Wildflowers in Winter: Plants Having Elongated Seedheads

Here are some of the Michigan winter wildflowers with elongated seedheads.

Onoclea sensibilis

Sensitive Fern

Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) does not have seedpods but sporophylls. They form a beadlike structure in parallel rows that persist throughout the winter. The spores are released in springtime. It occurs throughout the state.

Chelone glabra

White Turtlehead

White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) seedpods do resemble a turtle’s head. Opposite leaves, a dense spike with the seedpods in rows distinguish this species. It is 1-2 feet (.3-.6m) tall. It occurs throughout the state.

Anemone

Thimbleweed

Thimbleweed has cottony seed heads at the end of the stems. There are two species in Michigan, one (Anemone cylindrica) with narrow seedheads and a second species (A. virginiana)with broader seedheads. It is often not possible to separate the two species in the winter. Both species occur throughout the state. A. virginiana is the species in the photographs.

Verbena hastata

Blue Vervain

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) has narrow terminal spikes, squarish stems, and opposite leaves. It is 2-4 (.6-1.2m) feet tall. It occurs throughout the state.

Agastache nepetoides

Yellow Giant Hyssop

Yellow Giant Hyssop (Agastache nepetoides) has broader terminal clusters than Blue Vervain. It has squarish stems and opposite leaves. It occurs in Michigan south of the Bay City to Muskegon line. It is now appearing in plantings of native plants.

Dipsacus

Teasel

Teasel has a spiny stem and a head surrounded by curved brackets. It is 3-10 feet (1-3m) tall. There are two species in Michigan: Wild Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum), and Cut-leaf Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus). See my August 2014 blog for more info. They often cannot be distinguished in the winter. Both species occur throughout the state but are more common south of the Bay City to Muskegon line.

Copyright 2015 by Donald Drife

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Wildflowers in Winter: More Plants Having Small Seedpods

Here are some of the other southeast Michigan winter wildflowers with small pods. By small I mean shorter then 13mm [1/2 inch] and a diameter less than 6mm (1/4 inch).

Hypopitys monotropa

Pinesaps

Pinesaps (Hypopitys monotropa) is also called (Monotropa hypopithys). Upward pointing styles and a loose spike are the characters of this species. Pinesaps are leafless plants that live off of tree roots that they attach to via a fungus. The fancy term is myco-heterotrophic  plants. The flowers hang down but as the seedpods develop they turn upward.

Gentiana andrewsii

Closed or Bottled Gentian

Closed or Bottled Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) in the winter is just like the flowers but without the color. It is difficult to identify the Closed Gentian group to species when they are flowering. The seedpod shown here was from a colony that I identified when it flowered in the fall so I know which species it is. Opposite leaves and the distinct seedpod shape identify this as part of the Closed Gentian group.

Gentiana andrewsii

Closed or Bottled Gentian

Orchids have distinctive 6 parted seedpods. Hanging from the end of the capsule are the dried up petals and sepals. Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) is commonly encountered even in the city. See blog posting from August 2013. Its leafy spike with many seedpods is distinctive.

Cypripedium acaule Epipactis helleborine

L-Pink Lady-slipper R-Broad-leaved Helleborine

Lady-slippers have large capsules and when in seed the species are identified based size, habitat and leaf remnants or leaf scars. Pink Lady-slipper or Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acaule) has a single seedpod on a stem without leaf scars.  I know of pinewoods where 1000’s of plants bloom and only a dozen plants set seed.

Verbascum blattaria

Moth Mullein

Moth Mullein (Verbascum blattaria) has 5mm (3/16 inch) diameter spherical seedpods on short, curved, upward pointing pedicels. Pedicels are the stalks that support individual flowers or seedpods on an inflorescence. Dried clasping leaves often remain along the main stem.
Copyright 2015 by Donald Drife

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Wildflowers in Winter: Plants Having Small Seedpods

Here are some of the southeast Michigan winter wildflowers with small pods. By small I mean shorter then 13mm [1/2 inch] and a diameter less than 6mm (1/4 inch).

Berteroa incana

Hoary Alyssum

Hoary Alyssum (Berteroa incana) has a small, see-through, flat, pod with an elongate tip. Normally some of the hairs remain along the stem. It is seldom taller than 30cm (12 inches). The seeds are in a simple raceme. A raceme is a flowering spike where the individual flowers are on short, unbranched stems of equal lengths.

Lepidium virginicum

Peppergrass

Peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum) has flat, two seeded pods that are notched at the tip. Nine species in this genus occur in Michigan and can be identified  by the shape of the seedpod. Peterson’s A Field Guide to Wildflowers illustrates several species. The dense raceme is characteristic of this genus.

Hypericum perforatum

Common St. John’s-wort

Common St. John’s-wort (Hypericum perforatum) has  seedpods arranged in a cyme which is central flowering stalk that ends at a group of flowers and has branched side stalks from the central stalk. Seedpods are open at one end and have three elongated thread-like tips.

Penstemon digitalis

Foxglove Beard-tongue

Foxglove Beard-tongue (Penstemon digitalis) has seedpods that are narrower than Common St. John’s-wort and the tips on the seedpods are not as narrow. The number of tips varies from three to five. The seedpods are acute.

Oenothera spp

Evening Primrose

Evening Primrose (Oenothera spp.) has a narrow seedpod that splits into four sections. They are arranged in a simple raceme. The plants can be 2m (6 feet) tall.
Copyright 2015 by Donald Drife

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Wildflowers in Winter: Introduction and Plants having Large Seedpods

Asclepias syriaca

Common Milkweed in winter

Learning to identify wildflowers from their seedpods is a rewarding bit of detective work. I am happy when I can tell the genus of a particular plant. Whether it is a Milkweed, Goldenrod, Iris, etc. is enough for me. Sometimes when I find a strange seedpod the only way I can figure out what it is, is by returning to the spot during the flowering season and seeing what species are growing there.

Two outstanding books that help to identify winter wildflowers are Winter Wildflowers by Helen V. Smith and Weeds in Winter by Lauren Brown. Smith’s book is currently out of print but Brown’s book with her superb line drawings and a workable identification key has been reprinted under the title Weeds and Wildflowers in Winter.

When I see a winter wildflower the first thing I notice is the growth habit of the plant. Is it short or tall, erect or creeping, how many flowers did it have? Then I examine the plant, are there scars where the flower petals attached? Do dried leaves or their scars remain on the plant? Can you determine if the leaves are opposite, whorled, or alternate (look for leaf scars)? Does the plant have seedpods, heads of seeds, or seeds in long groups? What is the shape of the seedpod, long, pointed, peapod-like, wide, narrow? How many sections does it have? Do any of the flower parts remain? Look at the shape of the seed head. Is it a ball, elongated, pointed? Are the seeds fuzzy, barbed, sticky, smooth? What is the habitat, wet, dry, sunny, woods, fields, dunes?

Here are some of the southeast Michigan winter wildflowers with large pods. By large I mean longer then 25mm [one inch] and a diameter greater than 6mm (1/4 inch).

Asclepias spp. pods and seeds

Milkweed pods and seeds

Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) have elongated follicles, seedpods that split along a single line. Follicles can be smooth or warty depending on the species. Seeds are sometimes present into the winter and each seed is comose meaning it possesses a tuft of hair which allows it to float on the breeze.

Baptisia spp. seedpods

Wild Indigo seed pods

Wild Indigo (Baptisia spp.) is a prairie plant that is now being used in native gardens. It is a many-stemmed plant with multiple pods per stem. Diane Ackerman in her wonderful essay collection Dawn Light accurately describes “the indigo’s fat seedpods, each one a plump lady’s leg with a seamed stocking.” Cleanly splitting in half, the plants drop seeds that are at times visible on the snow covered ground.

Hibiscus spp. seedpods

Rose Mallow seedpods

Rose Mallow (Hibiscus spp.) has five-parted seedpods that are hairy on the inside and rough sepals are characters for this plant. It normally grows in wet areas and is about 1m (3 feet) tall. Southern Michigan is at the north edge of its range.

Iris spp. seedpods

Iris seedpods

Iris (Iris spp.) has a three-parted seedpod that is often subtended by a pair of dried bracts. It is found in wet places and is .3-.5m (12-18 inches) tall.

Lilium michiganense

L-R Lily seedpods, seedpod closeup, petal scars, and leaf scars

Lily (Lilium spp.) seedpods resemble Iris seedpods but they have petal-scars under the pod and never have dried bracts. Lilies grow in both wet and dry habitats. Michigan Lily (Lilium michiganense) is the species in the photograph. The flowers nod but the seedpods straighten as they develop and the mature pods point skyward.

Copyright 2015 by Donald Drife

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