Fall Flora. Madder Family (Coffee) List 4 Madders to Peas. Madder Family (Coffee) Madder Family. Rubiaceae. Mallow (Hibiscus) Family Malvaceae

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1 Fall Flora List 4 Madders to Peas Madder, Mallow, Maple, Milkweed, Mint, Morning Glory, Mustard, Nettle, Nightshade, and Pea Families Madder Family (Coffee) Bedstraw, Cleavers Galium spp. Leaves: whorls of 4-6, narrow, hairy leaflets (leaves plus stipules) Flower: white to greenish, tiny, 4- parted; ovary inferior; in leaf axils; Fruit: paired nutlets, usually hooked or barbed Madder Family (Coffee) Rubiaceae Bedstraw, Cleavers; Galium spp. (N) A large (>9000 species), mostly tropical family that includes: Coffea (coffee), Cinchona (quinine from bark), Psychotria (source of emetic ipecac), and Gardenia (ornamental) Only one genus in our area; Galium easily recognized by its whorled, sticky leaves Madder Family Bedstraw, Cleavers Galium spp. Uses: This small scrambler is actually useful. It can be eaten, either raw or cooked. Leaves and stems are used to make tea. Ripe seeds are roasted and brewed into a coffee substitute. It is a common weed in hay and grain crops because of its ability to cling to stems during harvest Madder Family Rubiaceae Bedstraw, Cleavers Galium spp. (N) Habit: Low, spreading stems with paltry roots. The stems, leaves and fruits are covered with bristly, clinging hairs for dispersal. Habitat: Moist, shady, disturbed soil, such as along trails in wooded parks Mallow (Hibiscus) Family Malvaceae Dwarf Mallow, Cheeseweed - Malva neglecta Wallr. (I) The Malvaceae is a large (>2000 species) family that includes: Hibiscus (Okra, H. esculentus), Theobroma (chocolate), Cola, Gossypium (cotton), and many local natives and weeds. Malvaceae are characterized by alternate, palmately lobed leaves, star shaped hairs, and mucilage canals in stems and roots (source of marsh-mallow). The flowers are radial, 5-merous with the stamens fused into a tube (monadelphous).

2 Dwarf Mallow, Cheeseweed Malva neglecta Wallr. Habit: Low, spreading annual or biennial, blooming from late spring to fall Habitat: Gardens, lawns, cultivated and disturbed areas Leaves: Long-petioled, palmately veined and lobed, heart-shaped base, folded along veins Flowers: White to purple, fused at base, prominent tube of fused stamens (hibiscus-like) Fruit: Buttonlike woody capsule, breaks into separate, singleseeded units at maturity (a schizocarp) Rocky Mountain Maple, Douglas Maple Leaves: opposite, broadly heartshaped, with 3-5 palmate lobes, serrate margin with many small, sharp teeth, dark green above, lighter below, bright yelloworange to crimson in autumn Maple Family - Aceraceae Maple family (Aceraceae) and Horsechestnut family (Hippocastanaceae) have recently been combined into the Soapberry family (Sapindaceae) Maple Family has 2 genera, ca. 120 species All shrubs or trees Leaves opposite and palmately lobed or compound Ovary superior Fruit in Maples, a large, double samara (winged schizocarp) Rocky Mountain Maple,Douglas Maple Flowers: yellowishgreen, with 5 petals, and 5 sepals, usually male or female (sexes on separate shrubs); in clusters (cymes) of 5-15 Fruit: V-shaped pairs of wrinkled, winged seeds (samaras) hanging on slender stalks, greenish to tan, tinged red when young Rocky Mountain Maple, Douglas Maple (Acer glabrum Torr) Habit: Deciduous shrub or small tree, 1-7 m tall, clumped; branches opposite, greyish bark and reddish twigs Habitat: wetlands, stream banks, canyons, and upland mountain slopes. It usually occurs between 5,000 and 12,000 feet. Rocky Mountain Maple, Douglas Maple Uses: Rocky Mountain maple is important for watershed cover and browse for wildlife and domestic animals. Some Native American tribes favored the straight stems for arrow shafts, and the pliable wood for snowshoe frames. The Navajo's used an infusion of twigs as an anti-rheumatic and to treat swelling. The young shoots can be harvested in the spring and cooked like asparagus.

3 Bigtooth Maple, Canyon maple, Wasatch maple Acer grandidentatum Nutt. Habit : Deciduous shrub or small tree Habitat: Grows in dry sites from Idaho and Montana to New Mexico Habit: Fast-growing Tree, manybranched, irregular spreading crown; separate male and female trees (dioecious) Habitat: Native to river bottoms, ravines, and hilly regions Box-elder Acer negundo L. Bigtooth Maple Leaves: opposite, broadly heart-shaped, with 3-5 palmate lobes; leaf edges have wide hollows and large blunt teeth Leaves: Opposite, pinnately compound, with 3-5 lance-shaped, and blunt-toothed leaflets Box-elder Flowers: borne in hanging, stalked, clusters Fruits: winged samaras Bigtooth Maple Box-elder Acer negundo L. Flowers: Stalked, yellow/green, drooping, male and female on separate trees Fruit: Paired, winged schizocarps, mature in the fall, persisting on tree into winter

4 Apocynaceae (incl. Asclepiadaceae) Milkweed Family genera / 3700 species Formerly 2 separate families Mostly tropical, herbs (ours) to woody or vining Milky latex w/ cardiac glycosides, alkaloids (poisonous) Leaves: opposite, simple, entire Flowers: highly modifed, carpels connate only at tips Fruits: 1 or 2 follicles with hair-tufted, flattened seeds Fibrous stems used to make thread, cord for nets, bowstrings and rope Spreading Dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium (N) Habit: Erect, perennial herb, from spreading rhizomes; stems often red Habitat: moist, shaded sites, common in forest understory Uses: Poisonous, tough fibers used to make cord for bowstrings and nets Showy Milkweed, Greek Milkweed Asclepias speciosa Torr. Habit: herb up to 3 ft tall, greyishhairy, perennial w/milky sap Habitat: Often moist, loamy sites, often on roadsides and in ditches; plains to montane Leaves: opposite, oblong to eggshaped, greyishgreen with pinkish midrib Flowers: Pink, tubular corollas, reflexed (curved back) at tip; in clusters at branch tips. Stigma highly specialized for pollen presentation (brush), and collection (scraper) Fruit: Paired, long, thin follicles; open to release hair-tufted, flattened seeds Spreading Dogbane Flowers: Pink or whitish w/5 petals bent sharply backwards, stamens joined to form a tube w/5 erect horned like appendages; in large, rounded or flat-topped clusters (umbels) Fruits: white-hairy, often soft, spiny pods (follicles) single or in pairs, splitting open down 1 side; seeds flattened and tipped with a tuft of long, silky hairs Showy Milkweed Lamiaceae (Labiatae) Mint Family genera / 6970 species Cosmopolitan Herbs (ours) with square stems, opp. leaves Flowers often clustered in leaf axils Flowers strongly zygomorphic, 2-lipped Lower 3 petals form a landing platform for bees 2 carpellate gynoecium 4-lobed, 4 stamens

5 Economic Importance Many important culinary herbs in this family containing scented essential oils Lavandula - Lavender Agastache -Hyssop Marrubium - Horehound Ajuga - Bugleweed Mentha - Mint Plectranthus - Coleus Nepeta - Catnip Scutellaria - Skullcap Ocimum -Basil Origanum Oregano Thymus Thyme Salvia -Sage > 20 native and escaped genera in our area Habit: Perennial herb; 3-5 feet tall; square stems; plant fragrant Habitat: Introduced from Europe; Moist, well-drained sites, and cultivated in yards Uses: Teas from leaves used for insomnia and relaxing; Sends cats into state of euphoria Catnip, Catmint Nepeta cataria L. Habit: Large, scented, perennial herb; stems square Habitat: Native; Moist, open sites; foothills to subalpine Other: Seeds can be eaten raw or cooked; leaves used to flavor soups, stews, hot dishes; used to make anise tea Nettle-leaf giant-hyssop, Nettle-leaf horsemint Agastache urticifolia (Benth.) Kuntze Catnip, Catmint Leaves: Opposite, heart shaped/crenate (folded)-serrate, pubescent above and below, grayishgreen below, fragrant Flowers Sessile; white, spotted with pink or violet; strongly 2-lipped; stamens not exserted Inflorescence: Terminal clusters of whorled flowers Leaves: Opposite; lance to eggshaped; coarsely toothed, not hairy, anise (licorice) scented Flowers: trumpetshaped, purplish to white, not strongly 2-lipped, 4 long, projecting stamens Inflorescence: whorled in spikelike clusters Fruits: 4 small nutlets Nettle-leaf giant-hyssop Morning Glory Family Scientific name: Convolvulaceae Annual or perennial herbs, vines, or shrubs Leaves alternate and entire with a pair of basal lobes Flowers showy Petals fused into funnel shape with prominent folds

6 Field Morning-glory, Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis L. Habit: Perennial vine from extensive root system, climbing or forming dense mats Habitat: Introduced from Europe; widespread, serious weed problem especially in the western US; extensively distributed in cultivated fields and waste places Other: Difficult to eradicate because deep root system; seeds remain viable up to 50 years Economic Importance Capparus spinosa capers Raphanus sativus radish Brassica oleracea cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprout, kohlrabi, kale Brassica rapa turnip, Chinese cabbage Brassica nigra black mustard (seed) Brassica napus canola oil Armoracia rusticana horseradish Arabidopsis thaliana molecular biology model organism (genome sequenced) Field Morning-glory, Field Bindweed Stems: Vining; prostrate or climbing; 1-4 long Leaves: alternate, more or less lancelolate w/ sagittate to hastate base Flowers: bell- or trumpetshaped; folds at fused petal margins; white to pinkish, ~ 1 diameter w/ 2 small bracts below flower Fruit: a small, round, 4- seeded capsule Habit: Annual, weedy herb, erect round stems, 6 to 18 tall Habitat: European, now established in much of western U.S.; grows in grain fields, pastures and waste areas Other: Leaves, buds, flowers, fruits, and seeds are edible Clasping Peppergrass Lepidium perfoliatum L. Mustard Family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) Annual to perennial herbs or subshrubs Leaves alternate or basal Cosmopolitan, most diverse Mediterranean/W.US 4-merous (petals forming a cross) Stamens 6, (2 short, 4 longer, tetradynamous) Superior ovary of 2 fused carpels Septum divides two carpels in fruit (flower) Fruit a silicle (round) or silique (elongate) Mustard oils (glucosinolates) and myrosin cells (myrosinase) produce pungent taste Clasping Peppergrass Leaves: alternate; first leaves pinnately compound, later leaves entire, round, encircling stem near midpoint of plant (perfoliate) Flowers: yellow; inflorescence a raceme terminating stems and many branches Fruits: circular in outline, silicle

7 Jim Hill Mustard, Tumblemustard Sisymbrium altissimum L. Habit: Winter annual or annual, 2-5 feet tall; Stems simple below, branched above, having bushy appearance Habitat: European; common in grain fields, rangeland, waste areas and along roadsides Nettle Family: Urticaceae Habit: Upright, perennial herb with stinging hairs Habitat: Moist, rich soil on disturbed ground. Uses: Hollow, pointed hairs containing formic acid on leaves and stems causes itching and rash; young stems and leaves edible when cooked; fibers from stem used to make cord, paper, cloth (like linen) Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica L. Jim Hill Mustard, Tumblemustard Leaves: alternate, two types; lower leaves coarse & divided into broad lobes or leaflets, upper much reduced and finer; May overwinter as basal rosette of divided leaves Nightshade Family (Potato Family)Solanaceae Bittersweet, Nightshade Solanum dulcamara L. Habit: Vining, scrambling, semi woody, perennial Habitat: grows in moist, shaded or open sites, often on disturbed ground, at low elevations. Closely related to potatoes Introduced from Europe Jim Hill Mustard, Tumblemustard Flowers small, pale yellow, in racemes Fruit: slender 2-valved capsule 2-4 long (silique) Seeds: small, numerous, yellow to brown; dispersed as plant tumbles in wind Bittersweet, Nightshade Solanum dulcamara L. (I) Leaves: alternate, unevenly lobed Flowers: Purple with 6 backcurved petals around a protruding, yellow cone of anthers Fruit: bright red berries, poisonous

8 Pea Family Fabaceae (Leguminosae) Leaves mostly alternate, pinnately compound Tendrils, pulvini, and stipules often present Nitrogen fixation through root symbionts (Rhizobium) 5-merous flowers zygomorphic 1 banner, 2 wing, 2 lower fused keel petals 10 stamens connate, diadelphous (9 + 1) Single elongate, stalked carpel, superior ovary Fruit a legume (pea pod) Leaves: palmately compound, alternate, round, leaflets lanceshaped Flowers: mostly blue or purple, pea-like, borne in whorls of showy elongated clusters Fruits: pea-like pods, mostly hairy Lupine, Bluebonnet Economic Importance Nitrogen fixers (forage and crop rotation) - clover (Trifolium), alfalfa (Medicago), vetch (Vicia) Major food crops (2nd after grains/grasses) - Peanuts (Arachis), Chickpea (Cicer), Soybeans (Glycine), Lentil (Lens), Beans (Phaseolus), and Peas (Pisum), Broad Bean (Vicia), Pigeon Pea (Cajanus), Grass Pea (Lathyrus), etc. Major sources of starch and plant proteins Can be grown on poor soils Habit: Deep-rooted perennial, weak, reclining stems Habitat: Introduced from Eurasia as a forage plant and has spread to many roadsides and disturbed sites Other: Provides excellent forage for livestock, but large amounts can cause bloating; also provides good nectar source for bees Alfalfa, Lucerne Medicago sativa L. (I) Habit: perennial or annual herbs Habitat: Native; Dry plains to montane slopes, occasionaly grows in the subalpine zone Other: Wild lupines should not be mistaken for edible peas; contain poisonous alkaloid lupinine which can kill sheep, goats, cattle, and horses Lupine, Bluebonnet Lupinus spp. (N) Leaves divided into 3 oblong leaflets (compound); sharply toothed on upper half Alfalfa, Lucerne Medicago sativa L.

9 Flowers: deep purple to bluish, slender, pea-like, borne in dense, long heads, throughout summer Fruits: small, dark, net-veined pods tightly coiled in 1-2 spirals Alfalfa, Lucerne Medicago sativa L. Yellow Sweet-clover Scientific name: Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. Flowers: small, yellow, pea-like; forming branched clusters of long, slender spikes, May to Sept Fruits: small netveined, mostly 1- seeded pods Habit: annual or biennial herb Stems - To +2m tall, erect, herbaceous, from taproot, branching above, glabrous to sparse pubescent, with musky scent when cut or crushed. Habitat: Introduced from Eurasia, spread to disturbed sites across North America Fields, pastures, disturbed sites, waste ground, roadsides, railroads. Yellow Sweet-clover Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. (I) Other: Flowers and Leaves can be eaten fresh or cooked; seeds can be added to soups; leaves dried and crushed give vanilla flavor to pastries; flowers and fruits used to flavor Gruyere cheese in Switzerland Yellow Sweet-clover Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. (I) Leaves: Alternate, trifoliolate, stipulate; edged with sharp teeth from near the base to the tip Yellow Sweet-clover White Sweet-clover Melilotus alba (Desr.) Pursh. This plant is very similar to M. officinalis, but that species starts blooming a few weeks to a month earlier and has yellow instead of white flowers.

10 American Licorice-root Glycyrrhiza lepidota Pursh. (N) Habit: Stout perennial from deep, spreading rhizomes; erect to 3 ft tall Habitat: Native; moist, sandy soils of meadows, pastures, riparian areas and disturbances Uses: sweet roots were important food source for Native Americans, and as source of licorice flavorings White Clover, Dutch Clover Trifolium repens L. Leaves: alternate, trifoliolate on long petioles; leaflets 1-2 cm, with stipules Flowers: White, pea-like, in balllike clusters on long stalks above foliage Fruits: small, 1-2 seeded pods Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound with lanceolate leaflets Flowers: white, in dense spikes on long peduncles Fruits: burlike seedpods, ½ to ¾ inch long in clusters American Licorice-root White Clover, Dutch Clover Trifolium repens L. (I) Habit: low, creeping stems, rooting at the nodes Habitat: Introduced from Europe, widespread in pastures, lawns, roadsides Uses: excellent forage crop; leaves, flowers and seeds edible by humans