw this small tree growing next to a seasonal stream in Medford, MA on October 20. Is it a crab apple? A buckthorn? You'll note that there are multiple trunks. The tree was maybe 25 feet high.
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- Hi, I saw this vine growing up a tree in Medford, MA on October 20. There are branches growing out of the vine. There were white berries with a green tint growing higher up on the vine. What is it? Also can you tell what type of tree it is? Ash?
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- Hi, I saw this plant by the Charles River, Boston, MA on October 26. It seems to be a shrub and was at least 30 feet from the water. The shrub was at least 5 feet high. What is it?
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- This Carex was found in wet meadow in Harpswell, ME. Lot's of Carex's go through but have perhaps narrowed to Carex gynandra - Nodding Sedge or Carex crinita - Long-haired Sedge ? Not sure I have provided enough photos to help. Your advice appreciated, thank you!
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- Several of these are popping up on disturbed ground and a few on an unmowed lawn nearby. They grew rapidly in late summer. There is a paper birch across the street. Does this look like a small birch?
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- Looking at the acorns of this tree, I originally was thinking Quercus velutina, but then another person, looking at the depth of the sinuses of the leaf blades, thought it was Q. coccinea. So I went back and looked at the terminal buds. They appeared pretty hairy and measured 10 mm. What is your verdict?
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- Greetings, This little thing recently appeared in a very shady area of my property (Southbridge, MA). No flowers, maybe in the spring. Any assist in identifying will be greatly appreciated. --Carl
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- Found many plants including several 15-foot specimens in Natick Town Forest, the larger ones fruiting heavily. I am working with the Town Forest Committee to reduce populations of all invasives in the Town Forest. This is a new species to me and apparently to Middlesex County! It is acting very invasive. The infestation is in a pine woods and duking it out quite successfully with lots of buckthorn saplings. Approx Lat/Long = 42.299457/-71.337098 obtained by eyeballing Google map of area.
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- I split this bulb when digging in the garden (Framingham, MA). It is much harder than bulbs like daffodils. Do you know what it is? Thanks for any info. Elin
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- there are large patches of this plant in my yard, is it a stinging nettle and would it be edible, the leaf has a hairy needle's. my location is Norwich, ct. I hope you can give me identification on my back yard. there beautiful. thanks row
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- Here's an aster (Symphyotrichum). It's about 3' tall, no basal foliage to speak of. The smooth foliage is stemless but doesn't clasp the stem. The white rays are about 3/8" long. Earlier in the month the rays were more toward pale, pale lavender. What do you think it might be?
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- I'm sorry this photo is not more in focus. I hope it gives you enough information to get a general ID. This yellow flower was growing in shallow water in a pond in Sharon, CT, in late September. Could it be Bidens laevis? Thanks
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- Hi! We have a very overgrown plant in our office but no one knows what it is, is it possible to tell with these images? Thought they were something like dracena marginata. Thanks!
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- Hi Arthur, I was recently walking a floodplain in Southern NH and saw this plant (sorry photo quality lacking). I thought I recognized them as Wild Yam - Dioscorea villosa, didn't have ID book on me. Decided to confirm with Go Botany, but according to the species page it hasn't been in NH... maybe there's a look alike? So curious- thanks!
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- Hello, Today I came across a new find for me, on the coast of Salem Sound, Massachusetts. I would appreciate an ID! Thank you! SueLB
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- Could you please identify this aster. Its common on a site in Northbridge, MA. Height ranges to about 4 ft. Thank you.
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- Hi..ive seen this small tree with blue berries on greenish stems in nickerson state park brewster ma oct 6 and at flax pond in dennis ma ovt 7 In both cases an astute 9 year old found them dangling above our heads growing in the shade. Oct 6 and oct 7. They are bland . The berries are red inside with seeds not pits . The leaves look like service berry to me tiny saw toothed edges. and the height is about right. But i thought they fruited in june? any other ideas?
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- I'm reasonably certain this plant is Utriculata radiata found at Quincy Bog Natural Area in Rumney, NH (Grafton county), however it is not shown as documented for this county on your website. I found several plants of this species floating in a calm part of the fen pond's inlet stream just behind a beaver damn. Tried posting this under "Post a Sighting" but couldn't get the "Post" button to work.
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- At Quincy Bog Natural Area in Rumney, NH growing amongst rocks at the base of a ledge I found many samples of what could be Acer spicatum. Notice that the leaves aren't classically lobed like Mountain Maple, but do have the quilted topography that typifies A. spicatum. Is there enough here to confirm this is A spicatum or could it be A. rubrum or some other species? What else can I look for to distinguish this as A. spicatum?
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- The pictures below are of what I believe are young cherry trees. These were taken at Quincy Bog Natural Area in Rumney, NH. They are in the understory of a thinned out predominantly white pine forest. The question is whether they are Prunus serotina or P. pensylvanica? The red-brown of the bark suggests P. pensylvanica. Is there anything in these pictures that definitively identifies the species? These specimens are about 6' tall.
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- Seen 9/13/19 in Killingworth CT. Looking for an identification.
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- This plant is about 2-3-ft. tall, bushy, branching. Leaves are small, 1" long, opposite. Flowers are clustered, medium purple, non fragrant but attracts bees/butterflies. Grows in sun, poor soil. Found in southeastern Massachusettes. Does not appear to be a Blue Mist Flower. Thank You for your time.
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- Small plant growing on the shore of Lake Champlain in Red Rocks Park, Burlington, VT. I am stymied and best guess is Amaranthus blitoides.
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- This appeared on an unmowed lawn in eastern Massachusetts, growing near a patch of Erigeron canadensis. Is it Erigeron strigosus? Flowers are a little large, about 18 mm across in total while the key says rays of E. strigosus should be 4-6 mm. It is hosting an aphid colony.
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- Growing out of a rock beside a road in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Is this the first year form of a biennial or perennial Asteraceae?
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- I am planting a pollinator friendly flowerbed with a RFP and have funding to buy 2-shrubs for the space. I want: Salix occidentalis or dwarf upland willow. I think it is the right size and the right plant for the space, however, I cannot find 2- or 1 to purchase. Can you suggest a vendor or send a link to a nursery with this species for sale? The space is a public area on NYC Parks property. Any assistance is appreciated.
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- i want identify this plant please help me india maharashtra
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- This really looks like Partridge Pea to me, but I'm having trouble in getting it to species. First, the leaves are not folding when I touch them. The number of stamens and length of flower stalks seem to fit C. fasciculata, which is shown not present in Essex County. A nectary is visible at the base of the leaf petiole as in C. nicitans, which is present in the county. The flowers are along the edges of a "prairie" project at Camp Kent nature center, Amesbury, MA. The ruler is in cm.
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- I found what I think is Paulownia tomentosa in York ME. It is on the edge of a dirt section of Mountain Rd and I think it may have been transported in fill material about two or three years ago. There is only one stem three feet high. What do you think?
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- Plant with white flowers and opposite, toothed leaves growing in seasonally flooded wetlands in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Is it Chelone glabra?
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- Hi, are you able to tell me what this plan is.
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- Thank you for your response of Spiranthes ochroleuca! I agree that is the closet match, but none of the photos I have found show the spike-like appendages on the sides of each flower. (Sorry I don't know the correct term.) Perhaps that sort of variation is to be expected? This new photo (taken 10/2) shows the "spikes" more clearly. Again, I would appreciate your thoughts.
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- I recently have communicated with a naturalist in Southern Mexico about a species there named Cornus excels. I suggested Swida because of the flowers. In the ensuing discussion it appeared that the Botanical world is all over the map regarding the Cornaceae. That person said he used "Plants of the World Online as an authoritative nomenclature source. Do you agree? If not, can you reccomemnd a source which is better? One source gave Swida as a subspecies of Cornus, btw. :)
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- Lane’s Island, Vinalhaven, ME September 28, 2019
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- Roque Bluffs, brackish tidal inlet, plant roots in salt water at high tides. I'm fairly sure this is Bolboschoenus. I gathered fertile leaves with spikelets and took some photos which I think show spreading veins on sheath, translucent floral scale and lentil-type achene. I'm not sure I've figured out the right parts, though. Are the threads dry anthers? I'll make a guess at the species, B.maritimus ssp. paludosus. I'd like to know what it is.
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- Hi! I believe this is a Spiranthes, but what kind? Photographed 9/30/19 in Grafton County, NH, on a human-constructed berm (mowed once a year). It has thin, grass-like leaves at the base of the plant with a couple of similar, but shorter leaves on the stem. Any help in terms of a more precise ID would be appreciated!
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- These are terrible pictures, but since I took them at Garden in the Woods, I hope you can ID it anyway. In early spring this tree has reddish flowers. It's down next to the little pond. Thanks!
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- Here's a "ground cover" in Dutchess County New York, just a few miles from Gaylordsville, CT. It's about 12" tall. I haven't seen it in bloom. It has filled the understory of a small wood lot. What do you think it is?
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- This is in Glocester, RI. help with id is appreciated
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- Seeds stuck to my clothes after walking through a field in the Blue Hills south of Boston.
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- Aquatic plants forming a mass of green and brown at the edge of a pond in Lincoln, Massachusetts. My ID is Scirpus cyperinus.
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- I have these all over my backyard. I was told it was something called indian soap, but upon research I can't find anything.
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- This question relates to tickseed weeds here in Winston-Salem North Carolina. Two years ago I collected approximately a quart of tickseed weed seeds in the fall and scattered them along the sides of our local Greenway where no tickseed weeds were growing that year. Only a few appeared to come up last year. I did not scatter any seeds last year. This year, much to my surprise, hundreds of tickseed plants appeared where I planted 2 years ago. Is there a botanical answer to this phenomenon?
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- I've noticed a pine on the Joppa Flats property that I haven't noticed before. It looks to me like Pinus mugs, with the short, bluish needles. It looks to have been planted, so I guess that is why it is missing in the distribution map for Essex County. Could you confirm or correct for me?
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- Hi: Any thoughts on a species ID for this aster...growing in a field, up to 4 ft. high. Thanks
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- Hello, I would like help please with classification of Hypopitys. GoBotany recognizes two species currently, which I think is fairly new? I found this plant in the Blue Hills which matches the criteria for H. languinosa: pink stem, flowering in late Aug. Is that definitive? The distribution map on GoBotany does not document it in Milford County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32031443 Thank you
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- This was along the trail, on dry forest floor, around Sandy Pond in Lincoln, MA. There were a couple of other specimens nearby.
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- I've been wondering recently if Marsh Elder and Common Ragweed might be related more closely than just being in the same family (Asteraceae). They have unusual and markedly similar flowers. Perhaps the same Tribe or Subtrribe? Are there any other genera that have similar flowers/fruits?
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- Hello - I'm curious about this little plant which I've discovered in a woodland edge area where I've been removing invasives. Sorry there's no flower in the photo but I'm hoping its habit is distinct enough to a trained eye that you might be advised to identify it for. Thank you,
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- Hello, again. I came across this plant a couple of days ago in an old deserted sandy parking lot in Sturbridge, MA. It stands about 50 cm tall. Any ideas? Thanks, --Carl
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- I'm not sure if this is wild or a garden escape. It's near a house with a lot of non-New England plants, away from the landscaped area. I browsed Lamiaceae and did not find a convincing match. Eastern Massachusetts, in a row of tall plants at the edge of the woods.
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- Greetings! A couple of weeks ago, I sent you a picture of a new (to me) aquatic plant. Since it wasn't a tracheophyte, you could only provide some helpful suggestions. So, after a bit of searching, I determined the wee beastie to be Riccia fluitans L., a liverwort in the order Marchantiales. I attach a picture of a whole bunch of them in a small aquarium. --Carl
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- Roque Bluffs, Washington Co. Maine. Tiny 5 part blossoms less than 2mm. Thin grass-like stem. Plants, 10" - 16" aprox. high. Leaves about an inch or less long, narrow; cauline, not many. Not toothed, have midrib. Frail inconspicuous plant growing in sandy roadside, wet boggy area. I was brushing it out of the way to take Hypericum (H.canadense?) photo and didn't realize it wasn't a grass stem. Round-leaved sundew and Rose Pogonia on other side of road.
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- Found in rocky/sandy powerline running through pitch pine-oak forest. Thanks!
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- Hi GoBotany PlantShare, I live in a heavily wooded area surrounded by farmland in Upper Bucks County, PA a mile inland from the Delaware River, 50 miles north of Philadelphia. I have not been able to figure out what the plant is whose picture I’ve attached. It pops up everywhere from the side of a small slope in my yard that gets part sun to a fully shaded section of my all-native beds. I’m in a hollow along a creek. We have great soil (lots of bugs, worms) and it’s pretty wet.
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- This and a couple other specimens were near Sandy Pond in Lincoln MA. iNaturalist suggests it is a wintergreen but none look right to me.
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- Thank you so much for your recent identification of the the Micranthes virgiensis! I would like to be able to identify different solidago species and am using the Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, but struggling with them. Do you have any suggestions for resources that might help with the goldenrods? Thank you! Jennifer
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- Hi Arthur: struggling with this one. Bangor, ME Penobscot Co. 8/31/19. irregular flower, 4 petals, bilateral symmetry, pinkish blue. Opposite leaves very long and narrow. Flowers on stalks in leaf axils. Dry trailside at Walden-Parke Preserve. Agalinis sp??? Thanks!
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- Here's another picture from Quincy Bog Natural Area. I'm reasonably certain that this is Ilex verticillate. How can I be certain that this isn't I. laevigata? The description on your site says that "Smooth winterberry produces two types of branches: long shoots and short shoots." Can you offer guidance on how I can discern long shoots from short ones...or any other tips on distinguishing these two species?
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- Near the edge of a stand of hemlock where almost nothing else but moss grows. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Near the edge of a stand of hemlock where almost nothing else but moss grows. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Grass growing in a field in the Blue Hills south of Boston.
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- Grass growing in a clearing, Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Hi, Trying to finish id on Agalinis either purpurea or paupurcula? unfortunately only took side view photos.. attaching best close up rough measurement put flower at about 1/2" habitat is a wet meadow near coast, in York cty, Maine, doing plant list updates for owner, this was not on the previous list. I will return sometime in future if photo isn't enough to tell.
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- In a seasonal pond in the Blue Hills south of Boston. In spring the plant was under several feet of water. Now the ground is wet but there is no standing water. Also visible in the first two photos is a patch of (probably) Bidens I asked about separately.
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- A patch of this was growing on the muddy bottom of a dried up pond in the Blue Hills south of Boston. The plants were taller on ground that had been above water for longer. I only saw one open flower. Is it Bidens frondosa? At under 1 meter it's much shorter than the plants I see at home (1.5-2.5 m).
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- I've been struggling for years now trying to distinguish Viburnum nudum from V. lentago. I understand that the V. nudum leaves are generally entire (w/o teeth) to wavy; whereas V. lentago leaves are finely toothed and come to a narrow tip. The picture below was taken at Quincy Bog Natural Area in Rumney, NH on 6/10/2017. The leaves are clearly toothed but not as finely so as in those shown on your site. Can this be definitively confirmed as V. lentago?
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- Hi, A customer found this in their garden in the Berkshires. can you help with id? Thanks, Greg
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- I cleared some grass off a wet spot in my lawn. Among the various things I planted, this came up. It could have come as a weed seed in added dirt. I tried the interactive key starting with non-woody plants, not composites, with opposite leaves. I didn't get anywhere. Some of the leaves are weakly lobed, some not. Some of the leaf bases are slightly asymmetrical, some not. I don't know if the fruit splits open when ripe. I don't remember seeing any flowers.
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- Good afternoon doctor. I recently encountered a tall grass that appears to be consistent with Echinochloa frumentacea. The blades measured about 40 cm above the collar. The absence of a ligule and awns with numerous fibers on the achene appears consist with your images. The root structure was fibrous and easily pulled up. I found this grass growing in Malden, MA. I would appreciate your analysis. Thank you in advance
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- Hello there, Here I have several photos of a fast growing shrub that I had not noted before. It it growing in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. The stigma? is blue. Thank you very much for your help! SueLB
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- Grass growing beside a narrow path in the woods. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Hello, I recognize this plant is out of your geographic range, but was wondering if you may be able to help nevertheless. Photos were taken on April 13th of this year, in Fort Lee, NJ, very close to the base of George Washington Bridge. The plants were growing out of cracks in the face of the diabase Palisades Sill. Are they a type of saxifrage? I appreciate any insight you might have. Thank you!
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- Another large, many-branched (presumed) Persicaria. This is growing beside a paved path in Somerville, Massachusetts. The green strip beside the path has many non-native weedy to invasive plants.
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- Grass growing out of a stone wall above a pond. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- I am quite sure that this is an evening primrose except for 2 things. The blossoms are open during the day, and the plant is 7 feet tall.
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- We have a number of cherries trees growing on our property in Oxford County, ME. There are 2 or 3 of adequate size ~ 20-30 feet. Throughout the rest of the property where the mowed yard meets the wooded areas there are countless small trees ranging from twigs to 10 feet or so. The small trees all seem to get hit with Black Knot Disease, but the large trees seem to have been spared. I am curious if the attached photos are enough to identify the type of cherry tree?
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- Hi: These plants are growing in a jeep and snowmobile trail, alongside a Central Maine Power Company transmission line corridor in Sidney, Kennebec County, Maine. They are uphill from a small wetland area. The plants and flowers are small, and growing in full sunlight. Other plants in the area include asters, purple loosestrife, goldenrod, sedges and grasses. Don
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- This is growing out of the bottom of a large mass of dirt pulled up vertical when a tree fell down. I wonder if the tree is sprouting leaves out of its root system. Lincoln, Massachusetts, wet spot in the woods. The depression left by the tree usually has water in it.
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- Hi Arthur, I'm trying to i.d. goldenrods, and I'm struggling with this one. Androscoggin Co., ME. Sunny location at edge of woods on my lawn where I'm letting it return to nature. Plants up to 3feet high. Leaves entire, linear, no glands. Length of leaves up to 5". Prominent midrib but I don't think consider it parallel 3-veined. Stems finely pubescent. Leaves finely pubescent underneath along midrib. Flower heads about 1/8" long. Number of Rays average 5. Plumose type capitulescence. Thanks!
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- I found a patch of this growing in the woods beside a narrow path in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Browsing the site I found Amphicarpaea bracteata with similar flowers and leaves.
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- Re: goldenrod inquiry, the plant had numerous small “leaflets” in the leaf axils. I don’t think my photos showed that well. In addition, the location is usually quite dry. I tried my best to use the key to Solidago, and the best I could come up with is Gray Goldenrod. It seems S. nemoralis leaves can be toothless or toothed depending on where on the plant they are located. Thanks!
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- From a distance this reminded me of Mycelis muralis, which is common in the area (roadside and disturbed habitat, Lincoln, Massachusetts). But the flowers are wrong. It didn't look right for any of the Lactuca species either.
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- I think Carl's "alga" is Riccia fluitans, a thallose liverwort.
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- A grass growing out of mud. Last year this spot had standing water year round but this summer it's just mud. (Same place you identified Boehmeria cylindrica for me; I think those are the broad leaves in the background.) In the woods, Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Another presumed Persicaria, growing as a weed out of a flower pot in Massachusetts. It's about 1 meter tall and has more branching of stems than I consider normal.
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- This was sticking up out of a mass of green. I didn't see which leaves went with the stalk. The seeds look adapted to sticking to things, shaped like Bidens. Clearing in woods, Lincoln, Massachusetts. Sharing habitat with goldenrod and Rubus.
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- This grape didn't seem to match anything under Vitis that i could tell in GoBotany. Few grapes seem to have leaves with such small teeth and so rounded at the tip. Can you narrow it down for me. Found at Martin Burns Wildlife Managent Area, Newbury.
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- Growing beside a driveway in Massachusetts. Thinking it looked like Persicaria I tried the key but got stuck at the choice between perennial with rhizomes or annual. I could pull one up to check but I'd like to try non-destructive identification first.
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- Roadside, Vinalhaven, ME. Cannot key in FNA: actinomorphic, connate carpels, gamopetalous (Group 9). Jump to 8: lvs opposite, carpels not separating, ovary with 1 stigma: Myrsinaceae (not!). I'm sure I've made an embarrassing mistake. More characters: 2 stamens, long exserted in maturity, ditto style. Long ciliate in throat of corolla tube. I'm sure I've made an embarrassing mistake, but it's frustrating to be stuck at family level.
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- This plant is growing wild this summer from a lot that was cleared for our new condo development. It is actually only 10 feet from a huge rain made pond. I am interested in either getting seeds once they appear or transferring it to a container but need to know if anyone can identify it and if it will grow in container from seeds. This plant is growing in Chelsea MA. These are the only two growing on the lot. Nothing else looks close. The flowers are beautiful.
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- Cross sections of "button weed" from West Branch Pond , Maine. Called eriocaulon septangulare . I see six partions and the central core on cross section. What feature is counted to get the seven ( in septangulare) ? Photos one plain and one stained. thanks Bob
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- Might this be Carex bullata? From extreme N Maine, in shallow water and mud with cattails. Somewhat similar to C. lurida, but 3 carpellate spikes well separated (10 cm betw proximal 2) and 2-3 staminate spikes at apex of infl. Perigynia 5.8 x 2 mm, beak teeth 0.6 mm, beak and teeth not scabrous. Scale 4.9 x 1.4 mm, not ciliate, no scabrous awn, but long acuminate. Carpellate spikes were striking pale white-green in life but darkened in drying. Lack of scabrous beak rules out bullata?
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- Hello there, I am not yet trying to share a picture but rather make one. I am trying to take a picture of poison hemlock for a school project I’m doing. I live in Cambridge Massachusetts. Any tips on how I could find a specimen in the vicinity?
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- Mystery plant (to me) seen near Daicey Pond, Baxter State Park, Millinocket, Maine. Wettish area. There were Northern Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) in water growing nearby. Any ideas please? Sorry - this is the only picture. Shot July 17, 2019
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- I need help identifying this plant that was growing in a mudflat along a small freshwater stream in Whately MA. The leaves look like Cicuta maculata but the stem is hairy. Thank you!
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- Greetings, This specimen turned up in an old water container recently. I suspect it's an alga of some sort, so it's probably not your expertise, but here goes: Habitat is fresh water, and an "organism" is about 2.5 cm in diameter. If you cannot hazard a guess, can you please direct me to a usable web-site or book to help me. Many thanks for your help in the past. --Carl
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- Hello, Arthur. Betty B. Wright and I found this plant ant Arthur Burns Wildlife Management Area, Newbury (great spot for biodiversity), growing in the roadbed. We identified similar Bracted Plantain nearby. Is this just a stunted form of Bracted, another undocumented species, or some other kind of plant? The third image is the one we ID'd as Bracted Plantain.
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- Hi, a friend just sent me this photo. She took it in the early spring. Moss is damp, projectile is dry. Maybe a seed pod from the year before? Located under tall, old white pines n hemlocks but within 15' of intermittant stream bed.I have no idea what this could be? Is it even a plant? Thanks!
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- This has to be some kind of water hemlock? It was found on a low hilltop in Maine--an area that had been cleared a few years ago. There was elderberry nearby. Habitat best described as a rocky field. If I use the simple key it doesn't seem able to get to water hemlock, so I'm worried I'm wrong.
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- Found this aster in a wet meadow. It comes up as Pacific Aster (Symphotrichum chilense). Is this possible in Wells, Maine?
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- Greetings, Today's question is about this (I think) Lamiaceae; found on the campus of Becker College, Leicester, MA Thanks, --Carl
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- The only thing that looks right to me is Stachys hyssopifolia, but this was found in a scrub oak thicket that has been mowed and burned over the last few years, so the habitat seems off for the species. There were a handful of them in the area. Bourne, MA. Any idea? Thanks!
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- Please can you tell me what this plant is? It appeared in my flower garden in upstate NY this spring. Its leaves are a bit on the moist succulent-y side. I potted it and have put it in shade and sun, with more or less water, and it is determined to languish (die or die back?). Could it be a wetland plant? We do have a large wetland nearby. Or a forest understory plant? Thank you!
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- Hi, I found these white flowers with the green leaves and white stripe in a partly shaded dry area of the Middlesex Fells in Melrose, MA on July 14. Can you identify please?
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- Hi, I found this woody shrub about 3-4 feet tall with the pink & white flowers in a partly shaded dry area of the Middlesex Fells in Melrose, MA on July 14. Can you identify please? Thanks very much!
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- Growing beside a trail in the woods in the Blue Hills south of Boston.
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- On the shady side of a road in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Hi, I found this wildflower along the Charles River in Cambridge in a sunny area through some red fencing on July 25. Can you identify please? Thanks very much!
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- These plants are growing in a seasonal pond in the Blue Hills south of Boston. In early spring they would be under 3 feet of water. By end of summer both will be well above water. I suppose they are some sort of semi-aquatic sedge. I didn't see any seeds. Can anything be said about them in this state?
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- Growing in a disturbed area, Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- I have this growing at the edge of my driveway in Massachusetts. I don't think it was planted intentionally because it's isolated and doesn't match the style of the existing landscaping. The blue-green leaves behind it are landscaping. Is it Carex section Cyperoideae?
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- These are two plants growing near each other at the edge of a clearing in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The key to Rubus requires flowers. Can anything be said about them without pictures of flowers?
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- Hi, This plant was in N.W. Maine, on the top of a mountain (Elevation 2,000ft). The plant was a 7' shrub. The habitat was rocky with white spruce and blueberry. Based on the leaves, my guess would Amelanchier spicata since the leaves were rounded at the base. The leaves were toothed and the fruit was a dark purple.
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- Hello again, this plant was found in a CT in a wetland containing peat, sphagnum, Vaccinium macrocarpon and Pogonia ophioglossoides. My guess was Schoenoplectus pungens. All individuals i came across had a single spikelet. The stem was sharply triangular. The plant was 2 feet in height.
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- I have a lot of this grass coming up uninvited out of loam that was spread in April. None of it has any flower or seed yet. It ranges 40-90 cm tall as of late July, mostly near the short end. I might have two similar species because some had a less developed root system than this one. I live in eastern Massachusetts but I expect it's a common weed species that could come up anywhere. The loam also had lots of crabgrass seeds and some of the weedy Polygonaceae.
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- Thin grass growing between cracks in a stone patio. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Hi again, I have another flower ID. I found these over July 4 weekend on the Massachusetts-New York border in foothills in a slightly shaded area that is likely dry a lot of the time. Can you ID them please?
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- Hi again, I have one last flower ID. As before, I found these over July 4 weekend on the Massachusetts-New York border in foothills in a partly shaded area that is likely dry a lot of the time. Can you ID them please?
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- Good afternoon Dr. I came across the pretty pink flower which at first suggested a phlox species. But on further investigation the structure of the flower did not lend to that interpretation. I would appreciate your input. The raised stem had opposite lance shaped leaves. The five petals had what appears to be additional petals arising from the throat of the flower. Thank you in advance. I have observed this plant in Malden and Arlington, MA.
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- Hi: I found these plants growing in a ditch in Augusta, Kennebec County, Maine, although I have seen them in other locations, as well. I haven't found them in any of my wildflower books, or through an online search. I'm wondering if they're escapees. Any suggestions as to their identify would be very much appreciated. Regards, Don Lemieux
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- Growing along the north side of a road in the woods. Lincoln, Massachusetts. Same road as my Persicaria from a few weeks ago, but a different patch of plants.
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- This plant just started growing in this container. can you identify it. Freeport, NY.
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- Someone gave this plant to my niece and I'm not sure what it is. Milkweed? Any ideas? It came from someones garden in the suburbs of NoVa.
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- A plant ID app that I use is calling this plant Japanese Meadowsweet, is this correct? It is located in a sunny upland area of my yard.
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- Hi, I've not been able to make it through the questions to identify this plant using Go botany. Seems to be found in the shade of pine trees on dry soil. Location Chelmsford, MA. Could you walk me through the questions to arrive at identifying this flower. Photo dated 7/14/19
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- Please help ID this sweet little purple flowered plant...
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- These seeds were on long stalks (50+ cm) sticking up from a mass of lots of different plants. Are they recognizable without the base of the plant? There's a bug near the end of the cluster. Lincoln, Massachusetts, edge of a trail in a partly sunny place near a pond but well above water level.
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- Can anyone please tell me what this plant is, located is sandy soil near the shore of a Lake in Central New Hampshire ? It is the only plant in my Region that I have come across that I am unable to ID? Possibly an alien or invasive species? It is common.
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- Have been trying to identify this wildflower in my yard in NH. Shady moist conditions. Thanks
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- Hello. I found this over the weekend while weeding a dry woodland garden by the shore; multiples 2-3” tall growing among juniper, ferns and blueberries under established red maples. The purple stem is hollow and milky, leaf edges dark. This was the only one with a bud in the center. Closest I’ve come to id is clematis virginiana but the details don’t seem to match up. Thank you for the assistance.
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- This vine showed up a few years ago tagging with vinca from elsewhere. It’s very prolific, and hard to pull. It so far has stayed on the north side of the house, so shady. It has these tiny 5-petal purple flowers that I guess eventually become bean shaped pods. I haven’t found anything online that looks like it. It starts out pale to Medium green, and gets dark green one leaves are 3-4” long. Thanks in advance for any advice.
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- Hi - I live in Topsfield Ma, and am looking to replace a dwarf bamboo plant which is very invasive. Do you know if the dwarf boxwood is an approved plant for this area? Thanks. Effie
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- Hi, Please verify my ID of the following: The leaves are simple, alternate and toothed. The leaf stem is minutely hairy. The flowers were white and in a loose spike. Based on the leaves and flower type, my assumption is that its Ceanothus americanus, however most references state this C. americanus as more shrub-like. The plant was less than 2ft tall, and appeared more herbaceous. It was located in southeastern CT, in a dry wooded areas along a road. Thank you!
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- Hi, I can’t figure out what composite family member this is. Lactuca? Crepis? Hieracium? Habitat is woodland in southern Vermont. Inflorescence is a panicle. Ray flowers are consistently 5 in number. Sap is slightly milky. It is extremely common.
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- This is common in a small part of the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts. It reminds me of Clethra alnifolia but it grows from single stems, making it a tree rather than a shrub in the key. It doesn't want to grow over 2 meters tall except in the sunniest spots. It is found along a stream but also up to a low ridge, maybe 10 feet elevation higher than the stream.
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- Grass with fancy seed heads. Lincoln, Massachusetts. At the edge of a grassy patch under trees but getting more sun than in the woods.
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- Grass beside a narrow trail in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- A clump of something grasslike beside a narrow trail in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- A shrub growing where driveway meets road in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Hi, I came across a nice healthy colony of Blue Ridge false lupine in Hillsborough County, NH. It hasn't been documented in this county by GO BOTANY. I've posted the sighting (so that it can be added) BUT CANNOT UPLOAD some nice photo's I took of it at location. Any tips as to uploading? Thanks, Rachel
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- Looking for confirmation or correction. Is this Lysimachia ciliata L. (fringed yellow-loosestrife)? Found in a wetland in the Town of Ticondergoa, NY. Thanks!
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- This species was found in a wetland in the Town of Ticonderoga. I couldn't find a sure match in the simple key. I didn't catch a good a good picture, but the leaves were in leaflets of nine. Any help is appreciated!
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- A flower I found along a trail at Gowings Swamp, Concord. At first I thought purple loosetrife, but the foliage and the petal count (5) aren't what I expect for purple loosetrife. Couldn't find a match in the simple key... Tom
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- In the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The closest match I found in the simple key is Cardamine diphylla but my plant is taller.
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- This is a weed -- several of them sprouted uninvited out of some loam I had spread. The loam was full of seeds of various Polygonaceae and grasses. It came from Lexington, Massachusetts and I assume the seeds are from the Boston area.
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- Grass or sedge growing beside road, Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Can you identify this plant. We found it in our garden in central NH. The garden is minimally tended and so we are trying to figure out what to keep and what has moved in uninvited.
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- Hello, I am looking for a conservation recommendation. I recently bought 6 acres of hemlock-birch woodland in Windsor NH. I just found broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) there. I know it is non-native, and I have heard it called invasive. If it is likely to be harmful, I will certainly remove it. But it's also beautiful and I would keep it if it wasn't likely to cause problems. Do you recommend I remove it? Thank you very much, Laura ljcost@gmail.com
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- This looks very similar to Carolina/Prairie Larkspur, but is blooming rather late (now, July) and the foliage seems ‘lacier’ than the photos I can find.
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- Can you identify this plant. In my backyard, Glen Cove, NY
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- Growing in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts. (Mostly deciduous with some white pine.) It looks similar to Circaea alpina in the simple key but the teeth on my plant's leaves are much smaller. Could it be Circaea canadensis, which isn't in the simple key?
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- I live in a ranch house in Essex Junction Vermont. In the spring I spread mulch around my shrubs and flowers. This unidentified plant started growing at first I thought it was a crocus but it got bigger. Now, flowers open only in the early morning and close late morning. no one seems to know what it is. I checked with a few master gardeners. I appreciate your help. Sincerely, Alan Fay 6 Killoran Dr. Essex Junction VT
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- This plant has come up in great abundance in my newly created wildflower meadow. In August 2018 I put in several established plants and in late November spread a variety of wildflower seeds in the area. I cannot identify the plant from your website or from wildflower books. Stalks are 1' to 4' high, sometimes single, sometimes several branching out from a single base. No flowers (yet?). What is it? A "weed" to be pulled out or something that will bloom beautifully if I wait long enough?
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- I think these two plants are the same species. They are growing near each other in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts, next to a boardwalk. There is standing water year round.
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- This is an aggressive vine that can support itself by growing in spiraling pairs. The pair here is growing across a narrow trail in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts. I think I have the same species invading my garden area.
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- Is this a Persicaria? Growing along a roadside. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Growing along a roadside in the woods. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- I was told this is a Dichanthelium. A lot of it is growing along a roadside in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- I think I have found Lobelia kalmii. Deering, NH 03244 at the outflow of Deering Reservoir. Maybe it is inflata, but the leaves are all very fine. The plants are around 10" tall, scattered near the outflow of the dam. Flowers are maybe 1/4". I attach images. thanks
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- This plant is growing in a dirt driveway in Kennebunkport, ME. Could this be Arenaria serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved sandwort)?
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- Sorry, I hit submit before the photos attached! Here's the big mystery plant from the farmy yard in Amherst MA.
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- Another year, more biodiversity on the land I work in Amherst, MA. This particular plant stands over five feet high now with a thick nonwoody stem, leaves that become larger toward the bottom - the boot in the photo is a women's size 8. I'm pretty sure it wasn't here last year unless it was small enough that I didn't notice it. Can't find it with the key on the site. Right now large clusters of black aphids are feeding on it toward the top if that helps.
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- Hello there, This shrub is an antique. It's been around for at least 50 years. Is it possible to identify it? Thank you so much! SueLB
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- Photographed at Mass Audubon's Graves Farm Sanctuary. If there is enough shown to identify this plant, I'd be very grateful to know.
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- This photo was taken yesterday (6/23/2019) at Quincy Bog in Rumney, NH. Not a lot to go on here, but I'm hoping you can steer me in the right direction. The sample depicted here is just a couple inches tall. The photo was taken right at the edge of the bog pond in an area I often see Cicuta bulbifera. Could this be the nascent form of this species?
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- I was at Quincy Bog in Rumney, NH and came upon a mystery plant that I'm hoping you can assist with the identification of. The plant depicted in these 2 photos appear to have only three basal leaves. These were found far away from the bog pond in areas with spotty sunlight. Both show two decidedly larger elongated leaves with a smaller, rounder, more heart-shaped leave.
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- Arthur, can you help with this? I think it's a pearlwort, but I can't guess species. Plant height is about 10 to 15 inches and capsules are about 6mm and have ridges. Location is a sunny, dry hill near a soccer field in Dedham. Photos were taken on the hood of my car.
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- Hello, I have tried to identify this tree many times but despite your great site, I can't quite figure it out. Surely it will be easy for you. It is located in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. Thank you, SueLB
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- Hello, This plant was found in an old perennial garden that had a mix of cultivated and wild flowers. The plant is 24 inches tall and the leaves are 6-12 inches long, flower is a white cluster. Thank you for your time.
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- Hi, Is this flower common cinquefoil? It was found growing in a shaded clearing on June 14 in the Blue Hills in Milton, MA.
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- Hi, Is this flower a dewberry? Raspberry? Something else? Itw as found growing in a shaded clearing in the Blue Hills in Milton, MA.
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- Hello again, This is SueLLB. Yesterday I had a question on the Mountain Ash trees. These trees are located in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. I hope this further information is helpful to you. Thank you, Sue
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- Hello there, I have been wondering if these trees are Northern Mountain Ash. I greatly appreciate your expertise as well as species ID. Thank you, SueLB
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- Unidentified plant photographed by an acquaintance in a wooded area in Moscow, Somerset County, Maine. I don't have any additional information. Do you have any suggestion as to what it might be?
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- Hello again, 2 days ago or so, I submitted some photos for ID. I have sorted it out myself. I believe it to be Short-stem Sand-Spurrey - Spergularia brevifolia. I have noted 2 different types of flowers. Are there both male and females flowers. Or..... are there 2 different plants here? Thank you for your help and confirmation! SueLB
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- Hello and happy spring, This plant grows in Salem Sound, Massachusetts. The soil where this plant is growing is bare, poor and dry. Is this an escaped sedum or ground cover? Or is it a wildflower? Thank you for your time and expertise!
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- Sighted these runners (expanders) of trout lily plants (Erythronium americanum) in hardwood forest near Croghan, New York (western Adinondacks) on a washed ground surface. The leaf-bearing plant (like one on left) produces 2-3 expander type runners as the old bulb withers and disappears. Tiny new bulbs are forming on ends of a couple expander growths. These odd growths can be seen on washed forest floors in late spring.
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- These ferns are growing around a home/garden in Lovell and have spread out of control, hard to manage. Acting like Dennstaedtia punctilobula, but it's something else. Is it native? Thoughts on control?
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- Wondering what this little guy could be. Found in Town of Lake George, Southern ADKs, NY. No flowers were present. Many thanks.
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- Hi: I'm trying to identify a flowering shrub that I photographed on Blueberry Hill in Rome, Maine. The site is a sloping meadow on the side of the hill, studded with granite bedrock and boulders. The elevation is around 655 feet. Some of these shrubs are growing among the Lowbush Blueberries covering the slope.
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- Arthur, I'm hoping you can confirm my ID of Amelanchier nantucketensis. Location not provided, but I can send it to you in a separate email. Photo shows flowers with a ruler, longest petal about 3/16" or 5mm.
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- Hi! I took more photos of our Long Island mystery grass, which I hope are sufficiently adequate for an ID. If not, let me know & I’ll try again. Thanks so much!
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- This is the predominant grass in our backyard on Long Island. Based on these photos, are you able to identify it? I’m trying to remove much of it, but the root masses on each clump make it difficult. Do you think it’s a native? I’m wondering if it could be old turf grass, since there used to be a grass yard in this area. Thanks!
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- Here are additional photos of our Long Island viburnum to help with identification. Thanks!
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- I’m having trouble with the uploader so this is the only image I can submit at this time. This is a viburnum, but can’t figure out which one - the stems are reddish, if this helps. Quite a few of them are popping up on our woodsy Long Island property. I’m hoping they’re native. Many thanks for your help.
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- Wondering if you could help identify the plant in this photo from my colleague. He pulled it from a beaver pond in the southern ADKs (Lake George area). Many thanks
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- Hi Arthur! I submitted the following photo to the ELA photo contest. I had submitted it with my coarse ID of "Arrowwood Viburnum" ... ELA liked the photo but asked me if it's Viburnum dentatum (what I had assumed) or if it is Viburnum recognitum (which I somehow hadn't heard of)... it may be that we can't get the ID from this photo... i can go to the field where I found it. (it's growing edge of a farm field in North Yarmouth, ME). I am curious! Any guidance appreciated.
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- Help with ID please. Found April 28 Kennebunk Maine. Along the side of a trail, mixed pine/hardwood. Small plant 10-12 cm tall. Flowers about 1 cm. Thanks
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- Good morning Dr. I collected and photographed what appears to be Carex pensylvanica. I would appreciate your comment. Thank you in advance. I examined the blades below the culm and the characteristic triangular shape was present. The specimen was collect in Southbridge MA.
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- is this a weed or plant? I live in NY on Long Island. This plant I believe is something I purposely planted in my flower bed. It didn’t flower last year or die back completely. I don’t however know what it is.
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- Please confirm if this is ground ivy. Popped up in my garden before turning soil over. Turner, Maine
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- Looking for help to ID. Not tea berry. Early Spring ground cover found at damp edge of woods. Turner, Maine.
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- Need help to ID. Taking over lawn. Turner, Maine.
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- My best guess is that this is one of the blue grasses, and my inclination is to remove it. I’ll try to get better photos if needed for ID. It’s on our Long Island property. Many thanks for all your help!
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- 4/22/19 I’m guessing this plant is a wood-rush, but really haven’t a clue. It’s on our shady, dry Long Island property. If you need better images for ID, please advise. Would also like to know if it’s a native.
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- 4/22/19 Hi! I’m hoping my photos show enough info for an ID. Our property is on Long Island, is mostly shady with sandy soil. The plants shown are low growing, clumping and tolerate dry conditions. They flower in early spring. I would also like to know if they are native. I’ll try to get better photos if needed. Thanks!
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- A friend sent this photo to me asking for help identifying the flowering plants alongside the emerging skunk cabbage. They were growing in a wet area along with with skunk cabbage and cattails at Arnold Arboretum, in what she said was a “wild” area. I’m speculating that they could be members of the Orobanchaceae family, but I really don’t know. Any help would be most appreciated! Thanks! (Sorry for the upside down photo!)
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- I don't think this is a wild plant, but the person asking me to id it, didn't plant it. I have never seen one like it and can't find it thru the key. It's in Alfred, Maine, under trees in aside yard, has come up and is multiplying each year, seen in this photo before flower stem elongates. Do you think it's a cultivated plant? I think it might be.
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- Saw this one in the woods near Kent, CT. Leaves are unique, but no luck finding it in Go Botany. Bill
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- I am trying to find pictures of various common pollen grains through the light microscope - might you have a suggestion of a source or atlas? Many thanks, Linda
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- Hello, I bought my first house in January when everything was covered in snow here in MN. I'm curious what kind of plants these are that are popping up?
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- We are not sure of the location of the plant, as we were only given the seed, but we know it is a terrestrial plant and we also know it if of the asteraceae family. We also know that the plant will flower, but hasn't yet. It has some teething, the leaves are not lobbed, it has a very prominent midrib, no tricomes on the leaves, it's lancalate, and glaucous. With the attached pictures, do you know what genus, and, hopefully, what species it is?
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- Good Afternoon Dr. I have a number of wild Brassicaceae spp growing in my front yard. A closeup of the flower appears to have 3 anthers surrounding the stigma. The flower measures about 3 mm. Its is produced on a hairy stem measuring about 3 cm. The stem arises form a rosette of leaves which are covered in hairs. The location is Malden MA.
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- Every spring we love to see what we call the purple haze emerge. Can you help me identify this beautiful little plant found in my New Haven, CT backyard? It covers my neighbor’s hill and each of my 19 years in this house has spread incrementally further across my yard.
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- Hi there, This fellow has been growing among some staghorn(?) sumac and so I assumed it was also sumac, but looking at it closely, it definitely isn't. I'm thinking sambucus canadensis? As I recall this plant has white flowers similar to elderflowers, but they had no scent at all, and I don't remember seeing any fruit on it. It's growing in a residential area (relatively undisturbed part of a yard) in Hampshire County. Thank you!!
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- Hi! I tried loading this into plant share and it wouldn't post. I am not sure, but I think this is Leucothoe fontanesiana. I have never seen in bloom and it has been here since before we bought the house. I live in New Milford CT and I saw that according to your data base that it has not been sighted in CT so I wanted to make sure that it was actually fontanesiana. Any help would be great! This is part of my Tree/Shrub/Vine report for my Master Gardener classes and Leucothoe is on my list!!
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- Hi there! I am wondering if you could tell me what plant these seeds might belong to? I found these yesterday while working in a gravel wetland that was covered with cattails (Town of Lake George, NY). We cleared some of the cattail out, and these were lying in the soil. Apologies for not having great photos, this was all that I could find. Thanks as always!
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- Hi! All winter long, I managed to protect my bougainvillea in a heated (not below 40F) greenhouse. It had green leaves all winter. About two/three weeks ago, all of its leaves started to dry and wither in less than a week. Now, the temperature is around 60F. I've taken it out of the greenhouse, and it's in the sun almost every day. I thought that the withered leaves were just a sign of spring rejuvenation but the plant still looks dead with no visible budding. Is it dead?
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- Hi, I just submitted this as a sighting. But anyway, I tried to ID some aster I found growing in my wetlands last September and discovered it may be a rarer type of aster "Symphyotrichum prenanthoides" maybe? I'm looking to get confirmation on the species. Thank you!
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- Hi, Hoping for help conforming this shrub. Growing close to salt marsh area and surrounding upland in sandwich, MA. I believe it’s Sambucus Nigra (Canadensis) but not 100% sure. Thanks for any help.
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- 2nd Ilex glabra 'Densa" question. How far from the sidewalk should they be planted? How much space should be between them since I am making a hedge with them? Thanks.
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- Hello! I am from Philippines and I want to ask if crescentia cujete "Calabash" is edible? Tell something about this fruit. Thank You! I am hoping for your reply.
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- I have wild black raspberries growing in my yard. One grouping of them seems to have been infected by raspberry leaf curl. The leaves near the top look greasy in the summer, and curled up. It produces very little fruit that are shriveled. The canes bend over. My question is: how and when should I remove it without infecting the other wild black raspberry plants nearby? I understand it is spread by aphids, and I'm wondering if I should just burn with a weed burner, right now (early spring).
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- Hello. I was wondering if you could help me figure out what type of grass I have in some wetlands on my property.
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- I want to use Ilex glabra 'Densa' as a hedge plant to block the road noise, but I wonder about its root system. Is the root system the kind I have to worry about in terms of damaging underground gas and water lines? How far from the lines should they be?
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- Hello GoBotany community! I've had this plant for over 10 years now, and I just realized that I have no idea what is it's name. I did some searching and the closest one I found is the syngonium podophyllum. My location is near the capital of Greece. If you need more picture, please say so and i'll deliver. Thanks in advance!
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- What kind of succulent is this? I bought it at Walmart and can't seem to identify it. How do I best care for this plant? (Light, water, temperature.. etc.)
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- Thanks for your previous ID! I did plant Milkweed seeds in that area. Now, in my backyard in North Reading, MA, I'm wondering what this prolific white flower is? I fear that it's garlic mustard.
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- To continue with my question about Witch-Hazel, H. virginiana would be the only option for the fall flowering shrub. Your book, Flora Novae Angliae, does not offer a description of of the flower. Can you offer an ID from the close-up of the flower, or suggest a reference on this matter? Thanks again for being available. - Bruce
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- I'm trying to prepare for Spring gardening and I don't know what this is. I'm afraid of digging up and discarding precious plants.
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- I would like to know if it is common for Witch-Hazel to bloom in the fall as well as the spring. Attached are two pictures, one from November and the other from last Saturday of the same plant. I took a close-up picture (macro setting with the picture set set to 1 mb), it would not load, so here it is in the lowest setting.
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- Question: what is the name for this beautiful plant? Seen in Hammond Indiana, last summer 2018 Took some pictures them can't be loaded now... Thanks
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- Hello. I need some help. I have this plant that was sold in the Succulent section of my plant store. It did not come with a ID so I have no clue what type of succulent it is. I'm trying to save it as it seems like it is dying but sprouting new leaves at the same time so I am trying to figure out how to better help it. Please help so I can be a great plant mom!
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- Hello! I keep finding this grass and am not sure what species it is despite looking through all of my field guides. I have only seen it in winter so far, growing along power line ROWs in Kingston, Dartmouth, and Orleans MA. It has been see in both wetland and upland. Please let me know if you need any more information. Thank you!
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- Hi. I was wondering if you could help me identify this plant. It was found in a Northern Cedar bog in Maine.
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- I am trying to save this plant. I have repotted it... I don't know what it is called. Do you?
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- Hello, I just signed up to this sight! So, is there any books I should read to design a sustainable landscape with native New Hampshire plants? Any other resources besides books? Currently undergoing information overload right about now! :D Thanks!
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- I can't even get to family on this one. It was growing near the top of Whiteface Mountain, in the ADKs, in moist gravel in a streambed (but not near the water). Grass in the first photo gives a rough scale, but my recollection is that it was a maximum of 1" tall. No flowers. I've seen it in other places, similar habitat, similar size, so I'm *guessing* this is as big as it gets. Any ideas?
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- We're trying to get this Vaccinium down to species at Joppa Flats. V. Corymbosum (Highbush Blueberry) is our leading contender, based on the leaf edges. Have we got it right? With all the hybrids and cultivars, we're not sure. We were also looking at V. cesariense, though it's not in the map for Essex Co.
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- Epigaea repens L. var. glabrifolia Fern. the other variety is described as what? I am visiting a plant friend in Escambia County FL and AL and found Epigaea repens L. but differences in leaf hairs, glands, etc. thinking it might be a different variety....grows on steep edges in sandy pine woods.
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- Hello, Found this plant in mid-May in Southeastern CT; it was roughly 8 inches in ht. had white bell-shaped flowers with four petals in a loose raceme. The lower leaves were rounded heart shaped. The habitat was a moist lowland near a stream in a deciduous. Thanks
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- Hello, This shrub was located in Northwest Maine in late summer. The Plant had sharply pointed and finely serrated compound leaves. The stem was dark purple/brown. Habitat:edge of a bog along a sandy logging road. Other plants included pearly everlasting, spruce, balsam fir and raspberry. The surrounding bog contains sphagnum, tawny cottonsedge, cattail, and tamarack.
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- Hi, I have found what at first looks to be some sort of root or long sprout, & it may very well be. However this “root” is moving at times almost snake like at both ends. One end more than the other usually as if the one side is the head and the other tail. I put a drip of water next to it and it purposely moved towards it in plain sight (no time lapse camera needed) and began to move through it. I have a video I can send you if you would please help me identify this. Ontario, Canada Thanks
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- Psilotum is simple living pteridophytes why? please tell me.
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- I have been trying to ID a common spring ephemeral. Thru other sources I think it is Anemone quinquefolia (wood anemone, wood windflower). Why could I not find it in the GoBotany simple key using: Flower color-white; Flower symmetry-radial; Number of sepals, petals-five? I attach a photo just in case my ID is wrong.
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- Hi there, I am wondering if you could help me with this shrub identification. Unfortunately I only have one picture. The photo was taken in late August of 2018, in a wetland. Many thanks
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- Hello, one day doing my research data collection, i have seen plant two plants that i was not able to identify. i need you help to know their families, genus and species. they were located in RWANDA, NORTHERN PROVINCE
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- Hey hey. My plant is dying but I have no idea what kind of plant it is, and thus I can't look up how to save her! Lil' help?
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- Hello! In my home decoration craze, I planted about five small cacti in a large glass jar about four-five years ago. Some of the cacti died, some of them grew, in a rather strange way. (See Photo) Now, I think, it’s time to repot them, but I don’t know how I can do that. They seem to have some very weak spots that rely on the glass jar for support. Thank you for your help!
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- I noticed this orange hair like stuff coming out of our wall in our living room and was wondering what type of plant it is. The wall paper is bubbled and the hair like stuff is coming out of the wall. We are a little freaked out and any help you could provide identifying what this is would be great! Thanks.
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- I think this is a euonymus europaeus. I found it in Augusta, Maine. Is this plant a concern for invasiveness?
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- I wonder if these 2 plants could be Salix argyrocarpa. Dwarf size (less than 1 foot tall), south coast of Labrador July 6 2018.
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- I grow indoor lettuce and its doing very well, what can I do to clean it for eating to make sure no E.Coli is present or other bacteria? We trim as we need it and let it continue to grow.
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- Dear Botanist, it's a bit unfair to send you images of January plants, but I am hoping you may know if both of these are Leonurus cardiaca. The vertical stalk definitely is - I saw the flowers last summer - but the other plant was about 50 feet away and looks similar yet different. There are SO many Mint family plants! Thank you.
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- what is daisy tree? pl give pics if possible
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- A bit north of New England, but I think this is Saxifraga oppositifolia in fruit. Photographed in Newfoundland on July 4 2018.
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- Greetings, I live in Northampton, and I recently found a strange purple seed pod filled with green goo near the Mill River. There were no others around that woody area, and I would like to know what it is. Thank you, Reggie
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- Can you determine which Alnus this is from these photos? The twig has both lenticels and bloom. Could it be a hybrid? It is growing in a forest-interior wetland in Rutland County, VT.
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