What’s New in Jackson Park?

Here’s a list of the new species of flowering plants that I found (or confirmed) in April and May in Jackson Park that I hadn’t seen previously:

Shrubs (2)

smooth arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum)

forsythia (Forsythia × intermedia)

Trees (11)

green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

sweet cherry (Prunus avium)

Siberian crabapple (Malus baccata)

Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila)

Amur maple (Acer ginnala)

Norway maple (Acer platanoides)

red maple (Acer rubrum)

silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

Northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)

Forbs/herbs (11)

early buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis)

wild leeks (Allium tricoccum)

Parlin’s pussytoes (Antennaria parlinii)

rosy sedge (Carex rosea)

sand sedge (Carex muehlenbergii)

shortbeak sedge (Carex brevior)

bird’s-eye speedwell (Veronica persica)

Carolina spring beauty (Claytonia caroliniana)

birdfoot violet (Viola pedata)

Canadian waterweed (Elodea canadensis)

common wood-rush (Luzula multiflora)

I’m most excited about the Carolina spring beauty (a species not previously recorded from Illinois), and the wild leeks (which I hadn’t found before). I was also excited to find the female flowers of the oaks listed, which took some persistence and close inspection. (The female flowers of oaks are minute, consisting only of several styles and an ovary.)