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Partridge pea flowers are ~1" across, noticeably asymmetric, with five yellow petals with red blotches at their base; the lowermost petal is about twice the size of the other petals. One of the lateral petals curls around the stamens. There are ten reddish-purple stamens and a single greenish-yellow style (longer than the stamens) that curves upward towards the tip; nine smaller stamens lie on one side of the style and one larger stamen on the other.

Chamaecrista

Chamaecrista fasciculata

partridge pea [Blooms: Jul-Oct]

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]

Lamb's quarters produces inconspicuous star-shaped, yellow-green flowers, <1/8" across, sessile on flower stalks in round, tight clusters; the flowers have no petals, five stamens with yellow anthers, and a single divided style at the tip of a round, green ovary, all cupped in a five-lobed, mealy-white, calyx. The flowers are wind-pollinated and can aggravate hay fever symptoms.

Chenopodium

Chenopodium album

lamb's quarters [Blooms: Jul-Sep]

Glory-of-the-snow produces a flower stalk 6-12" tall, topped by a one-sided raceme of 4-10 upward-facing flowers. Individual flowers are 1/2-3/4" wide and have six pastel violet-blue tepals with white bases; the bases of the stamens are flattened and form a palisade around the middle of the flower. ITIS shows Chionodoxa forbesii as the accepted name; World Flora Online accepts Scilla forbesii.

Chionodoxa

Chionodoxa forbesii

glory-of-the-snow [Blooms: Mar-Apr]

Chicory flowerheads are an unmistakable clear blue, 1-1.5" across, sessile or on very short stalks, with 10-20 (typically 17) blue ray florets with five tiny teeth at their tips; there are no disc florets. Two series of small bracts covered with glandular hairs cup the base of the flowerhead. In the center of the flowerhead are spike-like, deep-blue stamens (one for each ray floret) fused around a style, each style with a light blue, bifurcated stigma. The flowerheads open in the morning but usually close later in the day.

Cichorium

Cichorium intybus

chicory [Blooms: Jun-Sep]

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]

"Canada thistle" is a calumny on poor Canada; this homely plant is native to Eurasia, not our northern neighbor. Flowerheads of Canada thistle are much smaller (1/2-3/4" across) than those of bull or field thistle and often occur in clusters on the plant. The involucre is goblet- rather than vase-shaped, covered by closely appressed green to purplish phyllaries, that have short, sharp, brown tips but no spines; there are only tubular disk florets with five thread-like, 1/4" long apical lobes, pink or pale lavender (rarely white) in color.

Cirsium

Cirsium arvense

Canada thistle [Blooms: May-Sep]

Field thistle is a native weedy plant often found in disturbed areas, up to 8' tall, but usually much shorter. Flowerheads occur on the tips of branches, are light pink, and about 2" across. The base (involucre) of the flowerhead is vase-shaped and covered with multiple series of closely appressed, overlapping phyllaries/bracts (often said to look like fish scales). Each bract has a a medial white line and a single, sharp, 1/4" long golden spine at the tip. Below the involucre are a few slender bracts that look like miniature versions of the stem leaves; these bracts curve upwards around the flowerhead.

Cirsium

Cirsium discolor

field thistle [Blooms: Aug-Sep]

The base (involucre) of the 1.5-2" wide flowerhead of bull thistle is vase-shaped and covered with numerous series of imbricated, spreading phyllaries/bracts that taper into stiff, sharp points. The upper portion of the flowerhead consists of numerous pinkish-purple to purple tubular disk florets that split apically into five thread-like lobes and a single protruding style. This is the only North American thistle with spines (albeit, short) on the upper surface of the leaves and one of the few with spreading, spiny bracts at the base of the flowerhead; native thistles lack spines on the stems.

Cirsium

Cirsium vulgare

bull thistle [Blooms: Jun-Aug]

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]

Asiatic dayflower flowers are 0.5-1" across; they have two thin, blue upper petals and a single, lower, translucent white petal with three lobes. There are 5-6 long stamens with yellow anthers highlighted by a central dot of maroon; the upper three stamens are sterile and probably only serve as an advertisement, while the lower two bear larger anthers with viable pollen. A single long style lies below the stamens. Below and behind the flower is a leaf-like bract (spathe) 1-2" long that is open to its base and embraces the flower like a hammock.

Commelina

Commelina communis

asiatic dayflower [Blooms: Jun-Oct]

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]

Lance-leafed coreopsis flowerheads are 2-3" across; they have about eight broad, yellow ray florets with 3-5 (usually four) bold, sawtooth lobes at their tips (that may also be subdivided); the numerous disk florets are also yellow, tubular, about 1/4" long with 4-5 tiny lobes.

Coreopsis

Coreopsis lanceolata

lance-leafed coreopsis [Blooms: May-Jun]

Prairie coreopsis flowerheads occur alone or in pairs on 1/2-2" long peduncles attached to the ends of stems. Each flowerhead is about 2" across with 8-12 ray florets; two prominent longitudinal veins divide each ray floret petal into thirds. The disc florets are tubular with 4-5 lobes; they are initially yellow, but turn brownish with age.

Coreopsis

Coreopsis palmata

prairie coreopsis [Blooms: Jun-Jul]

Plains coreopsis flowers are 1-2" across, with 6-12 (usually 8) ray florets, each with three lobes at their tips (center largest). The ray florets are sterile, typically yellow at their tips, transitioning abruptly to a maroon color more basally. The disk florets are perfect (have both anthers and pistils), reddish-brown to maroon with the florets at the edge of the disc with bright yellow highlights (either the anthers on the fused stamens or the split stigma of the pistils); individual florets have four teeth/lobes. The involucre of the flowerhead is often reddish-tinged, particularly obvious when cupping the developing seedhead.

Coreopsis

Coreopsis tinctoria

plains coreopsis [Blooms: Jun-Oct]