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Round-headed bush-clover present stout, tall (2-5') green columns in the middle of open habitats. The stem is unbranched below the midpoint (except at the inflorescences), round in section, grooved, and densely covered in white hairs. At the apex of the main stem and on some of the side stems are slightly elongated balls of flowers 3-5" long and half as wide with numerous clover-like white flowers nearly hidden among leafy bracts; brown flowerheads and stalks may persist through winter. Each clover-like flower is about 1/4" wide and 1/2" long with five petals, one large vertical upper petal ("standard") and two perpendicular side petals ("wings") are visible; the other two petals (forming the keel) are hidden from view by the wings. There are ten stamens, all but one with their filaments fused together, and a single style with a small stigma. The petals are white with a patch of reddish-purple near the junction of the three visible petals. The fruit is a fuzzy pod less than 1/4" long containing a single seed. Round-headed bush-clover is a perennial with a tap root that may go down two meters into the soil.

Lespedeza

Lespedeza capitata

round-headed bush-clover [Blooms: Aug-Sep]

Ox-eye daisy is an aggressive plant that was introduced to the U.S. in the 19th century and is now thoroughly naturalized. Flowerheads occur singly at the apex of the stem on a long flower stalk. The flowerheads are about 1.5-2" across with 15-35 brilliant white, oblong ray florets and 120-200 yellow disc florets in a central, flattened disc about 3/4" across. The ray florets are fertile (they bear pistils with a split stigma) while the disc florets have both pistils and stamens. The disc florets are tubular with five tiny lobes at the apex, five stamens, and a single style with a bifurcated tip. The underside of the flower has numerous bracts in 2-4 layers; the bracts are green with purple to brown edges that outline each bract.

Leucanthemum

Leucanthemum vulgare

ox-eye daisy [Blooms: May-Jul]

Despite its common name, summer snowflake starts blooming in the spring (late April), not the summer. It is an introduced species, native to Europe and west Asia, similar in appearance to snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) but larger. The leaves are exclusively basal, up to 12" long and an inch wide, flattened, arching, dark green, sheathing the base of the stems which may be the same length but are usually shorter than the leaves. The flowers dangle from the tips of hollow flower scapes in groups of 2-5, subtended by a single green, sword-shaped, spathe-like bract. Each flower has three sepals and three petals (white, pointed, with a yellowish-green spot near their tips), six stamens with orange anthers, and a single style with a green tip and a tiny stigma. Summer snowflake is toxic if ingested (like many lilies).

Leucojum

Leucojum aestivum

summer snowflake [Blooms: Apr-May]

Liriope spicata is native to east and south-east Asia but was introduced to North America (specifically Illinois and Alabama) as a ground cover — it is perennial and evergreen. A single plant grows 6-18" tall and 12-24" across; it does not tolerate foot traffic. The arching leaves are dark green, grass-like, 18" long and 1/4" across, with minutely-serrated edges and parallel venation. The inflorescence is a spike-like, brownish-white rachis covered with off white or pale lavender flowers. The flowers have six elongate oval tepals, six stamens with yellow anthers, and a stubby white style about the same length as the stamens. The fruit is a berry that is initially green, turning blackish as it matures.

Liriope

Liriope spicata

creeping lilyturf [Blooms: Aug-Sep]

Amur honeysuckle flowers occur in near-sessile pairs arising from leaf axils; there is a 2 mm long flower stalk (the thickness of a U.S. five cent coin). The corolla is about 1" long and tall, white or cream-colored, consisting of four fused, vertical upper lobes and a single lower lobe at 90° to the upper lobes; this geometry creates an opening through which protrudes five long stamens with yellow anthers and the solitary pistil with a green, knobby stigma. Outer surfaces of the flower are hairy. The fruit is a 1/4" diameter, shiny-red, spherical berry, usually in clusters of 2-4, that looks rather like a large current. The berries are mildly poisonous. The berries of amur honeysuckle are very similar in appearance and distribution to the berries of Morrow's honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), but the berries of the former are sessile while the berries of the latter are attached to 1/2" long pedicels. In addition, the leaves of amur honeysuckle have elongated tips while the leaf tips of Morrow's honeysuckle are relatively blunt; only amur honeysuckle has sessile flowers. Please don't plant this in your garden — too often, it escapes.

Lonicera

Lonicera maackii

amur honeysuckle [Blooms: Apr-Jun]

Morrow's honeysuckle is another invasive exotic, this one from northern Asia, a highly branched shrub 6-10' high that prefers disturbed woodlands and a strong competitor for space. Flowers arise in pairs from leaf axils on pedicels at least 1/2" long. Each flower consists of a tubular greyish-green calyx with five teeth covered with short hairs; a tubular corolla 3/4-1" long and across, initially white but becoming cream colored over time, with five long, narrow, widely-spreading lobes (four on the upper lip, one on the lower lip); five stamens with white filaments and yellow anthers; and a single, slender white style with a dome-shaped, green stigma. The fruit is a red berry 1/4" across. The berries of Morrow's honeysuckle are very similar in appearance and distribution to the berries of amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), but the former are attached to 1/2" long or longer pedicels while the latter are sessile; in addition, the leaves of amur honeysuckle have elongated "drip tips" while the leaf tips of Morrow's honeysuckle are relatively blunt.

Lonicera

Lonicera morrowii

Morrow's honeysuckle [Blooms: Apr-May]

American bugleweed flowers form in whorls of the axils of the middle and upper leaves. Individual flowers are 1/8" across, white with pinkish-purple spots, with a calyx about as long as floral tube with five teeth; the distal end of the short tubular corolla has five sharply-pointed, narrowly-triangular lobes. The two stamens with purple anthers and single style project well outside the mouth of the corolla. The fruits are four, flat-topped nutlets that form in the cup of the calyx. The deep, narrow lobes of the lower leaves are a characteristic of this species; they are not present in the other Lycopus species in Jackson Park.

Lycopus

Lycopus americanus

American bugleweed [Blooms: Jul-Sep]

Gypsywort (aka, European bugleweed) is another species native to Europe and Asia. How it came to the New World is unknown, but it has a long history in the botanical literature in Europe (back to the sixteenth century). It strongly prefers wetlands and can often be found in muds. The stem can be as much as 2.5' tall, usually unbranched, light- or yellowish-green, square in section, hairy, and finely grooved. Flowers occur in whorls in the axils of the upper leaves. Each flower is 1/8" across consisting of a green calyx with 4-5 teeth, each longer than the calyx tube, giving the mass of flowers a bristly appearance; a white tubular corolla with four apical lobes, usually with a few pink or purple spots on the lower lip; two stamens; and a style with a bifurcated tip (which can be difficult to see). The fruits are four, concave-topped nutlets cupped in the calyx. This species is known to hybridize with American bugleweed (Lycopus americanus). The medicinal properties of gypsywort are quite controversial; resist the urge to nibble.

Lycopus

Lycopus europaeus

gypsywort [Blooms: Aug-Sep]

Northern bugleweed can be up to 2.5' tall; the stem is unbranched, square in section, and light green. The leaves are opposite, 1.5-4" long and a third as wide, elliptical in outline with 5-9 coarse, sharply-pointed marginal teeth on each side of the leaf. Each pair of opposite leaves is oriented at 90° to the pairs above and below. The flowers occur in whorls in the axils of the middle and upper leaves. Individual flowers are about 1/8" long. They have a light green, very short (1 mm) calyx with 4-5 triangular teeth; a white, tubular corolla with four (or five) lobes, the uppermost notched at the tip or sometimes in two parts; two stamens with purple anthers extending just out of the corolla tube; and a style with a bifurcated tip. The fruit is four nutlets with a bumpy upper surface and a depressed center, cupped in the calyx.

Lycopus

Lycopus uniflorus

northern bugleweed [Blooms: Jul-Aug]

False Solomon's seal's stem terminates in a flattened panicle of hairy, whitish-green stalks about 3-5" long and 2" across bearing 20-80 white flowers. The individual flowers are bright white, about 3/16" across with six narrow, spreading, strap-like tepals that are shorter than the stamens, six stamens with triangular white filaments and pale yellow or cream-colored anthers, and a single central style on top of a globose ovary. The fruit is a spherical berry, initially whitish in color, turning mottled red and later bright, translucent-red (like a currant) when ripe. It can be a bit tricky to distinguish false Solomon's seal from starry false Solomon's seal, especially early in the spring when the plants are small. Two features help: the inflorescence of false Solomon's seal is two to three the size (in linear dimensions and number of flowers) as that of starry false Solomon's seal, and the stigma of false Solomon's seal is two- or three-lobed and sessile (rests directly on the ovary), while the stigma of starry false Solomon's seal is elevated on a long style (as long as the stamens). In Jackson Park, false Solomon's seal is very tolerant of woodland habitats.

Maianthemum

Maianthemum racemosum

false Solomon's seal [Blooms: Apr-Jun]

Starry false Solomon's seal stems terminate in a 1-4" long cluster (a raceme) of up to 20 white flowers, each ~3/8" across. Individual flowers have six narrow, spoon-shaped tepals longer than the stamens, six stamens with creamy-yellow anthers, and a vase-shaped pistil with a stout style. The fruit is a 1/4" diameter berry, initially green with dark stripes, becoming bright red with maturity. The leaves of Maianthemum stellatum are much narrower than those of Maianthemum racemosum (false Solomon's seal) or Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon's seal) and has an overall appearance more like a lily than a Solomon's seal (false or smooth). It can be a bit tricky to distinguish false Solomon's seal from starry false Solomon's seal, especially early in the spring when the plants are small. Two features help: the inflorescence of false Solomon's seal is two to three the size (in both linear dimensions and number of flowers) as that of starry false Solomon's seal, and the stigma of false Solomon's seal is two- or three-lobed and sessile (rests directly on the ovary), while the stigma of starry false Solomon's seal is elevated on a long style (as long as the stamens). In Jackson Park, false Solomon's seal is very tolerant of woodland habitats; starry false Solomon's seal prefers sunnier habitats like open grasslands.

Maianthemum

Maianthemum stellatum

starry false Solomon's seal [Blooms: Apr-May]

Common mallow flower stalks arise from the leaf axils. They are 1/2-1" long, attached to one to three, 1/4-1/2" wide flowers. Individual flowers have a green calyx with five pointed, triangular lobes half the length of the petals; white or pale violet squared-off petals with a shallow notch and pale violet lines; the 12-15 stamens make a bumpy, white globe around the 12-15 fused pink styles in the middle of the flower, with the inner surface of the style tips as the stigmas. The fruit is a round, flattened ovoid with radiating lines (the edges of the carpels) around a dimpled center, nestled in the remains of the calyx. Some people claim that the fruit resembles a wheel of cheese (thus one of the common names); it reminds me more of a miniature gourd. All parts of this plant are edible.

Malva

Malva neglecta

common mallow [Blooms: May-Oct]

Wild chamomile stems terminate in a daisy-like flowerhead, 1-2" across. Flowerheads consist of 10-25 white, fertile (pistillate) ray florets that tend to droop slightly and a gumdrop-shaped central mass of 250-550+ yellow disk florets with both male and female reproductive structures. Individual disk florets are tubular. Behind the flowerhead are one to three series of light green, lance-shaped bracts with membranous edges. Wild chamomile can be distinguished from similar plants like ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) by its multiply-pinnate, slender lobes leaves and the fact that the flowerhead is actually hollow; when crushed they produce a pleasant, fruity fragrance. Wild chamomile is closely related to pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea) but the two can't be confused.

Matricaria

Matricaria chamomilla

wild chamomile [Blooms: May-Jun]

White sweetclover flowers occur in spikes along 2-6" long flower stalks that arise from upper leaf axils and on the terminal upper stems. Individual flowers are small (~1/4-3/8" long), have a tubular, light green calyx with five teeth, and five white petals in the typical pea-like configuration (a single standard on the top — here, hood-like over the keel, two lateral wings, and a pair of petals fused to form a medial keel that is perpendicular to the banner). The stamens and style are hidden within the keel. Yellow sweet-clover is nearly identical to white sweet-clover (Melilotus albus) except for flower color, but blooms slightly earlier. In both yellow and white sweet-clover, the "teeth" along the distal margins of the leaflets are actually sharply-pointed extensions of the secondary (pinnate) veins. A similar extension of the central vein occurs in yellow sweet-clover but is ABSENT in white sweet-clover, permitting discrimination between the two species even when not in bloom if the vein extensions are present elsewhere on the leaflet.

Melilotus

Melilotus albus

white sweetclover [Blooms: Jun-Sep]

Field mint flowers occur in whorls of about 20 above the axils of the upper leaves. Individual flowers are 1/8" long with a green calyx with small triangular lobes; a tubular, lavender, pink, or white corolla with a two-lobed upper lip and a lower lip with 0-3 lobes; four stamens protruding well beyond the tips of the flower; and a style longer than the stamens. The fruit consists of four small nutlets nestled in the flower calyx, each with a single seed. Field mint is a very widely-distributed (circumboreal) plant. Field mint is similar to Virginia bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus) in that both have flowers in whorls in the axils of paired, opposite leaves, but the latter has only white flowers in much sparser whirls with two stamens no longer than the tips of the flower. Field mint could possibly be confused with motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) but the latter has distinctive three or five lobed angular-cleft leaves and lacks the boldly-protruding stamens of field mint. Finally, some sources (and plant ID apps) identify "Mentha canadensis" as occurring in Illinois and neighboring states. However, both ITIS (https://www.itis.gov/) and the USDA plants database (https://plants.usda.gov/) agree that the name "Mentha canadensis," often applied to this species, is invalid and a junior synonym of Mentha arvensis (field mint).

Mentha

Mentha arvensis

field mint [Blooms: Jun-Sep]

Twoleaf miterwort (aka, bishop's cap) is a charming little plant with a delicate flower that looks like it drifted out of a children's book. The flowers are widely spaced along the flower stalk, attached by short pedicels. Each flower is tiny (1/8" across), bell-shaped, with a short five-lobed, greenish-white calyx, and five white petals that are deeply lobed at their tips (pinnatifid), looking like a snowflake when the flower is viewed face-on. Inside the bell are 10 stamens with yellow anthers and a pair of central styles each with a yellow, crescent-shaped stigma. The fruit is a two-lobed, green capsule (like a tiny clam shell) filled with developing shiny-black seeds, all nestled in the persistant calyx. The seeds are dispersed by raindrops striking the valves of the capsule, a fitting bit of whimsy for such a marvelous plant.

Mitella

Mitella diphylla

twoleaf miterwort [Blooms: Apr-May]

Spotted beebalm (aka, spotted horsemint) is a curious-looking plant 1-3' tall; it reminds me of the top of a pineapple with spotted coffee-with-cream colored flowers under the arching leaves. There are whorls of leaf-like bracts below the flowers that are white to deep pink or lavender, shorter and broader than the leaves, and invariably have smooth margins. The flowers are 3/4-1" long with a tubular calyx with five triangular teeth at the base and a cream to yellow tubular corolla with purple spots. The corolla consists of an upper lip covered with long, fine hairs on the exterior and a lower lip with three small lobes on its tip. Nestled under and paralleling the upper lip are two stamens and a style; the brown anthers and bifurcated stigma protrude beyond the tip of the lip. The fruit consists of four nutlets hidden within the persistant calyx. Spotted beebalm is unlikely to be confused with any other wildflower in Jackson Park.

Monarda

Monarda punctata

spotted beebalm [Blooms: Jul-Aug]

Water chickweed (aka, giant chickweed) is an exotic from Europe; it resembles a much-enlarged enlarged (potentially 1-2.5' tall vs. a few inches although the stalk sprawls) version of our common chickweeds. Flowers may occur as singletons arising from the leaf axils or clusters of a few flowers at the end of the stems. Each flower is 1/2" across; it has five fuzzy, green, oval sepals slightly shorter than the petals; five white, deeply-cleft petals that look like ten; 10 stamens with white anthers; and a green ovary with five short, arching styles. The stems and the 1" long pedicels of the flowers are both very fuzzy. The fruit is an ovoid seed capsule nestled in the persistant sepals which hangs down from the pedicel when ripe; it could easily be mistaken for a bud if you didn't notice it was pointed down.

Myosoton

Myosoton aquaticum

water chickweed [Blooms: May-Jun]