Broadleaf Plantain Plantago major. The broad, (2”) cross-hatched 7 veined leaves are up to 10” long, bearing large bare flower spike (396) The flower spike is short (3-4”), the flower head cylindrical (not cone shaped) and the white anthers barely project beyond the profuse bracts that hide the miniscule, green flowers, giving the bloom head a scaly look. Most common along paths, PDU, PL, roadsides (396) no pix 4/10/15-5/20/15; 4/17/16- ; 17 no obs; 4/?/18; 19 no obs; 20 no obs;
Johnny-Jump-Up Violet (Wild Pansy) Viola tricolor. This soft stemmed plant is occasionally perennial, but in most zones is a self-seeding annual. An immigrant from the Mediterranean, this violet ranges in color from solid yellow to dark purple, the most common pattern being painted, purple lip with yellow stripes, the petals split between yellow and lavender. The elongated leaves, which have coarsely toothed margins, alternate along a squared, somewhat trailing stem. The parent stock of commercial pansies, V tricolor produces viable seeds. This wild stock bears 3/8” flowers on long stems, one at a time. An uncommon visitor, this wild pansy escaped cultivation, and no occasionally blooms along forest margins, like Sunset Walk. Not in books. 3/15/19-3/29/19; 20 no obs;
Note; Johnny Jump Up, or Wild Pansy, single 3/8″ blue flowers with white stripes radiating from a yellow center, born in slow succession on long stems
Note; elongated, coarsely toothed leaves alternating along squared, slightly trailing stems
Note; blue, 5 petal flowers born singly in slow succession.
note; buds forming within deep bracts at leaf nodes
Rose of Sharon Hibiscus; Habiscus syriacus. Several hibiscus are cold hardy enough to tolerate Dallas’ weather. H syriacus is originally from southern China, but was collected from Syrian gardens, hence the species name. Although it will not propagate locally, this medium sized, pink to lavender hibiscus is locally perennial, adding a dash of color during summer months. The tough, slightly rough, narrow, but miltilobed leaves alternate along woody stems, sprouting again from leaf nodes in late spring. The five lavender to soft pink, or even blue petals have a darker basal spot where they connect to the long pistol, which like other hibiscus, sprouts short stamen tipped with white anthers toward the tip. The ovaries ripen into dry capsules that crack into 5 sections, allowing the seeds to disperse. Although it can tolerate full sun, this hibiscus does best where the afternoon sun is dappled by shade trees, but it will not do well in dense shade. Mature “trees” have several erect, somewhat leggy, weakly branching ‘trunks’.
Note; a weakly branching, erect, woody tree like bush with narrow, deeply lobed, rough, alternating leaves, producing pink to lavender flowers with a darker basal spot.
Note; alternating leaves with somewhat narrow, deeply cut leaves.
Liverworts; Marchantiophyta; common only in very wet places, liverworts can be found during wet season, drying up and disappearing in drier weather. This is not a disease, the name “liver” is derived from the idea that they look grey-green, like liver, and appear to have lobes, like liver. Wort or Wart is an old English term for “plant”. They look like a mass of gooey, slimy, leaves that have started rotting, but this is actually their normal state. Found on path tread where the ground is packed and solid, during rainy spells.
Liverworts habit; a slimy mass that looks like blanched leaves that appears during wet spells, growing on the well packed dirt of path treads
Lichens; Leafy Lichens; this life form is actually a symbiotic arrangement between a fungus, which provides the plant structure, and a bacteria or algae, which lives within the tissue, paying the rent by manufacturing food. Lichens vary widely in color, shape, and life-span, but can be divided into two broad categories, leafy Lichens and ring-like, or rock lichens. Leafy Lichens are usually comprised of a green or orange algae, or a blue-green bacteria (cyanobacteria) living within a fungus, producing food via photosynthesis in exchange for a protected space within the tissues of the fungus.
Lichens which grown on tree branches are often out of sight, growing high in the canopies of trees, becoming visible only when a branch falls. They are ‘leafy’ in shape, sometimes even stringy, like hair, usually are grey in color, and have a leathery, almost spongy texture. Tree lichens tolerate winter freezes, and summer drought, but absorb water quickly when it rains.
Incidentally, these are the lichens that reindeer eat in the northern forests and on the tundra.
Leafy Lichen habit; grey, leaf like growths on tree branches, usually from the upper story, in full to partial sun, that have a leathery, spongy texture
Note; the orange spots on the dead wood are the flatter “rock” lichens
Note; leaf like, white to grey growth, with a leathery to almost spongy texture
Common Yarrow (Milfoil) Achillea millefolium. This tall stemmed, somewhat pithy plant with slightly grooved, fuzzy stalks rises from a rosette of compound pinnate, fern-like leaves that are rounded, rather than pointed on the ends. Leaf petioles clasp the stalk, a filamentous sheath wrapping around the entire node. The stalk is divided at conspicuous nodes, stems arranged in an alternating spiral at each node. Pithy stems terminate in a compound umbel of small, white flowers, nestled in a rosette of pinnate, bract like leaflets. Each flower is composed of 5 white petals and 5 stamen tip with white anthers, all centered around a bare yellow disk with a towering, smooth pistol. Each petal is divided in two. Flowers convert to a mass of sticky (Velcro) seed capsules that cling to hair or clothing, but which are much larger than Hedge Parsley. Lawns, PDU, PL (108) 4/20/15-5/20/15; 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 no obs;
Common Yarrow habit; beginning as a rosette of fine, compound pinnate leaves with rounded tips, stem leaves arranged in an alternating spiral around the grooved, hairy stalk, terminating in a compound umbel of small white flowers
Note; compound umbels of small, white flowers and stamen tipped with white anthers, arranged around a bare yellow center
Note; each petal is split in two
Note; fine compound pinnate leaves clasp the grooved stems, a filamentous sheath wrapped around the leaf nodes
Note; dense cluster of stick-tight seed capsules, nestled in a rosette of fine, pinnate leaflets
Missouri Violet (Wood Violet) Viola missouriensis. The only violet native to the ILC, this herbaceous perennial sprouts a cluster of deeply notched, cordate (heart-shaped) to arrow-shaped leaves. Each flower stem produces a single, short-lived flower composed of two upright, light blue sepals, two lower, deep violet-blue petals, and a central, modified petal called a lip that sports three or four darker purple streaks. The petal is modified into a small opening leading to a short, rounded nectar tube, just large enough for insects to insert their tongues. Flowers convert to thin seed capsules full of tiny, dust like seeds. Blooming season lasts 2-3 weeks. Locally it is found only in shaded areas along forested trails where there is deeper, moist soil, but occasionally in yards, where it tolerates mowing. Only found in low areas of MK trace, CC, SWk (378) 3/15/15-4/7/15; 3/10/16-4/1/16; 2/22/17-4/5/17; 3/15/18-4/2/18;
Missouri Violet habit; clumps of lightly toothed, heart-shaped leaves with single blue and white flowers born on short stems.
Note; glossy, smooth, heart shaped leaves with a lightly toothed, rounded margins, born on slender stems 3-4”long
Note; two upright, lavender petals, two darker purple petals that point down, a central, purple lip petal streaked with dark purple
Veronica; Birdseye Speedwell Veronica persica. This branched, creeping, lawn plant is characterized by soft stems with opposite, heart-shaped, fuzzy, clasping leaves, with lobed edges. The blue and white flowers, each with four petals, are 3/16” across, and are born singly from leaf axils. Three petals are light blue and rounded, with heavy dark blue veining clustered around a white center. The fourth petal is a light blue and elongated, like a lip. Two hooked anthers arc over the central, spike-like pistol. Common in lawns and road margins, preferring shade, and intolerant of hotter weather. [Not in book] (354 related) 3/12/15-4/28/15 Rain and cool weather prolonged 5/20/15; 2/14/16-6/1/16; 2/23/17-4/?; 3/5/18; 2/8/19 – ; 2/8/20 – 5/29/20;
Veronica Speedwell habit; cool season, shade loving ground cover and lawn plant with rounded, clasping leaves bearing single, bright blue and white flowers.
Note; opposite pairs of rounded leaves clasp the creeping, soft stalks
Note; blue flowers with white centers are born singly from leaf axils
Note; low growing habit as an early season ground cover, common on lawns and margins
Note; rounded, lobed, opposite leaves with no petiole.
Note; three bright blue petals, one light blue to white petal.
Note; 4 white stamen arc over the central spike-like pistol
Clasping Venus’ Looking Glass Triodanis perfoliata. The lower, alternately spaced, coarsely toothed leaves of this weakly upright, soft-stemmed plant do not have a petiole, or stem, but clasp the slightly grooved stalk, giving the plant its descriptive name. Stems rarely branch, the plant consisting of increasingly long stems which eventually fall over. Bright blue flowers are born singly from the cup of each leaf, each consisting of five elliptical petals with 3 linear veins. Flowers open in slow succession from bottom to top. Petals surround a green pistol and 5 purple stamen. Common in open to slightly shaded portions of PDU, CA, CC and DORBA (370) 4/22/15-5/20/15; 4/20/16-6/1/16; 4/20/17- ; 5/25/18, 5/4/19; 4/24/20 – 5/25/20;
Venus’ Looking Glass habit; long, soft stems with alternating leaves which clasp the ribbed stems, bearing bright blue, singly born flowers
Note; clasping leaves are arranged in an alternating spiral around the stems
Note; Blue flowers with 5 petals, streaked with darker blue veins, surround a central pistol surrounded by 5 basal stamen, each tipped with white anthers
Note; flowers are born singly on short peduncles from leaf axils
Note; heart shaped, coarsely toothed leaves have no petioles, but clasping the grooved stem
Texas Thistle Cirsium texanum. A lanky thistle with long, ribbed, pithy stems, and dusty green, deeply pinnate leaves lined with only 4-5 spines per side of leaf. This is the most common thistle on the ILC. Rising from one pithy tap root, the main stem soon branches into multiple stems which are slightly grooved, but lack spines, like Nodding Thistle (C nutans). Branching does not follow a symmetric pattern, and each long (6-10”) flower stalk bears only one elongated, slightly tapering flower-head, lined with prickly scales. The lavender to rose-purple, hair-like petals are longer than Bull Thistle. Not as robust or squat as Bull Thistle, Texas Thistle has shorter spines, does not have as sharp or thick of spines on stems, has much longer flower stalks, lacks spines on flower stalks, is a lighter lavender color, has longer hair-like petals, and has longer, more tapered buds. However, it is only slightly less noxious. (332) 4/28/15; 5/1/16, 4/17/17- ; 5/4/18; 4/28/19; 4/25/20
Texas Thistle habit; a lanky, readily branching annual with alternating, pinnate leaves bearing multiple, smooth flower stems, each capped with a single, lavender head of thread like petals on a tapering, scaly bud.
Note; lavender to rose globe flowers have longer filaments than Bull Thistle or Nodding Thistle
Note; prickly scales lining the elongated buds
Note; thin, pinnate leaves with only a few, short spines on each leaf are arranged in an alternating spiral around slightly grooved flower stems
Note; flower stems are smooth, lacking spines, like those of Nodding or Bull Thistle
Trail Trotter's Flower Guide 