Garden List 2014 Update: August 6

Here's my newest update to my garden list! I've spent very little time in the herbarium over the last couple of weeks (conflicting schedules and all), so it will probably be a couple of weeks before I update it again with more stuff. Seems like during the summer, when there are no students around, is when everyone is busiest dealing with administrative stuff having to do with students. Ha. The never ending cycle! It's August already...geez. Where does the time go?!

The legend:
- Plants in bold text are new to this iteration of the Garden List (numbered from the bottom up so new plants will always be at the top)
- Plants in green text are species native to northeastern North America (specifically, southwestern Ontario)
- Plants with an asterisk (*) beside their name are invasive in this area (again, specifically southwestern Ontario)
- Any plants that I've already blogged about have links included


Jen's Garden List 2014:
121. Sow thistle (Sonchus asper) 
120. Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata): read all about my favourite aquatic plant, pickerelweed, HERE.
119. Bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla): read all about the colour-changing abilities of the bigleaf hydrangea HERE.
118. Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)*
117. False spirea (a different kind!), false goat's-beard (Sorbaria sorbifolia)
116. Purple daylily (Hemerocallis sp., unknown cultivar)
115. Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides)*: read all about the invasive creeping bellflower HERE.
114. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): read all about echinacea HERE.
113. Clematis, traveler's joy (Clematis x jacksonii): read all about clematis HERE.
112. Cliff stonecrop (Sedum cauticola or also Hylotelephium cauticola): read all about the cliff or showy stonecrop HERE.
111. Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus 'Lemon Supreme')
110. A "Division VII Lily hybrid" that is slowly being strangled out by other plants (Lilium hybrid; likely L. auratum x L. speciosum)
109. Scottish bluebell, bellflower (Campanula rotundifolia): read all about a Scottish bluebell hybrid HERE.
108. Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina)*: read all about Lamb's ear and why it might be important in medicine HERE.
107. Enchanter's nightshade (Circaea quadrisulcata)
106. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)*: don't worry; these are in a pot, not directly in the ground! :)
105. A different false spirea (Astilbe x arendsii 'Peach Blossom')
104. Chinese astilbe or false spirea (Astilbe x chinensis 'Rise & Shine'): read about one variety of Chinese astilbe (or false spirea) HERE.
103. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): read all about lavender HERE.
102. Common black nightshade (Solanum nigrum)*
101. Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)*
100. Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum): read all about Japanese painted ferns HERE.
99. Clinton's wood fern (Dryopteris clintoniana)
98. Nipplewort (Lapsana communis)*
97. Gray chickweed (Cerastium brachypetalum)
96. Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)*
95. Lady's-thumb (Polygonum persicaria)*
94. Japanese spirea #2 (Spiraea japonica 'Norman'): read all about spireas HERE.
93. Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)*
92. Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine)*
91. Daylily (Hemerocallis sp. 'Bertie Ferris'): read all about daylilies and the umpteen different cultivars available starting HERE (at the bottom of the page, press "older posts" to read previous blog posts on the same topic).
90. Japanese spirea #1 (Spiraea japonica 'Golden Princess')
89. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum): read all about sugar maple trees HERE and HERE.
88. Rough avens (Geum virginianum)
87. Wormseed or Treacle mustard (Erysimum cheiranthoides)
86. Maiden pink (Dianthus deltoides)
85. Broadleaf, greater or common plantain (Plantago major)
84. Black grass (Juncus gerardii)*
83. Candlestick fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon; a fungus)
82. Muller's pouchwort (Calypogeia muelleriana)
81. Indian feather moss (Timmia megapolitana)
80. Wood clitocybe (Pseudoarmillariella ectypoides or formerly called Clitocybe ectypoides; a fungus)
79. Yellow-cracked pholiota (Pholiota granulosa; a fungus)
78. Another fungus without a common name... (Stropharia thrausta; a fungus)
77. Red sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum); not collected for the same reason as tomatoes.
76. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum); not collected because I like eating tomatoes, not squishing tomatoes between newspaper sheets!
75. At least four different cultivars of garden roses (Rosa sp.; many are unknown cultivars): you can read all about roses HERE and HERE.
74. Yellow daylily (Hemerocallis flava)
73. Meadow cranesbill (Geranium pratense)
72. Woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus, also known as Thymus praecox subsp. brittanicus)
71. Dog-strangling vine (Vincetoxicum rossicum)*
70. White clover (Trifolium repens)*
69. Red pine (Pinus resinosa dwarf variety): read all about red pines HERE.
68. Glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)*
67. Flowering dogwood, Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa): read all about the flowering dogwood HERE.
66. Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris): read all about the climbing hydrangea HERE.
65. Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)*: read all about the yellow flag iris HERE.
64. Japanese iris, blood iris (Iris sanguinea): read all about the blood iris HERE.
63. Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)
62. Common garden peony, Chinese peony (Paeonia lactiflora hybrid of unknown parentage): read all about peonies HERE.
61. Weak arctic sedge (Carex supina)
60. Least hop clover (Trifolium dubium)*
59. Garden weigela, wine and roses weigela, old fashioned weigela, or any number of other common names used for this species (Weigela florida 'Alexandra'): read all about the "catnip shrub" HERE.
58. Little gem cotoneaster (Cotoneaster adpressus)
57. Purple creeping woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata var. atropurpurea)*
56. Littleleaf lilac (Syringa pubescens subsp. microphylla, formerly Syringa microphylla)*: read all about the littleleaf lilac HERE.
55. Common or Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)*
54. Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea): read all about the red osier dogwood HERE.
53. Blue dogbane (Amsonia tabernaemontana): read all about dogbane HERE.
52. Hemlock waxcap (Hygrocybe/Hygrophorus sp.; a fungus without a published name [yet] that I discovered in my back yard growing under, you guessed it, hemlock trees)
51. Spring psathyrella (Psathyrella pseudovernalis; a fungus)
50. A fungus without a common name... (Hygrophorus camarophyllus; a fungus)
49. Rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis)
48. Canada bluegrass (Poa compressa)
47. Alpine pogonatum moss (Pogonatum alpinum)
46. Contorted hairy cap moss (Pogonatum contortum)
45. Cluster crumblecap (Psathyrella hydrophila; a fungus)
44. Annual blue grass (Poa annua)*
43. Mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum)*
42. Thyme-leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia)
41. Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis)*: read all about lily-of-the-valley HERE and HERE.
40. Great Solomon's-seal (Polygonatum biflorum or sometimes called Polygonatum commutatum or even Polygonatum giganteum): read all about great Solomon's-seal HERE.
39. Bugle (Ajuga reptans)*
38. Red oak (Quercus rubra): read all about the red oak HERE.
37. Common or umbrella liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha)*: read all about the umbrella liverwort HERE.
36. Sweet woodruff or sweetscented bedstraw (Galium odoratum)*: read all about sweet woodruff, aka master of the woods, HERE.
35. Woodland Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema atrorubens or sometimes called Arisaema triphyllum): read all about Jack-in-the-pulpits HERE.
34. Freckled violet (Viola sororia 'Freckles')*
33. Purple plum (Prunus cerasifera 'Thundercloud')
32. Fivestamen chickweed (Cerastium semidecandrum)*
31. Terrestrial water-starwort (Callitriche terrestris)
30. Yellow alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis or its other name Alyssum saxatilae)
29. Yellow rocket or winter cress (Barbarea vulgaris)*
28. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)*: read all about garlic mustard HERE.
27. Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis): read all about lungworts HERE.
26. Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)*: read all about dandelions HERE and HERE.
25. Fortune's spindle (Euonymus fortunei)*
24. Violet lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor 'La Grave')*
23. Northern blue violet (Viola septentrionalis)
22. Creeping woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata)*
21. Bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis): read all about bleeding hearts HERE.
20. Field pansy (Viola kitaibeliana)
19. Moss phlox (Phlox subulata): red all about moss phlox HERE and HERE.
18. Mountain rock cress (Arabis alpina subsp. caucasica)*
17. Norway spruce (Picea abies)*: read all about the Norway spruce HERE and HERE.
16. Tulips, at least 2 different unknown cultivars (Tulipa sp.): read all about tulips HERE.
15. Hyacinths, at least 3 different unknown cultivars (Hyacinthus orientalis): read all about hyacinths HERE.
14. Daffodils, 2 different unknown cultivars (Narcissus sp.): read all about daffodils HERE in my blog post about plants of the Chinese New Year.
13. Judas ear (Auricula americana; a fungus)
12. Common violet (Viola papiliomacea or sometimes called Viola sororia)*
11. English violet (Viola odorata)*
10. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)*
9. Eastern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis): read all about the Eastern white-cedar HERE.
8. Corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis)*
7. Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
6. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis): read all about the Eastern hemlock HERE.
5. Siberian or wood squill (Scilla siberica)*
4. Variegated lesser or dwarf periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Argenteovariegata')*
3. Purple lesser or dwarf periwinkle (Vinca minor 'Atropurpurea')*
2. Bigleaf periwinkle, greater periwinkle (Vinca major)*
1. Hoary/hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)*

My favourite aquatic plant, pickerelweed. I love the little yellow dots on the top petals of the flowers, and the way the seeds develop is downright fascinating!

Creeping bellflowers have established themselves quite nicely (rather, not very nicely if you ever want to remove them) at the side of the garden. I'll be the first to admit these are unfortunately a very attractive invasive species; one that is widely planted as an ornamental species.

Black-eyed Susans rarely actually take a beating

Species name: Rudbeckia hirta

Common name: black-eyed Susan, yellow ox-eyed daisy

Location: Ontario

Black-eyed Susans are spectacular flowering plants native to southeastern Canada all the way south to Florida and Texas in the United States. There are four sub-species designating populations of plants in various locations, since the species range has become non-continuous due to land use change. It's an incredibly successful competitor and thrives in disturbed areas, so is often the first plant to colonize a recently abandoned field. Despite being able to out-compete almost all early successional field species, it does poorly in shade and so once shrubs and trees start to colonize the area it will quickly die out (or only remain in small patches). Anyone who has ever planted this plant in their garden knows about its ability to quickly colonize an area; keeping a patch of Black-eyed Susans under control feels like a losing battle (partially because, by definition, backyard gardens are disturbed areas which means this plant does exceptionally well).

Medicinally, this plant was used in almost the same way as the purple coneflower, Echinacea. The Ojibwa people used a paste-like liquid made from ground roots mixed with water as a treatment for snake bites, and made a tea-like infusion from the leaves and roots as a treatment for worms in children. The Menominee and Potawatomi people used the natural diuretic properties of this plant to flush toxins from the body. Because this diuretic effect is real, caution should be used when using this plant as an herbal medicine; over-use can result in severe dehydration which requires hospitalization. If this is not caught in time, permanent kidney damage or even death can occur.

Can this prevent you from catching a cold?

Species name: Echinacea purpurea

Common name: purple coneflower

Location: Ontario

Since I spent so many days blogging about non-native daylilies, I figured I should start off the week on a good note by blogging about a native flower that is incredibly attractive in gardens and a good plant to use in gardens to attract bees, butterflies and moths: the purple coneflower. Interestingly enough, this plant is becoming less and less common in the wild due to land-use change, and potentially a changing climate. It thrives in dry areas in meadows or open woods, and is incredibly drought-tolerant once established. While not truly "deer-safe," once the stand of plants has established itself it is rarely consumed by large herbivores because of its prickly leaves and unpalatable, spiky flowers.

As many of you can probably guess from the name, this is a very popular medicinal plant. Historically, it was used very commonly in traditional native medicine in North America and has since crossed over into "main stream herbal medicine." People believe it has strong immune system boosting properties, and a couple of poorly-conducted studies have shown it has some effect on depression and L-DOPA (a potential treatment for Parkinson's). Unfortunately, none of these claims have been backed up by strong, repeatable scientific studies so the "true" medicinal effects of this plant should always be taken with a grain of salt. Taking an Echinacea pill or drinking Echinacea tea if you have a cold certainly won't harm you, but don't count on it making you better, either. Doesn't taste too bad with a bit of honey and lemon, and grows pretty commonly in gardens around the neighbourhood so it's a cheap treatment to try. Even the placebo effect alone might be enough to cure you of your cold!

The side effects of using this plant medicinally are incredibly rare, and usually include temporary rash or other form of skin irritation. There are a couple of documented cases of this plant causing a near-death allergic reaction, but these people also reported being allergic to sunflower seeds (so being allergic to this plant, too, shouldn't come as that big a surprise; they're in the same family). A word of caution regarding all plants that look like sunflowers or coneflowers: if you're using them medicinally or for food, make sure you know what kind of soil you're growing them in. Plants in the aster or sunflower family are referred to as "hyper-accumulators" of various toxic compounds including lead, cadmium, uranium, and copper, all of which can be toxic (copper is a compound required in trace amounts by our body for basic survival; in amounts too high toxicity and death can occur). Make sure if you "source" your Echinacea from a location other than your garden you know the history of the property (and the soil) to know if you should be concerned about heavy metal accumulation in the plant tissues.