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Wild chervil upper stems terminate in up to three clusters of 3-7 small, white flowers (right image). Individual flowers (upper left) are tiny (1/8" across), each with five white petals, five stamens, and a cylindrical green ovary bearing a split style; the sepals are highly reduced. After fertilization, both the cylindrical ovary and the flower stalk elongate; mature fruits (lower left) are usually hairless, about 1/4" long, and contain a single seed.

Chaerophyllum

Chaerophyllum procumbens

wild chervil [Blooms: May-?]

White turtlehead flowers are ~1-1.5" long with a few basal green sepal-like bracts and a green calyx bearing five oval teeth with rounded tips. The cavernous tubular, creamy-white corolla has two large lips — the two-lobed upper lip functions as a hood, while the three-lobed lower lip, "bearded" with wooly hairs, functions as a landing area for pollinators. Inside the corolla is a slim white style that runs along the inside of the upper lobe but turns down sharply at the lip, and five hairy stamens (one of which is green and sterile).

Chelone

Chelone glabra

white turtlehead [Blooms: Sep-Oct]

Enchanter's nightshade produces a raceme of scattered white flowers, 1/8-1/4" across; the flowers have two (deeply notched but otherwise quite pedestrian) white petals, two green sepals at 90° to the petals, two stamens, and a single slender style. At the base of the flower (behind the sepals) is an egg shaped, swollen green ovary; the ovary and the pedicels of the flowers are covered with long, hooked, white hairs. The fruit is a teardrop-shaped, bur-like remnant of the ovary; it contains two seeds. There is no other local plant that could be confused with this species.

Circaea

Circaea canadensis

enchanter's nightshade [Blooms: Jun-Jul]

The flowers of both Claytonia caroliniana and Claytonia virginica occur in clusters (racemes) of 2-10 at the tip of the stem and are small (1/3-1/2") with long flower stalks. The flowers of both species contain (only) two green sepals; five petals with pinkish-purple stripes on a white background; five stamens with deeply purplish-pink anthers; and a single style that splits into three above its midpoint. The flowers of both species close at night or on cloudy days and nod down; they perk up and reopen when the light increases. The fruit of both species is a three-part, egg-shaped capsule nestled between the two sepals. Each capsule contains 1-6 shiny, black seeds 2-4 mm long which have a coating that attracts ants; the ants carry the seed off to their nests, thus dispersing them.

Claytonia

Claytonia caroliniana

Carolina spring beauty [Blooms: Apr]

Spring beauty flowers occur in a cluster of 2-10 at the tip of the stem. The flowers are small (1/3-1/2") with long flower stalks; they contain (only) two green sepals, five petals with pinkish-purple stripes on a white background, five stamens with deeply purplish-pink anthers, and a single style that splits into three above its midpoint. The flowers close at night and on cloudy days and nod down; they perk up on reopening. The fruit is an three-part, egg-shaped capsule nestled between the two sepals.

Claytonia

Claytonia virginica

spring beauty [Blooms: Apr-May]

Upper stems of poison hemlock bear compound umbels 2-5" wide of tiny (1/8") white flowers with five spoon-shaped petals (one often larger than the others), usually with a longitudinal fold and notched; below the umbels are oval bracts with elongate tips, not divided like the leaves.

Conium

Conium maculatum

poison hemlock [Blooms: May-Jun]

Lily-of-the-valley's raceme bears 6-14 bell-shaped, 8 mm long (and wide), white flowers on one side of the stalk; it often nods at its tip. Individual flowers are bell-shaped with six recurved, pointed lobes around the mouth, white to light green, with six stamens and a single style with a three-lobed stigma hidden inside. The corolla is pendant, dangling from the raceme by 1/2" long, flexible pedicels that have light green, narrow bracts about as long as the flowers at their base.

Convallaria

Convallaria majalis

lily-of-the-valley [Blooms: Apr-May]

Field bindweed stems produce 1-4 funnel-shaped flowers, each arising from a leaf axil, about 1" across and cupped by five small sepals and attached to a flower stalk; the flower stalk bears two small bracts about 1" below the base of the flower. Flowers range from white to pink, with a clear yellow center containing five stamens and a single style with a split stigma. Each bloom lasts only one day.

Convolvulus

Convolvulus arvensis

field bindweed [Blooms: May-Aug]

Horseweed flowering stems form a pyramidal inflorescence covered with numerous flowers and what look like dandelion seedheads. Panicles of flowers up to 1.5' long 6" across arise from the tip of the main stem and from axillary stems that arise from the upper leaves. Individual flowers are small (~1/8" in diameter and 1/4" long), cylindrical or urn-shaped, and covered with multiple layers of phyllaries; they look more like buds than flowers with only the tips of the 25-45 white or pink, pistillate ray florets peeking out the end. The 12-25 disk florets are yellow; they bear both pistils and stamens.

Conyza

Conyza canadensis

horseweed [Blooms: Jul-Aug]

Silky dogwood flowers occur in flat to convex clusters (cymes) 1-2.5" across. Individual flowers are about 3/8" across with four sharp sepals, four creamy-white, lance-like petals, four stamens about as long as the petals, and a single, stout, green-tipped style arising from an amber ovary. The flower stalks are silky-hairy.

Cornus

Cornus amomum

silky dogwood [Blooms: May-Jun]

Rough-leaved dogwood is a shrub/tree that can be as much as 20' tall. Cymes of white flowers 2-4" across arise from the leaf axils; the upper bounding surface of the cyme is flat or gently rounded. The fruit (a drupe) is white, about 1/4" across, and spherical; as it ripens, the branches of the cyme turn deep red. The fruit is very attractive to wildlife.

Cornus

Cornus drummondii

rough-leaved dogwood [Blooms: ?]

Swamp dogwood's flat-topped panicles of flowers are 2-3.5" across. Single flowers are about 1/4" across with a light green, tubular calyx, four lance-shaped white petals, four stamens, and a single style.

Cornus

Cornus obliqua

swamp dogwood [Blooms: Apr-Jun]

Gray dogwood flowers occur in dome-shaped panicles with creamy-white branches 1.5-2.5" across and tall. Individual flowers are 1/4" across with a short calyx bearing four short teeth, four lance-shaped, creamy-white petals, four stamenns with pale yellow anthers, and a central, green-tipped style. The fruit is a small (1/4"), ball-shaped drupe, white when mature; when the fruit is mature, the branches of the panicle turn from white to bright red. Rough-leaved dogwood and red-osier dogwood also produce white fruit, but their panicles are flat-topped, not domed; the panicle branches are also not red in red-osier dogwood, but they are in rough-leaved dogwood so carefully inspect the stems (hairy) to see if the specimen in hand might be the latter.

Cornus

Cornus racemosa

gray dogwood [Blooms: May-Jun]

Red-osier dogwood flowers occur in flat-topped or slightly concave panicles 2-3" across; each flower is about 1/4" across with a small green calyx with four teeth; four white, lance-shaped petals; four stamens longer than the petals; and a single style rising from a reddish ovary. The fruit is a drupe about 1/4" across, white at maturity; the panicle branches remain green (unlike gray dogwood where the panicle branches turn red).

Cornus

Cornus sericea

red-osier dogwood [Blooms: Apr-Sep]

Cockspur hawthorn produces flat-topped panicles of flowers 2-3" across that arise from leaf axils; the panicle branches are light green and hairless. Individual flowers are 1/2" across; they have a green calyx with five teeth, five spreading white petals, 10-20 stamens with pink or pale-yellow anthers, and a pistil with 2-3 styles. At least in Jackson Park, the upper surface of the receptacle at the base of the pistil is a shiny greenish-yellow to reddish-yellow. The flower's scent is not pleasant to humans but bees and syrphid flies are not deterred. The fruit is a small (1/2" across) crabapple-like pome, red at maturity.

Crataegus

Crataegus crus-galli

cockspur hawthorn [Blooms: May-Jun]

Downy hawthorn produces clusters of 5-17 flowers; the flower stalks are reddish-green and hairy. Individual flowers are 3/4-1" across with five green, triangular sepals with glandular hairs along the margins that are fused at their base; five round, white petals; 17-20 stamens with pale yellow or white anthers; and 4-5 styles. In Jackson Park, the top of the receptacle (at the center of the flower around the bases of the styles) is reddish-green to deep red and shiny.

Crataegus

Crataegus mollis

downy hawthorn [Blooms: Apr-May]

Common hawthorn produces broad, dense, flattened clusters (cymes) of five to fifteen flowers. Individual flowers are up to 1/2" wide with five reflexed sepals, five white petals, 15-20 stamens with red to purple anthers, and a single style. At least in Jackson Park, the upper surface of the receptacle at the base of the pistil is a shiny yellowish green.

Crataegus

Crataegus monogyna

common hawthorn [Blooms: May-?]

Spring crocus (Crocus vernus) is native to alpine regions of Europe, but widely escaped from domestic gardens in the U.S. Given its early blooming and short duration, it probably qualifies as a "spring ephemeral." The plant is short (4-6") but blooms before most other plants emerge. the leaves are 3-6" long and less than 1/4" wide, dark green with a distinctive silver-white medial stripe. Flowers are up to 6" tall, bell-shaped, 1-1.5" wide with six white to purple tepals in two overlapping whorls of three; the stamens are white with long yellow or orange anthers, the styles are yellow-orange, three-lobed, with a fringe of narrow processes. You'll know it when you see it.

Crocus

Crocus vernus

spring crocus [Blooms: Mar-Apr]