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Upright prairie coneflower (aka, "Mexican hat") is a 1-3' tall plant native to North America but an exotic in Illinois; it looks like English plantain (Plantago lanceolata) dressed up for a party. The stems are green and longitudinally ridged; they bear alternate, pinnatifid leaves with 5-11 elongate, narrow lobes. The upper stems produce flower stalks (peduncles) 2-12" long, minutely grooved, and lacking leaves; the peduncles are very "wire-like." The flowerheads are 1.5-3" long cylinders composed of numerous brown or purplish disk florets that bloom from the bottom of the cylinder to the top; at the base of the cylinder are 4-12 ray florets with drooping, 1/2-1.5" long, oblong petals with notched tips that are yellow, maroon, or yellow with basal maroon patches (the "party skirt"). This plant is unmistakable when in bloom. The imaged flower was photographed in Bobolink Meadow in July, 2010; I have not seen a specimen since.

Ratibida

Ratibida columnifera

upright prairie coneflower [Blooms: Jul]

In Japanese knotweed, axils of the upper leaves produce slender, fuzzy spikes 2-4" long, covered with white or greenish flowers; more than one spike can arise from an axil. The flowers arise in groups of 3-6 from papery sheaths on the spikes. Individual flowers are sessile, about 8 mm long, with a funnel-shaped calyx, five petal-like sepals with wings on their outer faces, no petals, 6-8 stamens, and a tripartite stigma on top of a bullet-shaped green ovary. The fruit is a single shiny, black, three-angled seed with three broad, whitish, wings. Japanese knotweed is a highly aggressive invasive, luckily uncommon in Jackson Park. I know of three places in Jackson Park where it grows (it is a perennial); the Park District has eradicated it in one of these locations.

Reynoutria

Reynoutria japonica

Japanese knotweed [Blooms: Aug-Sep]

Fragrant sumac is a native shrub that grows 2-8' tall. One-inch-long spikes of closely-packed flowers arise from leaf axils. Individual flowers are 1/8" long, tubular but less than twice as long as wide, with five greenish-yellow petals and a calyx of five short sepals fused at their bases; flowers are either perfect (with both male and female organs) or unisexual (either stamens only or pistils only). (If unisexual, all flowers on one plant are the same sex.) Male flowers have five stamens with yellow-orange anthers but no pistil; female flowers have a pistil with a Y-shaped tip but no stamens. After fertilization, the flowers are replaced by fruits 1/4-3/8" in diameter, roughly spherical, deep red, and exuberantly hairy; it contains a single stone (a seed with a hard coat). Fragrant sumac blooms before either smooth sumac or staghorn sumac and its fruit matures earlier.

Rhus

Rhus aromatica

fragrant sumac [Blooms: Apr-May]

Smooth sumac is dioecious — each plant produces only either male (staminate) or female (pistillate) flowers. Individual flowers are about 1/4" across with a green calyx with five teeth and a whitish green or yellowish green corolla with five spreading petals. The lobes and teeth range from lance-shaped to oval. Male flowers also have five stamens with large yellow anthers and style rudiments; female flowers have an ovary with three closely-packed, stout styles in the center and sometimes with rudiments of stamens. On female plants, after fertilization, the flowers are replaced with about 5 mm wide drupes containing a single straw-yellow stony seed. The fruits are initially green and densely covered with short hairs, turning an intense, deep red when mature.

Rhus

Rhus glabra

smooth sumac [Blooms: May-Jul]

In staghorn sumac, some upper stems bear clusters (panicles) of flowers that are up to 12" long and 6" across; pistillate (female) inflorescences (see below) tend to be more densely packed with flowers and smaller than the staminate (male) inflorescences. Individual flowers are 1/8-1/4" across with a five-lobed calyx, each lobe about as long as (and alternating with) the petals, and five spreading, oblong petals; both calyx and petals are yellowish-green. Staghorn sumac has a complicated sex life. Some plants have both perfect flowers (with both male and female organs) and unisexual flowers (male or female but not both) on the same individual. Other plants have flowers of only one sex (either male or female but not both). Female flowers have a central pistil with an orange-yellow, three-part stigma; male flowers have five stamens with large, bright yellow anthers. The fruits are very fuzzy, berry-like drupes about 1/4" across, deep red when ripe, each with a single seed. The velvety branches and fuzzy fruit distinguish this plant from other sumacs. A citrus-y summer drink can be made from an infusion of the fruits soaked in hot water for a few hours; just be sure to filter the infusion through a fine filter (coffee filters are good) as the hairs covering the fruit can irritate the throat. Add some sugar or honey to taste. The binomial "Rhus hirta" is occasionally used for staghorn sumac, but ITIS is clear that the accepted name is Rhus typhina.

Rhus

Rhus typhina

staghorn sumac [Blooms: May-Jul]

The tips of some short, lateral shoots of wild black currant produce clusters (racemes) of 6-15 flowers that are suspended by short pedicels from a central, drooping stalk 1-3" long. At the base of each pedicel is a 3/8" long yellowish bract. Individual flowers are 1/2" long, bell-shaped with a short tubular calyx with (1) five spreading, oblong, greenish-white apical lobes (sepals), (2) five squared-off whitish petals emerging from the tubular calyx and forming a ring-shaped wall, (3) five stamens, shorter than the petals, with cream-colored anthers, and (4) a green ovary with two styles that are fused except at their tips. The fruit consists of 3/8" wide, shiny berries, initially green, black when fully ripe, containing lots of tiny seeds. The berries are edible when cooked and have been used to make pies, jelly, or wines (if you can get to them before the birds do). Note that commercial black currants are derived from the European version of this species (Ribes nigrum), not Ribes americanum.

Ribes

Ribes americanum

wild black currant [Blooms: Apr-May]

Golden currant produces one- to three-inch-long clusters (racemes) of 5-18 drooping flowers from the leaf axils. Individual flowers are 3/4" long and across; the joined sepals are yellowish-green and tubular basally but abruptly flare into five bright golden-yellow, rectangular lobes with rounded tips. The petals are short (2-3 mm), rectangular structures that surround the throat of the corolla; they may be yellow or orange but are usually red or red-tipped. Between the petals are five stamens that extend to the tips of the petals, bearing white anthers; the styles are light green, fused to just below the stigmas, and protrude beyond the petals. The fruit is a small (1/4-3/8") edible berry with lots of seeds; fruit color is initially green but ranges from golden yellow to black when mature. Unlike gooseberries, this plant lacks spines and prickles; its large yellow flowers are distinctive. Golden currant is native to North America and was once very popular as an ornamental plant (and fruit for jams and jellies); it has probably escaped cultivation numerous times.

Ribes

Ribes aureum

golden currant [Blooms: Apr-May]

Missouri gooseberry produces groups (racemes or corymbs) of 1-3 flowers on a horizontal flower stalk near some leaf petioles; the 1/4-1/2" long flower pedicels droop downward, so the axis of the flower is vertical. An egg-shaped, sessile bract is present at the base of each flower stalk. Missouri gooseberry flowers are easy to overlook because they don't comport with one's usual idea of "flowers" — they are very elongate, as if viewed in a fun house mirror. The flowers have a very narrow, white or greenish-white, tubular calyx with 4-5 oblong, spreading or reflected sepal lobes as long as the calyx; five short, erect petals extending from the calyx; and 4-5 stamens that double the vertical length of the flower. Hidden inside, at the base of the calyx, is a smooth ovary topped by a single pistil with one style; only the style is visible externally, sometimes extending past the stamens during flowering. After fertilization, the flower parts wither and the ovary expands into a smooth, globular berry 6-12 mm in diameter containing numerous tiny seeds; the berry is initially green, turning dull red or dull purple when ripe. If you see a gooseberry in Jackson Park with a prickly surface on the fruit (looking like a miniature, green medieval mace), it is prickly gooseberry, Ribes cynosbati, which also has lobed leaves. I have yet to see prickly gooseberry in Jackson Park, but it is known to occur in northern Illinois.

Ribes

Ribes missouriense

Missouri gooseberry [Blooms: Apr-May]

The inflorescence of black locust is a drooping raceme (flower spike) 4-7" long, with a pale green central stalk (rachis) and petiole, covered in 3/4-1" long, pea-like flowers. Each flower consists of a white or light green tubular calyx with five triangular teeth, densely covered with short hairs, and five white petals — a vertical banner with a yellow spot at its base, two lateral petals forming a keel, and two more wings enclosing the keel. The stamens (with orange anthers) and a single style are hidden within the keel. The fruit is a drooping, green seedpod 2-4' long at maturity, when it is dark brown and laterally flattened, containing from 3-10, quarter-inch-long seeds. Black locust produces a hardwood that is extremely resistant to rot and was prized by boat and bridge builders, especially as a source for trenails. (A dowel used to join two pieces of wood by driving it through a slightly undersized hole bored through the pieces; see Eric Sloane, "A Reverence for Wood," p. 37.)

Robinia

Robinia pseudoacacia

black locust [Blooms: May-Jun]

Prairie rose flowers arise from upper stems, either as single flowers or as groups (corymbs) of 2-4. Individual flowers are 1.5-2" across with five green, lance-shaped sepals half the length of the petals, five pink petals, a ring of numerous (~120) yellow stamens, and a button-like, flattened yellowish central cluster (the stylar disc) of short styles. The fruit is a round, 1/2" diameter rose hip, bright red when mature, with the withered remains of the five long sepals at its tip. Prairie rose prefers coarse, dry soils or sand. Prairie rose is most similar to pasture rose (Rosa carolina) but has hairless flower stalks rather than the glandular-hairy stalks of pasture rose, most flowers occur in groups of 2-4, and its leaves tend to have more leaflets (typically 9; pasture rose has 5-7).

Rosa

Rosa arkansana

prairie rose [Blooms: May-Jul]

Pasture rose flowers are usually solitary, ~2" across on pedicels covered with glandular hairs, with five bold pink (rarely white) petals, five green, pointed sepals covered with glandular hairs, ~100 bright yellow stamens, and a small yellow or yellow-orange stylar disk composed of ~40 pistils and their stigmas. The fruits are typical rose hips about 5/8" across, bright red when ripe; the glandular hairs on the pedicel and sepals persist but the sepals are deciduous and quickly fall off. The flowers are similar to purple-flowered raspberry (Rubus odoratus) but the leaves are completely different (odd-pinnate vs. palmate).

Rosa

Rosa carolina

pasture rose [Blooms: Jun-?]

Multiflora rose's flowering stalks produce abundant white flowers in panicles of up to 30 flowers — in full bloom, a multiflora rose shrub can be breathtaking. Individual flowers are about 1" across, each with five green sepals covered with glandular hairs, five oval white petals, a ring of 35-100+ stamens with bright yellow or orange anthers, and a greenish central column of styles with yellow stigmas. (The only other local species with a stylar column is climbing wild rose, Rosa setigera.) The fruit are 1/4" diameter typical rose hips, hairless, orange-red or red when mature; the sepal remnants are shed before maturity. There are at least two large multiflora rose shrubs on Wooded Island.

Rosa

Rosa multiflora

multiflora rose [Blooms: May-Jun]

Swamp rose flowers arise from the upper stems as single flowers or corymbs of 2-4 flowers. The flowers are 1.5-3" across, with five green, lance-shaped sepals, five pale- or rosy-pink, oval or heart-shaped petals, a ring of about two hundred yellow stamens, and a flat central disc of 24-50 styles that is pink or orange-red (much less often, yellow). The sepals and pedicels are covered with glandular hairs. The fruits are typical rose hips but are quite small (3/8" across, pea-sized), bright red when ripe.

Rosa

Rosa palustris

swamp rose [Blooms: May-Jun]

Rugosa rose flowers are 2-3" across; they have five sepals covered with glandular hairs, five magenta (more rarely pink or white), wrinkled petals, over 100 yellow stamens, and a yellow, flat stylar disc in the center of the flower. The fruits are typical rose hips about 1" across, bright red when ripe. Rugosa rose prefers sandy habitats and sites prone to water stress (e.g., roadsides where salt washes off the roads). The wrinkled leaves and magenta petals, profuse straight thorns/prickles, and large rose hips are distinguishing characters of rugosa rose.

Rosa

Rosa rugosa

rugosa rose [Blooms: May-Jul]

Climbing wild rose flowers are 2.5-3" across with five green sepals five times longer than wide (reflexed, then shed soon after the flowers open); five pale fuchsia to pink petals, usually with a shallow terminal notch; a ring of about 200 golden stamens; and a tall, yellow stylar column with a terminal knob in the center of the flower. (The only other local species with a stylar column is multiflora rose, Rosa multiflora.) The fruits are typical rose hips, bright red when mature, less than 1/2" wide, with no trace of the sepals.

Rosa

Rosa setigera

climbing wild rose [Blooms: Jun -Jul]

Common blackberry canes produce leaves and actively grow in their first year (primocanes); in their second year, they switch to producing flowers and fruit (floricanes). Second-year canes produce cylindrical racemes (up to 8.5' long) on the tips of short lateral shoots, longer than wide, with about a dozen flowers; the peduncles and pedicels of the raceme are covered with conspicuous glandular-tipped hairs. Each flower is 1-2" wide, has five green, pointed, triangular sepals with a tail-like extension, densely covered with glandular and non-glandular hairs; five white, rounded, wrinkled petals; 20-100 creamy stamens with white or yellow anthers; and a green cluster of numerous (100+) slender styles. After fertilization, the central cluster of styles enlarges to form a typical blackberry (drupe) 3/4" long and a bit less than half as wide, initially white or green but turning red-black when mature. The fruit is popular with most birds and mammals (including humans), who subsequently disperse the seeds.

Rubus

Rubus allegheniensis

common blackberry [Blooms: May-June]

Young, densely-hairy, stems of common dewberry terminate in single flowers or corymbs of 2-3 (rarely five) flowers. Individual flowers are 1-1.25" across consisting of five green, lance-shaped, hairy and glandular-hairy sepals with a thin, narrow "tail" at the tip; five white, wrinkled petals longer than the sepals; numerous (20-100) stamens; and a cluster of 5-150 green carpels with their club-shaped styles in the center of the flower. Floral stems may also arise from the axils of leaves. The fruits are pretty typical compound drupes (aggregate fruit like blackberries) 1/2-3/4" across, usually tightly attached to the receptacle with relatively few drupelets (10-40 of the smaller sections of the fruit); ripe fruit are dark red to black and shiny (not pruinose).

Rubus

Rubus flagellaris

common dewberry [Blooms: May-Jun]

Purple-flowered raspberry's flowers are large (up to 2-3") with five sepals densely covered with reddish glandular hairs, bluntly triangular, about half the length of the petals with long, thread-like tips; five magenta, rounded, laterally overlapping petals surrounding a compact ring of 20-100 thread-like stamens with yellow anthers; and a central mound of several hundred pale yellow, club-shaped styles. The fruit is a typical drupe, 3/4" in diameter, reddish-pink when mature, more flattened than a commercial raspberry. It can be hard to find on the plant — it is very popular with birds. Between the maple-like leaves and the showy, magenta flowers, purple-flowered raspberry is impossible to confuse with any other Rubus spp. in Illinois. Purple-flowered raspberry prefers partial shade (like woodland edges); it is critically endangered in Illinois.

Rubus

Rubus odoratus

purple-flowered raspberry [Blooms: Apr/May-Aug]