Backyard Weeds

Here are thirteen wildflower/weeds I found in a quick look around my Satellite Beach backyard and along the ditch behind our home. Most of them will be familiar to you. Four are members of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.

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East coast dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis, Asteraceae)

Native

Large patches grow along the ditch banks. We use it as a low-maintenance ground cover around part of our pool deck.

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Sandbur (Cenchrus spp., Poaceae)

Native

A large, coarse sandbur; few, long stems ending in burs; possibly Cenchrus gracilis, slender sandbur.

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Corkystem passionflower (Passiflora suberosa, Passifloraceae)

Native

This vine grows on our chainlink fence.

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Whitemouth dayflower (Commelina erecta, Commelinaceae)

Native

Stems round along the ground. One of the prettiest "weeds." Seeds eaten by doves and songbirds, according to W.K. Taylor.

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Dwarf Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis var. pusilla, Asteraceae)

Native

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Mascarene Island leafflower (Phyllanthus tenellus, Phyllanthaceae)

Not native

This weed pops up in bare places along our roof drip line. A new species for me. Tiny, star-shaped, greenish-white flowers grow along the compound leaves. Native to Africa and the Mascarene Islands. A weed of greenhouses and container ornamentals. W.K.Taylor shows this as belonging to the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. I assume the USF/ISB designation of Phyllanthaceae is the currently accepted family.

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Painted leaf, fire-on-the-mountain (Poinsettia cyathophora, Euphorbiaceae)

Native

Also known as wild poinsettia.

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Little hogweed (Portulaca oleracea, Portulacaceae)

Not native

Commonly known in the U.S. as purslane or pusley. Can be eaten as a nutritious leaf vegetable. It has a slightly sour and salty taste. Can be used as a salad, stir-fried, or cooked like spinach.

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Beggarticks, Spanish needles (Bidens alba, Asteraceae)

Native

The bizarre, spiny insect on the blossom is a plume moth.

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Red spiderling, wineflower (Boerhavia diffusa, Nyctaginaceae)

Native

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Graceful sandmat (Chamaesyce hypericifolia, Euphorbiaceae)

Native

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Hyssopleaf sandmat (Chamaesyce hyssopifolia, Euphorbiaceae)

Native

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Tread-softly, finger-rot, stinging nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus, Euphorbiaceae)
Native

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Wickham Park: Odds and Ends, August 25, 2010

This visit was mostly a quest to resolve the identity of a couple of St. John's-worts. I have variously labeled them as Coastalplain and Atlantic St. John's-worts, not being certain which was which or if I was seeing in fact two separate species. I recently found a key to the St. John's-wort shrubs that identified Coastalplain St. John's-wort as having 2-winged stems and Atlantic St. John's-wort as having 6-sided stems. Based on the stems, all the St. John's-worts I found on this visit were Coastalplain. The only other St. John's-wort I found was fourpetal St. John's-wort. It is easily identified by its pale green leaves, four petals forming a right-angle cross, two pairs of sepals, outer pair large, completely enclosing petals before opening, looks like praying hands. My next step is to make a wider search in the park for Atlantic St. John's-wort.
    Near the end of this quick visit, I found the first of several species of purple wildflowers that bloom in the park in the fall. Cooler weather is on the way?

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Coastalplain St. John's-wort (Hypericum brachypyllum, Clusiaceae)

Native

Note the wings on the stem on the left. Right-side image shows five equal sepals.

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Winged sumac (Rhus copallinum, Anacardiaceae)

Native

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Hatpin

Not certain which one.

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Eastern milkpea (Galactia volubilis, Fabaceae)
Native

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Hairy chaffhead (Carphephorus paniculatus, Asteraceae)

Native

This is the first of the various purple wildflowers that bloom in the fall.

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Saltwater Falsewillow

This is a shrub I recently noticed for the first time along Black Point Drive in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. A few days later, I saw the same shrub in Satellite Beach, along the shore of the canal that runs along the south side of Cassia Drive. It turned out to be a close relative of the much more common groundsel tree (or saltbush), Baccharis halimifolia.

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Saltwater falsewillow (Baccharis angustifolia, Asteraceae)

Native

This shrub with needle-like leaves is commonly found in brackish, marshy areas near the coast of Atlantic and Gulf plains. It flowers in late summer--yellowish blossoms followed by lots of fuzzy white seedheads, similar to the groundsel tree. The flower buds in this specimen have not opened, yet.

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Wickham Park: Office Gardens

Several Florida native plants can be found in the gardens adjacent to the Wickham Park office. The following photos were taken in 2006 and used in the "Wildflowers of Wickham Park" poster I donated to the park.

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Walter's viburnum (Viburnum obovatum, Adoxaceae)

Native

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Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine, Aquifoliaceae)

Native

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Coralbean (Erythrina herbacea, Fabaceae)

Native

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Yellow necklacepod (Sophora tomentosa var. truncata, Fabaceae)

Native

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Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora, Magnoliaceae)

Native

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Firebush (Hamelia patens, Rubiaceae)

Native

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Blue porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Verbenaceae)

Native

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Coontie (Zamia pumila, Zamiaceae)

Native

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Cruickshank Sanctuary: Pineland Scalypink

Another mystery plant identified with the assistance of Sally Ann Scalera! I emailed photos of the plant to her, and she forwarded them to the UF Herbarium. Four days later she forwarded me the response from the Herbarium: The Collections Manager, Kent Perkins, believes my plant is Pineland Scalypink, Stipulicida setacea in the Caryophyllaceae Family (Pink Family). I have since looked it up on the USF/ISB website and agree that that is my plant. I first found this plant in the Cruickshank Sanctuary, June 9, 2010. I have since found it throughout dry, sandy areas of Wickham Park.

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Pineland Scalypink (Stipulicida setacea, Caryophyllaceae)

Native

W.K. Taylor's The Guide to Florida Wildflowers calls it Wire Plant. It's a small, nondescript plant with tiny white flowers, easily overlooked. It definitely has a wiry look about it. Taylor describes it as having minute, white, 5-petaled flowers in terminal clusters. The stem is smooth, wiry, branched. The upper stems are leafless, but bristly stipules occur at the stem joints.

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Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, August 15, 2010

Crawled along Black Point Drive looking for wildflowers. Found bushmint (not native), which I had not seen on this drive before. All the others were familiar, so used the opportunity to try to get better photos of them.

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Lateflowering thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum, Asteraceae)

Native
   

 Moist, disturbed sites. Blooms summer, fall.

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Virginia saltmarsh mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos, Malvaceae)
Native

Swamps and marshes. Blooms spring, summer, fall.

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Wood sage; Canadian germander (Teucrium canadense, Lamiaceae)
Native

I initially misidentified this plant as tropical bushmint (Hyptis mutabilis). In September 2011, I was notified that the plant is actually wood sage (Teucrium canadense).

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Marsh gentian, seaside gentian (Eustoma exaltatum, Gentianaceae)
Native

Coastal dunes, wet marshes, and disturbed sites. Bloom spring, summer, fall. The plants I found on this day seemed much shorter than the ones found in early summer.

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Spotted beebalm, dotted horsemint (Monarda punctata, Lamiaceae)
Native

Disturbed sites. Blooms late spring, summer, fall.

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Capeweed (Phyla nodiflora, Verbenaceae)
Native

Damp, sandy soils. Blooms year round.

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Southern beeblossom (Gaura angustifolia, Onagraceae)
Native

Flowers small, on ends of wandlike spikes. Stems up to 6-ft long. Dry, disturbed sites, and pinelands. Blooms year round.

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American bluehearts (Buchnera americana, Orobanchaceae)
Native

Pinelands, disturbed areas, and meadows. Blooms year round.

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Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris, Asteraceae)
Native

Plant is odiferous. Blooms year round.

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Plant Bug

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Showy milkwort (Polygala violacea, Polygalaceae)
Native

Blooms year round.

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Zarzabacoa comun, beggarweed (Desmodium incanum, Fabaceae)
Not native

Produces pods of hairy sticktights of 4 to 6 segments. Blooms year round.

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Spanish needles, beggarticks (Bidens alba, Asteraceae)
Native

Found in disturbed sites. Blooms year round. A popular flower with butterflies.

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Narrowleaf yellowtops (Flaveria linearis, Asteraceae)
Native

Only one tiny ray flower in each flower head. Found in wet areas, especially coastal areas. Blooms year round.

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