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Handbook for IdentifyingPrairie Plants at theEnergy Biosciences InstituteEnergy FarmPrepared bySarah DavisUniversity of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

IntroductionIn 2008, 28 species were planted in the prairietreatment plots at the Energy Biosciences InstituteEnergy Farm (Urbana, IL). Seed from 26 of the 28species germinated successfully in the greenhouse.Those 26 are depicted in this handbook. The twospecies not included are Coreopsis palmata andSilphium terebinthinaceum.There are three sections in this handbook: Grasses and Sedges p. 2 Nitrogen-fixers. . p.15 Forbs . p.27Within a section, species are organized alphabetically.Key characteristics of each species are providedalong with photographs of the plants at various stagesof development.1

Grasses and Sedges2

Andropogon gerardiiBig bluestem3

Andropogon gerardiiBig bluestem4

Andropogon gerardiiBig bluestemMature plantcharacteristics:Blue coloration at base ofculm; purplish, 3-parted flowerclusters that resemble aturkey's foot; flat leaf blades;stout, erect culms up to 3 mtallLigule is 3 mm long,membranous, obtuse andciliate; often lacerate withcollar that is sometimesindistinct but can havepubescent margins5

Carex bicknelliiCopper-shouldered oval sedge6

Carex bicknelliiCopper-shouldered oval sedgeMature plantcharacteristics:Mature plant height 0.7 m(3.4 feet); each culm isunbranched, slender, andrather stiff; it is light green togreen, 3-angled, hairless, andsmooth, except near theinflorescence, where itstexture is often rough7

Elymus canadensisCanada wild rye8

Elymus canadensisCanada wild ryeMature plantcharacteristics:Grows to 1.2 m (4 feet) witherect or arching culms andflat, wide (up to 2 cm), waxygreen, pointed leaves thatgrow from the base of thestem to the spike; thick andbristly spikelets that can reach25 cm in length, and are often2 or 3 to a nodeRounded stemsLigule is distinct with apointed projection from eachside that approachoverlapping at opening9

Schizachyrium scopariumLittle bluestem10

Schizachyrium scopariumLittle bluestemMature plantcharacteristics:Plant height varies from 0.5m on dry sites to 1 m ondeep, fertile soils; smoothleaves, but frequentlycovered with hair at the basenext to the sheath; seed headclusters about three incheslong; the cluster stems arehairy.Leaves are often folded.Ligule is 2 mm long, obtuse,truncate, ciliate with aglabrous and continuouscollar11

Sorghastrum nutansIndian grass12

Sorghastrum nutansIndian grassMature plantcharacteristics:Grows 0.9-1.5 m (3-5 feet)tall; leaf blade narrows at thepoint of attachment; seedhead is a single, narrow,plume-like panicle of a goldenbrown color; seed is light andfluffy with small awnsattachedAuricle is distinct with jaggedtooth-like upward projectionnear opening: 5mm long,membranous, lacerate, ciliate;margins can be pubescentand veined13

Nitrogen-fixers14

Astragalus canadensisCanadian milkvetch15

Astragalus canadensisCanadian milkvetchMature plantcharacteristics:May be large and robust onceestablished, with plant heightranging from 0.3-1 m; leafletsare smooth or slightly hairy onthe upper surface with stiff,short hairs on the undersideConspicuous compoundleaves16

Baptisia leucanthaWild Indigo17

Baptisia leucantha (Baptisia alba)Largeleaf white wild indigoMature plantcharacteristics:Grows up to 1.2 m (4 feet)tall; 30-46 cm upright whiteflower spikes above thefoliage; leaves are trifoliate;stem and foliage color is bluegreen18

Desmodium canadenseShowy ticktrefoil19

Desmodium canadenseShowy ticktrefoil20

Desmodium canadenseShowy ticktrefoilMature plantcharacteristics:Can grow over 1.2 m (4 feet)tall; leaves are clover-like,made up of 3 long-ovalleaflets; flowers are small andpurple, and blossoms occur inclusters atop hairy stems21

Lespedeza capitataRoundhead lespedeza22

Lespedeza capitataRoundhead lespedezaMature plantcharacteristics:Stiff, erect stems that are 0.6to 1.5 m tall; stems areusually un-branched exceptfor short branches at the topthat support theinflorescences; leaves andstems are densely coveredwith appressed hairs, givingthe plant a silvery sheen23

Petalostemum purpureum(Dalea purpureum)Purple prairie clover24

Petalostemum purpureum(Dalea purpureum)Purple prairie clover25

Petalostemum purpureum(Dalea purpureum)Purple prairie cloverMature plantcharacteristics:Grows to a height of 30-90cm;several stems may grow froma single base; flowers arepinkish-purple on elongatedspikes which are 2-4cm long;flower head at the end of a wirystem is cylindrical, with a fringeof rosy petals on a partly bareconeTrifoliate leaves that aresmaller than most othernitrogen-fixers in this collection26

Forbs27

Aster novae-angliae(Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)New England aster28

Aster novae-angliae(Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)New England aster29

Aster novae-angliae(Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)New England asterMature plantcharacteristics:Grows from 0.8-1.8 m (2.5-6.0feet) tall with hairy stems andleaves; individually stalkedflower heads are in an open,rounded cluster at the tops ofthe main stem branches; eachhead has 40 or more brightpurple, petal-like ray flowerssurrounding a central yellowdiskFlowers in late summer, earlyfall. Before flowering, thespecies can be easilyidentified by the narrow,arrow-like leaves with leafbases that partially encirclethe stem. There are nopetioles visible.30

Coreopsis tripterisTall tickseed31

Coreopsis tripterisTall tickseed32

Coreopsis tripterisTall tickseedMature plantcharacteristics:Grows up to almost 2 m (6feet) tall; flowers areyellow with a brown centerand anise-like scentStems are smooth with adistinct node wherepetioles attach in anopposite arrangement.Leaves are trifoliate, withsmooth narrow leaflets.33

Echinacea pallidaPurple coneflower34

Echinacea pallidaPurple coneflowerMature plantcharacteristics:Stems and leaves arehairy with leaves mostlyarranged at the base.Leaves are usually longand narrow with verydistinct veins.35

Helianthus grosseserratusSawtooth sunflower36

Helianthus grosseserratusSawtooth sunflower37

Helianthus grosseserratusSawtooth sunflowerMature plantcharacteristics:Grows up to 3 m (10 feet)tall; central stem is hairlessand often reddish in color;very little branching; yellowcomposite flowers are about8-10 cm across, and consistof 10-25 ray florets,surrounding numerous diskfloretsLeaves can be arranged bothopposite and alternately.38

Heliopsis helianthoidesEarly sunflower, smooth oxeye39

Heliopsis helianthoidesEarly sunflower, smooth oxeye40

41

Heliopsis helianthoidesEarly sunflower, smooth oxeyeMature plantcharacteristics:Grows up to 1.5 m tall; thin,dark green ovate leaves havesandpapery surfaces andtoothed margins; raggeddaisy-like blossoms arecomposed of 10-16 pointedyellow ray flowers andnumerous orange disc flowerswhich mature into smooth 4angled seeds. Leavesopposite.42

Monarda fistulosaWild bergamot43

Monarda fistulosaWild bergamot44

Monarda fistulosaWild bergamotMature plantcharacteristics:Grows just over 1 m tall;flowers are tubular, 13-15nerved, with lobes muchshorter than the tube; corollais lavender and stronglybilabiate; upper lip is narrow,entire, and softly pubescentwhile lower lip is broaderStems are very distinctlysquare, and leaves have ascent similar to oregano.Edges of leaves often are areddish color.45

Parthenium integrifoliumWild quinine46

Parthenium integrifoliumWild quinine47

Parthenium integrifoliumWild quinineMature plantcharacteristics:White, long-lasting,somewhat-yarrow-like flowerheads are composed ofgrayish-white, globular,compound flowers that are 46 mm wide; five, unusuallyshort, ray flowers (1-2mmlong) surround the centraldisk flower corollas, which are2.5-3 mm long; flowers in latesummerSmaller in stature than manyof the other species, butstands very erect on singlestems; leaves have a distinctcenter vein and are alternate48

Penstemon digitalisTalus slope beardtongue, foxglove beardtongue49

Penstemon digitalisTalus slope, foxglove beardtongueMature plantcharacteristics:Opposite, entire or toothedleaves; they have severalstalked flowers or flowerclusters that are borne in theaxils of the upper leaves orleaf-like bracts. The tubularflower is two-lipped at themouth with a two-lobed upperlip and a three-lobbed lowerlip; flowers are white or violetin color50

Pycnanthemum virginianumCommon mountainmint, Virginia mountainmint51

Pycnanthemum virginianumCommon mountainmint, Virginia mountainmint52

Pycnanthemum virginianumCommon mountainmint,Virginia mountainmintMature plantcharacteristics:About 1 m tall and branchingfrequently, often with a bushyappearance; green or reddishstems are distinctly squareand have scattered whitehairs along the ridges;numerous flattened heads ofsmall white flowers (often withpurple dots) occur at the endsof the upper stems53

Ratibida pinnataPinnate prairie coneflower, yellow coneflower54

Ratibida pinnataPinnate prairie coneflower, yellow coneflower55

Ratibida pinnataPinnate prairie coneflower,yellow coneflowerMature plantcharacteristics:Can grow over 1 m tall;slender, grooved stems havefine, upward pointing hairs,and may branch with a floweron top of each stem; flowersmay have between 5 to 10petals that droop down towardthe stem with a distinct “cone”in the center; yellow coloredflowers56

Rudbeckia subtomentosaSweet coneflower, sweet black-eyed susan57

Rudbeckia subtomentosaSweet coneflower, sweet black-eyed susan58

Rudbeckia subtomentosaSweet coneflower,sweet black-eyed susanMature plantcharacteristics:Grows up to 2 m (6 feet)tall; leaves are ovate, hairy,grayish-green, to 13 cmlong; leaflets are toothedwith conspicuous veins;showy flowers, 7-8 cm wide,yellow with conical purplishbrown center, daisy-likeblooms59

Silphium integrifoliumWholeleaf rosinweed60

Silphium integrifoliumWholeleaf rosinweed61

Silphium integrifoliumWholeleaf rosinweedMature plantcharacteristics:Grows 1.5 m tall and unbranched; stout central stemis usually covered with stiffshort hairs; can be lightgreen, but often red in thepresence of bright sunlight;composite yellow flowersappear at the top of the plant,resembling small sunflowers;each flower is about 7-13 cmacross, consisting ofnumerous disk floretssurrounded by 12-25 rayfloretsLeaves lack a petiole andflowers branch oppositely witha junction at the main stem.62

Silphium laciniatumCompassplant63

Silphium laciniatumCompassplantMature plantcharacteristics:Grow to 1-4 m tall, withbristly-hairy stems; leaves arealternately arranged, anddeeply pinnately lobed; thebasal leaves up to 40 cmlong, becoming smaller higherup the stem; flowers areproduced in flowerheads(capitula) 5-12 cm diameter,with a ring of ray floretssurrounding the 2-3 cmdiameter center of disc florets64

Silphium perfoliatumCup plant65

Silphium perfoliatumCup plant66

Silphium perfoliatumCup plantMature plantcharacteristics:Grows up to 2.5 m (8 feet)tall; has square stems, withoften rounded corners, andleaves that are mostlyopposite, egg-shaped,toothed, with cuplike basesthat hold water; flower headsare rich, golden yellow, 2.5cm in diameter, and closelygrouped at the tips of thestems; small, tubular diskflowers are in the middle ofthe flower and is sterile anddoes not produce fruits67

Solidago rigida (Oligoneuron rigidum)Stiff goldenrod68

Solidago rigida (Oligoneuron rigidum)Stiff goldenrod69

Solidago rigida (Oligoneuronrigidum)Stiff goldenrodMature plantcharacteristics:Recognized by its broad, flattopped inflorescence (clusterof flowers); grows over 1 mtall; goldenrod flowers are likeminiature asters and are allyellow; leaves of goldenrodare stiff, rough textured andare alternately arranged onthe stem70

Veronicastrum virginicumCulver’s root71

Veronicastrum virginicumCulver’s rootMature plantcharacteristics:Can grow up to 2 m (6 feet)tall; flowers are on terminalspikes that rise from acommon axis—the centerspike is larger; individualflowers are minute and tightlyspaced; flowers are of whitecolor, and rarely pink72