Question: Hello. I found this over the weekend while weeding a dry woodland garden by the shore; multiples 2-3” tall growing …
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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.
Answer
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.
