Prairie-Cup Plant

Cup Plant

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Silphium

Species: S. perfoliatum

General Characteristics: This native perennial plant is about 4-10' tall and remains unbranched, except for the panicle of flowering stems near the apex. The central stem is thick, hairless, and four-sided. The large opposite leaves are up to 8" long and 5" across, which join together around the central stem to form a cup that can hold water, hence the name of the plant. These leaves are broadly lanceolate to cordate, coarsely toothed, and have a rough, sandpapery texture. The yellow composite flowers bloom during early to mid-summer for about 1-1½ months. Each sunflower-like composite flower is about 3-4" across, consisting of numerous yellow disk florets that are surrounded by 18-40 yellow or pale yellow ray florets. The infertile disk florets protrude somewhat from the center and are rather conspicuous, while the ray florets are fertile. The latter produce thin achenes, each with a well-developed marginal wing, which are dispersed to some extent by the wind. The root system consists of a central taproot, and abundant shallow rhizomes that help to spread the plant vegetatively, often forming substantial colonies.

Special Adaptations: Long-tongued bees, butterflies, and skippers are common visitors and the most important pollinators of the flowers. Some short-tongued bees, wasps, bee flies, and other kinds of flies also visit the flowers for pollen or nectar. The larvae of an Antistrophus sp. (Gall Wasp sp.) feed within the stems of this plant, and may attract the hyperparasitic wasp Eurytoma lutea. Various birds, especially goldfinches, are very fond of the seeds, and drink water from the cups formed by the leaves. Because of the tendency to form dense colonies, this plant provides good cover for birds, which often lurk among the leaves during the heat of the day, searching for insects or pausing to rest. Large herbivores, especially cattle, may eat the eat leaves of Cup Plant, especially those of immature plants.

Prairie-Queen Anne's Lace

Queen Anne's Lace

Order: Apiales

Family: Apiaceae

Genus: Daucus

Species: D. carota

General Characteristics: Leaves are pinnately dissected, the blades 5-15 cm long and 2-7 cm wide, the ultimate segments linear to lanceolate, 2-12 mm long and 0.5-2 mm. wide, those of the upper leaves more elongate. The flowers are c ompound umbels several or solitary, the peduncles 2.5-6 cm long; involucre bracts pinnatifid into firm, elongate, filiform segments; bractlets of the involucel linear and entire, often exceeding the flowers; inflorescence showy, 4-12 cm wide, narrower in fruit than in flower, the numerous rays unequal; ultimate umbellets with 20 or more flowers; flowers white or yellowish, rarely pink, the central flower in the umbel purple.

Special Adaptations: As the compound umbel matures it folds in on itself trapping all the spined fruits until some animal brushes the plant and is covered with the seeds.

Prairie-Big Tooth Aspen

Big Tooth Aspen

Order: Salicales

Family: Salicaceae

Genus: Populus

Species: P. grandidentata

General Characteristics: Big-tooth aspen is a columnar tree 50-75 ft. tall. Toothed leaves are cottony-white on the lower surface, especially when the tree is young. The slender trunk’s whitish bark, becomes furrowed at base and darker gray with age. Silvery catkins appear before leaves. Deciduous foliage becomes golden-yellow in fall. Easily distinguishable from Quaking Aspen by the large curved teeth of leaf edges, mentioned in both common and scientific names. Like that species, Bigtooth Aspen is a pioneer tree after fires and logging and on abandoned fields, short-lived and replaced by conifers. The foliage, twig buds, and bark are consumed by wildlife.

Special Charcacteristics: Big toothed aspen is important for revegetating recently cut or burned land, holding soil in place and protecting other slower-growing species of plants.

Prairie-Smooth Brome

Smooth Brome Grass

Order: Cyperales

Family: Poaceae

Genus: Bromus

Species: B. inermis

General Characteristics: A rhizomatous, clump-forming, perennial grass bearing many light green (sometimes purple- or bronze-tinged), narrow, usually hairless spikelets in a loose, much-branched terminal cluster.

This drought-resistant Eurasian species was deliberately introduced into the United States around 1880 as a hay and pasture grass and for reseeding western ranges. It has since gone wild throughout the United States and much of Canada (except the far north) and is now one of our most common weedy grasses; in some areas it is considered an undesirable plant because of its aggressiveness. However, its deep roots make it an excellent soil binder, protecting against erosion. Relished by all kinds of livestock, it is a fine forage. The species name means unarmed, alluding to the spikelets, which do not have the long bristles characteristic of some of Smooth Bromes relatives. A rare variant has hairy spikelets.

Special Adaptations: Bromus inermis is a larval host and/or nectar source for the Orange-edged Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes fimbriata)

Prairie-Common Evening Primrose

Common Evening Primrose

Order: Mytales

Family: Onagraceae

Genus: Oenothera

Species: O. biennis

General Characteristics: At the top of a leafy stalk bloom lemon-scented, large yellow flowers. Stem hairy, often purple-tinged. King’s cure-all or common evening primrose is an erect, 2-6 ft. biennial with leafy, branched stems from a basal rosette. The bright-yellow, four-petaled flowers, up to 2 inches across, open at night. These fragrant flowers occur in a many-flowered, terminal spike.

The flowers of this night-flowering biennial open in the evening and close by noon. The plant takes 2 years to complete its life cycle, with basal leaves becoming established the first year, and flowering occurring the second. The roots are edible, and the seeds are important as bird feed. Most of the evening-primroses have yellow flowers. Showy Evening-primrose (O. speciosa) has pink or white flowers.

Special Adaptations: The flowers of this plant attract a variety of moths. Small mammals eat the roots and leaves of young plants. Birds eat the seeds. Deer graze older plants.

Prairie-Prairie Dropseed

Prairie Dropseed

Order: Cyperales

Family: Poaceae

Genus: Sporobolis

Species: S. heterolepis

General Characteristics: Prairie dropseed is a fine-textured, distinctive bunchgrass with leaves that curve gracefully outward forming large, round tufts. Delicate seedheads appear above the tuft in midsummer, rising 2 ft. high. Fall color is tan-bronze. Prairie dropseed is a perennial. Snow does not flatten the plant, so it is visible even in winter.

Special Characteristics: Decoction of root taken as an emetic "to remove bile."

Prairie-Indian Grass

Indian Grass

Order: Cyperales

Family: Poaceae

Genus: Sorghastrum

Species: S. nutans

General Characteristics: Indian grass is a tall, bunching sod-former, 3-8 ft. in height, with broad blue-green blades and a large, plume-like, soft, golden-brown seed head. This showy perennial’s fall color is deep orange to purple.This is a beautiful grass with a somewhat metallic golden sheen to its flowering parts. It is an important associate in the tallgrass prairies and is relished by livestock. It appears to be favored by occasional flooding and repeated burning and sometimes forms nearly pure stands in the lowlands. Warm-season grass with rich gold-and-purple sprays of flowers and seeds in the fall.

Special Adaptations: Sorghastrum nutans is a larval host and/or nectar source for the Pepper and Salt Skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon)

Prairie-Sky Blue Aster

Small Blue Aster

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Symphyotrichum

Species: S. oolentangiense

General Characteristics: The plant is an erect, perennial, 2'-3' tall forb

The flower head is 3/4"-1 1/3" wide with 10-25 blue to pink rays; bracts (phyllaries) with short, dark, diamond-shaped tip; inflorescence loose, branched cluster. It blooms Aug.-Oct. The leaf is mostly toward the bottom of the stem, thick, stiff, usually entire, lower leaves on long, often winged stalked, base usually heart-shaped, upper surface rough; upper leaves lance-like, stalkless but not clasping.

Special Characteristics: The flowers attract various insects, including small bees, flies, small to medium-sized butterflies, skippers, and wasps. Among these, Green Metallic bees and other Halictid bees are especially common visitors of the flowers, where they seek nectar or pollen. The caterpillars of the butterfly Chlosyne nycteis (Silvery Checkerspot) and several species of moth feed on this and other asters. The Wild Turkey and been observed feeding on the foliage and seeds of asters to a limited extent. Many mammalian herbivores occasionally eat this plant, even though it has low food value, including rabbits, deer, groundhogs, and livestock.