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Questions and Answers
2019
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- Question
- 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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- Ellen, I'm sending you an email with information to your email. It is a long enough email it will be difficult to include all the information here. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Tsuga_Can, I can't help you with your question because the images are too far away for me to see details (and all the images are the same photograph). If you are having trouble uploading photographs, feel free to attach them to an email (ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org) and I will try to assist you.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Tsuga_Can, good morning. The plant you photographed is Platanthera dilatata (white northern bog-orchid). One way to identify this is not a Spiranthes is the fact it has a nectary spur (not present in the genus Spiranthes). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Elenaferrater13, I'm sorry I can't help you. Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants of New England (northeastern North America). While I'm happy to entertain all plant-related questions, some will be outside of my region of expertise. Sorry I can't assist you--you need to find an organization closer to you. Good luck.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear beaconluke, it looks like you have photographed a sterile shoot of Veronica officinalis (common speedwell). This common species does have opposite leaves that are relatively short and have hairs on both surfaces. You can check some images online to confirm. Good luck.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear sjbaird, good morning. I can't see enough details to be confident, but the dentition certainly suggests Salix discolor or a similar willow. If you have additional images, feel free to email to ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org and I can try to provide a more confident determination for your willow.
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- Question
- 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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- chaffeemonell, good morning. The important thing to understand is that there isn't that much disagreement. The reality is that most people who use a different name are either (1) not informed on the present taxonomy but still feel their opinion matters (to put it rather bluntly) or (2) are resisting change because it requires effort on their part to learn a new name. Those who study a particular group in great detail (i.e., are considered taxonomic authorities in the group) are often in substantial agreement over names and ranks. Of course, complete agreement is not always present, but much of the disagreement you experience does not come from folks who study the particular group--they are just presenting an opinion that is not based on biosystematic data. Japanese knotweed is currently known at Reynoutria japonica, and that name is very well supported by multiple lines of evidence. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- PaintedTrillium, I'm sorry, I can't identify the plant based on the images provided. I have several educated guesses, but none of them are confident. Images of the winter buds (for future reference) would have helped with this small seedling--I can't make them out clearly in the series of images. Beautiful colors, as you mentioned.
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- Question
- 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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- Azemba, good afternoon. The measurement you provide and the observation of solitary spikelets does support this as being Paspalum laeve. Of course, the ligules offer another very nice way to distinguish New England's two species. If you can confirm with a ligule measurement, you'll feel more confident with your determination. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear winterbloomfarm, you appear to have photographed Origanum vulgare (wild marjoram), a cultivated species that does escape and become naturalized in various part of New England. This member of the mint family can be used for culinary purposes just like its cultivated cousins.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Meromorphic, the plants do look more like Polypodium appalachianum than they do P. virginianum. However, confident determination relies on spore measurements. Also, hybrids do occur (which, again, can be determined through examination of spores). Without a specimen, it is really difficult to be confident. If you were ever able to send me one, I could identify this plant and perhaps confirm your possibly new county record. If you are interested, email me at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org and we can discuss this. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear ABCO, beautiful little plant you have photographed, but I'm sorry I cannot help you with your question. Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants of New England. While we entertain any plant-related questions, some will be outside of our realm of expertise. I hope you find the answer to your question.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, it certainly does look like you have photographed Prunus serotina (black cherry). However, this species is synoecius, meaning it has bisexual flowers (i.e., flowers with both stamens for pollen and carpels for ovules). The structures you are seeing on some flowers are galls of some sort. I do not know which organism has created the galls, but they are not typical of the flowers for this species.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, this plant is likely Vaccinium corymbosum. I believe I can see some minute cilia along the leaf margins in your images, which would rule out Vaccinium caesariense (the only other species it could be). Vaccinium corymbosum is our most common species of highbush blueberry in New England. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Sativumbum, the leaves you have acquired images of look like Hibiscus syriacus (shrubby rose-mallow), a member of the Malvaceae. I can't be 100% certain without reproductive structures, but they do look similar to this species. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear chafeemonell, the identification is relatively straightforward with the fruits, but I can't tell you from the images you've provided. The sepals are persistent on the underside of the fruit. If you examine them with a hand lens, you can see the margins and identify if they are prominently ciliate (Ilex verticillata) or essentially lacking cilia (Ilex laevigata). This is listed in the Flora Novae Angliae manual and is described there in more detail. This should help you with your identification.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear chaffeemonell, mosses (part of the bryophytes group), are not tracheophytes (vascular plants with specialized conducting cells called tracheids). Ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms all represent tracheophytes (what have been called "vascular plants" for a long time, though mosses have vascular tissue as well). These "higher vascular" plants are quite different than mosses and the latter group requires a specialized training and vocabulary for identification. As such, they are not included in Go Botany (which is not to suggest they are not important members of natural communities). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, this beautiful picture you have taken is not of a species of Geranium, but of a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae), as evidenced by the stamens fused into a single column. It is likely you have photographed two or the more common, larger species, such as Malva moschata or Malva alcea (which I cannot confirm without more images). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear kidoine, thank you for posing this. Please email me at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org so we can get this occurrence vouchered. Rhodotypos scandens does key out in Go Botany if the questions are interpreted and answered correctly. If you go to the taxon page, you can view its characteristics so you are able to see what should be added to the questions for identification. Feel free to email me any questions or discussion you have.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, you've photographed a species of moss. It may be in the Plagiomnium or a related genus (I am not a moss taxonomist, so I am not confident in the determination). Hopefully this will get you started on your study.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, you've photographed a species of blackberry, likely Rubus hispidus (bristly blackberry), or a hybrid with that species. The three, firm-textured and glossy leaflets that are widest beyond the middle and not prolonged into an acumination, with trailing stems that lack broad-based prickles are good field identifiers.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, you have photographed Frangula alnus (glossy-buckthorn), a non-native species that can be very invasive. It is quite prevalent in many locations within the state of MA. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear chaffeemonell, great images. This plant, which I'm not entirely sure because I can't see the basal leaves, can't be Solidago latissimifolia. That species has +/- glabrous stems and leaves, but notice this species has minutely hairy stems and leaves. It could be a very large Solidago nemoralis, but I would need to see the basal leaves and their relative size to the mid-stem leaves to be confident. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear SueLB, your plant may be crow garlic (Allium vineale). If you had a measurement of the bulb (its diameter), we could be more certain of its identification. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear docj77, yes, that looks very much like that species. To be 100% certain, I would need to see leaves, etc., but the flower is a good match and this species is common in certain wetlands in the state of ME. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Chaffeemonell, I have seen an image of this growth on Toxicodendron before, but I don't know who or what causes it. I'm sorry I can't help out in this situation. Good luck finding out (if you do, please let me know).
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, it appears you have photographed Spiraea chamaedryfolia (germander meadowsweet). This shrub is native to Asia. Great photographs, what a beautiful plant.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, you've photographed a species of Malus (apple). You likely have photographed either Malus baccata (Siberian crab apple) or Malus floribunda (Japanese flowering crab apple), but I would need to see close-up images of the sepals or young branchlets to tell you for certain. Hopefully narrowing it down to one of two species is helpful for you.
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- Question
- was wondering what this plant is?
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- Dawn, Good morning. I'm sorry I cannot help you. These plants are cultivated, which are outside my area of expertise. I wish I could help you.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear ryoung, those leaves look like Clintonia borealis (yellow blue-bead-lily), a native species of north temperate and boreal forests. It produces 2 or 3 of these slightly folded, thick-textured leaves from the summit of an underground rhizome.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, you've photographed a species of lichen. I'm not an expert in this group of organisms and feel more confident directing you elsewhere for an answer. Hopefully knowing it is a lichen will be helpful to you solving the identification mystery.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, you appear to have photographed a large specimen of Ludwigia palustris (common water-primrose). This species has opposite leaves with leaf blades shaped as you have pictured here. It is sometimes a small plant trailing over wet substrate, but in deeper water can be as you have found it. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, it looks as though you have photographed Rubus idaeus subsp. strigosus (our native red raspberry). The presence of stipitate glands in the inflorescence point to this subspecies. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, good morning. You have photographed a species of Rubus, but it is a blackberry not a black raspberry. If you look, the places where fruits are missing are also lacking the white receptacle that stays behind when you pick a raspberry (these "fruits" are hollow when you pick them because the receptacle remains on the plant). In contrast, when you pick a blackberry, the receptacle is picked with the fruit, so blackberries aren't hollow. I can't tell you which blackberry you have picked without more images of the plant, its habit, the prickles, and other features. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear FlamingxLoopie, good morning. The plant certainly looks like Cannabis sativa (hemp, among many other common names). I find them to be very interesting plants, partly, perhaps, because they have been demonized for so long that most of us haven't had the opportunity to view/interact with them. There is a treasure trove of medicine found within these plants (and not just the carpellate flower buds, but also the vegetative leaves). Enjoy.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear bkatzenberg, the images look as though you have photographed Fagus grandifolia (American beech), which belongs to the same family as chestnut, but has a different look to the leaves and bark. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Tom, this is a the fruiting capsule of a species of Epilobium (willow-herb), found in the Onagraceae (evening-primrose family). I can't tell you which species, but Epilobium ciliatum is a common species and likely who this is. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Bob, good morning. I'll help as much as I can--the plants are rather small in the image so I can't identify all of them with confidence. The clubmoss you mention is a species of Dendrolycopodium (tree-clubmoss), of which Dendrolycopodium obscurum is a common species. There are also, it appears, a species of Vaccinium (blueberry) in the photo. One plant with white flowers is Lysimachia borealis (starflower), a native member of the Myrsinaceae. If you get closer photographs of the individual plants I can help further. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear chaffeemonell, I cannot tell you which species of goldenrod this is because there is no view of the stem. Within the triplenervae (which includes Solidago gigantea), the stem pubescence (or absence thereof) is necessary for identification. If you can acquire an image of the stem, I may be able to assist. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- BrooklineBiker, there are a couple different plants in the images, the one that is prominent is Oclemena acuminata (sharp-toothed nodding-aster). This is a common species in many parts of New England, especially where there are forests, especially those with a northern and/or evergreen component.
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- Question
- 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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- alonerock, good morning. I'm sorry I can't help you. Cultivated plants are outside of my expertise. What I can share with you is that it is not an African-violet. This is a different species belonging to another genus. Sorry I can't be of more assistance.
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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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- Dear BrooklineBiker, good morning. The sapling you have posted images of is difficult to identify. The opposite, pinnately compound leaves would suggest it is a species of Fraxinus (ash); however, rarely do I see ashes in the northeast with such abundant teeth on the margins of the leaflets. One of your images in this series appears to be a specimen of Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed).
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- Question
- 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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- Dear BrooklineBiker, you've photographed a species of Malus (apple). This is one of the species of crab apple introduced for ornament. I would need to see the specimen to attempt to provide you with a identification, but hopefully knowing the genus is helpful to you. Note the inferior ovary (persistent sepals are at the top of the fruit), if this was a buckthorn, it would not have this arrangement. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear BrooklineBiker, I'm sorry I can't help you with this one. The images are blurry for some reason. If you can get better resolution images, I would be able to assist. Sorry again.
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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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- Dear BrooklineBiker, the plant appears to be Frangula alnus (glossy-buckthorn). It is a non-native, invasive species that can be quite aggressive and extend into forested situations. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear limnjucy, unfortunately, I cannot tell you which species you have without closer images of the spikes. I would need to be able to see the shape of the carpellate scales. Another way that may work for you is to examine the lower sheaths of the plant, those that surround the basal part of the stem. If they feel rough due to the presence of very short, stiff hairs you have Carex gynandra. If they feel smooth due to the absence of such hairs, you have Carex crinita. Good luck with your study.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, yes, it could be a birch seedling, but not paper birch, there are far too many vein pairs on the leaf blades. Did you create a small bruise on the shoot and smell for wintergreen odor? It looks like one of the species that would produce that. Feel free to continue this conversation by email if you would like to.
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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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- chaffeemonell, with winter buds of that size and pubescence, it cannot be Quercus coccinea. This looks like a good match for Quercus velutina. One of the issues that often confuses people is sun vs. shade leaves. They are really different sometimes, with sun leaves have much deeper sinuses than shade leaves. In the forest, most people are familiar with the leaves they can reach (i.e., the shade leaves) and don't always know what the sun leaves look like. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Carl, I don't know for certain, but it looks like you may have found a tiny plant of Euonymus fortunei (climbing spindle-tree). This plant frequently has light colored veins (as shown in your image). Further, the leaf arrangement and margin are a good match for this taxon. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Jill, thank you for posting the image of the Symplocos paniculata. I will update the Go Botany maps to reflect your discovery. Thank you.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear elin, good morning. I'm sorry I can't help you with your question. Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plant of New England. While we are happy to entertain any plant-related questions, some cultivated species our outside of our realm of expertise. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Row, good morning. You have photographed a species of Pilosella (king-devil), species of composites that are often included in the hawkweed genus (Hieracium). These are not stinging-nettle (sorry), but are quite common on many open lawns. In the early growing season next year you will see there yellow (or orange) flower heads.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear JuliaB, good morning. As best I can tell, it is likely Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (lance-leaved American-aster), a common, native species that can occupy a wide variety of open habitats. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear JuliaB, I can make an educated guess based on the image. While blurry, it does appear to be Bidens cernua (nodding beggar-ticks), a native member of the composite family that usually occurs in wetlands and along shorelines. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear subhani, good morning. I'm sorry I can't help you. Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants that grown in New England. While I'm certainly happy to entertain any plant-related question, I will not always be able to provide an answer for cultivated species, which are outside of my realm of expertise. Sorry I can't assist you.
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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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- Dear limnjucy@gmail.com, you look to have photographed Smilax herbacea (carrion-flower), a native member of the Smilacaceae that is also a vine. I can't see clearly enough the base of the petioles, which would have a pair of tendrils (at least early in the season) derived from the stipules. This is an easy way to distinguish vegetative herbaceous Smilax from the genus Dioscorea. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, you have photographed a species of Atriplex (orache), a member of the Amaranthaceae. I can't tell you which species without more details and closer images, but hopefully knowing the genus will be useful to you.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear JMP, you look to have photographed Symphyotrichum pilosum (awl American-aster), a species with very narrow, involute-tipped involucral bracts. It usually has white rays and occurs most often in open habitats.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear zmper, you have collected a species of Aronia (chokeberry), a native member of the rose family. Unfortunately, the image is not clear enough for me to tell you which species. There are two this could be: Aronia melanocarpa (black fruits, no hairs in inflorescence) and Aronia floribunda (purple fruits, hairs in inflorescence). If you examine the midrib on the upper surface of the leaf blade, you will notice a line of dark glands that helps to identify this genus.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear gdewolf, you are quite correct, this is Utricularia radiata. Beautiful images. I will update the maps based on your discovery. Thank you for posting it here so that I might learn about it.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear gdewolf, the plants may well be Acer spicatum (mountain maple), but the best characters to distinguish this plant from Acer rubrum is not the leaves. The next time you are trying to distinguish these species, examine the branchlets and winter buds. Acer spicatum has pubescent branchlets and 2 bud scales covering the winter buds (Acer spicatum has glabrous branchlets and 3 or more bud scales covering the winter buds). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear gdewold, you have photographed Prunus serotina (black cherry). The leaf blade shape (elliptic) is different from Prunus pensylvanica (lanceolate). Next time you encounter this dilemma, examine the underside of the leaf, Prunus serotina has a line of white to rusty hairs along the midrib of the leaf, Prunus pensylvanica does not.
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- Seen 9/13/19 in Killingworth CT. Looking for an identification.
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- Dear Annemcnulty, the plant you have photographed is Cicuta maculata (spotted water-hemlock), a native, wetland species of the celery family. If you look closely, you can see many of the veins of the leaf segments traveling from the midrib to the sinuses between the teeth (normally, veins run prominently to the teeth, not the sinuses). Best wishes.
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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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- alwayslooking, this appears to be a cultivated hybrid named Caryopteris X clandonensis (bluebeard), a member of the mint family that is native to Asia (or, tat least, its parents are native to Asia). Was this species naturalized somewhere, or growing in a garden setting? Feel free to email me at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org to discuss. Thank you.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear kaj810, I think Amaranthus blitoides is a good hypothesis for this plant. There are too many tiny features that I would need to observe to identify this plant with any confidence. However, the macroscopic features do look like the plant species you have suggested.
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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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- Dear jfc, it looks more like Erigeron annuus. The spreading hairs on the stem and longer rays suggest this. For this species complex, images of the basal leaves are really important to distinguish them with more confidence. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- jfc, it looks like the rosette of a species of Hieracium (hawkweed), but I wouldn't know for certain without seeing it in person. It does look like a member of the Asteraceae, as you suggested.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear CQ4CATS11, I'm sorry, I cannot suggest a vendor. I don't typically see Salix occidentalis offered by anyone. You will likely have to secure this species yourself from the wild if you want to plant it. Good luck.
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- i want identify this plant please help me india maharashtra
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- Dear vasundhara, I wish I could assist you, but I'm located in northeastern North America, far from where you are located. My expertise does not extend to India. You should contact a local herbarium (i.e., plant museum), which you can find online by visiting Index Herbariorum. Good luck.
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- Question
- 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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- chaffeemonell, good afternoon. The length of the corolla suggests this is Chamaecrista fasciculata (partridge sensitive-pea). The longest petals are clearly at least 15 mm, and Chamaecrista nictitans maxes out around 8 mm. Nice find.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear David, good morning. You have found Catalpa speciosa (northern catalpa), which has some similarities with Paulownia. Notice on one of your images, the leaf blades connect to the petiole at the base of the blade, in Paulownia, it looks a bit like they connect to the underneath (but close to the base). Also, the base of the blade has exposed veins (the lowest pair of veins form the edge of the leaf blade). This does not happen in Paulownia. If this brief discussion doesn't make sense, feel free to email me for a longer discussion.
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- Question
- Plant with white flowers and opposite, toothed leaves growing in seasonally flooded wetlands in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Is it Chelone glabra?
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- Dear jfc, yes, it looks like a good match for Chelone glabra. This species is the only native member of its genus in New England. It likes wetlands and shorelines as it typical habitat.
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- Hi, are you able to tell me what this plan is.
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- Dear GerBowers, you appear to have a photograph of Solanum laciniatum (sometimes called large kangaroo-apple), a species native to Australia and New Zealand. It is a perennial shrub with purple flowers and fruits as you have photographed. Beautiful image.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear kasmus.nh, that is a great photograph. It still looks like a good match for Spiranthes ochroleuca. I'm not sure what you are referring to, but this does look typical for the species. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear chaffemonell, There is no one large source of taxonomy that is without problems. Large lists of plants have tremendous inertia, and keeping them up-to-date is almost impossible. Likewise, when many people are involved, folks who are entrenched in their ideas influence the names being used (rather than being more objective about the available biosystematic data). Regarding Cornus in the broad sense, it is very unpopular to divide this genus; however, its unpopularity has nothing to do with the biosystematic data driving the decision making. When Lycopodium was subdivided, it too was unpopular and people resisted for years. Now, it is widely accepted (once those with entrenched ideas either retired or gave up fighting against an amazing data set that provided only one answer--the genus is too heterogenous without subdivision). Cornus will take time, but the data are there to support the distinctions. And keep in mind, most that fight this change have never researched why the change is even being proposed. I hope this helps to some degree.
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- Question
- Lane’s Island, Vinalhaven, ME September 28, 2019
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- Dear kidoine, good morning. You've photographed Anaphalis margaritacea (pearly everlasting), a beautiful, native member of the composite family that frequents human-disturbed locations.
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- Question
- 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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- Carol, great images, thank you for having a selection of them to view. Yes, Bolboschoenus maritimus subsp. paludosus is exactly what I would call this plant. It is our most common brackish water tuber-bulrush.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear kasmus.nh, good afternoon. The yellow under surface of the labellum and large separation of the lateral petals and sepals suggests this is Spiranthes ochroleuca (yellow ladies'-tresses). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear JuliaB, I'm sorry, I can't make out who this plant is. You might want to direct this question to someone in the horticulture department at Garden in the Woods. They would likely know exactly who this species is (I'm located in Maine). Good luck finding out the identity of this plant.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear JuliaB, it looks like you have photographed a vegetative population of Aegopodium podograria (bishop's goutweed), a non-native member of the Apiaceae. This plant is often cultivated, and those forms frequently have white-maculated leaves. Often wild populations simply have green leaves (as you have photographed here). Best wishes.
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- Question
- This is in Glocester, RI. help with id is appreciated
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- Mixmistress, the plant you photographed appears to be Liriope spicata (creeping lilyturf). This plant has never been recorded as wild in New England. Could you share with me if this species is growing wild or is cultivated in a garden setting? Feel free to contact me at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org. Thank you.
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- Question
- Seeds stuck to my clothes after walking through a field in the Blue Hills south of Boston.
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- jfc, these are mericarps (part of the fruit) of the genus Desmodium (tick-trefoil). These are provided with unciate hairs (i.e., curved at the tip) so that they readily cling to fur and clothing. I can't tell you which species without more of the plant to examine. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- jfc, this does look like Scirpus cyperinus, which is the later flowering of the species in the complex. It is both morphology and phenology that help identify this species. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Mariebee83, good afternoon. The plant in the photograph is Clethra alnifolia (coastal sweet-pepperbush). It is a native plant that often occurs in wetlands and along shorelines. While I too have heard the flowers of this species have been used as a soap, I have not yet tried it so I can't confirm. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear davidmcombs, good morning. Yes, this makes perfect sense. Many fruits have germination inhibitors so that they do not fruit all the next year. This makes sure that some remain if conditions change. In some cases, these germination inhibitors are firm fruit walls resistant to mechanical breakdown. Other times,t here are chemical inhibitors. The fact they took two years to really take off isn't surprising. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- chaffeemonell, good morning. I'm not certain you have photographed Pinus mugo. The upright habit isn't typical, but the winter buds look very large for this taxon. The winter buds suggest Pinus sylvestris. If it is planted, then it would not be included on Go Botany (the only plants mapped their are wild or naturalized).
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- Question
- Hi: Any thoughts on a species ID for this aster...growing in a field, up to 4 ft. high. Thanks
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- Dear JMP, it is hard for me to be confident without a close-up image of the involucral bracts, but it appears you have photographed Symphyotrichum pilosum (awl American-aster), a native species of open habitats. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear ljcost, If you have an image you could upload or sent to me (ahaines@nativeplanttrust.org) I could help you with the identification. Deep pink to red stems during flowering are definitive (know that Hypopitys monotropa can become tinged with pink in fruit, but it is pale in flower and the coloration is fruit is quite muted compared with H. lanuginosa). I am not aware of Milford County in New England. Do you mean Norfolk County?
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- Question
- 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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- Dedar Whbn3, good morning. This plant is Pyrola americana (round-leaved shinleaf). Some specimens of this native plant have light colored veins on the leaves (as yours does here) and some do not.
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- Question
- 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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- chaffeemonell, yes, they belong to the same tribe (Heliantheae), and also the same subtribe (Ambrosiinae). These are plants that have chaff (i.e., receptacular bracts) between the disk flowers and stamens with distinct (as opposed to fused together) anthers. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- calexander23, good morning. I might have been able to identify this, but I would need some additional information. Location is very important, without knowing (generally) where this image came from I will have more trouble. Also, an image from the side so I can see the stem and leaf arrangement would be really helpful. I'm sorry, in this case, from the one image, I can't help. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Carl, you have photographed a species of Lespedeza (bush-clover). It looks like you have Lespedeza capitata (round-headed bush-clover), a native species that is found throughout much of New England. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- jfc, these are small individuals of Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort), a member of the mint family. The lower leaves will be three-lobed near the apex. It is naturalized here and there around New England. I see it most often in ME around old homesteads and farm lands.
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- Question
- 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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- Thank you Carl!
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- Question
- 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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- Carol, I can't see enough of this plant to be certain, but you should check images of Linaria canadensis (synonym: Nuttallanthus canadensis), oldfield toadflax. It is a common species in Maine.
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- Question
- Found in rocky/sandy powerline running through pitch pine-oak forest. Thanks!
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- massecology, good morning. You have photographed a species of Nabalus (rattlesnake-root). It is likely Nabalus trifoliolatus (three-leaved rattlesnake-root) based on the seven disk flowers in the capitulum. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear VickyDee, good morning. You have photographed a species of Acalypha (three-seeded-Mercury). I need close-up images of specific structures to tell you which species, but it is likely Acalypha rhomboidea (common three-seeded-Mercury). I hope this is helpful.
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- Question
- 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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- Whbn3, in this case, iNaturalist is incorrect. This is the maculated version of Pyrola americana (round-leaved shinleaf), a native member of the heath family. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Jennifer, the best way to work through these is to learn to use the keys provided in Flora Novae Angliae (available in the dichotomous key on Go Botany). Once you learn the terminology, and it is not difficult for the genus Solidago (goldenrods), you can learn them all much easier than struggling with an amateur guide that uses non-diagnostic features that often fail to discriminate taxa. Jonathon Semple (University of Waterloo) also produces a nice goldenrod guide with images that is helpful for our area.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Alanseamans, you have photographed Agalinis tenuifolia (slender-leaved agalinis), the only species in ME to produce long stalks that bear the flowers (all the other species have sessile or subsessile flowers). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear gdewolf, the best way to separate these species is to examine one of the fruits. On the lower side (where it attaches to the branch), the fruit has persistent sepals, and those sepals will either have lots of cilia along the margin (I. verticellata) or essentially none (I. laevigata). For long shoots and short shoots, go examine an apple or a birch, you will notice knobby shoots long the branches. Those are the short shoots with crowded leaves relative to the long shoots. If you take a picture of a fruit, the lower side where the sepals are, the difference is easy to discern.
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- Question
- Near the edge of a stand of hemlock where almost nothing else but moss grows. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Sorry jfc, despite your great photographs, I can't identify this one without being onsite. It reminds me of a species of Frangula (glossy-buckthorn), but I would need to be present to be sure.
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- Question
- Near the edge of a stand of hemlock where almost nothing else but moss grows. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- jfc, sorry, I can't recognize that seedling without more images. These tiny plants, which are often common species (and even trees at maturity) are hard to identify without being at the site where intermediate forms can be found that help identify seedling, young, and mature plants of the same species.
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- Question
- Grass growing in a field in the Blue Hills south of Boston.
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- Dear jfc, I can't see the image well enough to determine if this is Dactylus glomerata or Phalaris arundinacea. The leaf sheaths are different between these two species (the former is closed, the latter in open). It makes for a nice way to separate these two common grasses when their season has passed.
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- Question
- Grass growing in a clearing, Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, the grass in your image appears to be Dactylus glomerata (orchard grass), an individual in which most of the florets have disarticulated leaving the empty glumes behind.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Pat, good evening. Unfortunately, without measurements, I can't help you with your question. The main differences between these two species center on lengths of the corolla and style. There is one character, that relates to the the relative length of the calyx lobes to the fused portion of the calyx. By what I see in the image, your plant may be Agalinis purpurea, which is quite rare in Maine. I'm only aware of a single station of this species. If you can get more images and detailed measurements, I could help you further.
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- Question
- 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.
- Answer
- Dear jfc, you have photographed a species of Scirpus (bulrush). The images are too early to tell you which species, but I can state this is part of the Scirpus cyperinus complex (woolsedge group), which is, for common species, comprised of Scirpus atrocinctus (flowers earlier in the summer), Scirpus pedicellatus (flowers between the other two), and Scirpus cyperinus (which flowers later in summer, around now and later). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, the plant in the image is Bidens frondosa (Devil's beggar-ticks). This is a native member of this genus with pinnately compound leaves, typically lacking ray flowers, and with usually 5-10 foliaceous involucral bracts surrounding the disk flowers. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear gdewolf, this image looks like Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides. While the leaves are useful, a better character is the peduncle (i.e., stalk to the inflorescence). Viburnum nudum has a long, unbranched stalk prior to the branching of the inflorescence whereas Viburnum lentago essentially lacks one (or is extremely short). Once you learn this, they are way easier to distinguish.
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- Question
- Hi, A customer found this in their garden in the Berkshires. can you help with id? Thanks, Greg
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- Dear Greg, try Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed), a member of the composite family. The leaves and flowers look correct for this species. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, this plant is Solanum emulans (eastern black nightshade). You will find it called Solanum ptychanthum on the Go Botany website. It is an infrequent (but locally common) native herb with edible black fruits. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- califyank, from the images supplied, it would be hard for me to distinguish this apart from Echinochloa muricata, which is a common species in New England. The problem is that E. muricata is not always awned. It is very likely one of the two species (E. frumentacea or E. muricata). I hope this is of some value.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, you have photographed a species of Swida (dogwood). From the images provided, it is difficult for me to be certain which species you have. Based on what I can see (fruit color, leaf blade outline, branch background color), you may have Swida rugosa (round-leaved dogwood). Best wishes.
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- Question
- Grass growing beside a narrow path in the woods. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, I do not know for certain who your grass is. The image doesn't allow me to see the details I need. It may be a species of Cinna (wood-reed). Cinna arundinacea is a common species in New England (there are two species total). This is just a hypothesis, but it might help you find out who this is.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jvanben, the plant in your images is Micranthes virgiensis (early small-flowered-saxifrage). It is a common, spring-flowering plant of ledges and rocky forests. You will find it usually indexed under the name Saxifraga virginiensis, but that name is outdated.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, this is Persicaria pensylvanica (Pennsylvania smartweed). It is one of two species in the northeast that lacks a fringe of bristles at the summit of the stipules (the tubular sheaths at each node). This is a common species, frequent in moist to wet soils of New England.
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- Question
- Grass growing out of a stone wall above a pond. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, it looks like Poa compressa (flat-stemmed blue grass). You can confirm the identification by checking on the stem, it should indeed be compressed (elliptical in outline). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Rocky, you are correct, it is a species of Oenothera (evening-primrose). They can have open flowers in the day and I do sometimes see them 2 meters tall or more (i.e., taller than my person). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear obx4evr, the species of cherry you have photographed is Prunus serotina (black cherry). This is one of only two species that have flowers/fruits in a raceme in ME. Notice the long axis that supports the individual fruits. Most other species (save for choke cherry) have a fascicle of fruits with the stalks all originating at the same point.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear DonLemieux, good morning. The plant pictured is Penthorum sedoides (ditch-stonecrop), a native wetland plant in the ditch-stonecrop family. It has flowers similar to the saxifrage family, but with more carpels (5-7 instead of 2). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, good morning. It appears that you have an oak seedling, likely Quercus rubra (northern red oak). The bristle-tipped lobes are evident, the lobes are simply very reduced in this individual (which is typical of seedlings). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Alanseamns, there are several features of this goldenrod that are very prominent in your images. Fist, the capitulescence (array of flower heads) has one-sided and arching branches. Second, this plant has basally disposed leaves (the lower leaves are much larger than those higher up on the stem). The leaves lack triple-nerved venation. Also, the pubescence is minute on the stem. It looks like a very large Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, this plant is Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog-peanut), a native vine in the legume family. It produces both aerial open-pollinated flowers and subterranean self-pollinated flowers.
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- Question
- 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!
- Answer
- Dear Alanseamans, there is no image associated with your question--without one I won't be able to help. If you are having trouble uploading images, feel free to email me directly at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org and I will try to help you.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, I need to see certain features more closely to have a confident answer. That written, try Hieracium saboudum and see if the descriptions match that species. It looks like a close fit. Best wishes.
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- Question
- I think Carl's "alga" is Riccia fluitans, a thallose liverwort.
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- Thank you Javier for the suggestion.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, I'm sorry but I cannot identify this grass from the images. I can, very likely, identify it is person. Is there a possibility of mailing it to me with a smartweed specimen?
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, again, this may be Persicaria extremiorientalis. I could not tell for certain without a pressed specimen. Let me know if you are interested in collecting one, I can always provide directions if you are unsure. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, this is a grass called Timothy (Phleum pratense), which is quite ubiquitous in New England. The two-pronged structure you mention is made up of two glumes (one each facing the other), the prongs are "awns", bristles a the tips of grass floral scales.
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- Question
- 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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- chaffeemonell, this may be Vitis labrusca (fox grape). It routinely shows very small teeth. Notice the dense layer of gray tomentum on the lower surface, which is also diagnostic for this native species of grape. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, I don't have quite enough information to go on from the images (despite the fact they are great images--thank you). You might have Persicaria extremiorientalis (far-eastern smartweed), which is recently found introduced in MA. If you want to collect a specimen and sent it my way, I can tell you with more certainty. My email is ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Javier, the corollas are not actinomorphic (i.e., radially symmetrical), rather they are zygomorphic. You'll get a different answer if you follow that lead regarding the corolla symmetry. Let me know what you get, or you can email and we can discuss. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Admetric, good afternoon. The plant you photographed is Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife), a non-native and very invasive species that aggressively colonizes wetlands and shorelines. It is beautiful, no doubt, but can displace other species and grow in dense colonies. I understand your desire to collect seeds, but this one has become a major issue in Massachusetts wetlands.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear 291shadow, Eriocaulon aquaticum (the current accepted name for E. septangulare, which is an invalid name) can have from 5-7 ridges on its scapes (i.e., flowering stems). In other words, the number 7 is not magic here and you don't need to observe that number to have this species. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me again. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Thokozile, yes, the smooth perigynium beak rules out Carex bullata. Do you have more images of the plant (such as in life)? If so, please email me at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org and we can try to determine who this is. There are several species this could be, but without more macroscopic images to go with this microscopic ones, I won't be able to help.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear egraves75, good afternoon. The easiest way to take an image of Conium maculatum is to find someone who knows where it grows. You might contact folks at the Gray Herbarium, New England Botanical Club Herbarium, or University of Massachusetts-Amherst Herbarium and see if they can assist. All of those institutions are easily found online by a web search. I do know of a population in Midcoast Maine, but this may be too far for you to travel. Good luck.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear colong7034, you have photographed Spiraea tomentosa (rosy meadowsweet), a native shrub in the Rose Family. This species is not uncommon along shorelines and in seasonally saturated soils. Note the dense layer of gray woolly hairs on the leaf underside to help with identification.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Porky, you have photographed a species of Bidens (beggar-tick). I can't tell you for certain who you have photographed without flowers/fruits, but hopefully knowing the genus will give you a start on learning about this plant.
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- Question
- 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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- Carl, good afternoon. Yes, perhaps some kind of bryophyte or alga. My realm of expertise is tracheophytes (higher vascular plants). If it is an alga, you might try this key to find an answer: https://www.algalweb.net/search3.htm . Best of luck.
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- Question
- 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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- chaffeemonell, yes, all those images look like Plantago aristata to me. They vary in the size of the inflorescence. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear spike116, it is hard to tell from the image, but those may be the distal end of fern root stalks, where the remnant leaf bases are still present and remaining as the dark, fibrous remains.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear spike116, you have photographed Aralia hispida (bristly sarsaparilla). This is a common species of dry and often sterile habitats (such as rocky balds and sandy fields). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear docj77, I can't see the leaves on this plant you have photographed (when possible, try to upload a few images of different parts of the plant). That written, the involcural bracts (that are below the ray flowers), the capitula and their arrangement suggest this is Eurybia radula (rough wood-aster). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Carl, good morning. You have photographed Prunella vulgaris (self heal), a common member of the Lamiaceae that occurs in many human-disturbed and human-maintained areas. Beautiful plant.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear massecology, from the images you provided, I don't know who else that plant could be other than Stachys hyssopifolia. If found in Bourne, it isn't a stretch given you are within the species core range in the state. Sometimes these species show up in odd locations when there are seed sources present in the area. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear kemcgrath, good afternoon. I've looked at your images for several days, but I do not recognize the plant at this stage. If you have one that grows a bit larger, please supply images so that I may help you. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear BrooklineBiker, the plant pictured is Chimaphila maculata (spotted prince's-pine), a native member of the heath family that, while common in MA, reaches its northern limit in southern and coastal Maine. It is most frequent in deciduous and mixed evergreen-deciduous forests.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear BrooklineBiker, good afternoon. The plant you photographed is Apocynum androsaemifolium (spreading dogbane), a native herb in the dogbane family. Around this time you can sometimes find the opal beetle on them, so look for an beautiful, iridescent beetle on the foliage.
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- Question
- Growing beside a trail in the woods in the Blue Hills south of Boston.
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- jfc, this is Avenella flexuosa (wavy-hair-grass), a native grass of woodlands, forests, and outcrops (among other habitats). It has very narrow leaves and the awns (bristles) that project from each spikelet. It is a beautiful grass.
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- Question
- On the shady side of a road in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, this is Dactylus glomerata (orchard grass), a very common grass in human-disturbed and human-maintained areas in New England. It has stiff, bunches of one-sided clusters of flowers (much more visible if you spread open the branches of the panicle).
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- Question
- 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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- Dear BooklineBiker, the plant you photographed appears to be Melilotus albus (white sweet-clover), a tall herbaceous plant with trifoliate leaves and tall racemes of white, papilionaceous flowers. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, yes, as you suspected, not yet. There are several species of Carex and Scirpus that grow in this fashion. Once flowers appear we might be able to do more. Sorry, but if you visit later in the growing season, we should be able to identify it.
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- Question
- Growing in a disturbed area, Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, you have photographed a species of Poa (bluegrass). I can't tell you which one from the images provided. Unfortunately, there are some tiny structures that need to be viewed to identify this plant. I wish I could do more for you from here with this plant, but I can't (despite your nice images).
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, this is a sedge in the genus Cyperus (flatsedge). It is either Cyperus esculentus or C. strigosus. Perhaps knowing which of two species it is will allow you to make the identification to determine which it is. I hope this is helpful.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, these blackberries can be identified now, but not from the images provided. We need to know about the primocanes (the first-year vegetative stems, their orientation and their prickles), the leaf undersurfaces (for pubescence), and whether or not stipitate glands are present in the inflorescence. You don't absolutely have to have flowers to identify this blackberry, but more information is needed. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear eehrlich, good afternoon. You definitely have collected a shadbush (Amelanchier). It is a bit too tall for the usual expressions of Amelanchier spicata that we observe in New England. I can't see necessary details (such as ovary pubescence), so I can't tell you for certain which species you have. There are several possibilities, but without these details, I can't go any further (sorry).
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- Question
- 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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- Dear eehrlich, I can't tell you whether or not you have Schoenoplectus pungens or S. torreyi. You will need to examine details of the floral scales, achenes, and leaf relative lengths (to stem) to answer this question. If you have habit pictures or close-ups of the spikes, I may be able to assist further.
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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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- jfc, sorry, I can't help yet. I will need to see flowers to help you with an identification. Please send images when it does produce spikelets and I will try to assist.
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- Question
- Thin grass growing between cracks in a stone patio. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, it looks like you have a species of Eragrostis (love grass) here. I can't tell you which one from the photographs, but a common species is Eragrostis pilosa (India lovegrass) that is frequent in human-disturbed habitats throughout the northeast. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear BrooklineBiker, this purple-flowered plant is a species of Centaurea (knapweed). To identify it, I would need to have images from the side of the flower so that I can see details of the involucral bracts. Sorry that I can't take this one any further than genus. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear BrooklineBiker, you appear to have photographed Anemone virginiana (tall windflower). This is a native member of the Ranunculaceae. There is a fourth image of a narrow leaf, but it is without additional images and perhaps was uploaded by mistake (and I don't know who that leaf belongs to without additional images). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear califyank, the plant you photographed is Atocion armeria (sweet-Wiliam-catchfly), a species formerly included with Silene, but differing in details of the carpophore and pedicels. Beautiful images.
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear Don, this plant is called Filipendula rubra (prairie dropwort). It is a non-native member of the Rosaceae (but is native to North America).
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, This plant reminds me of Persicaria hydropiperoides, but that species is a wetland (often aquatic) plant that is perennial by rhizomes. If you can confirm the presence of such structures, I think we might have a match. Good luck.
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- Question
- This plant just started growing in this container. can you identify it. Freeport, NY.
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- Dear Richard, I don't see any images attached to this question. If you are having trouble uploading images, feel free to send them to ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust and I will try to help you.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear CatAnn19, I can't help you from the images provided. As well, cultivated plants can hail from all over the world (but my region of expertise is the northeast). You can confirm that it is likely a milkweed (as the leaves do suggest this) by making a tiny tear in one leaf--it should exude latex (most species of milkweed do this). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Glenda, the plant pictured does look like Spiraea japonica (Japanese meadowsweet). It is a non-native species that is sometimes planted for ornament and occasionally escapes cultivation. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- This is Chimaphila maculata (spotted prince's-pine), a member of the Ericaceae (heath family). Knowing the identity will help you make sure that with each question you answer that this plant stays in the list of possible species for identification. Also, you can go to the taxon page for this species and call up all the morphological characters it has so that you can see what you would need to answer to identify it. Write back if you still have questions.
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- Question
- Please help ID this sweet little purple flowered plant...
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- Dear Von, it appears you have photographed Polygala polygama (racemed milkwort). It is usually pink to pink-purple in color (and always hard to tell if the computer monitor is affecting the color of the flowers). This is a native species. If you have the ability to measure the flowers (length, in mm) we can tell for certain. Feel free to continue the conversation by emailing at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org, best wishes.
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- Question
- 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.
- Answer
- Dear jfc, you have photographed a member of the genus Carex in the section Cyperoideae (what many call "ovales"). Without a slightly higher resolution image, it is hard for me to be sure, but it does look like Carex scoparia (broom sedge), a common species found throughout the northeast.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear alonerock, you've photographed Euphorbia cyparissias (Cypress spurge). This is a non-native member of the Euphorbiaceae that can be quite aggressive in open areas. Best wishes.
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- Question
- Have been trying to identify this wildflower in my yard in NH. Shady moist conditions. Thanks
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- Dear Beekind, you have photographed Galeopsis tetrahit (brittle-stemmed hemp-nettle). This is a member of the Lamiaceae. Note the still, almost spine-like tips to the sepals and swollen nodes on the stems.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Rainsong, the plant in the image is a species of Nabalus (rattlesnake-root), a native member of the Asteraceae (a group of plants formerly placed in the genus Prenanthes). It is likely Nabalus trifoliolatus, but I can't see details of the capitula (i.e., flower heads) enough to know for certain. Hopefully knowing the genus will be helpful.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Crittyb, the only trailing plant I can see in the image appears to be Vinca minor (lesser periwinkle). If that is not what you are referring to, please post a closer image of the plant with its flowers. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear eypsila, boxwood might certainly be a nice choice, but it is not native to this region. Rather than choose this species, which native insects wouldn't be able to utilize in the same way, perhaps it would be best to have a discussion about the qualities you are seeking in a planting, and then we could find a native species that fits these characteristics. Please feel free to email me at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org and I will try to help.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear eehrlich, you appear to have photographed Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea). Your particular individual has sparser flowers than normal, but other features fit very well for this taxon. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear rgrumbine, you've collected Mycelis muralis (wall-lettuce), a non-native member of the composite. The yellow ray flowers that consistently number five per capitulum, as you noted, are good traits to focus on for identification. It is sometimes invasive, especially after forestry operations.
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- Question
- 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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- jfc, you've photographed Clethra alnifolia (coastal sweet-pepperbush), a native species that is most common along the coastal plain of New England, found mostly commonly in wetlands and along shorelines. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, you have photographed Phleum pretense (timothy), a common grass of fields, clearings, and edges. It is found throughout much of New England. If you examine it closely, you will see the inflorescence is made up of spikelets that are very compressed and have awned glumes.
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- Question
- Grass beside a narrow trail in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, the plant pictured is a species of Brachyelytrum (long-awned wood grass). It is likely Brachyelytrum aristosum, the more common species in New England (Brachyelytum erectum is more common in western New England).
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- Question
- A clump of something grasslike beside a narrow trail in the woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, you appear to have photographed Carex swanii (Swan's sedge), a native member of section Porocystis. You can confirm this by noting the perigynia (inflated scales with carpellate flower inside) are densely pubescent, which I believe I can determine in the image. Best wishes.
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- Question
- A shrub growing where driveway meets road in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, I would like much to help, but there are too many details I need to be able to identify the shrub. If you have images of the lower leaf surface and closer image of the buds and branchlets, I may be able to assist. The grass (Elymus hystrix) growing at the base of the shrub is one of my favorites.
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear rayban19, good afternoon. Feel free to email me the images you are discussing. If correctly identified (and I have no reason to suspect they aren't), I can add that county for you. While I don't know why you can't upload the images, I can provide this workaround for the time being. My email address is ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org, thank you for getting in touch.
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- Question
- Looking for confirmation or correction. Is this Lysimachia ciliata L. (fringed yellow-loosestrife)? Found in a wetland in the Town of Ticondergoa, NY. Thanks!
- Answer
- Dear MFD09, you have photographed Lysimachia ciliata, as you suspected. Beautiful image. This is a somewhat common species, usually found in wetlands and along shorelines. There are species closely allied to this one, but they are much less common.
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- Question
- 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!
- Answer
- Dear MFD09, you have photographed a species of Valeriana (valerian). I can't tell you which species because I would need to see the basal leaves to know if you have here Valeriana officinalis or V. uliginosa. It is most likely you have the former (common valerian). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear Tom, good afternoon. Great image. This is Triodanis perfoliate (clasping-leaved Venus’-looking-glass), a native member of the Campanulaceae. It is usually found in forested situations, but not all too frequently. Nice find.
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- Question
- 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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- jfc, your plant is a Genum (avens), and looks like Geum canadense (white avens), a relatively common species of the genus in the northeast. The short, white petals about as long as the sepals, minutely hairy flower stalks, and relatively few ovaries per flower are ways to identify this species.
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- Question
- 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.
- Answer
- Dear jfc, you appear to have photographed Persicaria longiseta (Oriental lady's-thumb smartweed). This is a non-native species that can be quite invasive under the right conditions. The long cilia at the apex of the stipules and bracteoles are good identifying characteristics.
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- Question
- Grass or sedge growing beside road, Lincoln, Massachusetts.
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- Dear jfc, this is Juncus tenuis (path rush), a native member of the Juncaceae. It has couple of close sister species, but some of those are found in more specialized habitats. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear ach223, you've photographed a species of Symphytum (comfrey), likely Symphytum officinale (common comfrey). This is a frequently planted species that is capable of naturalizing (I often see it in ditches and other disturbed places spreading beyond its place of original planting). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear Laura, While Epipactis helleborine is non-native, it is not invasive in the northeast. It occurs here and there, not too frequently, usually in forested situations. I've never seen it growing at densities to push out other plants and it is not likely to grow in that way anywhere. Therefore, the decision to remove it really comes down to how "pure" you want the forest to be, if we even know what that means. I don't remove it where I see it, but I also recognize it is non-native. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Whbn3, you might try looking at Delphinium acacis (doubtful or rocket larkspur) and its allies. These plants, formerly in the genus Consolida, have much narrower leaf segments than many other species in this alliance. Best wishes.
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- Question
- Can you identify this plant. In my backyard, Glen Cove, NY
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- Dear Richard, you appear to have photographed Potentilla indica (Indian-strawberry; formerly known by the scientific name Duchesnea indica). This is a member of the rose family.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, this looks like Circaea canadensis (broad-leaved enchanter's-nightshade). This native member of the Onagraceae is found in forests (primarily dominated by deciduous trees), as you have noted. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear alanfay, you have photographed fistulous goat's-beard (Tragopogon dubius). It is a native of Europe that occurs here and there in our region. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear vatuk, these look like very robust plants of Erigeron canadensis (Canada fleabane), a native member of the composite family with small flower heads that have short, white ray flowers around the margin of the flower head.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, the plant pictured looks like Boehmeria cylindrica, a native member of the Urticaceae. This genus lacks the stinging hairs found in its relative Urtica.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, this looks like Celastrus orbiculatus (Oriental bittersweet), which is a liana (woody, climbing plant) that is quite common in southern New England. It climbs on other plants by the spiral growth you noted.
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- Question
- Is this a Persicaria? Growing along a roadside. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
- Answer
- Dear jfc, yes, this is a species of Persicaria (smartweed), in the Polygonaceae. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you which species without a good view of the stipules (the tubular sheaths around the stem where the leaves are attached) and a closer image of the flowers.
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- Question
- Growing along a roadside in the woods. Lincoln, Massachusetts.
- Answer
- Dear jfc, sorry, I cannot help you with this one. It looks like a member of the composite family (Asteraceae), but could be one of several genera. If you can get images from later in the season, it would be helpful.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear jfc, Yes, certainly a species of Dichanthelium. One of the common, robust, road side species is Dichanthelium clandestinum (deer-tongue rosette-panic-grass). This species has sheath hairs that arise from a pustule (blister) on the sheath surface (this is visible with low magnification). If you can provide an image of the leaf sheath, I can confirm the identification for you.
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear samuelspatty, you have photographed Linaria canadensis (oldfield toadflax). Please note the slender nectar spur, which species of Kalmia do not have. Best wishes.
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- Question
- This plant is growing in a dirt driveway in Kennebunkport, ME. Could this be Arenaria serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved sandwort)?
- Answer
- Dear Fecteau23, good afternoon. I can't tell for certain from the photograph, but you appear to have photographed a species of Sagina (pearlwort). Unfortunately, it is very hard to tell which of three species you may have here until they fruit: Sagina decumbens (native), Sagina japonica (non-native), or Sagina maxima (non-native). The fruits and seeds are different amongst these species. It is most likely you have Sagina japonica. Feel free to email me to discuss further (Arthur Haines).
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Jone, these are more images of the Arctium. In a week or two, if you take images of the flower heads (the burrs), I can tell you which species you are photographing.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Jone, this is a species of burdock (genus Arctium). The images do not allow me to tell you which species of burdock it is, but perhaps knowing the genus gives you the information you are seeking.
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear SueLB, you have photographed a species of Philadelphus (mock-orange), a member of the hydrangea family. I can't tell for certain which species you have because I can't see certain features I need to (such as the hypanthium and outside surface of the sepals). You may have Philadelphus pubescens (hoary mock-orange), if the leaves are typical expressions.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear HuntRoadRaven, you appear to have photographed Bromus inermus (smooth brome), a grass that is common in open areas and along roadsides. the long, cylindrical spikelets with short awns at the tips of the lemmas are good identifying traits.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear gdewolf, This photograph, while nicely in focus, doesn't give me enough to go on (at least enough to be confident). It certainly could be a seedling of Cicuta bulbifera (I think that is a good starting hypothesis). Hopefully you might find others at a larger stage to confirm this. Good luck.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear gdewolf, good afternoon. The plants in the second image are certainly Eurybia macrophylla (large-leaved wood-aster), a native species of forests that often forms colonies of basal leaves early in the season. This plant will produce a familiar set of flower heads arranged in a flat-topped array. Check out online images of this plant to compare your images with those online. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear stephradner, the plant looks like Silene antirrhina (sleepy campion), a species with a tight-fitting, 10-nerved calyx that fits tightly over the capsule. Also, there is a darker, sticky band on the stem below each node of leaves (visible in your photographs). Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear SueLB, I can share with you that you have photographed a species of Salix (willow), but I cannot tell you which species you have. To do this, I would need a number of measurements and observations of branches with the bark removed. Perhaps knowing the genus is enough, if not, we can go further if you wish.
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- Question
- 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.
- Answer
- alwayslooking, you have photographed common dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris). This is a member of the rose family. Often cultivated, and sometimes naturalizing outside the garden setting. Best wishes.
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- Question
- Hi, Is this flower common cinquefoil? It was found growing in a shaded clearing on June 14 in the Blue Hills in Milton, MA.
- Answer
- BrooklineBiker, while I can't be 100% certain, your plant does look like Potentilla simplex (old field cinquefoil), one of our most common species that is found in open areas and along roadsides. It is a trailing species with palmately compound leaves and flowers born on long, slender stalks.
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- Question
- Hi, Is this flower a dewberry? Raspberry? Something else? Itw as found growing in a shaded clearing in the Blue Hills in Milton, MA.
- Answer
- Dear BrooklineBiker, good afternoon. You have photographed a species of Rubus subgenus Rubus (blackberries). I can't tell you which one because some necessary features are not visible in the images. If you have interest in knowing which species, we can communicate about what information I need to accurately determine this plant. Feel free to email at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org .
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear SueLB, the images you refer to appeared to belong to Sorbus aucuparia (European mountain-ash).
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- Question
- 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
- Answer
- Dear SueLB, this looks like Sorbus aucuparia (European mountain-ash). The leaflets have the correct length to width ratio and the branchlets and winter buds are quite hairy. This is the usual species (unfortunately) in the horticulture trade, so it is routinely planted.
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- Question
- 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?
- Answer
- Dear Don, the plant looks like Geum rivale (water avens), a native member of the rose family. It is usually associated with wetlands and shorelines. The nodding flowers are characteristic of this species.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear SueLB, these are two different species growing together in close proximity. The species with green flowers (with a narrow white border on the sepals) is Scleranthus annuus. The species with red flowers is a species of Spergularia (sand-spurry). It is likely Spergularia rubra (red sand-spurry), but I can't see all the details I need to be confident.
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- Question
- 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!
- Answer
- Dear SueLB, good morning. The plant you photographed is Scleranthus annuus (annual knawel), a member of the Caryophyllaceae. It is a low-growing herb that lacks petals (the green structures with a white border are sepals).
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- Question
- 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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- Dear tomyancey, great image of the growth. Thank you for sharing this with Plant Share users.
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- Question
- 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?
- Answer
- Dear Skytes, you have photographed Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern), a native species that inhabits rich soils of river floodplains and rocky slopes. It is very normal for it to grow in colonies that extend outward by rhizome growth. It is a choice edible species that you could harvest for spring shoots, if you would like. Best wishes.
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- Question
- Wondering what this little guy could be. Found in Town of Lake George, Southern ADKs, NY. No flowers were present. Many thanks.
- Answer
- Dear SunnyMona, you have photographed a tree seedling of some kind. The entire-margined leaves are the cotyledons that emerge when the seed germinates. The toothed leaf is the first normal leaf produced after the cotyledons. Your plant may be a species of birch (genus Betula) based on what I can see, but I would have a difficult time until there are more leaves present. Best wishes.
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- Question
- 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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- Dear Don, good morning. The shrub in your pictures is Prunus pensylvanica (pin cherry), a common, spring flowering (native) plant of Maine. It has the flowers arranged in a fascicle (rather than a raceme like choke cherry) and has only one style in the center of the flower (shadbushes, also flowering now, have 5 styles).
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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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- Dear stephradner, Your plant does look like Amelanchier nantucketensis. The small petals are usually accompanied by pollen production along the edges of some petals (andropetaly)--you will see yellow pollen grains if you look closely. Fee free to email me at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org to discuss further.
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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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- Dear MossGal, good afternoon. You appear to have a species of Festuca (fescue). To identify this, I would need a specimen (images won't suffice for some measurements I need). If you want to mail me a specimen, you are welcome to. Contact me at ahaines[at]nativeplanttrust.org and we can discuss details. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear MossGal, in order to identify this grass, I would need a close-up image of the spikelets and also of the ligule (the structure found at the junction of the leaf sheath and leaf blade). A description of the leaf blades (e.g., flat, involute) and their width in life would also assist. If you are able to get this information, I may be able to assist you further.
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- Here are additional photos of our Long Island viburnum to help with identification. Thanks!
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- MossGal, good morning. I can't confidently identify the species of Viburnum you have photographed, but it appears to belong to the group that includes Viburnum dilatatum and V. wrightii (these are non-native species that have escaped cultivation). Once the leaves are fully expanded, it may be easier to determine who this is (and other characteristics, such as hairs on the flower stalks and the number of bud scales covering the winter buds will be necessary to determine). I hope this helps get you started.
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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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- MossGal, good morning. I can't confidently identify the species of Viburnum you have photographed, but it appears to belong to the group that includes Viburnum dilatatum and V. wrightii (these are non-native species that have escaped cultivation). Once the leaves are fully expanded, it may be easier to determine who this is (and other characteristics, such as hairs on the flower stalks and the number of bud scales covering the winter buds will be necessary to determine). I hope this helps get you started.
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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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- Dear SunnyMona, this collection of plant material looks like a species of Chara (muskgrass), which is an aquatic alga that resembles a species of higher vascular plant. If your friend examines images online, he may be able to confirm this identification.
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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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- DEar limnjucy@gmail.com, your plant is Viburnum dentatum var. lucidum (synonym: Viburnum recognitum). They are both the same plant, so you are both correct. However, this taxon is generally recognized at the varietal level today. Let me know if this isn't clear.
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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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- Dear docj77, good morning. The plants in your picture belong to the species Houstonia caerulea (little bluet), a native member of the madder family (the same family that coffee belongs to). This is a spring flowering plant of open areas, sometimes ascending high into the mountains.
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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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- Dear califyank, good morning. Beautiful photograph--thanks again for sharing. Your plant certainly could be. The members of section Acrocystis (to which Carex pensylvanica belongs) are early flowering members of the sedge genus. Carex pensylvanica, like Carex lucorum, is a colonial species that forms broken lawns of leaves on the forest/woodland floor in some locations of New England. The rhizomatous habit is really important for distinguishing these species from other members of the section. I won't be able to tell you with confidence without mature perigynia, only to say your hypothesis is a very reasonable one.
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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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- Dear Carolsdaugher, good morning. I can't be certain without viewing the plants in the field, but it could be a species of Rumex (dock) that has volunteered in your garden. Some species have a leaf morphology such as you have photographed here. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Cgoulette, the plant in the image isn't Glechoma hederacea (ground-ivy or Gill-over-the-ground). However, it is a member of the mint family (to which Glechoma hederacea also belongs). Without flowers, I can't tell you for certain, but it looks most like Lamium purpureum (red henbit). If correct, this will produce beautiful (though small) pink-purple flowers in a short time. Let me know if we were correct!
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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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- Dear Cgoulette, this is Mitchella repens (partridgeberry), a native member of the same family that coffee comes from. The leaves remain green all year and the red fruit you see comes from two flowers (the two flowers share an ovary that develops into the fruit you photographed). Best wishes.
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- Need help to ID. Taking over lawn. Turner, Maine.
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- Dear Cgoulette, good morning. You have photographed two different plants. The first one is a species of Oenothera (evening-primrose), which has a taproot that will provide energy for a tall stalk with yellow, 4-petaled flowers. That is a native species. The second one (with long hairs on the leaves) is a species of Pilosella (king-devil), a member of the composite family. It will have yellow or orange flower heads that resemble dandelion. These are non-native, but typically only grow in open areas like lawns and clearings.
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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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- Dear MossGal, you have likely photographed Anthoxanthum odoratum (large sweet grass). This is an early-flowering grass that is common in lawns, fields, and other clearings. While it is non-native, it doesn't appear to invade intact habitats (especially when a canopy produces shade). Best wishes.
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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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- Dear MossGal, you are correct, you've photographed a species of Luzula (wood-rush). The flat, grass-like leaves and white hairs found on the margins of the leaves and sheaths are good characteristics. This is likely Luzula multiflora (common wood-rush), based on the spike and leaf morphology. It is the most common species seen in the northeastern United States.
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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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- Dear MossGal, good morning. You have photographed a species of Carex (sedge). The perigynia are not yet mature, so it won't be easy for me to assist you with a confident identification. Section Acrocystis is a common, early-flowering group that your sedge may belong to. If you can get images of the mature perigynia and spikes in a few weeks, I will be able to assist you further. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear margaretcurtin, good morning. You have photographed Petasites hybridus (butterbur sweet-coltsfoot). This is a non-native species that is frequently planted for ornament that occasionally escapes cultivation. The leaves will appear after the flowers.
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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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- Dear PASmith-Annaclette, good morning. The plant pictured here is Petasites japonicus (Japanese sweet-coltsfoot). It is a plant that has escaped cultivation in the northeast, and is invasive in one location in ME. Once the flowers pass, very large leaves will be produced during the remainder of the growing season. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear wdshaffer, you have photographed Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot), a native, spring-flowering member of the poppy family. It prefers rich, moist soils of deciduous forests. The leaves will exude an orange latex when torn. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Duramater, one of the best sources is simply the web, using search terms such as the species you are interested in and the word pollen. I have seen a great many images posted to the web. There are some references, but I don't know how helpful they will be. You might scan this webpage: https://inspectapedia.com/pollen_photos/Pollen_Photographs.php . Good luck with your search.
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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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- Dear gentleben212001, good morning. Exciting that plants are protruding through the snow and signally an end to winter. For most of these, I would need to see flowers to assist you as cultivated species are not in my area of expertise (Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants of New England). The image of shoots coming up near the white wall do appear to be a species of Iris (in the broad sense), so look for those flowers later in the growing season.
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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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- Dear Taeler, good morning. I'm sorry I can't help you yet. The foliage in the images could be any number of species in the family. Hopefully you will be able to bring it to flower and supply me with an image then. Again, I wish I could help you more, but I would need the location in the absence of reproductive material.
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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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- califyank, please examine some images of Arabidopsis thaliana. I believe that is what you have photographed here. It is a mustard that is found in disturbed placed and has compound hairs on the leaf blade surfaces. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Rarnedt, the plant you've photographed looks like Scilla luciliae (synonym: Chionodoxa luciliae), called Lucile's glory-of-the-snow. This is a member of the Hyacinthaceae. It is an early spring-flowering species.
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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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- Dear betula112, you are correct, the plant you photographed is a species of Sambucus (elderberry). It looks like you have photographed Sambucus nigra (black elderberry), which should have white pith and black fruits on maturity (they will flower and fruit later than Sambucus racemosa--red elderberry). Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Melanie, the shrub does look like Leucothe fontanesiana. The evergreen leaves with long, pointed apices fit well for this species. It is grown throughout much of western and southern New England (including CT). Keep in mind the maps are for wild species, so this shrub has simply not been found naturalized (growing outside of cultivation) in CT.
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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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- Dear SunnyMona, good morning. These look like the fruits of some member of the Araceae, such as Calla palustris. Or, possibly, another member of that family (e.g., immature fruits of Arisaema triphyllum that (1) did not reach maturity and (2) are shriveled a bit in drying). I would start there with your study. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Amroth, I'm sorry to read that your plant is experiencing distress. Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants of New England. As such, your question is out of my range of expertise. However, you might contact the director of horticulture at the New England Wild Flower Society (Uli Lorimer: ulorimer@newenglandwild.org), who may be able to assist you with your plant question. Good luck.
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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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- Dear ktbee99, I don't know where these images were taken, and if they are from outside New England, there may be other American-asters that I am unfamiliar with. But, assuming this plant was growing in the northeast, it looks like Symphyotrichum puniceum (purple-stemmed American-aster). The elongate involucral bracts (the green structures below the ray flowers) are diagnostic for this species, among other features I can view in the photographs. I hope this is helpful.
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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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- Dear Driftwood, I'm sorry I cannot help you. I would need to view images of diagnostic characteristics, such as leaves, flowers, or fruits. I realize those are not available this time of year, so the winter buds on the branches can be useful for identification. If you can get a couple more images of the branchlets, including the winter buds, I may be able to assist you.
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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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- Dear Natalie, my response to your first question is copied here to be sure you get an answer to your questions: I spoke to our horticulture department and they have provided some important items that you will want to consider: Ilex glabra is a species that is used somewhat regularly as a hedge around utilities without concern. Spacing will depend a bit on the expected pruning regiment. For a more manicured hedge they are often planted closer together (approximately 3 feet) and pruned as needed to keep the shape desirable. For a more naturalistic visual barrier (as opposed to the formal hedge) you can pull them apart to 5 feet wide or plant a double row interspersing the rows 8 feet apart from each other. Spacing from the sidewalk will depend on the goals of the site. Would you like the edge of the hedge right along the sidewalk or want spacing to plant a herbaceous layer between the hedge and the sidewalk. The conditions of the site should also be considered, is this a high-traffic sidewalk? Lot's of dogs who might mark the plants if able would warrant moving the plants back a bit. If space on the other side of the hedge is limited it is suggested to push the hedge closer to the sidewalk. Five feet back from the sidewalk is a good distance to start with (unless there are features of your home that require otherwise). I hope this is useful.
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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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- Dear navea_henson, good morning. You are far out of my range of expertise and I cannot offer anything about this species that isn't available online. I see that this species is used to make bowls and other containers using the outer, hard rind of the fruit. Presumably the fruit is not poisonous because people allow their food to come into contact with the bowl made from its fruit. However, I have no experience with this plant so I cannot comment further (sorry).
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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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- Dear Erilia, good morning. I'm sorry your black raspberries are dealing with this disease. As I understand, there is no cure, so you need to cut the canes that are infected and burn them or double-bag them for removal. While the raspberry aphid (Aphis rubicola) is important, it only moves the virus around. You can use an insecticidal soap to remove them so as not to spray anything harsh on your food plants. Good luck.
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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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- Dear Prelude8626, good morning. Thanks for sharing the images. I can't identify the grass for you because I need both closer images of the reproductive structures and I need to know what part of the world you are in. Grass identification relies heavily on the flowers and location information (generally speaking, I don't need anyone's address) is vital to help eliminate choices. If you have additional images, feel free to send them to ahaines[at]newenglandwild.org and I will try to assist.
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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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- Dear Natalie, I spoke to our horticulture department and they have provided some important items that you will want to consider: Ilex glabra is a species that is used somewhat regularly as a hedge around utilities without concern. Spacing will depend a bit on the expected pruning regiment. For a more manicured hedge they are often planted closer together (approximately 3 feet) and pruned as needed to keep the shape desirable. For a more naturalistic visual barrier (as opposed to the formal hedge) you can pull them apart to 5 feet wide or plant a double row interspersing the rows 8 feet apart from each other. Spacing from the sidewalk will depend on the goals of the site. Would you like the edge of the hedge right along the sidewalk or want spacing to plant a herbaceous layer between the hedge and the sidewalk. The conditions of the site should also be considered, is this a high-traffic sidewalk? Lot's of dogs who might mark the plants if able would warrant moving the plants back a bit. If space on the other side of the hedge is limited it is suggested to push the hedge closer to the sidewalk. Five feet back from the sidewalk is a good distance to start with (unless there are features of your home that require otherwise). I hope this is useful.
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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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- Dear Sts013, good morning. I wish I could help you with your question, but Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants of northeastern North America. Cultivated species can originate from all over the world. While I feel you guess is potentially correct, I would not be able to offer you any confident answer. Sorry and best wishes.
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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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- Dear Scarlettlochley, I'm sorry I can't help you with your question. Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants of New England. There are a great many cultivated species hailing from all over the world and I do not have expertise in this field. I hope you find the answers you are seeking. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Janis, good morning. You don't need to worry about this one, it is a species of Symphyotrichum (American-aster). I can't see the basal leaves to identify it with confidence, but believe I can discern some larger, heart-shaped leaves lower down on the plant, suggesting Symphyotrichum cordifolium (heart-leaved American-aster), which is a native plant. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Bruce, the length of the petals and the color of them suggests this is Hammamelis virginiana (assuming this is from a wild plant). Meyer (1997; Flora of North America, volume 3) offers an excellent identification key to the species native to North America.
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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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- Dear Janis, good morning. I can't be sure of the identification without seeing flowers or fruits. But, I would hold off on discarding this plant as it may be Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed). You don't want to lose out on these flowers, if that turns out to be what this plant is. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Bruce, no, I don't think that is particularly common. There are two species that grow in the northeast, one is wild and autumn-flowering, the other is cultivated and spring-flowering. But if these are of the same plant, that isn't something I've witnessed in this species before. Typically, I see the opposite, where spring-flowering plants will sometimes flower again during a mild autumn season.
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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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- Dear Mary, the image is very small, and I can't see the details well because of this. However, I can get you started with the identification. The plant is a species of Polygonatum (Solomon's-seal), a member of the Ruscaceae. Based on the few flowers in each inflorescence, it is likely P. pubescens (hairy Solomon's-seal), which is a native species of deciduous forests (often rocky ones).
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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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- Dear torri_1313, there is no image associated with your question. Without one, I won't be able to assist. If you are having trouble uploading image, feel free to attach them to an email and send them to ahaines[at]newenglandwild.org and I will try to assist.
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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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- Dear dinunziol, the grass you have observed appears to be a species of Andropogon (bluestem), in the grass family. It may be Andropogon glomeratus (bushy bluestem), but I cannot tell this from the images provided. Hopefully this headstart will get you moving in the right direction to find an identification for your plant.
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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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- Dear cmshannon, good morning. The plant you photographed is Platanthera clavellata (little club-spur bog-orchid), a relatively common member of this genus found in a variety of wetland settings, including northern white cedar swamps. The three small teeth at the tip of the labellum help identify this orchid. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear srooks80, good morning. I'm sorry I cannot help you with your question. Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants of New England. Cultivated species can hail from all over the world and it is difficult to know them all. Good luck saving the plant.
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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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- Dear annasophia, good morning. I am not a design specialist, so I can't provide you much direction with regard to which books to read. I suggest you contact the horticulture department at the New England Wild Flower Society to identify what resources they are using. Two books that would be useful that I can recommend are "Flora Novae Angliae" (Haines 2011), which provides a comprehensive list of wild plants and their native status, and "The Nature of New Hampshire" (Sperduto and Kimball 2011), which lists all of the natural community types found in NH, so that you will have an understanding of what to recreate with the plants you are using. I wish I could be more help.
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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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- Dear Cathk, check out some images of Diapensia lapponica (cushion-plant), a native, high-elevation species that forms colonies similar to the one your pictured. This species is typically found at or above 1300 meters in elevation on dry, open, exposed ridges and plateaus.
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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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- chaffeemonell, good morning. Unfortunately, there isn't any scale in your image, so it is difficult for me to determine who this is. I also can't make out the leaf margins well enough. That all written, it does look most like Vaccinium corymbosum, based on what I can determine. Best wishes.
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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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- Deaer sjperk, good morning. Anytime there is a variety described, it automatically creates an autonym, in other words, a variety with the same epithet as the species. So Epigaea repens, when var. glabrifolia was named, also has a variety repens. These two are not considered distinct now because they grade together from essentially no hairs to abundant hairs, with no morphological gaps. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear eehrlich, this is Cardamine bulbosa (bulbous bitter-cress), a native member of the mustard family. It is most often found in wet or seasonally wet soils and along stream courses.
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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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- Dear eehrlich, you have photographed Aralia racemose (American spikenard). While certainly not restricted to the northern states, I see it more commonly in northern New England. It often is found in rich, rocky forests, but is not restricted to that natural community. The fruits taste like root beer overlaid with the usual aromatics of the celery family. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Kai, it appears you may have located a round worm or another division of invertebrate life. Interesting find, thank you for sharing.
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- Psilotum is simple living pteridophytes why? please tell me.
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- Dear HaseebS57, I'm sorry that I do not understand your question. Are you asking why this plant is a pteridophyte or is simple or is living? Please email me at ahaines[at]newenglandwild.org and reword your question so I can assist you.
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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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- Dear JillerMiller, good morning. You are correct with your identification. This is Anemone quinquefolia. Why you could not find it in Go Botany is not yet known to me, but we can try to figure it out. Be aware that this species has petaloid sepals (it does not have petals), so that could be a place you went wrong. By convention, if a species has a single whorl of perianth parts, they are referred to as sepals (in most genera, including those in the crowfoot family). Feel free to email me at ahaines[at]newenglandwild.org and we can discuss further if you would like.
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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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- Dear SunnyMona, good morning. You have photographed a species of Salix (willow), but I can't tell you with confidence which species you have without more information. Can you tell me which state you were in and what kind of wetland? Feel free to email me at ahaines[at]newenglandwild.org and we can try to narrow down the choices for you. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear nonor1n3, good morning. I'm sorry I cannot assist you. Go Botany is a website dedicated to wild plants of northeastern North America. Rwanda is a very long way away with a different flora. You need to contact an herbarium (i.e., plant museum) that specializes in plants of your region. There will be a botanist there that can assist with your question. If you need help locating one, ask and I'll be happy to assist.
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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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- Dear sandoridiot, your plant is likely a member of the genus Schefflera, and may be dwarf umbrella plant (Schefflera arboricola). There is a lot of information online about this species and how to care for it, so you should be able to locate some help with its care.
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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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- Dear Amroth, I too have some native cacti that I've planted indoors. They have grown very elongated and "spindly" compared with their wild-grown relatives. You can certainly re-pot them and simply set them on the pot edges (in the new pots) as they have grown here or even set up something beside the pot to help them support their weight. Essentially, taking care to support them while planting and using your best judgment will create a good home for them. Good luck.
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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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- Dear kaberber, good morning. I wish I could help you with your question, but I cannot. I'm not sure what part of the world you are in and am not confident that is a plant. Good luck determining what it is.
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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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- Dear khdraper, good morning. I'm sorry, the image is so small that I cannot see any details to help you identify this plant. It is appearing only as a small thumbnail, even after attempting to expand the image. If you have a larger, higher-resolution version of the image, feel free to email it to ahaines[at]newenglaandwild.org and I will be happy to help with the identification. Best wishes.
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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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- Thokozile, I'm not sure, but the leaf blades appear to wide (relative to width) in one image (with the short aments) and the aments appear too long (in the image with long aments). While some images of the images appear correct for that taxon, I'm not sure without being able to measure various structures. Sorry I can't be of more help.
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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 thekeith2469, if you are concerned about E. coli, know that it is very difficult to avoid exposure with complete certainty. Even washing your greens is not foolproof because the bacteria can cling to tiny nooks that your hands can't reach. The best is likely to be sure that the plants are not contaminated, so washing hands prior to picking and tending may be an important preventative strategy. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear Quinn, they certainly look to me like the persistent sepals of Leonurus cardiaca. This species has a spine-like point at the apex of the sepals and lobes spread wide (just as in your images). Best wishes. Other species that have similar sepals (as to the spine apex) have a dvery different stem pubescence (e.g., Galeopsis).
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- what is daisy tree? pl give pics if possible
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- Dear uakeloth, good morning. It will be hard for me to answer this question with confidence because common names are often used for more than one species of plant. However, at least one genus referred to as daisy tree is provided information here: https://www.arkive.org/daisy-tree/scalesia-pedunculata/ . I hope it helps you with your question.
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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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- Thokozile, good morning. Yes, it looks like that species. Ours here in New England looks nothing like this because the internodes are spaced out much more. So, instead of a compact growth form (like you have photographed), they are elongated, sprawling, and often hanging down from cliff edges, etc. Thanks for sharing--hope you are well.
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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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- Reggie, You have likely found an old legume of Gymnocladus dioicus (Kentucky coffee tree). Surrounding the seeds is a green material that becomes soft and mucilaginous when old/wet. If you look at images online, you can see what the rest of the tree looks like. Best wishes.
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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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- Dear mmchugh, good morning. These look like Alnus incana (speckled alder), which is the most common species found in New England. If it were Alnus serrulata, we would expect the carpellate aments to diverge from the branchlet curve leading down to the staminate aments. Best wishes.