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.
