Return to the Name That Plant Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
Posted by
seedmoney 8A (
seedmoney@embarqmail.com) on
Thu, Aug 2, 12 at 15:12
Hi everyone,
This delightful wilding keeps popping up on my property, usually in drainage ditches and at the edge of the woods. Can anyone id it? It is short, perhaps six inches tops, has opposite leaves with parallel veins. The leaves are arranged in whorls up the stem. Tiny yellow flowers crown the plant. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| Perhaps some type of Hypericum. |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| Looks like it might be a type of Hypericum. |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| Hypericum was my first choice, but can't seem to find this one in any of my wildflower books. Any guesses as to species? |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| If it was really tiny and I found it around here I'd be pretty confident that it is Hypericum mutilum, but there might be other small species in your zone. Growing in a drainage ditch fits it's usual habitat. |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| Yes, I thought of Hypericum mutilum but wasn't sure where the plant/poster is located. |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| Thanks everyone for your valuable and much appreciated input. I agree it's Hypericum mutilum. I'm in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Dismal Swamp. H. mutilum is listed as a facultative wetland plant, so we are on target. I find this small plant in my drainage ditches and at the edge of a rich moist woodland and it also grows in my meadow garden. |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| It's a cutie, I have it too. Can be an annual or a perennial depending on the conditions. The Great Dismal Swamp - I went there on field trips when I was growing up in southern Virginia. |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| We have a similar species in H. gymnanthum, as does seedmoney. I've read descriptions, but find them difficult to apply to real-world plants. Can anybody tell us an easy way to distinguish between them in the field? Both are reportedly wet area plants. |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| Most significant difference appears to be the way the leaf so closely clasps the stem on H. gymnanthum: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HYGY http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=HYMU&photoID=hymu_001_avd.t
if |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| My decision was based on the non-clasping stems and the fact that H. gymnanthum is very rare. I also noted preserved specimens of it were often mis-labeled in herbariums and that it crosses sometimes with H. mutilum. Finally, I cheated and talked to the ranger/botanist at the Dismal Swamp refuge who agreed that my specimen was mutilum. |
RE: Mystery yellow-flowered wilding
| | |
| Thank you both for the feedback. I don't want to hijack seedmoney's post, so will start another one on this topic. |
Post a Follow-Up
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in.
If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Name That Plant Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
