Field Guide to Plants
Descriptions by: Brian Hazlett
Banner photo by: Russ Stone
Plant photos by: Dianne Blankenship & Mark Wetmore
Grasses
Andropogon gerardii, Grass Family
Abundant grass in local prairies. A major component of the eastern Tallgrass Prairie known for its distinctive turkey-foot branching of the seed head.
Elymus canadensis, Grass Family
Common grass in local prairies with thick, drooping seed heads and long awns.
Sorghastrum nutans
Frequent in local prairies. Noted for its tall stature and plume-like seed head.
Spartina pectinata
Common in local moist prairies, roadside ditches, and wetlands. Leaves have sharp teeth along their margins, so this grass is sometimes called ripgut.
Bouteloua curtipendula
Frequent grass in local upland prairies. Seed heads hang on one side of the stem.
Panicum virgatum
Common in local moist prairies. Recognized by its large panicled seed head.
start blooming in april
Lithospermum canescens
Occasional in local prairies. Yellow to yellow-orange flowers clustered at ends of the stems produce stony nutlets.
start blooming in may
Phlox pilosa
Occasional in local prairies. Recognized by opposite, softly hairy, grass-like leaves and pink, tubular, five-petaled flowers.
Tradescantia bracteata
Occasional in moist local prairies. Known by alternate, grass-like leaves and short-lived, three-petaled, pink to blue flowers.
Penstemon grandiflorus
Frequent in local prairies. Distinctive clasping, opposite leaves; large, showy, lavender flowers appearing early in the season.
start blooming in june
Rudbeckia hirta
Infrequent biennial of local disturbed prairies and roadsides. When in bloom, its yellowish-orange rays surround a dark disk.
Asclepias tuberosa
Occasional in local prairies. Known for its brilliant orange flowers.
Astragalus canadensis
Occasional in local moist prairies and ditches. Cream-colored flowers occur in densely-crowded, candle-like clusters.
Silphium perfoliatum
Occasional in local prairies. Fused, opposite leaf bases form a cup around a square stem. When in bloom, yellow flower rays surround a yellowish-green disk.
Amorpha canescens
Common shrub in local prairies. Its common name is based on the color of its densely hairy leaves.
Heliopsis helianthoides
Occasional in local open woods and prairies. Recognized by its opposite leaves and flower heads of yellow rays surrounding a disk of smaller florets.
Ratibida columnifera
Occasional in local prairies. When in bloom, yellow rays surround the base of a tall brown column.
Echinacea angustifolia
Frequent in local prairies. Recognized by long, narrow leaves at stem base and solitary heads of short, reddish-purple rays surrounding a reddish-brown dome.
Dalea purpurea
Common in local prairies. Alternate, pinnately compound leaves, usually with five leaflets; when in bloom, tiny reddish-purple flowers densely encircle cylindrical spike.
Cleome serrulata
Infrequent annual of local prairies. Long stamens extend beyond the pink petals. Later linear fruits hang on long stipes.
Potentilla arguta
Characterized by pinnately compound, toothed leaves on long petioles and cream-colored flowers atop a long flower stalk.
Dalea candida
Common in local prairies. Alternate, pinnately compound leaves, with 3-5 pairs of leaflets; when in bloom, tiny white flowers encircle cylindrical spike.
Monarda fistulosa
Flowers are tubular with lobes much shorter than the tube and are lavender in color.
start blooming in july
Oenothera biennis
Frequent biennial of local roadsides and some prairies. Easily recognized by its spikes of four-petaled, yellow flowers.
Verbascum thapsus
Common along roadsides and in other disturbed sites. Non-native plant producing basal rosettes of long, wooly leaves during the first season and a thick spike of yellow flowers during the second.
Silphium laciniatum
Occasional in local prairies. Large basal leaves are generally oriented in a north-south direction. When in bloom, yellow flower rays surround a yellowish-green disk.
Ratibida pinnata
Frequent in local moist prairies with deeply pinnately-lobed leaves. When in bloom, yellow rays surround a domed brown disk.
Cassia chamaecrista
Frequent annual along local roadsides and in some prairies. Characterized by yellow flowers and finely pinnately compound leaves.
Asclepias incarnata
Occasional in local marshes and other wet sites. Dark pink flowers appear in late summer.
Artemisia ludoviciana
Frequent in local prairies. Clustered flowers tend to be inconspicuous among the white, densely-hairy leaves.
Verbena stricta
Frequent in local prairies and along roadsides. Noted by hairy, opposite leaves and small lavender flowers on slender spikes.
start blooming in august or later
Solidago rigida
Common in local prairies. Noted for its leathery, oblong leaves and flat-topped flower cluster.
Aster sericeus
Frequent in local dry prairies. Recognized by gray hairs that densely cover the leaves.