Monday, March 30, 2020
Virginai Peppergrass - Lepidium virginicum
Virginia peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum) is neither a "grass" or a "pepper", but a native member of the mustard family. It occurs statewide in Florida and in every state in the continental US and in most of Canada's southern provinces. It is a common turf grass "weed" and is present in most upland sites that are routinely disturbed by mowing and discing.
Virginia peppergrass is an annual and persists by its heavy production of seed. It starts out each season as a dense deep-green cluster of toothed leaves on a stout stem and eventually reaches a mature height of several feet. As a mustard, the seeds are "hot" to the taste and make a good substitute for black pepper as a spice. They are produced throughout much of the frost-free months of the year and the brown disc-shaped pods contain many seeds inside. Flowering occurs in most months. The tiny white blooms form on the tips of the branches and are technically a raceme.
Though peppergrass is not a wildflower generally propagated purposely, it has value in the landscape as a host plant for several of the whites - particularly the great southern white and the checkered white. I always leave small patches of them in the corners of my landscape for that purpose. If left alone, however, it will take up an ever-increasing area of a landscape.
Pink Purslane - Portulaca pilosa
The moss rose genus includes a very popular cultivated plant that is used nearly everywhere in the landscape or as a short-lived flowering plant in pots. There are a few other nonnatives that have escaped into Florida's natural areas, but the diminutive pink purslane (Portulaca pilosa) is a native. Pink purslane is an annual or short-lived perennial that occurs statewide in Florida, most commonly as a lawn weed. It also occurs throughout all the states of the mid- to Deep South. The photos above were taken in my Pasco County lawn at the end of March. In my landscape, it forms a ground cover that slowly spreads outwards over time; eventually forming a mat a foot or more across. It is a self-seeder as well and so it shows up throughout my lawn.
Pink purslane can be distinguished from the common nonnative lawn weed, Paraguayan purslane (P. amilis) by its much smaller stature and rounded foliage. Unlike the latter which has flat leaves, pink purslane has rounded cylindrical foliage. Flowering occurs year round where I live and during much of the frost-free months further north. The flowers are less than 1/3-inch across and deep pink in color. They tend to close by midday. It is visited by small pollinators, such as some of the grass skippers.
This is not a plant to be propagated by any of the nurseries affiliated with FANN - the Florida Association of Native Nurseries as it is almost ubiquitous in its distribution already and does not need to be added to most landscapes. Nevertheless, it is an attractive and useful ground cover in a lawn and I leave mine alone because of that. I do, however, weed out the nonnative species.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Common Fanpetals - Sida ulmifolia
Common fanpetals (Sida ulmifolia) is a common lawn weed in a genus of common lawn weeds. While a few of these are not native, this one is. It is found throughout Florida in open disturbed sites. Although the taxonomy is somewhat questionable, this species is known only from Florida and parts of the Caribbean.
This is a perennial semi-woody wildflower that will reach several feet in height if not mowed regularly like it often is within a lawn setting. It is multiple branched with oval noticeably toothed leaves.
Although S. acuta has often been applied to Florida material, Krapovickas (2003) restricted the use of S. acuta to plants with a glabrous to ciliate calyx and (5-)6(-7) mericarps. Sida ulmifolia is then applied to plants with a stellate-pubescent calyx and 7-12 mericarps, which applies to the specimens common in Florida.
What makes this species most significant as one of our wildflower flora is that it serves as the host to several butterflies - the three checkered skipper species, as well as the gray and mallow scrub-hairstreak. Because of this, common fanpetals deserves a place in a landscape where butterflies are desired. If left alone, it will reseed and spread, however, so I leave it alone in out-of-the-way corners of my more-designed native plant landscape and weed it elsewhere. Common fanpetals is forgiving of just about every typical landscape setting except extreme and prolonged inundation. Give it sun and typical soils. It will bloom in nearly every frost-free month. The creamy pale yellow flowers are attractive and of interest to a variety of bees and other pollinators.
| Checkered skipper nectaring on Sida ulmifolia |
Monday, January 20, 2020
Floating Bladderwort - Utricularia inflata
Floating bladderwort (Utricularia inflata) is one of the most distinctive members of this semi-carnivorous genus. It's bright yellow flowers are common to many, but its floating leaves that stretch narrowly across the surface of shallow ponds and other wetlands are rather unique. Floating bladderwort is found statewide in Florida and is vouchered for most of the Southeast. It also occurs in the state of Washington.
The narrow linear leaves are about 6 inches long just below the water surface, but it is rooted in the bottom mucky soil. The tiny bladders used to trap various invertebrates are also below the water surface. In central Florida, where these photos were taken, floating bladderwort holds these leaves through the winter. It is a perennial, and emerges in the early spring.
Flowering can occur in most months in warmer climates. These photos were taken in mid-January in Pinellas County, Florida. In colder climates, it tends to occur in spring and summer after rains fill the shallow wetlands it occurs in. The flowers are typical for the genus - bright canary yellow with a broad 3-petaled lower lip. It does not have a "horn" as some of the ones I've previously published do.
Bladderworts are amazing wildflowers, but do not lend themselves well to typical commercial propagation. I have never seen any offered for sale, even by native nurseries that specialize in wetland restoration. They are quite sensitive to hydrological conditions. In the proper ones, they can form large "carpets" across the water surface and then "disappear" when the water recedes. If you are passing by a shallow wetland covered with bright yellow blooms, chances are you are looking at floating bladderwort.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Horned Bladderwort - Utricularia cornuta
Horned bladderwort (Utricularia cornuta) is yet another yellow-flowered bladderwort that roots itself in the substrate instead of floating on the water surface.In many respects, it is quite similar to one I've already posted - U. junceus. Both have "horns" below the bright yellow blooms and both have noticeable "humps" in the lower petal. The major difference between the two is in the length of the horn-like spur. In U. juncea, the spur is rarely longer than 6 mm, while in U. cornuta the spur is normally longer - up to 14 mm.
Horned bladderwort is common in Florida's wet habitats and it tends to flower during the wetter rainy season. It is reported statewide and in nearly every state and Canadian Province in the eastern half of North America. There are scattered reports in some states and provinces west of this region as well.
Horned bladderwort shares the same ecological attributes of others I've previously written about. They are semi-carnivorous and use their tiny bladders to supplement their diet with small invertebrates.
Look for this species and others in this genus once the summer rainy season floods shallow open pond edges and in wet prairies and marshes.
Humped Bladderwort - Utricularia gibba
Bladderworts are very interesting species as they are semi-carnivorous and augment their diet by using tiny bladders near their roots to capture even smaller invertebrates such as insects and nematodes. Humped bladderwort (Utricularia gibba) is one of 10 yellow-flowered species native to Florida. It is found statewide in shallowly flooded open habitats such as pond edges and also is reported from every state in the eastern half of the US and from all of those states along the west coast as well.
Humped bladderwort is one that is rooted in the wet substrate instead of one that floats in the water column. The leaves are not very substantial and the 6-inch or so flower stalk emerges during the summer rainy season. Several bright yellow flowers occur along the top of this stem. Unlike most others, these small yellow flowers are held at an almost-45-degree angle. This is the best characteristic to distinguish it from other similar yellow-flowered species.
As bladderworts have little commercial interest, they are species to be admired when out in the field. Look for this one in seasonally and shallowly flooded areas at the edge of ponds and open wet prairies and marshes.
Southern Bladderwort - Utricularia juncea
Southern badderwort (Utricularia juncea) is one of 14 native bladderworts found in Florida. A few of them have purple blooms, but the vast majority have yellow - like this species does. Identifying them can be a bit of a challenge and the first step I take is to see if the plant is firmly rooted in the substrate or floating in the water. The second step is to look closely at the size and shape of the flowers. Southern bladderwort is one of those that is rooted below the waterline and it's flowers are somewhere in the middle range of the overall group.
Southern bladderwort is common to most of Florida. It is found in inundated areas in most counties from the western Panhandle into extreme south Florida. It is not vouchered in many of the counties in between, but I suspect that's simply for lack of looking for it. Bladderworts are not especially noticeable when not in bloom. This species is also rather widespread in the US and has been reported along the Gulf Coast from Texas and then north to New York.
Bladderworts are semi-carnivorous. The tiny bladders that lie either just below the waterline or soil line have one of the fastest trigger mechanisms in the plant world and they use it to capture tiny invertebrates such as insects and nematodes. As its Latin name implies, southern bladderwort has small narrow leaves near the base. Its flower stalk arises from this center and stands up to 6 inches above. The bright yellow blooms are about 1/2 inch long and without the definite "hood" seen in a closely related species - U. cornuta.
Bladderworts are very interesting species, but not ones with a lot of horticulture significance. I have never seen any of our native species offered for sale commercially. Just appreciate them for what they are and look for them once the summer rainy season is underway in shallowly flooded open habitats.
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