Water-Plantain usually grows in shallow water or on muddy shores where the water has receded. The long stalked, elliptical leaves arise in a clump from the perennial rhizome. The small, white petaled flowers are born in a large, branched inflorescence. Look for Alisma in the emergent marshes along the shore of Rice Pond, along the creek channel running under the shorter of the two boardwalks on the green trail, and in wetter sections of the marsh where Rice Creek borders Route 104.
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Sagittaria latifolia usually has characteristically arrow head shaped leaves growing in a clump in shallow water. The precise shape of the leaves is variable, sometimes broader, sometimes narrower. Flowers with showy white petals are born in a terminal, branched inflorescense. The upper flowers are staminate ("male") and the lower pistillate ("female"). This species is most reliably separated from others in our region by the shape of the ovules and fruits, which are born in a tight, spherical cluster on the receptacle of the pistillate flowers. Some magnification is required for adequate observation of this character. Edible tubers produced at the ends of long subterranean runners in the fall are the basis for the traditional name "Duck Potato".
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This is one of our most widely recognized spring wild flowers. Young plants have a single three parted leaf. Mature plants have two, between which the "flower" is born. The actual flowers are quite small and crowded onto the lower part of the fleshy stalk or "spadix" (Jack) which is surrounded by an over arching bract or "spathe" (the Pulpit). Younger adult plants tend to have only staminate (male) flowers while older plants may be entirely pistillate (female). The fruit is a tight cluster of fleshy red berries ripening in late summer when the foliage is almost entirely withered away. Jack-in-the Pulpit is common in the forest and woodlands at Rice Creek being one of the first real forest perennial herbs to appear in the second growth forest.
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Peltandra forms large clumps of broad, arrow-head shaped leaves in shallow water. The inflorescence is stalked, with small flowers born on a slender, fleshy spadix which is tightly enclosed in the green spathe. The spathe covers the female flowers spreading apart slightly in its upper portion to expose the male flowers. After fertilization, the upper part of the spathe withers away leaving the developing fruits on the lower portion of the spadix tightly enclosed by the remaining portion of the spathe. The stalk of the inflorescence bends bringing the fruits down to the surface of the water or exposed mud. In winter the fruits are released from the decaying spathe and spadix to float on the water's surface, many to be stranded on shores and in marshes and swamps where they will find good spots for germination when the high waters of winter and spring recede. Arrow-Arum is common in the marshes and muddy shores in the upper portion of Rice Pond and in the upstream marshes.
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The emerging inflorescence of Skunk-Cabbage is one of the first signs of spring. The tiny flowers are born on a short, stubby, fleshy spadix, males above and females below, surrounded by a fleshy, ovate, pointed, green, purplish, or spotted spath. It actually produces heat which may be sufficient to melt surrounding snow. The heat also helps to disperse the characteristic odor from which the plant derives its common name. Though objectionable to us, this odor along with the purplish color of the inflorescense is attractive to flies and beetles that pollinate the plant. The leaves are just emerging as the plant is in full flower. The leaves become quite large, rivaling those of burdock in size. There appears to be no naturally occuring Skunk-Cabbage at Rice Creek but some was once planted and persists in wet areas along the lower branch of the green trail in the wildflower display area.
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This tender perennial is neither the true Calla nor the true Arum. It originates from South Africa. Various hybrids and varieties are grown as garden plants and for the cut flower trade. The plants illustrated were grown in the flower bed in front of the building at Rice Creek. They come close to Z. albo-maculata as described in Bailey's (1949) Manual of Cultivated Plants.
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This is a cultivated garden flower in our area though it is native to parts of the eastern United States. It shares flower shape, color, and structure (including the hairy filaments of the stamens) with other species of the genus. It is possible that our cultivated plants are hybrids.
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Carex albursina and C. plantaginea are both woodland sedges with tufted, exceptionally wide (up to 30 or 50 mm wide) leaves. The leaves of C. albursina are smooth and shiny and white at the base. The lowest spike on the flowering stem has a broad, leaf-like bract at its base. C. albursina grows in the trail near the southern entrance (from Brownell Road) to the wildflower area. It also occurs in abundance in the hedgerow near the southeast corner of the middle field.
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C. annectens forms large clumps of long leaves. It is similar to C. vulpinoidea but in this species the leaves are narrower and generally longer, the flowering stems are longer than the leaves, and the periginia are ovate to nearly round (except for the short beak) and orange-yellow. The infloresence is compound with each branch bearing crowded clusters of short spikes. C. anectens is common in wet areas along trails and at the edge of the lawn. A large stand of this species grows in an open area under dead saplings along the northwest section of the orange trail.
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A fine leaved, clump forming, woodland sedge similar to C. radiata and C. rosea. Leaves are narrower than in the other two species (broadest leaves 0.7-1.3 mm). The fertile stems are arching and, on average, narrower than in C. radiata and C. rosea. The perigynia are ascending to almost erect, with the achene set low at the wedge-shapped to narrowly rounded base. The stigmas are coiled up to three times. The habitats of C. appalachica are the driest of those occupied by any of the three species.
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This is a woodland sedge with long, slender, dangling spikes. The terminal spike is made up entirely of staminate flowers while the lateral spikes have pistillate flowers. The perigynia have a distinct elongated beak. C. arctata is much less common at Rice Creek than the very similar (and very common) C. gracillima.
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This is a member of the section Ovales of the genus Carex. These are clump forming sedges with flattened perigynia with a distinct thin-winged margin. Staminate flowers are born at the base of some of the spikes. Similar species in this section are notoriously difficult to tell apart. In C. bebbii the heads (spikes) are ovoid to globose, rounded at the base, small and dense with upswept, ovate perigynia in which the body is distinctly separated from the wing. The leaf sheaths are tight around the stem. Vegetative (non-flowering) stems are inconspicuous with only a few leaves, all clustered at the apex of the stem.
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Carex blanda is a tuft forming, moderately broad leaved (up to 10 mm) sedge that forms colonies in dry to moderately damp woods. The mature perigynia are whitish and succulent, with a short, bent beak. The terminal spike is staminate and often crowded by the upper pistillate spikes and bracts. The thick, 3-angled stem is slightly winged.
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Carex bromoides forms large tufts or tussocks of narrow leaves in wetlands. The spikes are unstalked and usually touching or overlapping along the stem. They are all of similar size and shape, though the terminal one usually has staminate flowers in its lower part. The perigynia are long, narrow, thin, and unwinged. This sedge was seen in the pond margin wetlands along the southwest side of Rice Pond in 2004. It was not seen again until it was found in the overgrown hedgerow extending from the east side of the upstream end of the pond outlet channel in 2009.
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This sedge forms tufts of leaves in woodlands. The outer sheathes at the base of the stem are red-purple. The leaves are usually no longer than the flowering stems. The terminal spike is entirely staminate. The lateral pistillate spikes are unstalked. The surfaces of the perigynia are minutely hairy. C. communis grows in the old growth woodlot at Rice Creek.
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This common wetland sedge forms sturdy clumps with stout stems and moderately broad leaves. The bracts below the infloresence are sometimes several times as long as the inflorescence itself. The terminal spikes are usually, but not always, entirely staminate. The thick pistillate spikes are nodding on slender stalks. The perigynia are spreading and firm-textured. They are short stalked and taper to a long beak with two slender, firm, spreading teeth. (In the closely related C. pseudocyperus these teeth are straight and parallel. C. pseudocyperus has not been found at Rice Creek to date.) Look for C. comosa in the wetlands upstream from and along the margins of Rice Pond.
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This is a common sedge of wet woods and meadows. It forms large clumps of leaves that may reach waist high with longer arching flowering stems. The sheaths of the lower leaves of the flowering stalks are smooth. The spikes hang in a graceful curve on slender stalks. The upper one to three spikes are predominantly staminate, the lower entirely pistillate. The scale at the base of each flower has a short, abruptly terminating blade with the midrib continuing in a long, rough awn that projects like a coarse, greenish brown hair. This gives the pistillate spikes particularly the appearance of a thin, hairy catepillar. In the only similar species in the regional flora, C. gynandra, the blades of the scales in the spike taper to a pointed tip from which the awn protrudes and the sheaths of the lower leaves on the flowering stalk have minute, stiff hairs on their surface. This is a subtle character best tested by licking the leaf sheath with the tongue. C. crinita is common along the margins of the pond and especially abundant in the ash woodland on the southwest side of the pond.
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This is a member of the section Ovales of the genus Carex. These are clump forming sedges with flattened perigynia with a distinct thin-winged margin. Staminate flowers are born at the base of some of the spikes. Similar species in this section are notoriously difficult to tell apart. In the field, C. cristatella is most easily recognized by the dense clusters of spherical spikes with spreading perigynia - like little bristly golf balls. It is common at Rice Creek growing in damp areas of the fields, in marshes, and in the second growth flood plain forest along the pond.
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This is a common sedge of woodlands at Rice Creek and elsewhere in the area. The scale-like leaves at the base of the stem have a redish tinge. The spikes are long and slender and dangle gracefully from the stem. The terminal spike is predominantely staminate with a few terminal perigynia. The lower spikes are entirely pistillate. The perigynia are obtuse or rounded at the tip.
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In this species the uppermost pistillate spike is attached very close to the base of the terminal staminate spike. Lower pistillate spikes, if they are present, project on a short, stiff stalk. The perigynia are closely crowded and plump. They have a short, straight or abrubtly outcurved terminal beak. Look for this sedge in roadside ditches and wet areas in the fields at Rice Creek.
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This is a weak stemmed sedge with stems that often recline on the ground. The leaves are somewhat rough on the margins and very finely hairy on the veins towards the tip. The sheaths at the base of the stem are white or light brown. The leafy bracts at the base of the stalks of the lower spikes are relatively broad. The small, staminate, terminal spike is sometimes nearly hidden. The lower two flowers on most pistillate spikes are missing or staminate, their position inticated by scales without perigynia. A colony of C. laxiculmis grows along the trail at the west end of the shorter boardwalk on the green trail.
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Carex laxiflora is a tufted woodland sedge. Its basal leaves may be up to 2.5 cm broad. The terminal staminate spike is stalked and held well above the pistillate spikes. The leafy bracts below the pistillate spikes are broad and longer than the spike itself. The perigynia have a short, straight beak. Look for this plant in the woods along the orange trail towards the northern part of Rice Creek Field Station.
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A large sedge of swamps and wetlands. The stems are solitary or in clusters and the plant spreads by means of long, underground horizontal stems (rhizomes). The terminal spike is entirely staminate; the pistillate spikes are short stalked and crowded, perhaps the largest of any sedge in our flora. The perigynia are loose around the fruit (inflated) and range from 11 - 19 mm in length. They taper gradually into an elongate beak. The style of the fruit is abruptly twisted at its base. The small scale accompanying each perigynium is pointed at the tip and may in some cases be extended into an awn up to 6 mm long. This is a common sedge of swampy areas at Rice Creek. It may be confused with C. lurida but when the two are compared the perigynia and spikes of this species are obviously larger.
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This is a common clump-forming sedge of swamps, wet meadows, and wetlands at Rice Creek. The stems are usually in dense clumps. The terminal spike is staminate. The upper pistillate spikes have no stalk but the stalk of the lower ones may be long enough to allow the spike to droop. The perigynia are somewhat inflated and measure 6 - 9 mm in length. They taper somewhat abruptly to an elongate beak. The style of the fruit is twisted or bent, but not as abruptly as in C. lupulina. The small scale accompanying each perigynium usually bears an elongate terminal awn although those towards the tip of the spike may be merely pointed. It may be confused with C. lupulina but when the two are compared the perigynia and spikes of this species are obviously smaller.
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This is a member of the section Ovales of the genus Carex. These are clump forming sedges with flattened perigynia with a distinct thin-winged margin. Staminate flowers are born at the base of some of the spikes. Similar species in this section are notoriously difficult to tell apart. C. normalis has an upright, compact inflorescence of short spikes with spreading, short, upright perigynia with narrow wings. The flowering shoots are relatively long with leaves confined to the lower fourth of the stem. Separate, leafy, non-flowering shoots are few and inconspicuous, with relatively few leaves, all clustered near the apex of the stem. It is a species of open, moist woods, thickets, and meadows.
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This is a moderate sized clump-forming sedge of moist meadows and woods. The foliage usually has a covering of fine, soft hairs. The terminal spike is staminate and born on a short stalk. The pistillate spikes are densely flowered and cylindric. The upper ones are without stalks, the lower have short stalks. The perigynia are glossy and watermelon-shaped. The pistillate scales narrow abruptly to a sharp point. Look for this sedge in wet parts of the mown fields at Rice Creek.
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This is a small, clump forming sedge with leaves as long as or longer than the flowering shoots. It is among the earlier flowering woodland sedges. The leaf bases and the scales of the flowering spikes are reddish brown. Staminate flowers are mostly confined to terminal spikes which may have a few pistillate flowers at the base. This is a plant of moist to dry forests and woodland openings.
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Carex plantaginea and C. albursina are both woodland sedges with tufted, exceptionally wide (up to 30 or 50 mm wide) leaves. The leaves of C. plantaginea are often wrinkled and redish-purple at the base. The leaves of the flowering stem amount to little more than small, bladeless, purple sheaths. C. plantaginea flowers very early in the spring. Look for it in the woodland wildflower demonstration area at Rice Creek.
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This is a member of the section Ovales of the genus Carex. These are clump forming sedges with flattened perigynia with a distinct thin-winged margin. Staminate flowers are born at the base of some of the spikes. Similar species in this section are notoriously difficult to tell apart. C. projecta is a clump forming sedge of swamps and wet meadows. It has non- flowering (sterile) leafy shoots as well as those with flowering spikes on them. The spikes are somewhat separated on the stem and the flowering stem is flexible and often drooping towards the tip. The perigynia project upwards so the spike is broadest somewhere between the middle and the tip and tapers gradually towards the base. The perigynia are relatively long and narrow.
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A fine leaved, clump forming, woodland sedge similar to C. appalachica and C. rosea. Leaves are intermediate in width between the other two species (broadest leaves 1.3-1.9 mm). The fertile stems are erect and, on average, slightly thicker than in C. appalachia and thinner than in C. rosea. The perigynia are spreading or reflexed, with the achene set slightly above the spongy, broadly rounded base. The stigmas are straight or only slightly twisted. The habitats of C. rosea are somewhat moister than those of C. appalachica and C. rosea.
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A fine leaved, clump forming, woodland sedge similar to C. appalachica and C. radiata. Leaves average a little wider than those of the other two species (broadest leaves 1.8-2.6 mm). The fertile stems are erect and, on average, thicker than in C. appalachica and C. radiata. The perigynia radiate in all directions, with the achene set low at the wedge-shapped to narrowly rounded base. The stigmas are coiled one to two times. The habitats of C. rosea are somewhat moister than those of C. appalachica and C. radiata.
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This is a member of the section Ovales of the genus Carex. These are clump forming sedges with flattened perigynia with a distinct thin-winged margin. Staminate flowers are born at the base of some of the spikes. Similar species in this section are notoriously difficult to tell apart. The inflorescence of C. scoparia is sometimes nodding. The spikes are ellipsoid, with an acute base and acute to rounded apex. Those of early season shoots are separated, shiny, and brassy-yellow. The narrow (1.5-3 mm) leaves are shorter than the flowering stems. Vegetative shoots are few and inconspicuous, with relatively few leaves mostly clustered at the apex of the stem. C. scoparia grows in swamps and wet meadows. It is most likely to be confused with C. tribuloides.
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This sedge is most easily separated from similar species at Rice Creek by its thick, sharp angled (almost winged) stem. The leaf sheaths are cross-corrugated. The small spikes are closely aggregated into a dense, compound inflorescence. The developing perigynia overgrow and nearly hide the terminal staminate flowers. Look for this sedge in semi-shaded areas along trails and ditches at Rice Creek.
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This small, tufted sedge is fairly common along shaded trails at Rice Creek. It is hairy throughout, including the perigynia. The basal portion of the terminal spike bears staminate (male) flowers, the terminal portion is pistillate. Other spikes are entirely piltillate.
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This is a member of the section Ovales of the genus Carex. These are clump forming sedges with flattened perigynia with a distinct thin-winged margin. Staminate flowers are born at the base of some of the spikes. Similar species in this section are notoriously difficult to tell apart. In C. tribuliudes the inflorescence is upright and the spikes are closely crowded together on the stem. The leaf sheath widens slightly at its apex. Vegetative shoots are common and prominent. C. tribuloides is quite common in moist fields and wet open woods at Rice Creek.
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C. vulpinoidea grows in clumps. It is similar to C. annectens but in this species the leaves are wider, the flowering stems are shorter than the leaves, and the periginia are elliptical and pale brown. The infloresence is compound with each branch bearing crowded clusters of short spikes. C. vulpinoidea is represented in the herbarium by a specimen collected in 1970..
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In C. bipartitus, the scales of the mature spikes are colored red-brown from the midrib to the edges. The spikes are relatively broad and obviously flattened. It is a small plant that can sometimes be found on the shore of the pond at the edge of the lawn.
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In C. esculentus and C. strigosus, and some other species, the scales of the mature spikes are golden yellow and the stiff spikes protrude straight out from the central stem in a pattern resembling a bottle brush. The scales in C. esculentus are slightly shorter and are not as sharply folded as in C. strigosus. The definitive feature of Nutsedge is the presence of small, edible tubers on the horizontally growing underground stem branches (rhizomes). It has been seen at Rice Creek twice since 1995, once in an area of the powerline right of way following disturbance by maintenance machinery and once growing in new soil added to the enclosed flower bed beneath the lilac bush at the main building.
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In C. strigosus and C. esculentus, and some other species, the scales of the mature spikes are golden yellow and the stiff spikes protrude straight out from the central stem in a pattern resembling a bottle brush. In C. strigosus the scales are slightly (up to 1mm) longer and are so sharply folded as to appear keeled. This is a short lived perennial without well developed rhizomes. It occurs sporadically along the edge of the lawn near the pond at Rice Creek.
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This is the only species in the genus Dulichium. It is not common at Rice Creek but can usually be found in open, wet areas of marsh south of Brownell Road.
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This is a diminutive plant that often forms dense colonies in very wet soil. The stems are less than 10 cm (4 inches) tall and very slender. The plants illustrated grew in a low, occassionally flooded area of lawn near the pond at Rice Creek.
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This plant forms compact tufts of stems each terminating in a blunt, rounded spike of flowers. The plants illustrated grew in a low, occassionally flooded area of lawn at the margins of the colony of E. acicularis mentioned above.
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This is a perennial plant that spreads by means of horizontally growing basal rhizomes. The stems are slender and terminate in an elongate, pointed flowering spike. E. palustris is a widespread, variable species that some have suggested should be split up into a number of separate species. At Rice Creek, look for it on the shore of the pond and in the marsh upstream from Brownell Road.
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This species forms colonies in shallow water at the edges of Rice Pond. It also grows in some periodically inundated areas of the upstream marshes. At other sites you may find the relatively common Hard-Stem Bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus) or perhaps the rarer Slender Bulrush (Schoenoplectus heterochaetus) but neither has yet been recorded at Rice Creek.
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This is the most common terrestrial Bulrush at Rice Creek. Its dense clusters of spikelets terminate stiffly projecting branches of the inflorescence. It is particularly common along wet areas of trails.
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In this species, the dense clusters of small spikelets are arranged towards the tip of long, arching inflorescence branches. They have a fuzzy appearance from the long, contorted bristles that project from the base of the fruit of each flower. The material illustrated grew along the blue trail at the south edge of the middle field at Rice Creek. Look for it also in marshes south of Brownell Road.
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In the Pendulous Bulrush, the elongate spikelets are born individually at the ends of gracefully drooping branches of the inflorescence. Look for it in wet areas where the blue trail runs along the creek in the lower field as well as in marshes south of Brownell Road.
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This submerged aquatic forms dense weed beds in parts of Rice Pond. It is rooted in the pond bottom but survives quite nicely if broken loose, in which way fragments move with the currents to establish new colonies. Another species, E. nuttallii, with slightly narrower, more flexible leaves that do not overlap as closely at the tip of the stem, could also be found in our area.
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This free-floating aquatic from Europe apparently escaped when aquarium materials were discarded in Montreal. It appeared in wetlands along the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario in the 1980's. It was first noticed in Rice Pond in August of 2000. Since then it has become common in the inundated parts of cat-tail marshes and quiet coves at the margin of the pond. Its leaves, though smaller, resemble those of the white water lily and its three petaled white flowers are unique.
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This is the commonly cultivated large-flowered yellow crocus. It is native to the eastern Mediterranean. It flowers in early spring in the flower beds at Rice Creek.
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The cultivated large-flowered purple and white crocuses belong to this species. It is native to the high mountains of central and southern Europe. It flowers in early spring in the flower beds at Rice Creek.
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This is our native wild blue Iris commonly found in marshes, swamps, and fens throughout the region. The equitant leaves are distinctive. Look for wild Iris anywhere in the wetlands along Rice Creek and Rice Pond. The introduced, yellow flowered I. pseudacorus occurs in other wetlands in the area but has not been recorded at Rice Creek.
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This is the common garden Iris. A variety of color forms are grown from time to time in the flower beds at Rice Creek.
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Our two species of Sisyrinchium are very similar both having flattened, winged stems and flowers of similar size, structure, and color. In this species, the inflorescense structure is such that two or more flowering shoots appear to form branchs of the same stem.
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Our two species of Sisyrinchium are very similar both having flattened, winged stems and flowers of similar size, structure, and color. In this species, the inflorescense structure is such that the flowers are born at the tip of a simple, unbranched stem.
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Among the species of Juncus found at Rice Creek, J. alpinoarticulatus and J. nodosus are the only ones with septate leaves. That is the leaves are hollow with cross partitions at regularly spaced intervals. These septations can be felt as firm bumps if the leaf is held firmly and pulled through between the thumb and forefinger. The auricles (flaps of tissue extending from the apex of the leaf sheath) are rounded and papery in texture in this species. The flowers have six stamens and are borne in a stiffly erect inflorescence.
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This is a small, clump forming, annual plant. The stems are often crowded and densly leafy from the base. Auricles are usually absent. The inflorescense is loose and usuall one half or more of the total height of the plant. It is seen sporadically at the Field Station, often in disturbed soil. It grew abundantly after soil was graded at the entrance parking area in 2008.
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Juncus dudleyi has been considered by some to be a variety of J. tenuis which it resembles in overall size and appearance. A critical difference is in the auricles (flaps of tissue extending from the apex of the leaf sheath) which are rounded and leathery in J. dudleyi and elongate and papery in J. tenuis. Dudley's rush is found in the low, wet areas of the blue trail along the "fish ladder" on Rice Creek downstream from the pond.
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This plant forms large clumps of round, green stems with leaves reduced to bladeless sheaths at the base. A bract at the base of the infloresence is erect and appears to be a continuation of the stem, thus the inflorescense appears to be borne laterally on the stem. Juncus effusus occurs in open to partially shaded wet areas throughout the field station properties.
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Among the species of Juncus found at Rice Creek, J. alpinoarticulatus and J. nodosus are the only ones with septate leaves. The septations are internal partitions that can be felt by pinching the leaf and drawing it between the fingers and thumb. The flower clusters of this species are tightly packed into dense, spherical heads. The specimen illustrated was collected in 1970 from an island in Rice Pond.
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This is a common and abundant rush in the northeastern United States and probably the most common species of Juncus at Rice Creek. As one of the common names implies, it is especially abundant on the mown trails at the field station. Look for the elongate, membranous auricles at the summit of the leaf sheaths to identify this species.
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A rush-like plant with long, silky hairs towards the base of the leaf blades and plump capsules containing three seeds. It occurs along the orange trail in the northern part of the field station property and in the upper parts of the middle field.
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Lemna minor is the most common floating duckweed of our area, although two other species, L. perpusilla and L. turionifera may also be found. L. perpusilla has shorter roots with a terminal sheath that is expanded at its base. The fonds of L. turionifera are usually red on the underside and may have red spots on the upper surface. The fronds of all three species are similar in size and shape. Lemna fronds have a single root arising from the lower surface. L. minor very rarely produces flowers. The fronds increase in density in fall as the sugars they contain are changed to starch. They sink to the bottom of the pond and those that survive the winter float to the surface in the spring. Reproduction is primarily accomplished by the budding and eventual breaking away of new fronds. Duckweed predominates in the floating surface flora of Rice Pond and can also usually be found in Hilton Pond.
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Lemna trisulca forms bouyant, submerged colonies of elongate, stalked fronds among the stems and leaves of other submerged aquatic plants in Rice Pond. The colonies form as new fronds bud off but remain attached to older ones.
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The fronds of Spirodela polyrhiza are, as the common name implies, noticeably larger than those of Lemna minor. Each frond of giant duckweed produces a cluster of roots on its underside as contrasted to the single root of a Lemna frond. The fronds of Spirodela are usually red on the undersurface. Giant duckweed is common in the surface flora of Rice Pond.
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The watermeals are our smallest flowering plants (although they very rarely flower). They appear as little green dots on the surface of the water. On close examination they are usually revealed to be two tiny clumps of tissue, a mother frond and a daughter frond budding off from the mother. W. borealis has narrow, deep, "boat-shaped" fronds with an upward projecting point at the apex. The surface layer of the frond is opaque obscuring the outlines on the internal cells. Watermeals occur mixed with other components of the floating surface flora of Rice Pond and may comprise almost the entire surface flora of Hilton Pond.
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The watermeals are our smallest flowering plants (although they very rarely flower). They appear as little green dots on the surface of the water. On close examination they are usually revealed to be two tiny clumps of tissue, a mother frond and a daughter frond budding off from the mother. W. columbiana has globular to ovoid fronds. The surface layer of the frond is transparent revealing the outlines of the internal cells. Watermeals occur mixed with other components of the floating surface flora of Rice Pond and may comprise almost the entire surface flora of Hilton Pond.
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This is the only broad leaved (usually over ¾") onion in mainland North America. The leaves appear early in the spring often preceeding any other green plants on the forest floor. As with many bulbous members of the Liliaceae, the regular production of new bulbs results in the development of dense colonies of plants. The leaves die in early summer, usually before the the whitish, leafless flowering stalk appears. By autumn, the flowering stalk has become dry and hard and the dry fruits have opened to expose the shiny, black seeds. The young bulbs of wild leeks (no more closely related to the cultivated leek than any other onion) are a traditional early spring delicacy. As the leaves mature, the bulbs become starchy and less tasty.
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This is the cultivated garlic. The bulb consists of numerous units called "cloves". Leaves are narrow but flat and actual flowers are usually absent or aborted, being replaced by small bulbils. This species does not reproduce by seed but under suitable circumstances spreads readily by distribution of the bulbils or persistence of the cloves of the main bulb. Garlic is represented in the herb garden at Rice Creek.
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Garden chives are actually native to North America but are so widely cultivated and escaped that the original native distribution range is not known. They are characterized by terete (round in cross section), hollow leaves and compact clusters of violet to purple flowers. The bulbs reproduce readily soon forming dense clusters of separate plants. Chives are represented in the herb garden at Rice Creek.
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The species forms dense clumps similar to chives, but the leaves are solid and flat and the odor resembles that of garlic. The whitish flowers are borne in a loose cluster. The leaves are used in salads and stir fried dishes. A. tuberosum is cultivated in China, Siberia, and North America and may escape from cultivation. It is in the herb garden at Rice Creek.
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A. vineale is a weedy introduction from Europe. The leaves resemble those of chives but are usually not as thick and long. The purplish flowers are borne in dense clusters but are often replaced by bulbils as in the cultivated garlic. Field garlic grows near the entrance road in the western section of the wild flower display area at Rice Creek and at a few other sites along the trails.
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This is the only species in the genus Convallaria. It exists as a European variety which is widely cultivated and occasionally escaped in our area, an American variety that grows in the central Appalachians, and an east Asian variety. The European form is grown for its white, sweetly scented flowers but gardeners should know that it is a poisonous plant. It is grown in the flower gardens at Rice Creek and has colonized a limited area on the Orange Trail spur near the workshop.
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Beds
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This early spring flowering plant is common in deciduous woods in the northeastern United States. Young plants produce a single leaf from a deeply buried underground bulb. As the leaves disappear in late spring, the bulbs send up slender pale white stems (stolons) that bend over and grow back into the soil eventually forming new bulbs at their tip. In this way, large colonies of nonflowering young plants are built up. Eventually, the bulb will produce a flowering plant with two leaves and a single terminal yellow flower. Troutlily is common along the upper trails in the wild flower area and in other woods at Rice Creek.
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Snowdrops are probably the earliest showy, herbaceous plant to flower in the spring at Rice Creek. The species is native to Europe and persists in abandoned gardens and open woods in our area. At Rice Creek it can be seen in the flower beds, on the banks along the road near the entrance, and as a few remnants of a planting in the wildflower display area.
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Beds
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Various species and hybrids of Hemerocallis are popular garden perennials. Individual flowers last a single day but the flowering period is extended through late spring and summer. The buds and flowers of daylilies are edible and used in various oriental dishes. The tubers are edible boiled but should not be eaten raw. H. lilioasphodelus is native to eastern Asia but has long been cultivated in Europe and North America. It only rarely escapes from cultivation. The yellow flowered daylily pictured here could be an ornamental hybrid instead of the pure species.
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Beds
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Various species and hybrids of Hemerocallis are popular garden perennials. Individual flowers last a single day but the flowering period is extended through late spring and summer. The buds and flowers of daylilies are edible and used in various oriental dishes. The tubers are edible boiled but should not be eaten raw. The orange daylily is native to China and Japan. The material cultivated and escaped in Europe and North America is triploid (three sets of chromosomes) and sterile. It reproduces vigorously from fragments of the root system and commonly forms large colonies along roadsides and elsewhere.
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Perennial plants native to Japan and China with large clumps of basal leaves commonly grown as foundation plants or ground cover in shaded areas. The leaves of H. lancifolia taper towards the base while those of P. plantaginea are heart shaped at the base. One variety of H. lancifolia has leaves with white edges. The plants illustrated grow in the shade of Northern White-Cedars in front of the building at Rice Creek.
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This is a European species that is cultivated as a late spring flowering bulb. It can be an aggressive invader of low lying, damp forests. The leaves and bulbs are poisonous. It is grown in the flower beds at Rice Creek. It was also planted in the wildflower area but is scheduled for eradication there.
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To date, no native wild lilies have been found at Rice Creek. A variety of cultivated species and hybrids are grown in the flower beds.
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This spring flowering woodland wildflower can be abundant in forests of our area but is of restricted distribution at Rice Creek. Occasional plants can be found in the wildflower area and also in the old growth woodlot. The plant spreads by underground rhizomes. Sterile shoots produce a single leaf while flowering shoots have two leaves. The flower is peculiar for a monocot in having flower parts in twos and fours instead of threes and sixes.
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This is a common and widespread plant in the forests of eastern North America. The combination of arching stems with up to twelve heavily veined leaves and a terminal branched inflorescence is unique. False Solomon's-Seal has become abundant in the eastern end of the wildflower area at Rice Creek.
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This is the common Grape Hyacinth favored as a spring flowering garden bulb. The globe shaped blue flowers are characteristic. It is included in flower beds at Rice Creek and a few plants have appeared spontaneously in the adjacent lawn. Although it can escape from cultivation it is rarely aggressive or widespread.
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This hybrid between the Daffodil (N. pseudonarcissus) and the Poet's Narcissus (N. poeticus) is characterized by single flowerd stems and flowers in various combinations of yellow and white with a medium length trumpet. It is planted in the flower beds at Rice Creek and also along the upper end of the entrance road. It may also occur as an escape in fields and along trails.
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This is the original long-trumpet daffodil native to western Europe and widely grown as a spring bulb. Originally yellow flowered, cultivated varieties may be various combinations of yellow, white, or even light green. Daffodils are planted in the flower beds at Rice Creek and on the bank along the road at the entrance to the field station. The may also occur as an escape in fields and along trails.
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Beds
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This spring flowering bulb is widely cultivated and can become an aggressive invasive weed of fields and open woods. Each year the bulb multiplies soon establishing a dense patch of plants. The bulbs are spread by being transported in garden soil. The species is a complex polyploid and does not produce seed. The flowers open at midday and close in the evening, staying closed on dark, cloudy days. The white stripe on the leaves is characteristic. The bulbs are quite poisonous and should never be eaten. The plant is grown in flower beds at Rice Creek and a volunteer patch can be found along the entrance road where it opens into the parking area.
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This is a modest sized spring flowering woodland wildflower with stalks bearing 1-3 greenish flowers hanging below the stem. It is common in well established upland woods and can be found near the eastern end of the wildflower area and in the old growth woodlot at Rice Creek.
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This and the Large White Trillium are the two common Trilliums in our immediate area. A third species, T. undulatum, with narrow white petals marked with a dark red inverted V at the base, also occurs but is more common north and at higher elevations. T. erectum has an unpleasant odor likened in Flora of North America to that of a wet dog. Such fetid odors combined with maroon or purple flower colors are often indicative of pollination by flies and beetles otherwise attracted to rotting meat. The Red Trillium may occasionally have white or even greenish petals but always has a dark purple to maroon ovary and fruit. Scattered individuals of this species can be found in the wildflower area and in the old growth woodlot at Rice Creek.
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The Large White Trillium is the most common species of the genus in our immediate area. Another white flowered species, T. undulatum, with narrow white petals marked with a dark red inverted V at the base, also occurs but is more common north and at higher elevations. As the flower of T. grandiflora ages, the petals fade to a dull pink. The ovary and fruit are pale green in contrast to the purplish ovary and fruit of the Red Trillium and are usually covered by the petals while the flower is open. White Trillium can be seen growing in the wildflower area and the old growth woodlot at Rice Creek.
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This is one of two species in our area with perfoliate leaves (the stem appearing to pass through the blade of the leaf) and drooping yellow flowers with twisted petals (tepals). In this species the leaves are usually finely hairy along the veins on the under side. The Large Flowered Bellwort was planted into the wild flower area at Rice Creek but has not spread. A clump persists near the base of the large Black Cherry tree at the upper northwest entrance to the area. It has also been found in the old growth forest.
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In this species, the leaves are stalkless but not perfoliate as in U. grandiflora. The pale yellow flowers have untwisted petals. A colony of this plant grows along the orange trail near the large vernal pool just north of the entrance road. Another can be found along the old hedgerow on the east side of the entrance of the outlet channel of Rice Pond.
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Native to Eurasia and North Africa, this orchid was introduced and naturalized in North America in the late 1800's. It is the only non-native orchid in our area. The flower color may vary from pale green to pink, purple or yellowish but the plant is easily recognized from its general shape, leaf arrangement, inflorescence structure and flower shape. It can occur in nearly any habitat but is most likely to be seen along trails in shady areas, in open woods, or in the shade of lawn trees. It commonly grows in the wood chip mulch on trails.
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The small, greenish yellow flowers of this species are characterized by the bump or tubercle on the lip of the flower. This is a colonial species that reproduces asexually be means of root tubers. There is a colony in a low, wet area of the blue trail at the fish ladder on the outlet of the pond and another in a wet area near the edge of the woods at the bottom of the hill in the middle field.
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Two plants of this species were seen at Rice Creek in the summer of 2003, one along the orange trail up hill from its junction with the blue trail and one along the red trail along the east side of the upper field. The combination of the deeply and extensively divided lower lip and the greenish flowers separates this species from all others in our area.
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In Agrostis, there is only one floret per spikelet, the spikelets are laterally compressed, the glumes are as long as or longer than the lemmas, the lemmas are thin and membranous, and the mature fruit (seed) falls from the stalk leaving the glumes in place. All species in our area have an open, branched inflorescense in which a number of branches originate from the same place on the stem. Redtop is a relatively large, perennial grass spreading by underground rhizomes. The color of the glumes usually gives the entire inflorescence a reddish cast. Redtop is a Eurasian plant, now common in the cooler regions of North America. At Rice Creek it is common in the mown fields and clearings.
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In Agrostis, there is only one floret per spikelet, the spikelets are laterally compressed, the glumes are as long as or longer than the lemmas, the lemmas are thin and membranous, and the mature fruit (seed) falls from the stalk leaving the glumes in place. All species in our area have an open, branched inflorescense in which a number of branches originate from the same place on the stem. Creeping Bent is similar to Redtop but it is usually not as tall and spreads by leafy stolons, horizontal stems growing above the surface of the soil. Creeping Bent's inflorescence is usually more dense and not as colorful as that of Redtop. Creeping Bent is a Eurasian plant of the colder latitudes. It prefers wet habitats and may form a mat of stolons in areas that are occassionally flooded. A mat of this sort grows in an opening in the beaver meadow directly south of the benches on the green trail at the south end of the longer wooden boardwalk.
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Sweet Vernal Grass has spikelets with three florets, the lower two of which are aborted and reduced to hairy lemmas each with an elongate thread-like awn. The second (upper) glume is considerably longer than the first. This is one of the earliest grasses to flower and mature in our flora. In open fields the inflorescence is quite compact but where it grows along shady woodland trails the inflorescence is somewhat more open. The fragrance of crushed fresh or dry plants is produced by coumarin. Sweet Vernal Grass is common in upland fields and along trails at Rice Creek.
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The spikelets are 2-flowered with glumes of unequal length that become papery with age. The first glume is shorter and the second is as long as the lemmas. The lower floret is staminate only and has a long, jointed awn arising from the back of the lemma. The upper floret contains both stamens and pistil. Its lemma lacks an awn or has a short, straight awn arising just below its tip. The Field Station herbarium contains a specimen of A. elatius collected in 1970.
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In Bromus, the spikelets have three or more florets and the glumes are usually shorter than the lemma of the first (lower) flower. The lemmas are often awned. B. commutatus has well developed, straight awns that can be traced for some distance down the back of the lemma. The leaf sheaths are fused around the stem for most of their length in this genus. This is a European annual species that grows in fields and roadsides and was found at Rice Creek at the edge of the woods near the herb garden in 2002.
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In Bromus, the spikelets have three or more florets and the glumes are usually shorter than the lemma of the first (lower) flower. The lemmas are often awned. B. inermmis is a relatively large grass with long, thin spikelets. Awns are absent or are very short and arise near the tip of the lemmas. The leaf sheaths are fused around the stem for most of their length in this genus. This is a Eurasian perennial now widely distributed in North America. At Rice Creek it can be found occasionally in fields and along the trails in open areas.
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This is a native woodland plant that flowers in late summer. The spikelets contain a single floret. The floret is borne on a minute stalk that separates it from the base of the glumes. There is also a minute projection of this stalk above the base of the floret. This species is widely distributed in moist woodlands at Rice Creek.
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This common grass of fields, pastures, roadsides, and meadows is easily recognized once first identified. The spikelets are aggregated into dense, usually somewhat one sided clusters at the ends of the branches of the inflorescence. Each spiklet contains from two to six florets. The glumes and lemmas bear short, terminal awns and the central vein (keel) of the lemma is often hairy. Look for clumps of Orchard Grass in the fields and open areas along the trails at Rice Creek.
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Danthonia has several florets per spikelet. The thin, elongate glumes extend beyond the lemmas of the florets. In our species, the lemmas bear an awn which arises in the sinus between two elongate teeth. D. compressa and D. spicata are similar in floral structure and considered by some to be a single species. D. compressa has thin stems, hairless leaf sheaths, flat leaves and a lax, open, drooping inflorescence. The teeth of the lemmas are usually 2 - 4.5 mm long and bristle- or hair-like. A few plants were found in 2008 along the red trail north of the bridge in the old-growth woodlot at Rice Creek.
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Danthonia has several florets per spikelet. The thin, elongate glumes extend beyond the lemmas of the florets. In our species, the lemmas bear an awn which arises in the sinus between two elongate teeth. D. spicata and D. compressa are similar in floral structure and considered by some to be a single species. D. spicata is a densly tufted grass with upright, stiff stalks and a relatively compact inflorescence. The leaf sheaths have tufted hairs at their summits and the leaves are narrow and often inrolled. The teeth of the lemmas are usually less than 2 mm long and broadly triangular. A specimen in the Rice Creek herbarium was collected along the roadside in June of 1970.
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In Dichanthelium and Panicum, the spikelets are dorsally compressed and consist of two glumes, a sterile floret, and a fertile floret. The lower glume is short, the upper glume is as long as the entire spikelet, the lower (sterile) lemma resembles the upper glume and is equally long, and the upper lemma is hard and usually shiny with margins that fold over the edges of the palea so that the grain is retained within. The inflorescence is open and often highly branched. In Dichanthelium the main inflorescences at the tips of the stems usually appear in late spring. Lateral branches develop later in the summer and rebranch one or more times by fall. In D. acuminatum the leaves at the base of the plant form an overwintering rosette well differentiated from the leaves of the stem, the "ligule" at the base of the leaf blade consists of an upright brush of hairs, and the leaf sheaths and usually leaves and stems are covered with hairs up to 3 mm long. This is a widespread and very variable species. The plants illustrated were found in the power line right of way at Rice Creek.
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Smooth Crabgrass is an annual Eurasian weed widely distributed in lawns, gardens, and disturbed soils in eastern North America. It has a distinctive inflorescence structure in which the small, single flowered spikelets are organized in two rows on one side of a flattened stalk. The leaf sheaths in this species are usually hairless. A related species, D. sanguinalis (Hairy Crabgrass), has hairy leaf sheaths and has spikelets arranged in unequally stalked pairs on the flattened stalk. Smooth Crabgrass was seen on the disturbed gravel of the parking area at the entrance to Rice Creek in 2007.
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In this genus, the spikelets consist of a short lower glume, an upper glume as long as the spikelet, a sterile floret with a lemma as large as the second glume and very similar to it, and finally a single fertile flower with a hard, shiny lemma. The glumes are unawned or with a short awn-tip. The lower (sterile) lemma may be unawned or awned, the awn sometimes being up to six centimeters long. E. crus-galli, an introduced Eurasian species, is technically differentiated from E. muricata by minute features of the fertile lemma, but the lower lemmas here are often unawned and the hairs of the glumes and lower lemma lack the bulbous base usually seen in E. muricata. The specimen illustrated was found in the disturbed gravel of the parking area at the entrance to Rice Creek in 2007.
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In this genus, the spikelets consist of a short lower glume, an upper glume as long as the spikelet, a sterile floret with a lemma as large as the second glume and very similar to it, and finally a single fertile flower with a hard, shiny lemma. The glumes are unawned or with a short awn-tip. The lower (sterile) lemma may be unawned or awned, the awn sometimes being up to six centimeters long. E. muricata, a native species, is technically differentiated from the Eurasian E. crus-galli by minute features of the fertile lemma, but the lower lemmas here are usually awned and the hairs of the glumes and lower lemma usually have a bulbous base that is not present in E. crusgalli. E. muricata was collected in the marsh on the west side of Rice Creek upstream from the longer boardwalk of the green trail.
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In this genus, the spikelets consist of a short lower glume, an upper glume as long as the spikelet, a sterile floret with a lemma as large as the second glume and very similar to it, and finally a single fertile flower with a hard, shiny lemma. The glumes are unawned or with a short awn-tip. The lower (sterile) lemma may be unawned or awned, the awn sometimes being up to six centimeters long. E. walteri is a native species of marshes and wet places. It differs from our other species of Echinochloa in having narrower upper (fertile) lemmas and having bulbous-based hairs on the sheaths of the lower leaves (or just the bulbous bases). The awns are usually much longer that those of E. muricata. Water-Millet is abundant along the longer boardwalk on the green trail and also occurs here and there along the shore of Rice Pond.
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Elymus has spikelets arranged in groups of one to three in an unbranched inflorescence (spike). E. repens has single spikelets borne alternately on a central stalk. The spikelets are flattened laterally and contain 4 - 7 florets. The glumes and lemmas are unawned or with a short (3-4 mm), straight awn. Quack-Grass in native to Eurasia and has been introduced into much of North America. It prefers disturbed habitats. At Rice Creek it can be found along trails and at the edge of the mown lawn.
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Elymus has spikelets arranged in groups of one to three in an unbranched inflorescence (spike). In E. virginicus there are usually two spikelets at each level of the spike. The spikelets have three to four florets but only the lowest is functional. The glumes are thick and fleshy with almost cylindrical bodies prolonged into awns. The lemmas are also awned. Virginia Wild-Rye occurs as scattered individuals in the forest around the southern end of Rice Pond.
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Eragrostis has flattened spikelets with 2 to many flowers. Our species is an annual introduced from Europe. The glumes are short and of unequal length. Minute glands occur on the leaf margins. Material illustreated came from the edges of the gravel parking area at the entrance to Rice Creek..
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Festuca rubra is a complex species containing considerable variation. There are both native and introduced European forms. It is commonly used as a lawn grass. The material illustrated was growing in the mown lawn at Rice Creek. Most Fescues have leaf blades that are closely folded (conduplicate) making the leaf seem very narrow and stiff. In Red Fescue, the leaf sheaths are fused for up to 3/4 of their length (check young leaves as the sheaths may split with age.) The inflorescence is sometimes more open than shown in our picture. Look for awns on the glumes and lemmas.
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Festuca trachyphylla is a European plant of forest and forest edges. It is commonly introduced in the Eastern United States, often as a lawn grass. Like most other Fescues, the leaves in this species are tightly folded (conduplicate) making them appear narrow and stiff. In this species, the leaf sheaths are fused around the stem for only about 1/3 of their length. The glumes are sharp pointed but not awned. The lemmas have a short, stiff awn.
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Glyceria has relatively small, broad spikelets with short glumes. There are no awns. The species found at Rice Creek have flattened spikelets 10 mm or less in length. G. grandis has clustered, stout stems and an open inflorescence with branches that are nodding at the tip. Spikelets are 4-6.5 mm long and contain 5-9 florets. The lemmas have prominent, raised veins and wrap around the edges of the palea to enclose the grain. A specimen in the Field Station herbarium was collected at Rice Creek in 1970.
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Glyceria has relatively small, broad spikelets with short glumes. There are no awns. The species found at Rice Creek have flattened spikelets 10 mm or less in length. Spikelets of G. melicaria are about 4 mm long and contain 3-4 florets. The inflorescence is very narrow with essentially upright branches. The veins of the lemma are visible, but not raised (in contrast to our other two species). A specimen in the Field Station herbarium was collected at Rice Creek in 1970.
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Glyceria has relatively small, broad spikelets with short glumes. There are no awns. The species found at Rice Creek have flattened spikelets 10 mm or less in length. Spikelets of G. striata are 2.5-4 mm long and contain 3-7 florets. The inflorescence is open with drooping branches. The lemmas have prominent, raised veins and wrap around the edges of the palea to enclose the grain. The leaf blades are often arranged in two ranks on the stem. This species is common in wet, shady places at Rice Creek
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The leaves and stems of this grass are covered with dense, soft, velvety hairs giving the whole plant a light, greenish white appearance. The glumes and lemmas of the maturing spikelet often have a reddish cast. This is a European species now widely distributed in the northeastern United States. A clump of Velvet Grass grows in the damp area along the blue trail at the fish ladder on the outlet of Rice Pond.
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Rice Cutgrass is easily recognized by the fact that the stiff, short hairs on the leaves cause the foliage to cling to clothing and inflict painful, fine scratches on bare skin. In Leersia the spikelets consist of a single floret and have no glumes. In L. oryzoides the lemma and palea have prominent, stiff hairs along the edges and the midribs. The inflorescence is open, with fine branches attached singly or in pairs to a central stalk. Rice Cutgrass is a plant of marshes and wet places and may even be semi-aquatic. It is abundant in the marshes upstream from Rice Pond.
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In Leersia the spikelets consist of a single floret and have no glumes. In L. virginica, one edge of the lemma is usually folded over the stalk to which the floret is attached. The inflorescence is open and consists of fine branches attached singly to the central stalk. Whitegrass occurs in dense colonies in wet, semi-shaded areas along the trails at Rice Creek.
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In Lolium a single spikelet occurs at each node of the stem. The spikelets are flattened with one edge against the stem. The first glume is lacking (except on the terminal spikelet), the second glume is on the side of the spikelet away from the stem. The lemmas are sometimes awned. L. perenne is a short lived perennial from Europe. It is widely planted as a lawn grass and has escaped to roadsides and other disturbed sites. A specimen collected at Rice Creek in 1970 is in the Field Station herbarium.
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This grass becomes highly branched forming a bushy, sprawling plant. The lateral inflorescences may be only partially exerted from the leaf sheaths. The spikelets consist of a single floret. Glumes are pointed or short-awned, usually but not always longer than the lemma. Lemmas may be awnless or with an awn up to 11 mm. A specimen collected at Rice Creek in 1970 is in the Field Station herbarium.
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In Panicum and Dichanthelium, the spikelets are dorsally compressed and consist of two glumes, a sterile floret, and a fertile floret. The lower glume is short, the upper glume is as long as the entire spikelet, the lower (sterile) lemma resembles the upper glume and is equally long, and the upper lemma is hard and usually shiny with margins that fold over the edges of the palea so that the grain is retained within. The inflorescence is open and often highly branched. In Panicum the main inflorescences at the tips of the stems usually appear in mid-summer and lateral branches, if they form at all, do not rebranch. P. capillare is an annual plant in which the infloresence is large, comprising almost half the height of the plant, open and highly branched. At maturity the inflorescence breaks off as a unit and becomes a "tumbleweed", blowing about in the wind releasing seeds as it goes. The material illustrated came from the edge of the gravel parking area at the Field Station entrance after the area had been graded in the summer of 2008.
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In Panicum and Dichanthelium, the spikelets are dorsally compressed and consist of two glumes, a sterile floret, and a fertile floret. The lower glume is short, the upper glume is as long as the entire spikelet, the lower (sterile) lemma resembles the upper glume and is equally long, and the upper lemma is hard and usually shiny with margins that fold over the edges of the palea so that the grain is retained within. The inflorescence is open and often highly branched. In Panicum the main inflorescences at the tips of the stems usually appear in mid-summer and lateral branches, if they form at all, do not rebranch. P. dichotomiflorum is a widespread native plant that grows in disturbed, open, often wet habitats. The stems proper are hairless, and often constricted just below the attachment of the leaf sheath. The leaf sheaths are inflated (loose around the stem) and usually hairy towards the base or even throughout. The spikelets are relatively long and narrow compared to P. capillare and Dichanthelium. The material illustrated came from an area on the south side of the entrance road that had been filled and graded following the uprooting of a large tree in a wind storm in the summer of 2008..
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This is a large, perennial, colonial grass that can be an aggressive invader of wetlands. The question of whether it is native or introduced (or some of both) is a subject of debate among botanists. The inflorescence branches are spreading during flowering but pressed to the main stem at other times. The spikelets have glumes of nearly equal length. There are three florets, the lower two sterile and reduced to hairy stubs about half as long as the terminal fertile floret. All three fall together as a unit. Reed Canary-Grass is common in the ditch along the entrance road and in the marsh upstream from Rice Pond. A colony grows near the base of the hill in the middle field and in the low, wet section of the blue trail at the fish ladder on the pond outlet stream.
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This is a widespread and easily recognized grass of pastures, rangelands, and disturbed sites. It was originally introduced from Europe as a pasture grass. The stem grows from a bulbous base. The inflorescence is a compact, spike-like, cylindrical structure with tightly packed spikelets. The glumes have a narrow, elongate tip and a row of large hairs along the midrib. Timothy occurs sporadically throught the fields and open areas at Rice Creek.
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Phragmites is a large, robust grass with stems that may grow as high as ten or twelve feet. Two forms grow in our area; a native strain which is a rare plant of bogs and fens mostly along the east end of Lake Ontario and an introduced European strain that over the past half century or so has become a particularly aggressive invader of roadside ditches and natural wetlands forming dense stands that replace almost all other vegetation at the site. The plant is easily recognized by its large size, plumose inflorescences, and persistent dead stems which may remain standing for two or three years. The plants overwinter and spread by means of underground rhizomes or surface stolons that may grow twenty or thirty feet in a single season. Since 2003, four small colonies have been discovered and eradicated at Rice Creek, three in the marsh upstream from the pond and one along an old branch of the orange trail leading to private land in the northern portion of the field station properties.
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Poa as a whole is a large, taxonomically difficult genus with many hybrids and asexually reproducing polyploids. The inflorescences are branched and may be open or dense. There are two or more fertile florets per spikelet, neither the glumes nor the lemmas are awned, the glumes are no longer than the lemmas, and the lemmas have a generally acute apex. The leaf blades are flat but the edges are usually rolled up at the tip like the prow of a boat. The leaf sheaths may be fused for part of their length. Most species have a tuft of long hairs at the attachment of the lemma. P. alsodes is a moderately tall grass that grows in woodlands throughout the northeast. The infloresence is usually open with three to five spreading branches at each level of the main stem. The glumes have short, stiff hairs on the midrib (keel). A web (tuft of hairs) is formed at the attachment of the lemma and the midrib (keel) of the lemma is hairy for the lower half of its length. The other veins of the lemma lack hairs. The specimen illustrated was collected at Rice Creek in 1970.
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Poa as a whole is a large, taxonomically difficult genus with many hybrids and asexually reproducing polyploids. The inflorescences are branched and may be open or dense. There are two or more fertile florets per spikelet, neither the glumes nor the lemmas are awned, the glumes are no longer than the lemmas, and the lemmas have a generally acute apex. The leaf blades are flat but the edges are usually rolled up at the tip like the prow of a boat. The leaf sheaths may be fused for part of their length. Most species have a tuft of long hairs at the attachment of the lemma. P. annua is probably the most widespread weed in the world. It is a relatively short stemmed annual. The lemmas are usually hairy on the veins but lack the distinct basal tuft of hairs (web) seen in most species of Poa. The specimen illustrated was collected at Rice Creek in 1970. Look for it in disturbed areas of lawn and at the edge of the pavement on the entrance road at Rice Creek.
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Poa as a whole is a large, taxonomically difficult genus with many hybrids and asexually reproducing polyploids. The inflorescences are branched and may be open or dense. There are two or more fertile florets per spikelet, neither the glumes nor the lemmas are awned, the glumes are no longer than the lemmas, and the lemmas have a generally acute apex. The leaf blades are flat but the edges are usually rolled up at the tip like the prow of a boat. The leaf sheaths may be fused for part of their length. Most species have a tuft of long hairs at the attachment of the lemma. P. compressa is distinctinve in having laterally compressed (flattened) stems. The stems are wiry and the inflorescence is held well above the relatively short bladed leaves. A noticeable length of stem is exposed between the top of one leaf sheath and the bottom of the next higher one. In contrast to many other species, there is no web (tuft of hairs at the attachment of the lemma). The midrib and lateral veins of the lemma may or may not be hairy towards their base. Canada Bluegrass is relatively common in the middle and upper fields at Rice Creek.
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Poa as a whole is a large, taxonomically difficult genus with many hybrids and asexually reproducing polyploids. The inflorescences are branched and may be open or dense. There are two or more fertile florets per spikelet, neither the glumes nor the lemmas are awned, the glumes are no longer than the lemmas, and the lemmas have a generally acute apex. The leaf blades are flat but the edges are usually rolled up at the tip like the prow of a boat. The leaf sheaths may be fused for part of their length. Most species have a tuft of long hairs at the attachment of the lemma. P. pratensis is a widespread, genetically complicated, variable species. The inflorescence has two to seven spreading branches at each level, with the spikelets somewhat crowded towards the ends of the branches. The spikelets are relatively small and laterally compressed with two to five florets each. The glumes are distinctly shorter than the adjacent lemmas and usually have short, stiff hairs along the midrib (keel). There is uaually a tuft of hairs (web) at the attachment of the lemma. The keel and the marginal veins of the lemma are usually hairy. Kentucky Bluegrass is widely planted as a pasture and lawn grass.
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Poa as a whole is a large, taxonomically difficult genus with many hybrids and asexually reproducing polyploids. The inflorescences are branched and may be open or dense. There are two or more fertile florets per spikelet, neither the glumes nor the lemmas are awned, the glumes are no longer than the lemmas, and the lemmas have a generally acute apex. The leaf blades are flat but the edges are usually rolled up at the tip like the prow of a boat. The leaf sheaths may be fused for part of their length. Most species have a tuft of long hairs at the attachment of the lemma. P. saltuensis is a woodland species of the northeastern United States. It has an open inflorescence with one to three ascending to spreading branches at each level. There are two to five florets per spikelet. There is a tuft of hairs (web) at the base of the lemma but the lemmas are otherwise usually hairless. The specimen illustrated was collected at Rice Creek in 1970.
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Poa as a whole is a large, taxonomically difficult genus with many hybrids and asexually reproducing polyploids. The inflorescences are branched and may be open or dense. There are two or more fertile florets per spikelet, neither the glumes nor the lemmas are awned, the glumes are no longer than the lemmas, and the lemmas have a generally acute apex. The leaf blades are flat but the edges are usually rolled up at the tip like the prow of a boat. The leaf sheaths may be fused for part of their length. Most species have a tuft of long hairs at the attachment of the lemma. P. trivialis is a European species widely planted in the northeast as a lawn and pasture grass. The leaf sheaths are usually covered with short, stiff hairs. The ligules, delicate flaps of tissue appearing as a continuation of the leaf sheath above the attachment of the leaf blade, are relatively long compared to those of other bluegrasses. The inflorescence is open with three to seven ascending to spreading branches at each level. The branches are angled with stiff, short hairs along the angles. The spikelets contain two to four florets. Glumes have short, stiff hairs on the keel (midrib). There is a tuft of long hairs (web) at the base of the lemma. The keel of the lemma usually has sparse, short hairs on its lower half.
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This species has also been placed in the genus Festuca by some botanists. It differs from our other Fescues in having flat leaves with small protuberances of tissue (auricles) at the base of the blade and in lacking awns on the lemmas. The auricles also distinguish this species from species of Lolium. Look for this species along trails, in fields, and at the edge of the lawn at Rice Creek. The specimen illustrated was collected at Rice Creek in 2003.
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Our species of Setaria are all annuals with a dense, spike-like infloresence. Just beneath each spikelet there are three or more long, minutely barbed bristles, which remain on the plant after the spiklet with its seed is shed. Spikelets contain two florets, the lower sterile and the upper fertile. The lower glume is about half the length of the spikelet. The upper glume is one half to fully as long as the upper lemma. The lower lemma is herbaceous and extends to the tip of the upper lemma. The upper lemma and palea are hard and roughened and completely enclose the maturing grain. In S. faberi, there are 3-6 bristles, about 10 mm long, associated with each spikelet. The second glume is 2/3 to 3/4 the length of the spikelet leaving the tip of the second lemma exposed. The inflorescence is up to 20 cm long and nodding from the middle or lower. This species is native to China and was accidentally introduced in the 1920's. The specimens illustrated were growing at the edge of the gravel parking area at the entrance to Rice Creek in 2007.
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Our species of Setaria are all annuals with a dense, spike-like infloresence. Just beneath each spikelet there are three or more long, minutely barbed bristles, which remain on the plant after the spiklet with its seed is shed. Spikelets contain two florets, the lower sterile and the upper fertile. The lower glume is about half the length of the spikelet. The upper glume is one half to fully as long as the upper lemma. The lower lemma is herbaceous and extends to the tip of the upper lemma. The upper lemma and palea are hard and roughened and completely enclose the maturing grain. In S. pumila, there are 4-12 bristles, 3-8 mm long, associated with each spikelet. The second glume is half as long as the spikelet leaving half of the second lemma exposed. The inflorescence is 3-15 cm long and erect . This species is native to Europe but is now a wide spread weed. The specimens illustrated grew at the edge of the gravel parking lot at the entrance to Rice Creek in 2008..
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Our species of Setaria are all annuals with a dense, spike-like infloresence. Just beneath each spikelet there are three or more long, minutely barbed bristles, which remain on the plant after the spiklet with its seed is shed. Spikelets contain two florets, the lower sterile and the upper fertile. The lower glume is about half the length of the spikelet. The upper glume is one half to fully as long as the upper lemma. The lower lemma is herbaceous and extends to the tip of the upper lemma. The upper lemma and palea are hard and roughened and completely enclose the maturing grain. In S. viridis, there are 1-3 bristles, 5-10 mm long, associated with each spikelet. The second glume is as long as the spikelet, nearly covering the second lemma. The inflorescence is usually less than 20 cm long and erect or nodding just at the tip. This species is native to Eurasia but is now widely introduced throughout warm temperate regions. The specimens illustrated were growing at the edge of the gravel parking area at the entrance to Rice Creek in 2007.
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This is a semi-aquatic species of marshes, swamps, and the margins of lakes and streams. The leaf sheaths are open. The spikelets contain 2-8 florets. The glumes are shorter than the adjacent lemmas. Neither glumes nor lemmas are awned. The lemmas have 7-9 evident veins with an erose, rounded tip. The specimen illustrated was collected in the marsh upstream from Rice Pond in 1997.
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This aquatic plant may also persist in healthy condition on mudflats exposed at low water. The leaf blades are thin and linear. When aquatic, the yellow flowers are held above the water level. The flowers open early in the morning and wilt by the end of the day. Plants pictured were growing in Rice Pond. The species has also been seen on exposed mudbanks of Rice Creek below the pond.
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This is a plant of shallow water with the leaf blades and flowering stems projecting above the water level. The leaves have a characteristic arrowhead or heart-like shape with rounded tips and lobes. The tightly crowded spikes of light blue flowers are unique. Pickerel-Weed is common around the margins of Rice Pond.
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This is a European species that has become a major aquatic weed in our area. It is abundant in Rice Pond and Rice Creek. It is easily recognized by its undulate wavy leaves. It is the only species in our region with pronounced teeth along the margins of the leaf. Except for the flowering spike, the entire plant is submerged; there are no floating leaves.
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This species has linear submerged leaves less than 10 mm wide. The leaf edges are smooth and there is a broad, prominant band of large cells along the midrib. Floating leaves are also often present and are characterized by their rounded apex. Specimens with floating leaves have been seen in the section of Rice Pond between the main building and the old iron bridge on Brownell Road.
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This relatively broad leaved species was collected in Rice Pond in 1970 but has not been seen in recent years. The submersed leaves are usually elliptical in shape and may be up to 45 mm broad with the apex prolonged into a narrow tip. Floating leaves may also be present.
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A delicate Pondweed with submerged leaves less than 2 mm wide. There are no floating leaves. A pair of small oil glands, appearing as greenish to gold circular spots, is usually present on the stem at the base of the leaf. These are best observed on dried specimens with magnification. The fruits are green to brown, ovoid, and smoothly rounded. Another very similar species, P. foliosus, usually lacks glands at the base of the leaf and has a wavy keel on the upper side of the fruit. P. pusillus occurs in Rice Pond and was found in the large vernal pool on the orange trail just north of the entrance road during the unusually wet summer of 2000.
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This is a linear leaved species with leaf blades more than 2 mm wide and having 15-35 longitudinal veins. There are no floating leaves. There are usually no glands on the stem at the base of the leaves. P. zosteriformus is common in Rice Pond.
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A vine with smooth, twining, annual stems growing from a perennial rootstock. The flowers have an unpleasant, carrion-like odor. The plant pictured is female (pistillate). It grows along the abandoned section of Brownell Road just east of the old iron bridge.
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S. americanum is less robust than the following species and is distinguished from it by having only a single stigma on the ovaries of the pistillate flowers. This remains as an unbranched beak on the mature fruit. The leaves are flat except at the very base. The inflorescence usually has at least one branch off the main stem and the branches usually bear one to three unstalked pistillate (female) flower heads as well as three or more staminate (male) flower heads. The specimens illustrated were collected in shallow water at the shorter boardwalk on the green trail at Rice Creek..
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This is the most robust of the Bur-Reeds and the only one with two stigmas on the ovaries of the pistillate flowers. The stigmas remain as a forked beak on the mature fruits. The leaves are strongly three angled. The inflorescence is usually branched with numerous unstalked flower heads. S. eurycarpum is common in the shallow waters along the edge of Rice Pond.
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In T. angustifolia the widest leaves are 4-12 mm (about 1/4-1/2") wide, the upper staminate portion of the inflorescence is separated from the lower pistillate portion by 1-8 cm (3/4-3") of naked stem, and the tallest leaves usually exceed the height of the inflorescence. The surface of the young pistillate spike consists of small brown bracteoles from which the whitish stigmas protrude. The mature pistillate spikes are 13-22 mm (1/2-7/8") thick. This species may represent an early introduction from Europe. It seems to be spreading and in some circumstances may out-compete native wetland vegetation. Narrow-Leaf Cat-Tail is part of the marsh on the west side of Rice Pond and the marsh in the section of the Field Station properties bordering Route 104.
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This is the hybrid between T. angustifolia and T. latifolia. It is an aggressive form and can often out-compete the parental species. In quantity, the foliage has a distinctive blue-green cast that contrasts with the yellow-green of T. latifolia. It is also capable of persisting in deeper water than either of the parent species and forms extensive marshes in wetlands along the shore of Lake Ontario. It is generally intermediate in leaf size and inflorescence size and has a moderate separation between the staminate and pistillate portions of the inflorescence. The young pistillate spikes are green in color, with short bracteoles obscured by the dense greenish stigmas. This hybrid form exhibits considerable variability and identification of individuals growing in the absence of opportunity for direct comparison with the two species can be frustrating. T. x glauca makes up a large part of the cat-tail marsh on Rice Pond and the marsh in the section of the Field Station properties bordering Route 104.
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This is thought to be the native Cat-Tail of a large part of the United States and southern Canada. It has leaves 10-25 mm (5/8-1") wide. The staminate spikes are rarely separated from the pistillate by any amount of naked stem and the leaves are rarely taller than the flowering stem. The young pistillate spikes are green in color with the entire surface made up of the broad, greenish stigmas. There are no bracteoles. The mature pistillate spikes are 24-36 mm (1-1.5") thick. T. latifolia is a constiuent of the marsh on the west side of Rice Pond and the marsh in the section of the Field Station properties bordering Route 104.
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