Plant Family Identification Motifs: patterns for simplifying the complexity
Instructor: Dr. Richard Abbott*
When:Saturday, July 30, 2022 Workshop has finished Time: 9am-4pm Eastern Time Where: Bernheim Arboretum & Forest, meet at the Garden Pavilion Cost: $25 /$10 for students Bring your own lunch, and wear hiking shoes
Using minimal basic vocabulary, approximately 30 plant families, and half a dozen artificial motifs, we will focus on plant identification patterns. Learning Kentucky plants within a global framework not only empowers confidence in knowing what you know, but enables identifying more than 130,000 plants to family globally and provides a solid foundation for incorporating other family patterns. Essentially, this workshop is an introduction to a way of thinking about how to organize botanical knowledge in a practical, applied way.
*About the Instructor
Dr. J. Richard Abbott, Assistant Professor of Biology, is the current Curator of the University of Arkansas Monticello Herbarium. At UAM, he teaches General Botany, Ecology, Medical Terminology, Regional Flora, and Plants in Our World and conducts floristic, systematic, and taxonomic research, especially with the milkwort family (Polygalaceae). He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology and German from Berea College in Kentucky and both M.S. degree and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Florida in Gainesville. His primary passion is teaching plant identification, using the local flora to understand global patterns. To that end, he is currently working to establish a living teaching collection on the UAM campus, with the ultimate goal of cultivating as many families and genera as possible.
Registration Form
Please fill out the form below to register for the workshop. The workshop is limited to 20 participants.
The Lady Slipper newsletter of the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been published since the Society’s founding in 1986. We occasionally feature an article from a past issue. This one, about a rare, and threatened, native vine, Clematis crispa, commonly known as Blue Jasmine or Swamp Leather-Flower, first appeared in the summer of 2013, Vol. 28, No. 2. If you would like to see other past issues, visit the Lady Slipper Archives, where all issues from Vol. 1, No. 1, February 1986 to Vol. 34, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2019 (after which we moved to this blog format) can be found.
One of the plants I look for every spring in western Kentucky is Clematis crispa, commonly known as Blue Jasmine or Swamp Leather-Flower. C. crispa is listed as “Threatened” by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves and is only known from the four western counties along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers – Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton. It occurs in a few counties across the rivers in southern Illinois and western Missouri and becomes more common as you head into the southern states.
As its name implies, this native clematis likes to grow in wetlands, floodplains and swamps. All of the sites where I’ve found this plant growing in Ballard and Carlisle counties are flooded for some portion of the year when the rivers decide to overflow their banks. In addition to enjoying getting its feet wet, C. crispa prefers a bright location and is usually found competing for sunlight along with all the other vine species that like to grow in swampy conditions. The stems of this herbaceous vine grow to a length of 6- 10 feet and the plants die back to ground level each winter. The flowers consist of four sepals (no petals) that curl backwards resulting in an urn-like appearance.
Finding this plant in the field is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Searching for the purple-blue flowers before the neighboring vines have put out all of their foliage affords the best chance for success. Another option that requires good eyesight is to search for the distinctive seed pods, sometimes referred to as “Devil’s Darning Needles” in the fall.
Two additional native clematis species that can be found in western Kentucky include C. pitcheri (Bluebill) and C. virginiana (Virgin’s Bower). Differentiating C. crispa from C. pitcheri is best accomplished by examining the undersides of the leaves. C. pitcheri exhibits a prominent raised network of veins which are absent on C. crispa.
A quick internet search turned up several native plant nurseries where Swamp Leather- Flower can be purchased. From the planting advice given on these sites it apparently does well when grown in containers and I’m guessing it would make a nice addition to an outdoor pond or water garden
By Sandra Elliott, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) caterpillar on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) leaf. Photo by Sandra Elliott.
Of all the pollinators native to Kentucky, the monarch is likely one of the most recognized. This universally known insect is one of the first to come to mind when someone says “butterfly.” These striking orange and black butterflies will migrate up to 3,000 miles each year, spanning three to four generations.
The starting line of this year-long marathon is in the mountains of Mexico where adult butterflies that have migrated south have overwintered in oyamel fir forests. These monarchs take flight in early spring and reproduce in northern Mexico and the southern US to create Generation 1.
This generation of monarchs will head north as adults and breed along the way. Generation 2, the offspring of the previous migratory parents, will grow and head north as well in early summer. Generations 3 and 4 will be laid in the northern US and southern Canada. This last generation will become adults at the northern limits of their range and will begin their travels south to the overwintering grounds in Mexico in late summer and early fall. These are the butterflies that will kick off the next round of migrations like their great-great grandparents.
Milkweed for monarch success
In order for this year long migration of multiple generations to be successful, monarch butterflies depend on flowering plants to first fuel their own bodies for flight and reproduction, and second to be a breeding ground and food source for their offspring. The most important of these plants are the milkweeds that are the obligatory nursery plants of monarch caterpillars. Monarchs will only lay eggs on the leaves of milkweed, and these are the only plants that sustain the growing caterpillars. Unfortunately, there has been a great loss of monarch habitat and the monarch butterfly is being considered for listing as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.
Within the state of Kentucky, there is a great deal of support for the conservation of the monarch butterfly. Both agencies and individuals are putting forth efforts to increase habitat area for monarchs, and for other pollinators native to the state as well. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources set forth by developing the Kentucky Monarch Conservation Plan in collaboration with other monarch stakeholders.
The Plan outlines goals and strategies for the conservation of the butterfly and its habitat. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture developed the Kentucky Pollinator Protection Plan, and a multitude of other state agencies, entities and private organizations participate in the Kentucky Pollinator Stakeholder Group to conserve both monarchs and pollinators in the state. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has had a large hand in developing about 200 acres of pollinator habitat. Roadsides, interstate rest areas, and interchanges are a few places that KYTC has developed for pollinators. You can see these eye-catching Pollinator Habitat Zones on the sides of interstates, and you can even see these bright pops of color bordering elevated lanes in the heart of Louisville.
Even organizations that specialize in native game birds and that have initiatives to restore native grassland habitat for quail and pheasants also have the monarch in mind. There are so many animals that benefit from promoting the regeneration of grasslands native to Kentucky just by virtue of being native; native pollinator plants are able to thrive when lands are managed to maintain these grasslands. These agencies and organizations have the ultimate goal of improving habitats for all native species, not just the few they are targeting for conservation.
Monarchs are also assisted by individuals like you. Planting small monarch gardens wherever there is space for them is one way people help boost pollinator habitat area. These gardens can also be registered with MonarchWatch.org as waystations so all contributions can be tracked and appreciated. In Kentucky alone, there are currently 957 waystations registered! The most crucial part of planting and maintaining a monarch garden is including milkweed. Much of it grows wild across the state! Butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa), common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) are three that are common in Kentucky.
Monarchs will also utilize other flowers as nectar sources, and it’s important to provide plants that flower throughout the year so monarchs have sources of energy during both the breeding season as well as during their migration south in the fall. Aside from milkweed, black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), beebalm (Monarda didyma), mountain mint (Pycnanthemum), goldenrod (Solidago), blazing star (Liatris), ironweed (Vernonia), and smooth aster (Symphyotrichum) are just a few of many native pollinator plants that could be included in monarch gardens to attract a variety of pollinators. The Kentucky Native Plant Society maintains a list of native plant vendors across the state to help those who are looking for plant resources: https://www.knps.org/native-plant-nurseries/.
What can you do if you don’t have the space for a garden? Participating in community science initiatives aids in spreading awareness and education about the current challenges faced by the monarch butterfly. There are opportunities to track monarchs along their migration route (visit monarchjointventure.org and journeynorth.org to learn more). A monarch you help tag in the fall could be recorded in Mexico! Follow us on Facebook at “Kentucky Monarchs” as we share information and links related to monarch butterflies in Kentucky, and remember that no effort is too small to help conserve monarchs!
Sandra Elliott is an at-risk species technician with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Prairie dropseed ((Sporobolus heterolepis). Photo: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Years ago, when I started planting native species for wildlife, I planted trees and flowers. My commitment to natives is strong, and I’ve restored nearly half of my property with native species of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. Only one thing is missing, and that’s native grasses. Native grasslands and savannah are part of Kentucky’s rich natural heritage.
Native grasses provide a showy, functional addition to the backyard, the field corner, or the fencerow. At the time, I didn’t know the many benefits for our native wildlife that native grasses offer.
Improve ecosystem function
At the heart of every successful garden is the right soil. Regardless of your soil type, keeping topsoil and runoff in your urban yard can be a challenge. Traditional lawns can prevent erosion and runoff under ideal conditions, but native landscaping protects soil and water from more extreme weather events with fewer inputs. Some people plant rain gardens to prevent run-off but native grasses are also good at holding soil in place thanks to their long, fibrous, strong roots. Grasses help build organic matter and increase water infiltration. It doesn’t hurt that they require little maintenance and that they’re beautiful.
Native grasses also have reduced soil fertility requirements in comparison to many introduced species. Work from Kentucky and Tennessee suggests that most soils can support these grasses with modest additions of P and K (Potassium and Phosphorus) both of which can come from compost or the regular breakdown of organic matter in the yard. Native grasses can make a yard more of a closed loop for cycling nutrients.
Improve habitat
Until I started following the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources program on how native grasses benefit songbirds, I had no idea how important native grasses are to wildlife. I was aware of how game birds, such as quail, benefit from native grasses, but almost everything benefits from native grasses. Songbirds benefit from the insects, grass seed, and habitat available in native grasses. The open space at the ground level allows baby birds to move freely and the cover of native grasses provides protection from predators.
Eastern bottlebrush (Elymus hystrix L.). Photo Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native grasses are host to a number of butterfly and moth species in their larval stage. Rebuilding these populations will help rebuild the bird populations as many feed caterpillars to the young. While not every yard might produce a full ecosystem, there’s research underway at Virginia Tech about how to use native grasses and wildflowers to produce bee-friendly beef.
Establishing native grasses
Converting current lawns or garden space to native grasses requires some planning and preparation. The easiest areas to convert towards native grasses are formerly wooded areas or cropland. In subdivisions, this might be a new home. Old pastures and lawns can be difficult to convert to native grasses because of the existing weed issues present. That said, attention to detail can make areas work for native grasses.
Start with a soil test from the University of Kentucky to get a baseline for any fertility adjustments. Killing existing vegetation needs to be as effective as possible. Research across the mid-South currently leans towards a “spray-smother-spray” approach where the current vegetation is killed, a competitive smother crop is grown to outcompete any surviving weeds, and then that crop is killed prior to planting native grasses. In your urban yard, an organic alternative might be to use solarization, tillage, or intensive mowing to kill existing vegetation.
Depending on the area to cover, one might consider buying seed or plugs. For plugs, assume that a native grass plant can be anywhere from one to three feet in diameter, so be sure to plan accordingly. Seeding can be a challenge given the seed is fluffy; try mixing the seed with play sand, cracked corn, or pelletized lime to make it easier to broadcast. Native grass seeding rates can vary, but plan to eventually get at least 1 seedling per square foot of allotted space.
Limiting weed competition is crucial in the establishment period, as has been seen in recent work from Virginia Tech. Introduced annual grasses, such as foxtails and crabgrass, can be hard to control in native stands. If using plugs, consider mulching around plants with straw.
When considering where to add native grasses to your landscaping, keep in mind that they’re difficult to move once established. The only non-chemical way to remove them is to mow them to the ground several times over the next few growing seasons.
We only live in a lighter sea and so hear and see, in Summer’s cottonwood crowns, South Sea breakers where big salt lands.
Wax is buffed to green crystal shine. As thousands of gimbeling leaves dance and flash at Summer’s height. A welcome sound of moist air comes over the ridges, all free as a breeze.
June 20th-26th is National Pollinator Week, an annual internationally celebrated event to educate, support and celebrate all things pollinator conservation. As plant enthusiasts, we have an appreciation and respect for pollinators’ complex and fascinating relationship to plant reproduction. The most well-known pollinator is probably the Monarch Butterfly, which has been reared by school children for decades in lessons about the butterfly life cycle. The monarch has captured the wonder of the public with its spectacular migration, with millions of monarchs traveling up to 3,000 miles to central Mexico and the California coast to overwinter annually.
Monarch Butterfly: Spring & Fall Migrations in North America, map by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Unfortunately, since the mid-1990s, the eastern monarch population (accounting for 99% of all North American monarchs) has declined by approximately 85%. There are six major threats to monarchs that have caused this major decline: loss of breeding habitat, climate change, loss of overwintering habitat, natural enemies, pesticides, and general anthropogenic factors. In response to the population loss, monarchs are currently on the candidate waiting list for Endangered Species Act protection. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a 2024 deadline to propose them for protection as threatened.
Mexico’s Commission of Natural Resources and WWF Mexico conduct annual counts of monarchs in the overwintering locations, oyamel fir forests of high-elevation mountaintops in central Mexico. To truly count millions of monarchs would be a monumental task, therefore the population is reported as an estimation of area of monarch populated overwintering habitat. The most recent count was reported as 7 acres (2.84 hectare) of occupied overwinter habitat, which is well below the 14.8 acres (6 hectare) threshold scientists say is needed to keep the monarch out of the risk of extinction in North America.
2022 Eastern Migratory Monarch Winter Population. Credit: Center for Biological Diversity.
In the United States, monarchs have lost up to 165 million acres of breeding habitat due to herbicide use and anthropogenic development. Monarchs rely on milkweed species (Asclepias sp.) as a host for laying eggs and as food when they are caterpillars. Historically, milkweed species were much more widespread and abundant. Between 1999 and 2012, milkweed numbers across the midwest declined by an estimated 64% due to threats such as habitat loss, anthropogenic development, and herbicide use.
One of the easiest things to do to help monarch populations is to provide breeding habitat by planting native milkweeds. Kentucky has 13 native milkweeds, and several species are available at native plant nurseries across the state.
List of Kentucky Resources for Purchasing Milkweed
Clasping Milkweed is found in sandhills, barrens, woodlands, and dry, sandy or gravelly soils. Its common name refers to the way the opposite leaf bases wrap around or “clasp” the stem. The Clasping Milkweed is an upright milkweed with an unbranched stem, with a single rounded cluster of pink purple flowers at the top. The flowers have a sweet fragrance similar to that of roses and cloves. This species is uncommon throughout Kentucky.
Asclepias exaltata, Poke Milkweed
The Poke Milkweed can be found in moist forests, slopes and forest margins. It has petioled, non-linear, opposite leaves that occur along erect to ascending stems. The flower umbels are relatively open and droop from long pedicels. Flowers of the Poke Milkweed are bi-colored, displaying a lovely composition of green to pale purple petals and white to light pink hoods and column. This species is uncommon in Kentucky, occurring in the Appalachian Plateau and Interior Low Plateau.
The Prairie Milkweed is a State Threatened milkweed species that occurs in limestone glades and prairies. It has erect to ascending stems that can range from glabrous to densely pubescent, with widely spreading to ascending alternate, linear leaves. Flowers develop from the axils of the middle to upper leaves, occurring in dense globoid umbels of white to green flowers.
Asclepias incarnata var. incarnata, Swamp Milkweed
Swamp Milkweed occurs commonly across Kentucky in swamps, marshes, and other wet areas, especially over limestones and calcareous shale. The stems are erect to ascending, with course, petiolate leafs in an opposite arrangement. The flowers occur in flat umbels atop the stem, with vibrant pink flowers that have a fragrance similar to cinnamon.
Aquatic Milkweed occurs commonly in the Coastal Plain of Kentucky, occurring in cypress-gum swamps, bottomland hardwood forests, and marshes. The stems are erect, with short petioled leaves in an opposite arrangement. Flowers occur in flat umbels atop the stem or in the axils, with white to pale pink coloration.
Asclepias purpurascens, Purple Milkweed (State Special Concern)
Purple Milkweed is a State Special Concern milkweed that occurs throughout Kentucky in openings in moist bottomlands and swamp forests, prairies and woodlands. The steams are erect, with large opposite leaves up to 6 inches long. Deep purple flowers occur in relatively dense rounded umbels, with up to 6 umbels occurring terminally on the stem.
Asclepias quadrifolia, Four-leaf Milkweed
Four-leaf Milkweed occurs commonly in the Interior Low Plateau and Appalachian Plateau of Kentucky in moist forest and forest margins. This species has erect stems with both mid-stem whorled leaves and opposite leaves. The small pink and white flowers occur in umbels atop the stem, with relatively few flowers per umbel.
Asclepias syriaca, Common Milkweed
Common Milkweed, as its name implies, is common throughout Kentucky in pastures, roadsides and disturbed areas. This tall milkweed has stout erect stems, with large sessile leaves in an opposite arrangement. The flowers occur in large dense umbels of pink to purple flowers, with an attractive fragrance.
Butterflyweed is a species of milkweed that occurs across Kentucky in woodland margins, roadsides and pastures. This species can be easily identified by its vibrant orange flowers, which occur in terminal clusters. The stems are erect to ascending, with sessile to short petiolate leaves in an opposite arrangement. Unlike other milkweeds, Butterflyweed does not have milky sap.
Redring Milkweed is an uncommon species that occurs across Kentucky in upland forests and woodlands. This species has a single narrow stem, with petiolate leaves in an opposite arrangement. The flowers occur in spherical umbels, with white flowers with a red ring around the middle, giving it it’s common name.
The Whorled Milkweed is an uncommon milkweed that occurs across Kentucky in barrens, thin soils of rock outcrops, open woodlands, pine flatwoods, and road and powerline right-of-ways. This species has erect stems with sessile, linear leafs in a whorled arrangement. The fragrant greenish white flowers occur in umbellate cymes in the upper leaf axils and stem ends.
The Green Milkweed is an uncommon milkweed that occurs across Kentucky in open woodlands, woodland edges, barrens, glades, and disturbed areas. This species has an erect stem with elliptical leaves in an opposite arrangement. Pale green flower clusters occur in the upper leaf axils of the plant.
Asclepias viridis, Spider Milkweed
Spider Milkweed occurs across Kentucky and occurs in prairies, dry woodlands, calcareous hammocks, and pine rocklands. The stems are ascending, with course textured leaves with short petioles in alternate to sub-opposite arrangement. The large flowers are green, purple and white, without horns, occurring in a solitary umbel atop the stem.
Southeast Medicinal Plants is a guide for foraging wild medicinal plants in the United States southeast. I was hoping for an ethical review of the subject, and I wasn’t disappointed. My first stop was ginseng and here’s the first sentence: “This book is sharing how to identify ginseng (aka American ginseng) so you can observe it, not to harvest it.”
American ginseng is unethically and illegally wild-harvested throughout the Appalachians, which is quickly decimating wild populations. I appreciate the author’s honesty and his encouragement to grow your own or purchase only from reputable sources who don’t harvest from the wild.
The book’s first section is a guide on how to identify, harvest and use medicinal plants. The greater part of the book is an alphabetical guide to medicinal plants. Each plant includes a clear picture, information on how to identify the plant in the wild, where and how to wildcraft the plant and finally, how to prepare it for medicinal use. Harvesting information specifies methods for doing the least damage to the plant.
My favorite part of each section is “Future harvests.” The author identifies plants that have unusual growing habits or is of ecological concern, so you know whether harvesting what you’ve found is safe and ethical.
Given the nature of this book, it includes some non-native and often invasive plants. That isn’t a criticism; I’m all for harvesting invasives. I hope in a future edition, the author decides to use the term “invasive” and encourage foragers not to grow them on their property.
Coreypine Shane is founder of the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine in Asheville, North Carolina. He has advised clients, taught classes, and presenter lectures for more than 25 years. He hosts a web sit at blueridgeschool.org.
