Plant ID Quiz 3

Acer rubrum

Acer rubrum

Red maple

Tree, red peddial, 3 prominent lobes on leaf, opposite leaves

seeds eaten by gray squirrels, provides nesting cover for birds, natural salt lick for deer

Baccharis halimifolia

Baccharis halimifolia

Eastern baccharis

Dioecious, native plant but can take over fields, very specific looking top of plant, shrub, green stem toward top, leaf dentition toward end of leaf; coarsely toothed in the upper margin of the leaf 

Browsed by deer, nesting coverage for birds

Bidens aristosa

Bidens aristosa

Sticktight

Yellow flowers, deeper toward center with yellow center, seed producer, usually round water, native, forbe; deeply lobed leaves, distinctive flattened seeds with two hooked awns 

Good for waterfowl, pollinators use the flowers, rabbits forage on the leaves

Boltonia diffusa 

Boltonia diffusa 

Doll’s daisy

Blooms later, native, forbe; small daisy-like flower heads, stems are slender and silvery-green, leaves are typically linear, narrow, and green 

Not much wildlife use, deer have foraged on it

Brunnichia ovata

Brunnichia ovata

American buckwheat vine, red vine

Holds water, vine, pain for wetland management, native; semi-woody, triangular to heart-shaped leaves that are alternate, green to reddish-brown stems 

No known wildlife uses

Carya spp.

Carya spp.

Hickory

Hard nuts dropped, cavity forming trees, tree, canopy coverage; feather-compound leaves, which are alternate and have 5-13 toothed leaflets

Squirrels eat nuts dropped, birds can use cavities

Croton capitatus

Croton capitatus

Wooly croton

Paler green, native, forbe ; dense, woolly, white or rusty-brown, star-shaped hairs covering its stems, alternate, green-gray leaves that are oval to lance-shaped with non-toothed margins 

mourning doves eat seeds

Cynodon dactylon

Cynodon dactylon

Bermuda grass

Takes over, water keeps it at bay, down low, creeps across; narrow leaves, flower head has 2-7 finger-like spikes in a cluster at the top of the stem

No known wildlife use

Digitaria spp.

Digitaria spp.

Crabgrass

Grass, small seed head, native and exotic, good seed producers; seed head has 2 rows of spikelets in a spiral 

Mourning doves eat seeds

Dioclea multiflora 

Dioclea multiflora 

Boykin’s clusterpea

Legume, 3 leaves, pops up after fire, usually with kudzu but not insane like it, point at end of leaf, native, vine; alternate trifoliate leaves, cluster of flowers, woody vine

Not much wildlife use known

Echinochloa crus-galli

Echinochloa crus-galli

Barnyard grass

Good seed producers, robust grass, unique seed head, native, grass, grows in wetland or upland, native, jointed stem; flat, smooth leaves without ligule, stems often reddish at the base

Not much known for wildlife use

Euthamia spp.

Euthamia spp.

Slender goldentop

Unique smell, flowers sit on top not racemes like solidago, basil rosettes, forbe, native; narrow leaves 

Good for pollinators with flowers on top, deer forage the greenery

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Green ash

Tolerates moisture, tree, compound leaves, green between leaves, native; leaves have 5-9 pointed leaflets 

Seeds are good for turkeys and songbirds

Helianthus angustifolius 

Helianthus angustifolius 

Narrowleaf sunflower, swamp sunflower

Very narrow leaves, can get tall, nice flowers, some seed production, forbe, native; narrow, dark green, rough-hairy leaves, bright yellow flowers 

White tail deer forage

Lactuca floridana 

Lactuca floridana 

Woodland lettuce

Purple flowers on top, forbe, bilobed leaves, can be hard to find, natives, forbe; smooth, purple-green stems; produce milky sap when broken

Deer forage on it

Lonicera japonica 

Lonicera japonica 

Japanese honeysuckle

Looks like dogbane, vine, does not have milky sap, fruiting bodies, honeysuckle, exotic; opposite leaves, honeysuckle that we know that has the nectar

Foraged on by white tail deer and rabbits, nectar in honeysuckle for pollinators (and us)

Paspalum dilatatum

Paspalum dilatatum

Dallisgrass

Short, seed head comes off at angle and has 1 terminal, grass, exotic, bad; flat, ovate, hairy spikelets in rows

Not good for wildlife

Persicaria spp.

Persicaria spp.

Water knotweed, water pepper

Native or exotic, can take over, long white flowers, tubed sheath, perineal and annual, forbe; alternate, lanced shaped leaves 

Dabbling ducks eat the seeds

Rubus argutus

Rubus argutus

Sawtooth blackberry

Tall standing, 3-5 leaflets palmately compound, semiwoody vine, nasty thorns, ridges on stem, native, coverage

Fruit eating animals eat the berries, deer forage on it, and turkeys also eat the seeds and fruit

Rubus cuneifolius

Rubus cuneifolius

Sand blackberry

More trailing than other, different thorns, green vine, semiwoody, native, not as many berries; thick, wedge-shaped leaves, dark green on top and white on bottom due to hairs 

Fruit eating animals again, deer forage on it

Rubus flagellaris

Rubus flagellaris

Dewberry

Purple fuzzy stem, a few thorns, common around people, native, vine; scattered, hooked prickles and palmately compound leaves with 3 to 5 serrated leaflets 

Once again, fruit eating animals eat the fruit and deer can forage on it

Salix nigra

Salix nigra

Black willow

Unique leaf shape, native, tree; dark, furrowed bark, narrow, finely toothed leaves (shiny top, light underneath)

Early nectar source for pollinators, beavers use it for their dams, sap suckers (?) eat the sap

Sesbania herbacea

Sesbania herbacea

Coffee weed

Can be problematic, forbe, legume, native; looks like Chamaecrista but has many more leaflets  

Dabbling ducks can eat the seeds

Setaria spp.

Setaria spp.

Foxtail

Like a small cattail, fuzzy seeds, naturalized but exotic, grass

No known wildlife use

Trachelospermum difforme

Thyrsanthella difforme

Thyrsanthella difforme

Climbing dogbane

Woody vine, opposite leaves, milky sap when broken, different forms of leaves, venation prominent, native; pale yellow to greenish-yellow flowers with orange stripes on the inside of the funnelform corolla

Possible white tail deer forage, possible pollinator use

Vitis aestivalis

Vitis aestivalis

Summer grape

Up high, much bigger leaves, split tendril if they have them, heart shaped leaves, vine, fuzzier looking, soft mass fruit, native; peeling, reddish-brown bark, lobed leaves

White tail deer forage if it is low enough, fruit-eating animals 

Xanthium strumarium 

Xanthium strumarium 

Rough cocklebur

Can take over areas a little bit, native, broad leaves, forbe 

Insects eat the sap and foliage