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Tatarian honeysuckle's flowers arise from upper leaf axils in pairs on a 3/4-1" long pedicles. Individual flowers are 3/4" (both long and across); there is a short (1/4") green calyx with five lobes; a pink to rosy-pink tubular corolla that flares to produce five narrow, spreading lobes — the middle two lobes on the upper lip of the corolla are vertical and fused at their base, the other two are spreading; the sole lobe on the lower lip is bent down. Protruding from the throat of the corolla are five stamens with white filaments and yellow anthers and a slender, white style with a green, dome-shaped stigma. The fruit is a pair of 1/4" berries that turn bright red on maturity. Of the exotic honeysuckles (amur, Morrow's, tartarian) in Jackson Park, tartarian honeysuckle is the only species that is virtually hairless and the only one with reddish (as opposed to white) flowers. Please don't plant this species in your garden — too often, it escapes.

Lonicera

Lonicera tatarica

tatarian honeysuckle [Blooms: Apr-May]

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]

Virginia bluebells' upper stems terminate in drooping cymes of flowers. Individual flowers are 3/4-1" long with a 1/4" long, greyish-green calyx with five elliptical teeth that cups a tubular region of the corolla about 2/3 the length of the flower that in turn flares into a bell-like shape, often slightly wrinkled, with five very shallow lobes. There are five stamens with blue filaments and white anthers inside the corolla that do not emerge from the bell, the anthers reaching just past the throat; the single long, slender, white style often protrudes well beyond the margin of the bell. Virginia bluebells are pollinated by a variety of long-tongued animals including hummingbird moths (Hemaris thysbe). The fruits are four-lobed, yellow or greenish-yellow, containing four nutlets; the fruit is nestled in the flower calyx. Nothing in Jackson Park looks like Virginia bluebells; once you've identified one, you'll be confident of your ID ever afterward. For me, they are the real herald of spring, and they make me smile.

Mertensia

Mertensia virginica

Virginia bluebells [Blooms: Apr-May]

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]

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]

Grape hyacinth was introduced from Europe as a garden plant. The unbranched flowering scapes are green towards the base, purplish near the flowers, reaching maximum heights of 12". The leaves are all basal, 4-10" long, 3-8 mm wide, flat, hairless, and erect. The inflorescence is a terminal raceme on the scape. Individual flowers are drooping, urn-shaped with three blue sepals and three blue petals fused along their edges nearly to their tips where there are six small, rounded lobes. There are six stamens with purple anthers and a green ovary with a single style terminating in a three-lobed stigma; all are hidden well within the mouth of the urn. The fruits are three-lobed capsules, about 5 mm long and wide.

Muscari

Muscari botryoides

grape hyacinth [Blooms: Apr]

Poet's daffodil is an escapee from domestic gardens. The species is native to Central and Southern Europe; it is said to have been cultivated by the Greeks in the 3rd century BCE. The leaves are basal, blue-green, awl-shaped, up to 20" long and 1/2" wide, parallel-veined with smooth margins. The unbranched stems can get up to 1.5' tall, each with a solitary flower at their apex. The 2-3" diameter flowers have six white tepals with a yellow, crinkled central corona (often red-rimmed) in the form of a cup surrounding the reproductive organs (six stamens, only three of which are easily visible externally, and a single style with a three-lobed stigma). Fruits are rarely produced. The corona is relatively longer and bigger in diameter in wild daffodil than it is in poet's daffodil. Keep pets (and small children) away from poet's daffodil — if ingested, it induces severe vomiting.

Narcissus

Narcissus poeticus

poet's daffodil [Blooms: Apr-May]

Wild daffodil is just a daffodil that has escaped cultivation — the species is native to western Europe. Wild daffodil stems get up to 20" tall; they are unbranched with a single flower at their apex. The leaves are basal, 8-20" long, about 1/2" wide, flat, and blue-green in color. The stem and flower bud are initially aligned, but the upper part of the stem becomes plastic for a short period, deforming to reorient the upper part of the stem (and the bud) to a position perpendicular to most of the stem. Each flower consists of a conical basal section (think "calyx") with six spreading, yellow lobes (equivalent to tepals). Where the lobes/tepals bend backwards, a tubular, yellow, crinkled corona perpendicular to the tepals surrounds the reproductive structures (six stamens and a single style with a three-lobed stigma). Fruits are rarely produced. The corona is relatively longer and bigger in diameter in wild daffodil than it is in poet's daffodil. Keep pets (and small children) away from wild daffodil — if ingested, it induces severe vomiting.

Narcissus

Narcissus pseudonarcissus

wild daffodil [Blooms: Mar-May]

Catnip flowers are largely creamy-white or pink, clustered in spike-like racemes. Each flower is small (1/3-1/2") and has two unequal lips. The upper lip has two tiny lateral lobes, is smaller than the lower, and wider than long; the three-lobed lower lip is much larger, is longer than wide, has pink or purple spots, and has a frill on the lip of the middle lobe. The four stamens have anthers that are dark purple; the style protrudes just beyond the upper lip and has a bifurcated tip (the stigma). The fruit is four one-seeded nutlets nestled in the persistant calyx.

Nepeta

Nepeta cataria

catnip [Blooms: Jun-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]

Foxglove beardtongue's inflorescence consists of 3-6 pairs of panicles at the apex of the stems. Individual flowers are white or (less often) pink with a green or maroon calyx, five narrowly triangular lobes, and a tubular corolla that flares abruptly distal to the calyx. The corolla's aperture bears five lobes (two above on the upper lip, three below on the lower lip) with pink or purple nectar guides inside the tube. 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 to emerge between the two upper aperture lobes. The fruit is a bullet-shaped capsule about 1/2" long nestled in the persistant calyx. The calyx, flower stalks, and the flowers themselves are densely covered by glandular hairs; the main stems and leaves are hairless. Foxglove beardtongue is ubiquitous in Jackson Park.

Penstemon

Penstemon digitalis

foxglove beardtongue [Blooms: May-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]

Pale beardtongue stems terminate in a 4-10" long panicle of flowers that is longer than broad. Flowers are 3/4" long consisting of a short, green calyx with five teeth, a tubular, white corolla similar to that of other penstemons/beardtongues, four fertile stamens with brown anthers, a bright yellow "beard" on the lower lip (as in hairy beardtongue), and a single style. The upper lip of the corolla has the usual two erect lobes, but the lower lip has three rounded lobes that project forward well beyond the margin of the upper lip. The outer surfaces of the flowers and flower stalks are covered with hairs. The throat of the corolla's lower surface has three thin purple veins, a narrow patch of long, bright yellow hairs, and a pair of low ridges/grooves, one on either side of the midline. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule 1/4" long nestled in the persistent calyx. Both pale beardtongue and foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) have white flowers and might be confused. However, the flowers of pale beardtongue are smaller, the flowers have two distinct ridges on the interior of the lower half of the corolla, and the three lobes on the lower lip are parallel to the floor of the corolla and extend well beyond the upper lip. None of these traits are present in foxglove beardtongue. In Jackson Park, pale beardtongue is less common than hairy beardtongue and much less common that foxglove beardtongue.

Penstemon

Penstemon pallidus

pale beardtongue [Blooms: May-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]

English plantain is a Eurasian exotic that is a familiar lawn weed, one with a wirelike, leafless, five-angled flower stalk 6-18" tall. At the tip of the flower stalk is a 1/2-3" long cylindrical flower spike, initially grey-green but turning brownish as the flowers open. Individual flowers have four sepals, and four petals, but their most obvious character is the long filamentous stamens with white anthers which protrude in all directions from the flower spike. The styles are white, filamentous, and fuzzy. The flowers usually open sequentially from the bottom to the top of the flower spike, first as functional females with protruding styles, then as functional males with prominent stamens; the flower spikes thus typically consist of (from top to bottom): (1) unopened buds, (2) flowers with functional styles, (3) flowers with functional stamens, (4) developing seed pods. The flowers are wind-pollinated.

Plantago

Plantago lanceolata

English plantain [Blooms: May-Aug]