Maryland Goldenaster - Chrysopsis mariana

Maryland goldenaster (Chrysopsis mariana) occurs nearly statewide in Florida, except the extreme southern tip, and across the Southeastern Coastal Plain and north to New York and New Jersey.  This member of a widely distributed genus is most often found in well-drained uplands and disappears quickly if soils become wet for any length of time.
Of the eleven distinct species of Chrysopsis goldenasters, Maryland goldenaster may be the showiest and best suited for home landscapes.  While many species in this genus are a bit weedy in appearance, Maryland goldenaster has rather lush foliage and dense heads of flowers in late fall.  For the most part, this species does not become taller than about 2 feet. The stems are rigid and not prone to falling over and the overall aspect is full and rounded.  Like other members of this genus, the basal leaves are somewhat wooly, but the leaves along the main stem are not.  These laaves are somewhat elliptical and a bit "hairy". 
Flowering occurs in fall - late October to early November in central Florida.  Dense clusters of flower heads are produced at the top of each stem. The heads are large for the genus - about 3/4 inch across, and bright yellow.  Asters in general are excellent at attracting pollinators and Maryland goldenaster is no exception.
Chrysopsis goldenasters are deciduous in winter, but often maintain their basal leaves if temperatures are not too cold. Leave the dead stems with the seedheads and allow this plant to reseed in your landscape.
Maryland goldenaster is not widely grown, but can be found with some searching.  I admire this goldenaster, but have found it to be sensitive to its growing conditions.  Do not attempt to use it if you cannot give it good drainage and plenty of sunshine.  In the right place, this plant persists and reseeds well.  In the wrong location, it dies quickly.  My suggestion for those of you that wish to try it is to plant a few plants in several different locations and then let it find its ultimate location by reseeding.

Wreath Goldenrod - Solidago caesia

Wreath (aka Bluestem) goldenrod (Solidago caesia) occurs naturally in Florida only in the panhandle, but it ranges throughout most of eastern North America - extending north to Quebec and Ontario and west to Texas.  This is a species most likely encountered in dry open woodlands and edges. It is adaptable to sun, but does well in partial shade.

Wreath goldenrod is a perennial that dies back to the ground in early winter and re-emerges in spring.  It is a rather diminutive member of the goldenrod genus, rarely standing taller than 3 feet and characterized by thin unbranched stems.  These stems are maroon/purple in color for much of their length, giving rise to its other common name.  The leaves are thin and elliptical in shape, sometimes twisting a bit as in S. tortifolia.

It is very distinctive is the way its flowers are produced in very small clusters in the axils of the leaves.  As other members of this wonderful genus, the blooms are bright canary yellow and exceptional at attracting a wide variety of pollinators.  Flowering occurs in fall, September to the north and October further south.
While many goldenrods sucker and spread aggressively in the landscape, wreath goldenrod does not. This makes it an extremely well-behaved addition to a mixed wildflower garden. Its smaller size also allows it to be used in the middle section and mixed with such species as blazing stars, Florida paintbrush, and the like.  Currently, this species is only being propagated in Florida by Dan Miller, Trillium Gardens, Tallahassee.  We purchased plants from Dan in the spring of 2012 and added them to our landscape here at Hawthorn Hill - and the photos above are of our plants in late October.  Though it is too early to evaluate their hardiness this far south, I am encouraged by their adaptability so far and their beauty in our mixed beds.

Piedmont Blacksenna - Seymeria pectinata

Piedmont blacksenna (Seymeria pectinata) occurs statewide in Florida in a variety of well-drained uplands - pinelands and open woods.  It is also found throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain states from Louisiana to North Carolina in similar habitats.

The blacksennas are annuals and semiparasitic on the roots of other plants.  As members of the Orobanchaceae family, they share the trait of being semiparasitic with members such as false foxglove (Agalinis spp.) and bluehearts (Buchnera spp.). They also share the ability to serve as the larval food of common buckeye butterflies.

Piedmont blacksenna emerges in early spring and quickly attains its mature height of about 2 feet.  It is a lanky plant with a few basal leaves and a thin wiry stem.  Very narrow pointed leaves attach themselves up the stem, normally opposite each other.  Unlike its close cousin, S. cassioides, these leaves are lanceolate, not filiform (like a filament) and the buds are "hairy" not smooth. You can see the hairiness of the buds and petals on the lower photo above.

Flowering occurs in late summer and early fall.  The bright yellow, 5-petal flowers open from bottom to top and are produced for many weeks. They attract a variety of pollinators, but mostly bees.  Multiple stems are often produced by each plant.

Piedmont blacksenna is not a particularly showy plant, but it has a simple beauty - especially when seen in its natural habitat, blooming with a variety of other wildflowers. It has value in a butterfly garden as larval food for common buckeye caterpillars, but it has not been propagated, to the best of my knowledge, by anyone commercially.  Annuals are tough to grow commercially as they take time to get to blooming size and they die shortly after that.  They are tough to keep in a garden because they have to have conditions where they can reseed successfully.  If you wish to attempt it, collect seed (legally - with permission from the landowner) in the fall when the seed capsules are ripe. They are tiny, so they are best sowed on a flat of potting soil instead of directly in the garden.  Piedmont blacksenna does best in sunny, well-drained sites associated with other wildflowers and native grasses. Or, you can simply admire it when you are hiking upland habitats in Florida - and if you do, look for the brightly colored caterpillars of common buckeye butterflies feeding on them.

Stiff Yellow Flax - Linum medium var. texanum

Stiff yellow flax (Linum medium var. texanum) is a perennial herbaceous wildflower found statewide in a variety of upland habitats.  These plants, photographed above, were in a sandhill understory, but the species can be found in dry open woodlands and other similar conditions. It has been reported from every state from Texas north to Wisconsin and from Ontario, but is uncommon in most of the northern extent of its range.

Stiff yellow flax dies back to the ground in winter and emerges in early spring.  A few linear basal leaves are formed and then the plants begin producing a main central stalk.  The narrow, elliptical leaves are appressed along the stem and lack a leaf petiole.  As the stem reaches its mature height of about 3 feet, it divides into many side stems - each producing a flower bud at the end.

Flowering occurs in late summer and fall.  Each bloom is composed of five petals.  The flowers are relatively flat, about 1/2 inch across, and bright yellow in color.  They seem most attractive to bees.

None of the flaxes in the genus Linum have ever been propagated for the home landscape.  As the plants are not very showy individually and are not especially important in a butterfly garden setting, the genus itself has been overlooked.  Its close cousin, Linum floridanum,  has been reported to be a larval food for caterpillars of the variegated fritillary.  Perhaps further study would find that stiff yellow flax is too. In small masses stiff yellow flax (and its relatives) are attractive wildflowers.  I have no experience growing them at present and no immediate plans to in the future.  Admire it when you encounter it and perhaps, someday, someone will offer it commercially to home gardeners.

Sessileleaf Pinelandcress - Warea sessilifolia

Sessileleaf pinelandcress (Warea sessilifolia) is one of only four species of this genus native to Florida.  All are rare and confined in their distribution, but sessileleaf pinelandcress is not listed by either the state or federal government. Like other members of this interesting genus, it is an annual and relies on the production of copious numbers of seed each year to survive.  Sessileleaf pinelandcress occurs in sandy open pinelands and road shoulders within the western and central panhandle.  It also is found in Georgia and Alabama.

As an annual, seedlings emerge in early spring and form a rather nondescript set of basal leaves.  These go unnoticed, but a central flowering stalk emerges from the center in early summer, reaching a mature height of about 3 feet by August.  As the Latin name implies, the leaves are attached directly to the stem without a petiole.  Each is oval in shape and no longer than 1 inch.

The flowers open from August through September and are spectacularly colored.  Almost the color of some phlox (Phlox spp.), they stand out brilliantly along roadsides and in open fields.  In this species, the flowers are a fuschia pink, though there sometimes are flowers in lighter shades.  This is a mustard and the pollinated flowers eventually produce long thin seed pods that split and twist, sending the tiny dark seeds away from the parent plant.

None of the Wareas have been offered commercially and they are a difficult species to maintain in a landscape - native or not.  They thrive in open sands in full sun and seem to do best if the ground is disturbed slightly- mowed roadways and edges of trails are favorite haunts.  This is simply a beautiful wildflower that should be admired if encountered and left in place to distribute its seeds for next year.

 

Scarlet Creeper - Ipomoea hederifolia

Scarlet creepr (Ipomoea hederifolia) is yet another member of the morning glory family native to Florida.  It is found nearly statewide in moist, partly sunny locations, and in other states along the southern edge of the country from New Mexico to Georgia.  It has also been reported from Virginia, Massachusetts, and Vermont.

Scarlet creeper is an annual that grows quickly in the spring and reaches its mature size by late summer.  It is a weak twining herbaceous vine with distinctive heart-shaped leaves - with multiple points instead of a smooth margin.  It tends to grow through and over neighboring vegetation, eventually forming a thick mass that can shade over the plants below it.

It makes up for the rambling trait, however, with its attractive scarlet red flowers.  Though small (about 1 inch long and about 1/2 inch wide), each plant produces many blooms each morning.  They are striking to look at, but also attract pollinators such as butterflies asnd bees.  As might be guessed, hummingbirds will also use them.

Though this plant is most often found in moist locations, it is fairly drought tolerant and can sometimes be found in upland settings. It has not been offered commercially to the best of my knowledge and is a difficult plant to keep in a nursery and in a landscape because of its behavior.  If you wish to try it, it grows easily from seed collected from the dry capsules.

Coastalplain Angelica - Angelica dentata

Coastalplain angelica (Angelica dentata) occurs in eight counties within the central panhandle of Florida and in three counties in southwestern and south central Georgia.  Though very limited in its natural distribution, it is common where it occurs and is not listed. 
Coastalplain angelica is a member of the carrot family and from a distance looks like water dropwort (Oxypolis filiformis).  What makes this impossible is the types of habitats it occurs in.  This is a species of well-drained uplands and makes its home in sandhills and open woodlands.  These plants, photographed above, were blooming in late August within the sandhill regions of Torreya State Park.
Coastalplain angelica is a perennial that dies back to the ground in winter.  In spring, it produces a few leaves near the base and then quickly grows upward to its mature height of about 3 feet.  Few leaves are produced along the stem. As the photograph above shows, they are toothed and deeply lobed.  Each is only about 1 1/2 inches long.
As other members of the carrot family, the flowers are produced in an umbel and are white.  Blooming occurs in late summer and early fall and the flowers attract a diversity of small pollinators.  Most members of the carrot family serve as larval food for black swallowtail butterflies. Though Angelica is not listed as one of these, I suspect that it might.  It is regrettable that no one grows this wildflower commercially so butterfly gardeners could evaluate it for this purpose.  As a carrot family member adapted to well-drained soils, it would seem to offer many attributes that would make it a valuable member of a mixed wildflower meadow.
I have never grown coastalplain angelica and have no experience with it to evaluate its performance in a home landscape or whether it could be pushed outside its natural range.  I hope to get the chance from the few seed I recently collected in north Florida.