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Square-stemmed monkeyflower flowers arise singly from the upper leaf axils; they are tubular and ~1" long. The calyx is light green, elongate (about 2/3" — quite large relative to the corolla), and tubular, with five sharp longitudinal ridges/wings that project into lance-like teeth; the flower pedicels are hairless and at least as long as the calyx. The corolla is usually pale blue-violet (rarely pink or white) with a two-lobed, erect upper lip (folded so the upper sides of the lobes are back to back) and a three-lobed lower lip with a patch of yellow on either side of the midline. The throat is lined with hairs and obscured by ridges in the lower lip. The seed capsules develop within the persistant calyx. The flower is quite prolific, producing 500-1000 seeds per flower. Four stamens and a single pistil are present but not visible externally. Square-stemmed monkeyflower strongly prefers moist or wet areas. The only other Illinois monkeyflower (winged monkeyflower, Mimulus alatus) apparently does not occur this far north.

Mimulus

Mimulus ringens

square-stemmed monkeyflower [Blooms: Jul-Sep]

Wild four o'clock flowers occur in clusters of 3-5, nestled in a five-lobed, saucer-shaped green bract (often with purplish tints) folded into a boxy shape; a typical calyx is absent. Instead, the flowers "petals" are a trumpet-shaped modified calyx with five notched lobes, 1/2" across and magenta in color; the 3-5 stamens protrude from the flower and have yellow anthers while the single slender pink style is even longer than the stamens, terminating in a stigma shaped like a pin head. After fertilization, the bract opens out into a whitish, pentagonal saucer (often with purplish highlights on the margins) with five radiating ridges; the rough, black, hairy seeds are suspended from the center. It is easy to mistake the mature bract for an odd flower, but a "flower" that attaches directly to the flower pedicel and lacks any trace of other flower parts (including the stamens and pistil). It's often claimed that the flowers tend to open in the late afternoon, but the wild four o'clock in Jackson Park happily open any time of day, including the morning.

Mirabilis

Mirabilis nyctaginea

wild four-o'clock [Blooms: Jun-Sep]

Wild bergamot is a showy plant in the mint family that often occurs in dense stands in Jackson Park. Flowerheads/clusters 1-3" in diameter arise at the apex of flower stems that arise from leaf axils. Blooming begins in the center of the cluster and moves progressively toward the periphery, with the arching flowers pointing in all directions. Flowers are tubular (they remind me of baroque trumpets with embellished bells), about 1" long. They have a short green tubular calyx; a lavender or pink corolla (other mints are white, red, or purple); an awning-like upper lip beneath which protrude two stamens with brownish-purple anthers and the single style (with an unevenly bifurcated tip) significantly longer than the stamens. The 1/2" wide lower lip offers a surface where the pollinators land. The lower lip has three small lobes at its tip. Seeds develop within the persistant calyx. The very similar bee balm (Monarda didyma) has scarlet flowers. Wild bergamot is widely used as a component of herbal teas.

Monarda

Monarda fistulosa

wild bergamot [Blooms: Jul-Aug]

Calico penstemon (aka, long-sepaled penstemon) is a typical penstemon/beardtongue — 1-3' tall with an unbranched stem and a panicle of flowers at the apex of the stem. Flowers are about 1" long, with a calyx with five long (5-12 mm), narrow (1-2 mm) lobes, a tubular corolla with two upper lobes and three lower lobes on the aperture, and four stamens and a single style, all enclosed by the corolla. The corolla's exterior is light purple or light violet and covered in fine hairs; the interior of the corolla is white and smooth, without ridges. The lobes on the lower lip of the corolla do not protrude beyond the lobes of the upper lip. Calico penstemon is fairly rare in Jackson Park.

Penstemon

Penstemon calycosus

calico penstemon [Blooms: Jun-Jul]

Slender beardtongue (aka, lilac penstemon) is another beardtongue/penstemon that is uncommon in Jackson Park. The stems are unbranched, green or purple, and may or may not bear hairs. There are both basal and stem leaves. The basal and lower stem leaves are 1-3" long and 1/2" wide, variable in shape and leaf margins; the stem leaves are smaller and minutely toothed. Individual flowers are pinkish, purple, or pale violet, about 3/4" long; they are comprised of a green calyx with five triangular lobes and a tubular corolla that is abruptly inflated in the more distal two thirds of the flower. The lower lip of the corolla has three lobes that extend down and out from the aperture the upper lip has two smaller, erect lobes. The interior of the corolla is white with several dark purple lines that act as nectar guides. The filament of a sterile stamen (a "staminode") bearing sparse yellow hairs runs along the midline of the lower half of the corolla, while the filaments of the other four stamens wrap around the inside of the corolla like ribs in a ribcage, with the black anthers positioned on either side of the midline of the upper corolla. A single style runs along the upper midline between the black anthers. The fruit is a more or less bullet-shaped capsule nestled in the persistant calyx. The calyx, flowers, and flower stalks are all covered with glandular hairs; the stems and leaves are not.

Penstemon

Penstemon gracilis

slender beardtongue [Blooms: Jun-Jul]

Large-flowered penstemon flowers develop in the axils of the stem leaves in pairs. (Occasionally a triplet will arise.) Individual flowers are up to 2" long, pale lavender or pink, tubular, sightly flattened vertically but flaring at the aperture, with a two-lobed upper lip and 3-lobed lower lip with purple lines on the interior. The bluish-green calyx has five teeth. A distinct longitudinal ridge runs along the upper surface of the corolla, intersecting the aperture between the two upper lobes. A white style with a tiny stigma runs along the inside of the corolla under the longitudinal ridge and protrudes from the throat. The four fertile stamens are recessed, with their filaments wrapped around the inside of the corolla like a ribcage and the anthers on either side of the dorsal midline; the fifth (sterile) stamen runs along the lower midline and ends in a recurved or coiled tip with a prominent pad bearing short, brilliant-yellow hairs. The fruit is a teardrop-shaped seed pod nestled in the remains of the calyx. Large-flowered penstemon prefers poorer but well-drained soils with significant rocky material or sand. This species is officially listed as "endangered" in Illinois.

Penstemon

Penstemon grandiflorus

large-flowered penstemon [Blooms: May-Jul]

Hairy beardtongue is 1-2.5' tall and blatantly hairy — backlit plants seen from a distance show a white nimbus around the stems. The flowers are slender, lavender colored, with white lips; the aperture of the flower is nearly occluded by the arched lower lip. Like the other beardtongues/penstemons the tubular flowers have an upper and lower lip have a total of five lobes (two above, three below). The calyx, flower stems, and the flowers themselves are densely covered by glandular hairs; the stems are densely covered with fine white hairs. The stem leaves are pointed, triangular with toothed margins, and occur in opposite pairs; the leaf pairs are oriented at 90° to the pairs above and below them on the stem.

Penstemon

Penstemon hirsutus

hairy beardtongue [Blooms: May-Jul]

Smooth phlox is a 1-2' tall plant with an unbranched, hairless stem topped with a slightly domed cluster of 3-20 pink or lavender flowers. Each flower is about 3/4" across and has a long, tubular throat that abruptly flares into five petal-like lobes; each lobe is wedge-shaped and overlaps the next lobe clockwise. The calyx (also hairless) consists of five triangular segments that taper rapidly to sharp points; the calyx is <1/3 the length of the corolla tube. The five stamens and single style with a three-part stigma either lie within the corolla tube or are just visible in the throat. After fertilization, a narrow seed capsule filled with numerous seeds fills the persistant calyx. Smooth phlox prefers moist to wet habitats. Smooth phlox flowers resemble prairie phlox (P. bifida) but the latter species is quite hairy on the stems, leaves, and the exterior of the flower (the calyx); smooth phlox is hairless. Checking the hairiness (or lack thereof) of the calyx is the quickest way to tell prairie phlox from smooth phlox.

Phlox

Phlox glaberrima interior

smooth phlox [Blooms: Jun-Aug]

Prairie phlox is a compact, single-stemmed, plant 1/2-1.75' tall with (typically) a dome-shaped cluster of flowers at the apex. Individual flowers are 1/2-3/4" across, pink or lavender (rarely white); the corolla is tubular with five wedge-shaped, petal-like lobes often with darker markings (nectar guides) near the throat; the corolla is hairy on all external surfaces. The throat is very narrow; the five stamens with yellow anthers are recessed but just visible. The very short, tubular, hairy calyx base is green, with five long, narrow teeth that extend parallel to the narrow throat (also hairy) of the corolla. The fruit is oval and shorter than the calyx (in which it develops); when ripe, the capsule splits explosively, flinging the seeds in all directions. The species name ("pilosa") means "hairy" in Latin, and this species is indeed hairy on almost every surface. Prairie phlox flowers resemble smooth phlox (P. glaberrima) and, to a lesser extent, woodland phlox (P. divaricata), but the former species is quite hairy on the stems, leaves, and the exterior of the flower (the calyx); smooth phlox is hairless. Checking the hairiness (or lack thereof) of the calyx is the quickest way to tell prairie phlox from smooth phlox; checking the hairiness of the exterior of the corolla tube will distinguish woodland phlox (hairless) from prairie phlox (hairy).

Phlox

Phlox pilosa

prairie phlox [Blooms: Apr-Jun]

Obedient plant flower spikes are up to 10" long, and have four rows of horizontal, tubular flowers or flower buds, with a stem densely covered with fine hairs (usually invisible beneath the tightly packed flowers). Individual flowers are purplish-pink, lavender, or white, with darker spots or stripes on the interior. Each 1" long flower consists of a hood-like upper lip and a broad lower lip with two small lateral lobes and a larger medial lobe. Four stamens with purple anthers lie just below (but within) the upper lip. The style lies among the stamens but is slightly longer; it bears a bifurcated stigma. The ~1/2" long calyx is green, tubular, with five sharp, flaring triangular lobes; it is densely covered with short, fine hairs. The fruit consists of four nutlets housed in the persistant calyx. Obedient plant will grow in most sunny habitats but prefers moist sites near water.

Physostegia

Physostegia virginiana

obedient plant [Blooms: Jul-Oct]

Heal-all (a.k.a., self-heal) is a native species superficially similar to ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) or early-season henbit (Lamium amplexicaule). Heal-all has the characteristics of other low-growing plants in the mint family — an upright, four-angled stem, with lines of hairs along the ridges, 1' tall or less, with a short (1-2") spike of flowers at the apex — and is thus easy to overlook. But the tiny (1/2" long), tubular, two lipped flowers are distinctive (and charming). The light purple or blue upper lip is bent at right angles to form a hood over the aperture with the four stamens and single style with a bifurcated stigma at its tip curving along inside of the hood. The lower lip is divided into three lobes, the middle one white and fringed; the two smaller lateral lobes are the same color as the hood. The hood of the upper lip also sports a "mohawk" haircut of relatively long hairs along the crest of the hood. The flower calyx is light green or reddish, hairy along the edges. After fertilization, four tiny, brown, finely-ridged nutlets develop within the persistant calyx; the seeds are reported to be dispersed by a mechanism that uses the energy in raindrops impacting the calyx to fling the seeds away from the mother plant. The leaves are opposite, up to 2" long and half as wide with a short petiole; they are egg- or lance-shaped with a central vein that is hairy on the underside. Heal-all prefers moist habitats with a history of disturbance.

Prunella

Prunella vulgaris

heal-all [Blooms: Jun-Aug]

Saltmarsh sand-spurry flowers consist of five elliptical green sepals, five white to pink petals slightly longer than the sepals, 2-5 stamens with bright yellow anthers, and three short (0.7 mm), thread-like styles and three stigmas. In the Great Lakes region, saltmarsh sand-spurry is widely present along roads where salt is used as a deicer. Some sources refer to this plant as Spergularia marina, but ITIS rejects that binomial; Spergularia salina is the accepted name.

Spergularia

Spergularia salina

saltmarsh sand-spurry [Blooms: May-Aug]

The inflorescences of common comfrey are nodding cymes or racemes of flowers that arise from the tips of the stems and the lateral branches. The flowers are bell-shaped, about 1/4" across and 1/2-5/8" long. Each flower has a hairy, green calyx with five lance-like teeth that is half the length of the corolla; a purple, pink or white funnel- or bell-shaped corolla with five small, recurved lobes at its lip; five stamens that do not extend past the margin of the corolla; and a pistil with a single white style that barely protrudes past the corolla margin. The fruits are a cluster of four, 4-5 mm long, nutlets nestled in the remnants of the flower calyx; the nutlets are dark brown or black when mature, oval and slightly flattened at one end. The remnants of the style protrude from the center of the fruit. Extracts of common comfrey are sometimes sold as herbal remedies but be aware that the plant is mildly toxic; it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can be absorbed through the skin or gastric system and may cause (potentially fatal) liver toxicity and may be carcinogenic. Comfrey products for internal use or for use on open wounds are banned in the U.S. by the F.D.A. Supplements containing common comfrey probably should be avoided.

Symphytum

Symphytum officinale

common comfrey [Blooms: Apr-Jul]

American germander flower spikes develop on the tips of the stems, with flowers opening from the bottom of the spike towards the (elongating) tip. Individual flowers are small (about 1/3-3/4"), white or lavender, with a bell-shaped, hairy calyx; an upper lip reduced to two lance-like, vertical lateral lobes that insure pollinators remain beneath the single long, arching single and 3-4 stamens with purple anthers; and a greatly expanded lower lip (a landing pad for pollinators) covered with purple spots. The fruit consists of four nutlets that are nearly fused together, nestled in the remnants of the calyx (which clearly shows the asymmetrical teeth — bottom two smaller than upper three). The nutlets are greenish white when immature, becoming redder and coarsely pitted as they mature. American germander is distinguished from other members of the mint family (Lamiaceae) by the very small upper lip and enlarged lower lip. Related species of Teucrium contain a toxic compound that causes liver damage in animals; for safety's sake, I would avoid herbal remedies that include American germander.

Teucrium

Teucrium canadense

American germander [Blooms: Jun-Aug]

Purpletop vervain flowers occur in dense, flat-topped clusters 1-3" across. Individual flowers are about 1/4" (5-6 mm) long and 8-9 mm long. The flowers contain a short, tubular, hairy calyx with five teeth; a pinkish purple, tubular corolla with five spreading lobes that have notched tips; four stamens which do not extend beyond the throat of the flower; and a pistil with a single style. The fruit is four nutlets, cupped in the remnants of the calyx as they mature.

Verbena

Verbena bonariensis

purpletop vervain [Blooms: Sept]

Prostrate vervain stems produce dense spikes of flowers at their tips. Beneath each flower is a 3/4" long, narrow bract with long, whitish hairs; the bracts make up the erect or sprawling flower spike (6" long, 3/4" across), with blooming flowers at the tip and fruits maturing below. Individual flowers are about 1/8" across, with a narrow, very hairy, basal calyx extending into five sharply pointed lobes, and a narrow, tubular corolla that abruptly flares into five rounded lobes ("petals") surrounding a white or greenish-white throat; the upper two lobes are slightly smaller than the lower three. Both the calyx and corolla are the same color whether light blue, purple, or pink. Hidden in the throat of the corolla are four stamens with yellow anthers and a short style. The fruit consists of a capsule containing four nutlets that is nestled in the remains of the calyx. This plant is a pioneer in highly degraded habitats that is especially fond of cracks and crevices — despite its weedy appearance, prostrate vervain is a native species. In spite of the tiny size of its anatomical characters, this is a relatively straightforward plant to confidently identify from the hairy stems, leaves, and flower spikes and the tiny, lavender apical flowers.

Verbena

Verbena bracteata

prostrate vervain [Blooms: Jun-Aug]

Hoary vervain flower spikes are 1-8" long; they are crowded with buds and bluish violet to lavender flowers 1/2" across that open sequentially from the bottom of the spike to the top; below the open flowers are maturing fruits. Individual flowers are tubular, 1/2" long and across, with a grayish green to reddish-purple, hairy calyx sporting five narrow teeth. The tubular, bluish violet to lavender corolla, twice the length of the calyx, abruptly flares into five ovate lobes ("petals"); the two lateral lobes are the largest, while the lower lobe(s) has/have a notched tip. Hidden in the tubular corolla are four recessed stamens with yellow anthers and a single, short green style. The fruits consist of four nutlets held in the remnants of the calyx.

Verbena

Verbena stricta

hoary vervain [Blooms: Jun-Jul]