200 photos – 56 keepers
I was short of sleep but I wanted to get out. I would go out
briefly with a very short list of things to do. I’d check the Toxicodendron
rydbergii, poison ivy for blossoms, I would look for the Daucus carota, wild
carrot I found along the upper main trail last year, I would check both Lomatium
for bilateral florets at the edges, I would watch for Erigeron compositus,
cutleaf fleabane that have gone to seed. And I wanted to dissect a Tragopogon
dubius, yellow goat’s beard. It occurred to me that T. dubius, like
Balsamorhiza sagittata, balsamroot, was a rather large Asteraceae so it should
be easy to dissect. It should be in bloom. [It didn’t seem to be in bloom as
yet. The plants I saw were small though they bulged with blossoms.]
It didn’t occur to me that it was Mid-May, the height of the
wildflower season and there would be lots of interesting things to look at.
I got to the park about 1:30 p. m., too late for open T.
dubius but I would still see the thickened enclosed blossoms. I was there 2
hours and took 200 photos. Only 56 keepers. Lots of trash. Maybe a problem with
camera settings.
I parked at the east end, arranging the car so there would
be good light on my makeshift worktable in back … I didn’t make use of it.
*
The poison ivy is in the thicket east of south pond. It
seems like there is a lot more than last year. It was in fruit, again. No sign
of a blossom. Needless to say, I didn’t wade into it to be sure there were no
late blossoms.
When I saw the fruit last year I assumed it was past
blossoming. When I got the images into the computer this year I noticed that
the stems on the fruit looked very old. And there were green structures above
them. It seemed that the green structures were buds, that the plants had not
bloomed as yet.
I wonder what animals feed on the fruits of poison ivy?
There must be none that visit the park. These fruits look undisturbed.
I noticed that the tree shading the poison ivy had leaves of
the same shape as those of the poison ivy. That frightened me. I had been
brushing it getting a face full, trying to get close to the poison ivy but it
occurred to me that poison ivy probably never grew to be a substantial tree.
[It’s Acer negundo, box elder.]
*
On the way out of the thicket I noticed Cornus sericea, red
osier dogwood in bloom and remembered that I wanted to compare these blossoms
with those on the patch at the west end of the park.
*
I searched the south side of the main trail carefully and
found no sign at all of D. carota.
*
I did notice white flowers on the north side of the trail, a
buckwheat. I found another buckwheat later that was either ‘earlier’ … mostly
in bud … or another species or variety. The leaves looked similar but not the
same. The basal leaves of the first plant seemed to have petioles [leaf
stalks], the leaves of the second seemed sessile …. not to have petioles.
All that required a hell of a lot of poking around on the
internet. Now I think they are the same plant, Eriogonum heracleoides and what
appeared to be petioles were stolons, ‘stems’ growing away from the plant,
horizontally. The ‘nodes’ of the stolon would develop roots and the plant would
spread, becoming a patch of plants. Dense patches of plants are characteristic
of all Eriogonum.
*
I noticed the foliage of Asclepias speciosa, showy milkweed
developing on the north side of the main trail just beyond junction pine. It
will be thick and high later in the year, a large patch of plants. It’s sparse
now.
It has perhaps the most spectacular blossom in the park.
I haven’t noticed monarch butterflies on the blossoms. I
keep hoping they visit the park on their migration and, of course, that I see
them and get photos.
*
Just beyond junction-pine there is an almost unnoticeable
swale that must have some sub-irrigation. There are plants to be found there
that are found nowhere else in the park except in ‘beach’ regions of north pond
well after the water has receded.
I looked carefully but saw nothing of interest at this time.
It has been a dry year.
*
However, above, behind and to the south of that area was a
Balsamorhiza sagittata, balsamroot that looked to be in good shape.
I thought I would have to leave the park and find plants at
significantly higher elevations to see them in full bloom this late.
When I got to the plant I saw that it was in a lot better
shape than the others I had seen but it, too, was fading.
I spent a lot of time, there, dissecting a blossom and
photographing specimens I had taken earlier. I wanted to improve my photo of
Microsteris gracilis, slender phlox, and to record a more mature Lithospermum
arvense, corn gromwell. My photos of L. arvense were worthless.
I had a specimen of Lomatium triternatum, 9 leaf biscuitroot
and worked it over thoroughly, looking for odd blossoms. I don’t think I found
any. I haven’t looked at them on the computer as yet. [These photos, too, were
worthless. I don’t know why. I wonder if the camera battery was weak, if it
would cause a problem with focus if it was weak. I dinked with the ‘ev’ setting
to brighten the monitor. I wish I could remember at what point I did that.]
*
Lewisia rediviva, bitterroot is in bloom. I notice that they
are Montiaceae Family. That seems a little odd.
*
I turned off the main trail onto the scabrock looking for
Erigeron compositus, cutleaf fleabane in seed. I found none. I took a specimen
of E. compositus that was maturing and dissected it looking for images of the
shape of the fruit before the pappus opens.
*
I noticed a Potentilla arguta, tall cinquefoil and recorded
it. That’s the ‘scientific name’ I found in Burke. My plant lists have three
species of Potentilla none are P. arguta. I need to straighten that out.
[I just Googled P. arguta to verified the spelling.
Wikipedia says it is also called ‘sulfur cinquefoil’ and ‘sticky cinquefoil’.
It is very sticky. My plant-list has P. glandulosa listed as ‘sticky
cinquefoil’. Burke doesn’t have P. glandulosa. It does have the other two
Potentilla, P. recta and P. gracilis.]
*
Ceanothus sanguineus, Oregon
tea tree was in full bloom, spectacular for a scraggly little thing. Cinderella
come to the spring ball.
*
I walked the area that would have been inundated by north
pond in a wetter spring, just above the invasive grass where I have found many
odd plant species in the past. Almost nothing was happening. The wild geranium
foliage was flourishing. I didn’t check for buds.
I noticed almost invisible flowers on an almost invisible
wire stem and took it. It was the tiniest imaginable Boechera pendulocarpa,
Holboell’s rockcress. I couldn’t believe it.
That turned into another internet problem. My plant list has
Arabis Holboellii but I am taking Burke for my authority. Burke has Boechera
pendulocarpa. Burke lists several Arabis species and at least one looks similar
but not the same as this plant.
*
I also took a Plagiobothrys scouleri, popcorn flower from
the north pond ‘flat’.
THE PHOTOS
Toxicodendron rydbergii, poison ivy – Anacardiaceae family
0110-0170
0110 the patch is more than twice as large as the portion in
the photo.
0130-0170 I am supposing the fruit is from last year, the
stems look dead. And I suppose the green structures are buds, not yet in bloom.
Acer negundo, box elder – Sapindaceae family
0210 These are the leaves of the tree above the poison ivy.
It seems to be Acer negundo, box elder.
Cornus sericea, red osier dogwood – Cornaceae family
0310-0320
Eriogonum heracleoides, parsnip flowered buckwheat – Polygonaceae
family
0410-0470
0410 I found a buckwheat plant in full flower by the
main-trail, the plant on the left. Later I found the plant on the right. It
seemed to me that they were sufficiently different that they might be two
species, at least two varieties. However I remember reading that there is a lot
of variation in Eriogonum.
The plants are not the same size, the plant on the left is
considerably taller than the plant on the right. Yes. I should have the
measurements. I don’t.
The major deception was what I supposed were petioles on the
plant on the left and the breadth of the leaves and the size of the involucre
bracts.
Now I believe both plants are Eriogonum heracleoides. I
believe the apparent leaf petioles to be stolon.
0450 Both photos are of the Eriogonum in full bloom. I will
have to remember to look at more plants to see if this bud structure with
blossoms above is usual. I suspect it is not … so … back to the possibility
that they are two species or two varieties?
I searched Burke and Carr for photos and there were only two
Eriogonum listed with cream colored blossoms and similar form, L. heracleoides
and L. douglasii. Neither the photos nor the text in Burke provided me with a
definitive identification.
L. heracleoides often, not always, has a pair of cauline
leaves. I never see those. Well. I’ve never noticed them. Both species are said
to have gray leaves but Carr has some photos with green leaves. Some Carr
photos have linear leaves, some oblate leaves. That seems to be permitted
according to Burke text. But Burke text claims long petioles for leaves for E.
Heracleoides. No mention of petiolate leaves … nor sessile leaves, for all
that, in E. Douglasii text.
0460 A leaf from the plant in full bloom. Is the extension a
petiole or is it a stolon?
Aesclepias spe365osa, showy milkweed – Asclepiadaceae family
Another vocabulary problem. Asclepiadaceae is no longer a
family, it is now a sub-family of the Apocynaceae family. I think that’s the
dogbane family. [And so it is.]
510 This area will be thick with this foliage, later and it
will be rather tall … waist deep, if your waist isn’t too high up. Probably
thigh deep, actually.
Balsamorhiza sagittata, balsamroot – Asteraceae family
0610-0695
I felt very lucky to have found this plant.
0620-0650 There are the petal-like lobes on the corolla
tube. The striped anther tube reaching
up above the corolla tube, the arcing stigma above the anther tube are plain to
see.
660 A ray floret attached to a disk floret.
670 Seems to be the style of a ray floret, atrophied, now.
680 A fruit with an involucre bract.
695 An involucre bract.
Clouds
710
Microsteris gracilis, slender phlox – Polemoniaceae
810-820
Lithospermum arvense, corn gromwell – Boraginaceae family
No 900 photos – all worthless
Lomatium triternatum, 9 leaf biscuitroot – Apiaceae Family
1010-1030
These are just crappy reminders to me to do it better next
time. They show anthers. They may show stigma.
I need to do some reading about the large green structures.
Something about them sticks in my mind … but not sufficiently tightly.
Lewisia rediviva, bitterroot – Montiaceae family
1110-1140
1140 is a look at the strange long stigma. Apparently they
will erect and join, later. Refer back to 1110.
Potentilla arguta, tall cinquefoil – Rosaceae family
1210-1230
My photo of the P. arguta plant was a mess.
And I failed to get an adequate photo of the leaf. The leaf has
to be pinnate and I believe it is but I need to verify that.
This is one of the few [two that I recall] Rosaceae family
herbs in the park. I need to read more about that. There are several Rosaceae
shrubs.
1230 One of the common names is ‘sticky cinquefoil’. It is
very sticky.
Ceanothus sanguineus,
1310-1380
This is one of several instances of a single shrub
representing the species in the park. I suppose all of the ‘singles’ are imported.
C. sanguineus is also called ‘a wild lilac’. Lilac-like is a
fun phrase. Say that real fast.
Dead branches sticking out of the foliage are frequent if
not characteristic.
This plant requires fire to propagate. The fruits are said
to explode in fire.
The inflorescence is said to be a ‘panicle’. The common
lilac is a panicle. [‘Panicle’ is a term Google sources seem to have some
difficulty with. One source calls it ‘a branched raceme’.]
1320 The inflorescence develops on a woody twig, last year’s
growth.
1325 shows the branches of the raceme.
1350-1380 This is quite an odd looking blossom. I can’t find
ANYTHING … well, much … about the blossom. The flowers look like they have a
sepal tube.
One source mentions the dome visible in 1350 and 1360 as
covering the ovary.
Erigeron compositus, cutleaf daisy – Asteraceae family
1410-1440
Once again the ‘plant photo’ was bleached.
This plant is a couple of inches tall … maybe three inches.
Yes, my tape measure was in my pouch.
1420-1440 E. compositus disk florets, cypsela with pappus. The
lower portion will be the fruit, the ‘bristles’ the pappus. The pappus is a
modified calyx. A calyx is made of bracts. Bracts are modified leaves. The
bristles don’t look much like leaves.
Boechera pendulocarpa, Holboell’s rockcress – Brassicaceae
1510
Again, the plant photo was worthless.
I expect to find B. pendulocarpa in dry environments. This
was quite near the edge of the flat usually flooded by north pond in spring.
It was unimaginably small. Well. Taller than E. compositus
but the blossoms were mere specks. The stem was like fine wire. Like, maybe 4
pound monofilament or even finer.
The plant would usually be a foot or more tall.
Plagiobothrys scouleri, popcorn flower - Boraginaceae
1610-1630
The P. scouleri was also from north pond flat. It, too, was
nearly lost in deep grass.
***************************************************************
***************************************************************
Vocabulary problems; help if you can
The so-called female reproductive organs collectively,
whether a single carpel or multiple carpels, are referred to as the gynoecium.
Some sources still use the term ‘pistil’ as a synonym for gynoecium
but the term ‘pistil’ seems to be going out of style.
If the gynoecium is single, it is called ‘a carpel’.
A carpel is an ovary, a style and a stigma. The ovary, style
and stigma are only regions of the carpel.
*
The ovary is the lower, enlarged portion of the carpel.
The ovary wall is the wall of the carpel. The terms would be
synonymous if the term ‘carpel wall’ was ever used. I don’t see it used.
The pericarp is a mature ovary wall.
A fruit is a pericarp, is an ovary wall, is the wall of the
carpel. [In some plants it is also called a valve. Those would be dehiscent
fruits.]
A fruit encloses a seed or some seeds. But the seed is not a
‘part’ of a fruit. A fruit is a pericarp enclosing a seed or seeds.
A fruit is dehiscent or indehiscent, it opens at maturity or
does not open at maturity.
If a fruit is dehiscent how does the seed get out? A rotting
process? Perhaps it swells and bursts the pericarp as it grows.
*
An achene is a dry fruit, presumably derived from a superior
ovary.
A cypsela is achene-like but is derived from an inferior
ovary. Because it is derived from an inferior ovary it has the calyx/pappus
attached.
I presume Asteraceae fruit to be cypsela.
*
Superior ovary, inferior ovary – carpel.
An inferior ovary is surrounded by a hypanthium. So the
enlarged base of the carpel is surrounded by a hypanthium.
Start again:
The carpel is attached to the stem.
The point of attachment on the stem is ‘the receptacle’.
The receptacle is [usually? always?] swollen … enlarged.
All of the reproductive parts of the plant are attached to
the receptacle.
If the carpel sets on a relatively flat receptacle with the
petals and sepals attached near the base of the carpel, [The enlarged base of
the carpel is called, ‘the ovary’] the ovary is said to be superior.
If the receptacle surrounds the base of the carpel, that is,
surrounds the ovary, the ovary is said to have a hypanthium and the ovary is
said to be inferior. The petals and sepals will be attached to the receptacle
[the hypanthium] above the ovary [the enlarged base of the carpel].
Restated: The carpel and the other parts of the flower are
attached to the plant stem. The petals, sepals and stamen attach to the rim of
the flower stem, around the carpel.
If the plant stem is rather flat on top with the carpel
attached the plant stem is said to have a ‘superior ovary’. [The ovary is the
enlarged bottom of the carpel.]
The plant stem may enclose the base of the carpel, partially
or completely. When it does, the sepals, petals and stamen still attach to the
rim of the plant stem, around the carpel, but they are partially or totally
above the enlarged base of the carpel, the ovary.
If the enlarged base of the carpel, the ovary, is enclosed
in the plant stem the plant is said to have an ‘inferior ovary’.
The enlarged base of the carpel may be only partially
enclosed. Some sources say these plants have ‘half-inferior’ ovaries. Other
sources consider them plants with inferior ovaries.
*
The endosperm is a supply of food within a seed to nourish
the fertilized ‘egg’. [The megaspore?]
It is presumably also a supply of food for us and other
animals.
If animals eat an achene for its endosperm the seed is
destroyed. An achene seed would not be merely freed of it’s pericarp in an
animal digestive tract, ready to propagate the plant when it is excreted.
*
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