South Carolina Native Plant Society

I live in the Red Bank area of Lexington County, SC. I was just trying to identify this flower I found while working on my property. The petal structure of the flower reminds me of an orchid but I know orchids do not have compound leaves. The plant is about 14" high and is growing in a pine wooded area, partial sun/shade. (I took seven photos of it yesterday, May 8, and they can be seen at the following link.) It was suggested to me this might be in the Fabaceae family and it does resemble some specimens I've seen on the web but I did not see anything with the yellow/pink color combination of this specimen.

I also wanted to thank you because while viewing the SCNPS web site I saw that you identified for someone else a different plant I found last year, the Ipheion uniflorum. The ones I found are much more pink than lavender and appear to be the Charlotte Bishop variety. I just love it because it is such an unassuming little plant but it flowers for a very long time. I put one in a pot on my front porch and every day there were between five and twelve lovely little pink flowers.

Your plant is a legume, or a member of the Bean family - Leguminosae or Fabaceae. It is usually called Goat's-Rue, Tephrosia virginiana (L.) Persoon. It does have an attractive bicolored flower, and it is a strong perennial usually growing in colonies in open woodlands.

It is a widespread species, but I wouldn't say it is common everywhere. I've never tried it in a garden, but it would probably make a good garden plant. I suspect it would be difficult to transplant, though, as it has a deep, complex rhizome and root system, and the colonies may be clones.

I apologize for not getting all the info or photos of plant parts needed, but have been searching the Internet for days trying to find out what this plant is. It was photographed in the month of May on Pinkney Island Wildlife Preserve, but I saw many other plants blooming near the edge of wild areas while driving in Bluffton SC. The flowers have a pungent fragrance.

your plant is a rather commonly found small tree called China-berry, scientific name Melia azedarach L. It is quite pretty, and it was introduced as an ornamental, but it commonly escapes. It has 1-seeded yellowish tan spherical fruits in the fall, about 1/2" in diameter. It is especially interesting to botanists because it is our only member of the Meliaceae, the Mahogany family in our area, though not native. Usually this small tree is fast-growing but not long-lived. In some areas it is considered to be an invasive or noxious weed. I personally, like it.

Please note that the fruits and leaves are poisonous if large quantities are eaten, but not at all good for you even in small amounts. Some sources say that 6 fruits can kill you. I haven't tried this!

This plant is growing in my friend's Greenville, SC front yard garden. She did not plant it and has no idea what it to think it is. Since last year it has multiplied a bit but does not seem to be strongly invasive. Can you help us?

I was VERY surprised when I looked at this image to see this plant from South Carolina! I have never seen it in the Eastern United States, but I have seen it in Oregon, Washington, and California as well as in the mountains in Mexico. It is common in the west and only during cool moist weather. Your plant is called Miner's lettuce - named either Claytonia perfoliata or Montia perfoliata. It is a very edible plant in the purslane family, the Portulacaceae. You plant is in a pot, so was it really in the ground there? If it was there outside of cultivation it may be a new record for the state, and perhaps even for the Carolinas . It probably came in with a plant ordered from the west coast, as it can be weedy out there. I'm just very impressed to see a record of it from South Carolina! A great find! You can find more about it here:

Toddie M. and I came up on this fragrant, flowering tree near a pond (at their farm near Winnsboro) and leaning out from under pine, cedar, oak. Just one trunk, maybe 6" in diameter, beginning to leaf out. I thought it was full of wysteria, but on closer inspection found a tree I had never seen. Later, Chandler M. told us he had cut some down leaning out from under a bunch of redbuds. He thinks it is a "trash tree." Toddie and I were really charmed with these huge flowering spikey branches, but we don't know what it is. Can you identify? Flowers are bell-shaped with bud covering of fuzzy brown, The end of the branch holds these blossoms and curves upward.

Hi, Pud, I can understand why your friend called it a trash tree because it spreads fast and it is not native. But I like it. Your tree is the Princesstree - Paulownia tomentosa - a soft-woody, fast growing member of the snapdragon family, Scrophulariaceae. The flowers are attractive, and it was introduced for its valuable wood - there are even plantations of it. See this site: http://www.paulowniatrees.org/ You can find a lot more about it, with pictures, at this site: http://www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PATO2 I guess some people say it can get out of hand, but to me it is no more invasive than catalpa is, and the flowers are nice to look at. Thanks for asking!

Please help me ID this plant: Growing on bank of Little Lynches River, Kershaw, SC. Photos were taken April 16,2009. Initially thought it was a fern but flowers did not confirm theory. My sister looked on Ladybird Johnson's site www.wildflower.org and said, "The plant is a LOUSEWORT...there are many types and I haven't been able to determine the exact one that ya'll have..." I would appreciate your reply.

Hi, Julia, your sister is correc ! This is a Lousewort, but far prettier than most. It is the Canadian lousewort, Pedicularis canadensis. Your plant has more red pigment than most, making it really attractive. Most others are just yellow. It is in the snapdragon family, Scrophulariaceae. You can find out a lot more about it at this site: http://www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PECA These are, as you discovered, usually found on riverbanks in the Carolinas, often in areas with paw-paws. They do not transplant well, as they are partly parasitic as I understand, and so the root system is connected with those of other plants making them very fragile. Anyway, I hope this help !

First time on the site was this a.m. impressive. These flowers are in an open area in and older Pecan Grove. They had blooms on top 1/3rd of plant, but have lasted only a week. Pictures show two tops and one stem. Most plants are 12" or taller. They seem to reseed with prevaling wind direction about 20 to 25 yds. Small seeds.

Thank you for sending the nice flower images. It makes it so much easier for me when they are of such fine quality. Your plant is known as 'Toadflax', or Linaria canadensis (L.) Chaz. - and some people are accepting the scientific name Nuttallanthus canadensis (L.) D.A.Sutton. Yours may be the var. texana (Scheele) Pennell, distinguished mostly by its range and its larger flowers. This is a common winter annual herb, especilly in crop fields - it can be so common that an old field may look blue - and it often grows with Rumex hastatulus, a red flowered plant, making some fields blue and red and some with patches of both colors in the early spring before the fields are planted. This is a popular plant and there are many pages on it on the internet. Here are a few you might find interesting: http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/fguide/pdf/lincan.pdf http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?mode=Scientific+Name&keywordquery=Nuttallanthus+canadensis http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Linaria+canadensis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linaria_canadensis

Taxonomy is in a period of change, so while I still place this in the family Scrophulariaceae, the Snapdragon Family, others may place it in the Veronicaceae. It goes through the winter as a small patch of basal leaves radiating from a central point, then sends up its flower stalk as soon as it gets warm. They usually like sandy soil. I hope this helps, and thank you for your interest!

In my recent wanderings, I've come across a neat looking tree (shrub?). It was growing on the edge of what used to be a pine forest. Any ideas? Thank you.

I think I can help you with this. Your shrub is called 'sweetleaf' or 'horse-sugar' because if you break the leaf and lick the edge it is very sweet, like saccharine. The scientific name is Symplocos tinctoria (L.) L'Her. It is in the family Symplocaceae. You can find out more about it at these sites: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SYTI, http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Symplocos+tinctoria and there are many other sites on the internet. It is a very interesting shrub as the family itself is not at all common in North America . There are other species in China , and in the tropics. Nice pictures! I hope this helps, and thank you for your interest!

I found these growing in a field near the house - moved them to my yard. I have asked several local folks for identification and have not had any luck. The started blooming about a week ago and I would guess they are at their maximum.

Hi John, your plants are called Ipheion uniflorum (Lindl.) Raf.. and I pronounce the genus name 'iffy-on'. It is not a native plant, but it has naturalized in our area. It is actually native to Argentina, and it is related fairly closely to onions - but I don't know if it is edible so don't eat it without doing more research! Some place it in the family Liliaceae and others in the segregated family Alliaceae - taken out of the Liliaceae to include the onion and its relatives only.

It has gone under several names, but Ipheion is the one generally accepted. I hope this helps, and thanks for your interest!

I recently moved to Charleston from Miami and find that most of the wild plants here are strange to me. But one especially is really strange. It is flourishing in the construction lot next to my home. The plant is tall-often over six feet and flourishes in great numbers, like a small forest. The trunk and branches are thin and the leaves resemble those of a small fern. The plant has small flowers that come in two varieties on different plants--yellow and a combination of yellow and brownish red. They are favorites of bumblebees and hummingbirds. Now these plants are producing an abundance of small pea pods. Some plants carry these pods in such numbers that they actually bend with the burden. I wonder if, like peas, these pods afre edible. The plant seems to like direct sun.

Your plant appears to be Sesbania exaltata, also known as Sesbania macrocarpa and Sesbania herbacea - the last perhaps the most correct name. The common name is danglepod, or bigpod sesbania. It is a bean, but not edible; in fact the seeds may be poisonous to people. In Kentucky it is considered to be a noxious weed. I have even seen it in southern Illinois. Here is a link with more information:

I think it is a nice looking plant - it just gets out of hand sometimes. I hope this helps. Thanks for your interest !

My wife and I found these plants on a walking trail at the Harbison State Forest just outside of Columbia, SC. It is a typical midlands forest with lots of tall pines and some under growth. These plants were found in shaded areas mostly.

your plant is Amorpha herbacea var. Walter, sometimes known as clusterspike false indigo, but many people call the genus Lead-plant or Indigo Bush. It is not a true indigo, but it is a legume or bean, as is true indigo. This is a nice native species, somewhat restricted in range to the southeastern states, and there are about 5 species in the Carolinas. As a nitrogen-fixer, they are very good for the soil and they seem to be popular with bees. The flowers are very unusual for a bean, and the contrast of orange anthers and purple petals is very interesting - and quite nice when magnified.

Hi. I'm hoping you might be able to help me identify this tree. We have several (15-20) of them growing on our 5 acres of land. They only grow to appx.10-12ft in height and seem to grow in groups, or clusters. They are currently flowering (see close up photo) and have been since the beginning of May. We have fairly poor, sandy soil and most of the trees get partial shade, though this one in particular gets full sun and seems to fair as well as the others. Any help identifying this tree would be really helpful.

Your tree is generally called Sparkleberry, but I have also heard it called Farkleberry. It is a type of blueberry, Vaccinium arboreum, in the family Ericaceae. It often has evergreen leaves in warmer places, and they are quite shiny. It is especially good for wildlife. I don't think the berries are particularly good to us - they are safe, but, as I remember, bitter. It is a good landscape tree, slow growing, and rather attractive at all seasons in my opinion. I hope this helps ! Thanks for your interest.

Hi Steven, I found this plant while on my way to Pinnacle Peak in Table Rock State Park near Greenville, SC on May17, 2008. The plant is about 1 ft. tall and the pink flower is 1 to 1.5 inches long. It was found at an elevation of about 3000 feet in moderate shade.

You have sent in a beautiful image of one of the showiest and popular wildflowers of the eastern USA, the Pink Ladyslipper Orchid, Cypripedium acaule. It was one of these that turned me onto botany when I was young. There is lots of information on this on the internet, but a good place to start is: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CYAC3 It has also been called 'moccasin flower' because of the fancied resemblance to an old fashioned Indian moccasin. The other Cypripediums are generally called 'lady's-slipper' so I prefer this name. It likes acidic humus, and is usually associated with pines. They are not too common and can be easily wiped out from an area, so it is generally best just to photograph them unless an area is to be developed. This is certainly one of our largest and most popular native orchids ! Thanks for asking !

This plant is growing in our yard, on the edge of the woods. I suspect it is not a wild plant, as I have not seen any others in the area.I live in South Carolina.

you have a very interesting plant there, and it is native, and it is found only in SC, GA and FL. It is Baptisia perfoliata, and while you did not tell me exactly where you live, you must live in the sandhills in southern SC because that is where it grows. It is in the bean family, Fabaceae, and it is sometimes called 'catbells'.

It is apparently not rare, because it is not listed as threatened anywhere, but it is restricted in range.

My husband and I found the attached wildflower on Bull Pen Road near the Chattooga River. (Bull Pen Road is just inside the NC line and is a back road into Highlands.) I’ve searched my wildflower books but have not been able to find anything that resembles this plant. Can you help me?

Well, this is certainly one of my favorite wildflowers, but a bit early for it now - you must have taken the photo in the summer sometime. It is the yellow fringed orchid - Platanthera ciliaris. Many other people love it besides me. It is so bright that it looks like someone has spray-painted it with fluorescent paint - it can be seen from a great distance. It is rather scarce, and reproduces slowly, and does not transplant well. I've seen it in bogs as well as dry land near mountain laurel - so it has wide tolerances.

There are many sources about this plant - I suggest this one because of the tremendous pictures and information: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PLCI2 As you can see on this site, this orchid is threatened or endangered in at least 10 states !

This is the only photo I have. The plant is about 2ft tall. The pic was taken May 10, 2008 about 2 miles south of Oconee Ga. The area is shady, soil is red clay. Its the only one in the area, growing with briars and other weeds.

Your plant is a nice native vine, called Carolina milkvine - Matelea carolinensis. The maroon flowers are distinctive, though there are a couple of other species of Matelea with maroon flowers [such as Matelea decipiens] but yours best matches the Carolina milkvine.

...and there are many others. These vines are related to the common milkweeds, Asclepias, and are in the milkweed family, Asclepiadaceae. The vines usually have milky-white sap.

Hi, I found one tree along the roadside next to a field in Aiken County. The blossoms measure about 3/4 inch across and the leaves are about 2 1/2 inches long. Can you please tell me what they are?

Your plant is usually called 'Chinaberry', scientific name Melia azedarach. Not native, but it is commonly planted as an ornamental but escapes easily and is sometimes considered to be a pest. I personally like it because of the attractive leaves, flowers and fruits - and there are far worse weeds than this tree. It is related to mahogany, family Meliaceae, but it is short-lived and does not have a very good wood. I think it is native to India, but it has been planted all over the globe.

May 10, 2008

Hello,

I live outside of Great Falls South Carolina and I found a shrub along side the road where I walk. It was just on the margin of a forested area along a rural road and is the only one I have seen along that way or anywhere else. I don't think it is native as I cannot find it in any of my native references. I have attached some pictures. My digital camera is old so I hope you can get a good look at it.

Description: Deciduous shrub, approximately. 4ft, leaves are simple opposite, lanceolate to ovate, margins entire but some larger leaves have a few gland-like points along the edge, almost like some Ilex species but not barbs. Venation appears to be mildly arcuate(almost looks parallel in young leaves).

Underside of leaves are lightly pubescent with small light colored hairs.

Flowers: White, four petals, four small green sepals, many anthers and four stigmas, bright yellow (similar to rose) slightly aromatic(sweet).

New growth is green and previous branches appear to have a thin layer of red-brown bark that comes off easy,becoming gray further down to base. I did not see fruit nor did I look at the roots.

I did not get a good sample of the leaf scars or any terminal buds. Leaf scars may be round to heart shaped but not sure.

It's a very delicate and pretty shrub. I hope you can help or at least point me in the right direction.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Rachel

Hi, Rachel,

I can give you some information about your plant, but possibly not THE answer. This shrub is a Mockorange, genus Philadelphus. The species is more of a problem - and I have sometimes found these hard to identify, because there are several in cultivation as well as a couple of native species. If the flowers are fragrant, I think it could be Philadelphus lewisii [see: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/19496/ ]. If they are not fragrant, it could be Philadelphus inodorus [see: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PHIN5 ].

There are a few more possibilities, but several of those have hairy leaf undersides, and it appears that yours does not.

I will copy this to a few other people in case they wish to make a guess, but this is the best I can do for now. I hope it helps !

Thanks for your interest.

Cordially,

Steve Hill - SCNPS

May 6, 2008

Hi – Saw this plant in our yard. Is in partial shade. Only have seen one other one in our area (Ware Place, SC). Can you tell me what it is?

Thanks! Pete

Hi, Pete,

Your small tree is called Fringe tree - Chionanthus virginianus. They are quite attractive and fragrant when in bloom - and while they have a large range they are usually not found in large colonies. It is related to privet and the olive tree, as well as to the ash. I hope this helps - and thanks for your interest !

--Steve Hill SCNPS

May 6, 2008

Dear Dr. Hill,

I am writing a play that takes place in South Carolina in the years just before the Civil War. In one scene I want to use a flower as a metaphor for the southern way of life. I need a flower that is richly beautiful and fragrant, somewhat fragile, and unable to live anyplace else. Can you suggest one? I would be deeply grateful. Thanks so much.

Best, Catherine

Catherine,

Try the opium poppy - Papaver somniferum. It was grown in all southern gardens as a medicinal and one of ther most important plants used to heal the soldiers. I was surprised to know hoe widespread it was grown - not native, but crucial to the south. Otherwise there is always the camellia, magnolia, carolina jessamine, and so on.

--Steve

March 25, 2008

Dr. Hill

I saw this plant March 23 in Oconee County. It was in a forest, in deep shade, on the western slope a culvert that was fairly moist. I've looked in several books but have not been able to identify it. I hope you can help. Thank you.

Elizabeth

Hi, Elizabeth,

Your plant is one of the earliest of the upstate wildflowers, and a favorite of many! it is called 'Hepatica' or 'Liverleaf' [I don't know anyone who actually calls it the latter, though) and I use the scientific name Hepatica americana (DC.) Ker. for it. I say that because some have considered it to be the same as a European species, and others now have merged it with the very closely related genus Anemone - but not me in either case ! It is in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, and the petals are shed quickly so that it is not visible in flower for long. The leaves are evergreen, though, and give it an early start in the spring. We have one other species, the Sharp-leaved Hepatica, Hepatica acutiloba, but H. americana has rounded lobes on the leaf. It has been called 'liverleaf' because the leaves are 3 lobed, rather like a human liver, and so people thought it was a good liver medicine, but there is no evidence at all for this. Thanks for asking ! Enjoy your Spring !

Cordially,

Steve Hill SCNPS

March 25, 2008

Dr. Hill,

Mark

Hi Mark,

Trilliums are among my favorite southern [& northern!] wildflowers! Your trillium is Trillium cuneatum Raf., common name: Little Sweet Betsy. In this case you made it easy for me, because this is the only sessile-flowered trillium that looks like this at Issaqueena Falls, as well as at Station Falls and other nearby areas. Relict trillium is mostly around Aiken, and the stem is 'S' shaped, being partly decumbent; Trillium decumbens, as far as I know, is not in the Carolinas but it is in GA and TN, at least, and its stem lies flat on the ground. Trillium discolor, another sessile-flowered species is not too far from Issaqueena Falls, but it has yellow petals that widen towards the tip. Trillium maculatum and Trillium lanceolatum, two other SC sessile-flowered species do not reach Oconee County - the closest they come to the upstate that I know of is also Aiken and McCormick counties. Trillium cuneatum also has a yellow-flowered form [var. luteum], easily distinguished from Trillium discolor by the petals that are the same shape as yours and do not expand towards the tip. Thanks for asking !

Cordially,

Steve Hill SCNPS

March 22, 2008

Hello,

March 21, 2008

Can you identify this plant for me? Thanks! I found it growing along the Mountain Bridge Wilderness trail in jones Gap State Park on march 15, 2008. It was growing on a ridgetop in a mature hardwood forest slightly north facing.

Thanks!

Anthony,

Hi, Anthony, Your plant is called Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis - and it is in the poppy family (Papaveraceae). A lot of people miss the flower because it is really early and it only lasts a day or so. The sap of the rootstock is blood red, but it is generally considered to be toxic if consumed. The Indians had uses for the plant though, and it entered folklore because of the 'blood' in the underground parts. The leaf is very immature at this stage, and it will get much larger - to about 6 ' or so across. This is not a rare plant, but it is more common in the northern states. Many people grow it in wildflower gardens, though it is not too fond of the very acid soils or extreme heat. Thanks for sending this to me, and I hope that you will keep looking for more unusual plants !

Sincerely,

Steve Hill SCNPS

PLANT ID HOME / PLANT ID ARCHIVES: page 1 > 2