Myrica gale

Myrica gale (sweet gale) is in the Myricaceae (sweet gale) family. Only other western WA native of this family is Myrica californica (California wax-myrtle = aka Morella californica) easily distinguishable by evergreen foliage and a range that is strictly coastal. M. gale's foliage is deciduous, covered in yellow dots/glands and is oblanceolate in shape. Occurs in coastal swamps and lowland to mountain bogs. Bark is almost reminiscent of Prunus (cherry) striations, glossy with distinctly horizontal lenticels. Flowers are catkins and the species is dioecious. Male catkins are considerably longer (10 - 30 mm) than female catkins (5-10 mm).

Utriculata inflata

Utriculata inflata (swollen bladderwort) is an introduced weed from the eastern US and is in the family Lentibulariaceae (the bladderwort family). Species native to western Washington in this family include U. minor (lesser bl.), U. macrorhiza (greater bl.), U. intermedia (flat-leaved bl.), U. gibba (humped bl.) and Pinguicula macroceras (common butterwort). The Utriculata species are quite easy to tell apart based upon leaf shape and bladder shape and location. All occur in slow moving or standing water. This individual was photographed at Grass Lake in Olympia.

The bladders of this species are photographed below. The valves of the bladders open when prey agitate trigger hairs. Small crustaceans and protozoa are trapped in the bladders and broken down by plant enzymes, providing the plants with nutrients. Most, if not all of the bladderwort species are rootless and occur suspended in the water column with much-reduced, heavily-dissected leaves that would not allow for much photosynthesis (hence it's carnivorous nature).

Euonymus occidentalis

At the first pass I had no idea what this was - opposite arrangement so immediately, the options narrowed. The first individual I came across was not in fruit so based upon the leaves and buds I thought "A small Cornus nuttallii? No." Buds were dead wrong and no parallel veination. Then when I came across an individual in fruit there was no doubt: the rare Euonymus occidentalis (western wahoo/burning bush) - Celastraceae. A great place to see this species is Lewis and Clark State Park near Mary's Corner, WA - it's all along the main hiking trail that spurs off the interpretive trail. Not common enough to merit a photograph in Pojar - it's listed under Pachistima myrsinites (Oregon box) also in the Celastraceae family.













The inflorescence of the western wahoo are greenish-purplish to purplish-red (I've yet to see this in reallife - but in photographs, similar in color to the bloom of Asarum caudatum) - Hitchcock describes the flowers as "mostly 3-flowered axillary cymes". What is the fruit all about? - pictured above, with seeds covered by a reddish-orange aril (in Hitchcock - "fruit a 4-5-celled leathery capsule, seeds arillate"), Pojar describes the fruit to be similar in construction to a cashew. I was careful not to disturb the individuals I found - but if any readers have information on how this fruit is put together - I would love to hear about it. This species is of "threatened" conservation status and the ones I came across, I let be.

How about some more terms:
aril = an appendage growing at or near the hilum of a seed; fleshy thickening of the seed coat, as in Taxus.
hilum = a scar on a seed indicating its point of attachment (How great to have a term for this!)
cyme = a flat-topped or round-topped determinate inflorescence, paniculate, in which the terminal flower blooms first.
determinate = describes an inflorescence in which the terminal flower blooms first, halting further elongation of the main axis (all Harris and Harris).

Viburnum ellipticum

A great place to see Viburnum ellipticum (oval-leaved viburnum) is Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge's Oaks to Wetlands Trail in the Carty Unit. At first glance I thought maybe this could be Philadelphus lewisii (mock-orange) because of the opposite arrangement and multi-stemmed, sprawling habit. But the leaves seemed too broad - leaves in Hitchcock are described as "coarsely and often rather bluntly toothed, not at all trilobed" - like the other two native species of Viburnum (Viburnum opulus, cranberry tree and Viburnum edule, highbush cranberry) - and "acutish to rounded at tip." This species is in the Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle) family and is not very common around my parts (Thurston county), at least in my experience. If dormant, this species could also be confused with Euonymous occidentalis (western wahoo).

Acute = tapering to a pointed apex with more or less straight sides. (Harris and Harris).

Stuckenia pectinata

Stuckenia pectinata (sago pondweed) - Potamogetonaceae. This is a rooted submersed aquatic species that is native throughout North America. The spike is comprised of whorls of flowers and the resulting fruits are clusters of semifleshy achenes (shown in upper right corner of photo). Stems are terete and dichotomously branched. Open, extremely long modified stipules make this species easy to identify from other similar pondweeds (you'll want to call these stipules ligules at first glance). See explanation in 'Aquatic and Riparian Weeds of the West' by DiTomaso and Healy (lots of good information on natives in that book). This species is Potamogeton pectinatus in Hitchcock.
Some terms:
Dichotomous = branched or forked into two more or less equal divisions. Terete = round in cross-section; cylindrical. Achene = a small, dry, indehiscent fruit with a single locule and a single seed (ovule), and with the seed attached to the ovary wall at a single point. Locule = the chamber or cavity of an organ, as in the cell of an ovary containing the seed or the pollen bearing compartment of an anther.

Saxifraga oregana

Another member of the Saxifragaceae family is pictured to the left: Saxifraga oregana (Oregon saxifrage). This beauty was photographed near the upper Deschutes river. A detail of the inflorescence is pictured below. This species occurs in bogs, wet meadows or streambanks. This individual occurred alongside Fritillaria lanceolata (chocolate lily) and Trillium chloropetalum (sessile trillium), two members of the Liliaceae family.Leaves of this species are quite large for the family, generally greater than 5 cm in length with the characteristic wavy margins. ("sinuate or remotely denticulate" in Hitchcock). Sinuate = with a strongly wavy margin. Denticulate = dentate with very small teeth. Dentate = toothed along the margin, the teeth directed outward rather than forward.

Lycopodium clavatum

Lycopodium clavatum (running clubmoss) - Lycopodiaceae. An example of a seedless vascular plant - so reproduces by spore similar to liverworts but also has true conductive tissues, xylem and phloem. Unlike the liverworts, club mosses are homosporous (have only one kind of spore) and spores give rise to bisexual gametophytes.
The above ground portion pictured rather blurrily above is the rhizome. The gametophytes of some club mosses, including this species, grow below ground, are non-photosynthetic and maintain a mycorrhizal relationship with fungi. Strobili are borne on aerial stems attached to the rhizomes (pictured at left). Strobilus (pl. strobili) = a cone-like cluster of sporophylls on an axis. Sporangium borne on the strobili release spores that develop into the gametophyte which bear both archegonia and antheridia. During fertilization, biflagellated sperm produced by the antheridium swim to the egg produced by the archegonium (the presence of water is required). The newly produced sporophyte may remain attached to the gametophyte for a long time but eventually detaches to become a separate individual. (Plant Biology - Raven, Evert, Eichhorn)

Liverworts

Marchantia polymorpha (lung liverwort) - Marchantiaceae: a thalose liverwort/hepatic, pictured above surrounded by moss. Liverworts do not possess stomata and are non-vascular (except for water-conducting strands in the gametophytes of a few genera which I feel like I observed when pulling the archegoniophore apart from the gametophyte of this species) and reproduce by spore. Liverworts are a member of the Marchantiophyta division, part of the Bryophytes.

Because liverworts are non-vascular they do not possess real roots but rather rhizoids. Rhizoid = a root-like structure lacking conductive tissue (xylem and phloem). The archegonia are pictured above, these are the female reproductive structures - motile sperm from the male gametophyte (antheridiophore) are splash-dispersed to the female. Fertilization occurs leading to a zygote > an embryo > a young sporophyte. Spores are eventually released from the mature sporophyte and would be located on the underside of the archegoniophore as pictured below (mature sporophytes aren't visible and probably already dispersed).

Marchantia also conducts asexual reproduction through gemma cups on the leaves - a gemma cup is visible in the first photograph on the lower-most leaf pictured. Gemmae are splash-dispersed from the gemma cup onto soil and clones result. Gemma (pl. gemmae) = a bud or bud-like structure, or cluster of cells which separate from the parent plant and propagate offspring plants.

Monotropa hypopithys (pinesap)

Monotropa hypopithys (pinesap) of the Monotropaceae family. This individual was actually photographed in Newberry Nat'l Volcanic Monument just south of Bend, OR. The range of the species extends from BC to California all across the US. This plant is an example of a myco-heterotroph. Myco-heterotrophs lack chlorophyll and the ability to photosynthesize and rather, the plant derives carbohydrates through a parasitic relationship with certain kinds of fungi. The connection between the two occurs through the roots of the plant and the mycelium of the fungus. The WTU herbarium has "placentation axile rather than parietal" listed as a distinguishing characterisitic. Parietal placentation = ovules attached to the walls of the ovary. Axile placentation = ovules attached to the central axis of an ovary with two or more locules. Locules = the chamber or cavity ("cell") of an organ, as in the cell of an ovary containing the seed.

Caprifoliaceae

Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family): major woody family with opposite arrangement and it's not Aceraceae is how I remember this one. Native genera include Sambucus, Viburnum, Symphoricarpos, Lonicera and Linnaea. Two Lonicera examples are pictured here, the developing fruit of Lonicera involucrata (black twinberry) above and Lonicera ciliosa (orange honeysuckle) below.

Other w. WA native woody shrubs/trees genera/species with opposite arrangement besides the maples and the Caprifoliaceae members (there aren't that many): some Cassiope (moss-heather) species - Ericaceae, Ceanothus (snowbrush/ceanothus) - Rhamnaceae, Cornus (dogwood) - Cornaceae, Euonymous occidentalis (western burning bush) - Celastraceae, Fraxinus latifolia (Oregon ash) - Oleaceae, Paxistima myrsinites (Oregon boxleaf) - Celastraceae, Philadelphus lewisii (mock-orange) - Hydrangeaceae and Whipplea modesta (common whipplea/modesty) - Hydrangeaceae.

Besides the two pictured here there are four other w. WA native Lonicera species: L. caerulea (bluefly honeysuckle), L. utahensis (rocky mountain h.), L. conjugialis (purple-flower h.), and L. hispidula (hairy h.). L. caerulea exhibits yellow blooms, L. utahensis light yellow to creamy white blooms, L. conjugialis has purple blooms (hence the common name) and L. hispidula has pink flowers.

Patters of the Honeysuckle family according to Elpel: shrubs with opposite leaves, pithy stems, and the flowers and fruits often form in pairs; those that are in bunches are sometimes in pairs within the bunches. And here are some terms and generalities, according to Hitchcock: indehiscent, generally fleshy fruit with copious endosperm. Estipulate leaves. Flowers in various sorts of inflorescences of generally cymose origin.

Gamopetalous = with the petals united, at least partially. Cymose = with flowers in a cyme. Cyme = a flat-topped or round-topped determinate inflorescence, paniculate, in which the terminal flower blooms first.

Clarkia amoena (fairwell-to-spring)

Clarkia amoena (fairwell-to-spring) is a showy annual occuring at low elevations in open , dry habitats. There are several other Clarkia species with similarly shaped petals native to Oregon, but only this species and C. gracilis are native to Washington. C. gracilis generally do not exhibit the deep red spots on the petals that this species has. C. amoena has opposite, linear leaves and is 10-100 cm in height. Socalled fairwell-to-spring because the bloom date is so late, in bloom now in late July.

Family: Onagraceae (evening primrose). Elpel: "flower parts usually in fours, including a four-lobed stigma." Other genera/species in this family native to western WA. include Chamerion angustifolium (formerly Epilobium angustifolium), Circaea, Gayophytum

and myriad Epilobium.

Weeds in the Fabaceae family

Session on weeds Tuesday night - spent some time on Lotus corniculatus (birdsfoot-trefoil). We were especially enamored with the inflorescence. We removed the papilionaceous petals to expose the stamens exhibiting "free portion of filaments often dilated, sometimes broader than the anther" (Hitchcock), this characteristic distinguishing the genus.
Papilionaceous = butterfly-like, as the irregular corolla of a pea, with a banner petal, two wing petals and two fused keel petals.

We also keyed out Medicago lupulina (black medic), another Fabaceae. Pretty straightforward, those. Having the individual we were working with both in flower and fruit helped quite a bit. Picture of the pods:

Pods of this species are 1-seeded, unarmed (those spiky-looking hairs don't count), reniform, and curved to less than 1 full spiral. Other genus-wide characteristics include trifoliate leaves, pubescent pods and yellow blooms. Fabaceae-wide characteristics include "banner, wings and keel inflorescence. Pea-like pods and often pinnate leaves" (Elpel).

Fertile fronds and some fern terms

Most of the fern species native to western Washington have fertile and sterile fronds that look pretty much the same. Blechnum spicant (deer fern) and two others are the exception, exhibiting dimorphic fronds. In the photograph above notice the two fronds in the foreground with narrow pinnae versus the sterile fronds in the background with pinnae that meet at the base ("broadly sessile" in Hitchcock). Other species that exhibit dimorphic fronds include Crypotgramma acrostichoides (American rockbrake) and Cryptogramma cascadensis (Cascade rockbrake).

Pinna = (pl. pinnae) one of the primary divisions or leaflets of a pinnate leaf (Harris).

Click on the photo below to enlarge and see the sori in a continuous line following a pair of veins that run parallel to the costa. The sori are described as "coenosorus" and the indusium is described as "appearing almost like an inrolled pinna-margin" in Hitchcock. Coenosorus = condition where sporangia are in a continuous line and discrete sori are not formed (Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Botany). Sorus = (pl. sori) a cluster of sporangia (spore-bearing case or sac) on the surface of a fern leaf. Costa = a rib or prominent mid-vein. Indusium = a thin epidermal outgrowth from a fern leaf that covers the sorus.

Collomia grandiflora

Collomia grandiflora (great collomia) - Polemoniaceae.

There are four other Collomia spp. native to western WA. This one grows in dry, open areas at low to middle elevations. The best part about this one is probably the bright purple anthers in contrast with the peach colored petals. The Polemoniaceae, or Phlox, family characteristically has five united petals and five united sepals. The sepals are pretty difficult to see in the photo above but the united petals are clearly visible. Elpel describes the blooms of this family as "five united petals forming tubular flowers with a flat face". This species gets up to 1 meter in height, and the corolla are about 2-3 cm long (pretty big). This is the only native Collomia species with salmon-colored blooms, the others are either bluish or pinkish (Hitchcock).

Some other genera in the Polemoniaceae family: Polemonium, Phlox, Microsteris, Gilia, Linanthus, Navarretia.

Scatter Creek prairie walk

A walk at Scatter Creek yesterday and so much was in bloom. Prunella vulgaris (common self-heal) pictured to the left. In the Lamiaceae family so leaves are opposite and stems are square. P. vulgaris is the only species in this genus that is native to our area. Flowers bourne on a vertical spike. The inflorescences on the top of the spike pictured at left have yet to open. The native variety is lanceolata and exhibits leaves that are a third as wide as long and more tapering toward the base as shown here (Hitchcock). Non-native, Eurasian variety vulgaris has leaves half as wide as long with a rounded base.

Quick review: spike = an unbranched, elongated inflorescence with sessile or subsessile flowers or spikelets maturing from the bottom upwards (as opposed to raceme = an unbranched, elongated inflorescence with pedicellate flowers maturing from the bottom upwards) (Harris).

Delphinium nuttallii (Nutall's larkspur). The flowers with the psychedelic color scheme, can't really take your eyes of this plant. This one's an example of a raceme. General Delphinium facts: five sepals with the upper one prominently spurred. In the photo at left, look for the five bright blue sepals surrounding the small inner cluster of four blue-violet petals. Leaves are alternate and have 1-3 lobes. In the Ranunculaceae family.


Erigeron speciosus (showy fleabane) - Asteraceae. Seriously too much, this plant. Just a knock out. This plus Eriophyllum lanatum and Balsamorhiza deltoidea made a pretty sweet little vignette out there amongst the mima mounds. Enlarge the photo to see the composite inflorescence - composed of disk flowers (central portion) and ray flowers (on the periphery) exhibiting the showy purple fused corollas. Flowers are epigynous = with stamens, petals and sepals attached to the top of the ovary, the ovary inferior to the other floral parts.

Other species in bloom on the prairie:
Balsamorhiza deltoidea (Puget balsamroot) - Asteraceae.
Brodiaea coronaria (harvest brodiaea) - Liliaceae.
Campanula rotundifolia (common harebell) - Campanulaceae.
Eriophyllum lanatum (Oregon sunshine) - Asteraceae.
Lupinus bicolor (two-color lupine) - Fabaceae.
Potentilla gracilis (slender cinquefoil) - Rosaceae.
Zigadenus venenosus (meadow death camas) - Lilaceae.

A couple from the Lily family

Pictured above is Streptopus amplexifolius (clasping twistedstalk). This species is distinguished from other members of the Streptopus genus by it's branched stem arrangement (Pojar). Greenish-white blooms occur either singularly or in pairs at leaf axils, bourne beneath the leaves (just visible in the photo, click to enlarge). The base of the leaves clasp the stems. Common at low elevations. Fruits range in color from yellow to red to dark purple.

Prosartes (formerly Disporum) hookeri (Hooker's fairybells). Easily differentiated from Streptopus when in bloom, this species bears flowers only at the end of the stems. There are two species in this genera native to western Washington, the other being P. smithii (Smith's fairybells). P. hookeri has hairs on the upper sides of the leaves and along the stems, as well as forward-pointing hairs along the margin whereas P. smithii exhibits smooth leaves and stems. Fruits are yellow to red in color and also often hairy.

Saxifragaceae

Saxifragaceae - the Saxifrage Family.

This family's members native to western Washington are herbaceous with lobed, basal leaves. Flower parts come in increments of five and the pistil is oblong in shape (Elpel). Native genera include Parnassia, Boykinia, Mitella, Heuchera, Saxifraga, Tolmiea, Tiarella, Lithophragma and Tellima among others. Common lowland species include Tellima grandiflora (fringecup), Tolmeia menziesii (piggyback plant) and Tiarella trifoliata (foamflower).

We spent some time with the Mitellas and keyed out both M. caulescens (slightstemmed miterwort) and M. ovalis (coastal miterwort). M. ovalis is pictured both above and below. Distinguishing characteristics for this genus include shape of inflorescence (shallow bowl or cup), if the flowering stem exhibits leaves, number of filiform lateral segments on the petals, whether the petals are opposite (in line with) or alternate with the stamens and if the inflorescences at the top of the flowering stem mature before those lower down ("flowers blossoming downward" in Hitchcock) or vice versa. Click on the photo above to enlarge and look for the intensely dissected petals. In this species, stamens are alternate the petals (and opposite the sepals) and flowers are blossoming upward (the lower inflorescences are already on their way to bearing seed). General leaf shape among the various species are also surprisingly distinct, spend some time with the drawings in Hitchcock and it all becomes pretty clear. Photograph of the seeds below (seeds are at least partially splash dispersed, dislodged by raindrops and the like).

One-sided sedge

One-sided sedge (Carex unilateralis). Family: Cyperaceae.
Inflorescence is a dense cluster borne individually on one side of the stem. The lowest involucral bract extends straight up past the inflorescence and is 5-15 cm long. Overall height: 30-100 cm. Range: moist or wet places at low elevation, BC to California, mainly West Cascades (Hitchcock). Easily confused with slenderbeak sedge (Carex athrostachya) but involucral bracts extend up rather than out so flower spikes appear borne on the side of the stem rather than at the end.
Some photos:

A discourse on catkins.

Catkins = An inflorescence consisting of a dense spike or raceme of apetalous, unisexual flowers.
What this all means exactly, that’s the point, so I’ll make a point of defining any unfamiliar terms listed here.
Spike = An unbranched, elongated inflorescence with sessile or subsessile flowers or spikelets maturing from the bottom upwards.
Raceme = An unbranched, elongated inflorescence with pedicellate flowers maturing from the bottom upwards.
The following native genera/species have catkins:
Alnus spp., Betula spp., Corylus cornuta (Betulaceae)
Salix ssp., Populus spp. (Salicaceae)
Quercus alba (Fagaceae)
Herbaceous species can also display catkins – stinging nettle (Utrica dioica) is one example.
Catkins are, by definition, imperfect then. Either staminate (male) or carpellate/pistillate (female). The majority of those listed above only display catkins for the flowers of one sex – male, with the female flowers of another form.

A photograph of the female inflorescence (strobile) above and the male catkin below of red alder (Alnus rubra). Strobile = an inflorescence resembling a cone.

The willow family is an exception possessing both male and female catkins.

Here is an example of a carpellate Pacific willow (Salix lucida) catkin:

The willow family is also the only dioecious family listed above, with male and female inflorescences occurring on separate plants.

Through this endeavor we will attempt to learn every plant present in western Washington (both native and otherwise) and to better understand the ecological communities of our area as a whole. We also want to master Hitchcock and other dichotomous keys, become fluent in plant identification terminology and spend quality time with our dissecting scopes. South Sound plant lovers unite!