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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