Last week, I posted the first What Native Forb Seeds are Ready for Harvesting at This Time? article and it highlighted Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus). This will be a recurring feature of this blog every year appearing on occasional Wednesdays. Each post will then be compiled, in order of when the seeds of that featured plant are ripe and ready to harvest, on a new page sharing the same name. Please feel free to refer to that page as a reminder for when one of our native forbs will be ready for seed collecting.
Each post will contain –
seed collection,
processing of harvested seed and storage, and
propagation by seed.
Take a look at this new page and I hope you’ll revisit it in the future.
This week, I’m featuring Wavy-leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum undulatum) as one of our local wildflowers that begins to bloom at this time.
Description:
Wavy-leaved Aster is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach one to two feet tall. It has a stiff, very hairy stem bearing spreading branches and loose clusters of flower heads with lavender, violet, or pale blue rays. Taller plants may lean due to the weight of the flowers. While many asters are associated with bright sunny sites, this aster thrives in filtered sun with dry soils.
Heart-shaped alternate leaves appear along the stem and are 1-1/2” to 6” long. Basal leaves are absent or have withered at the time of flowering, but new rosettes sometimes are present. Upper stem leaves are stemless and clasping; lower stem leaves have a stem (petiolate) and are also clasping with leafy “wings” extending down the length of the petiole. The width of these wings can vary, but they almost always flare out where the petiole connects to the stem.
Wavy-leaved Aster produces loose clusters (panicles) of flowers with yellow centers. Individual flowerheads are 3/4″ across, consisting of 8-20 ray florets (the pistillate or female flowers) surrounding the small, yellow, center disk. The petal-like corollas of the ray florets (the bisexual flowers) are pale blue or violet (sometimes almost white). The tubular corollas of the disk florets are initially pale yellow or yellow, but they later become reddish purple.
During autumn, each ray and disk floret is replaced by small seeds (cypselae). Each seed is dry, brown, with bristly pappi attached for wind dispersion. View the fruit as seen in late fall; earlier, the bristly pappi would have appeared either cream colored or rose-tinged.
Culinary and Medicinal Uses:
There are no known uses of Wavy-leaved Aster as food likely due to the presence of saponins, which contribute to its bitterness.
As with multiple aster species, American Indian traditional medicine incorporates their use in treatments for conditions such as earaches, headaches, and toothache.
Wildlife Value:
Wavy-leaved Aster, like most of our asters, is highly attractive to a wide number of pollinators. Because it blooms so late, it can be an extremely valuable late-season source of nectar and pollen. Honeybees and many different species of native bees will gather nectar and pollen from the blooms. Butterflies and hoverflies will also drink nectar from the flowers.
Wavy-leaved Aster is a host plant for Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) caterpillars.
Animals avoid browsing the foliage of Wavy-leaved Aster due to its bitterness.
This post is the first in what will become an ongoing occasional series each year when the seeds of native forbs have ripened and would be ready for your harvest should you wish to add those native plants to your garden or home landscape.
At this time, the seeds of Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) are likely ready for harvest.
Hairy Beardtongue blooms for approximately 4-6 weeks (beginning in week 2 of June), sets fruit and then its seeds become ripened by late August and September. This herbaceous perennial can be found in forests, glades, forest margins, rocky woodlands, and along roadsides. It is great for borders, cottage gardens, rock gardens, and pollinator gardens. Once established, Hairy Beardtongue will readily self-sow.
Usually about six weeks after blooming, the fruit that forms is a capsule (a dry fruit derived from a compound pistil that contains many seeds) that is roughly 1/4″ to 3/16″ diameter. When the capsule turns brown and hard, the seed should be ripe. If left alone, these capsules will linger throughout the winter until the following spring, with many splitting open naturally throughout the winter.
Collect them by carefully cutting the branched plant stem with garden scissors containing the ripe capsules. Do not pull the capsules from the plant as that runs the risk of popping them open and spilling their tiny seeds.
Then thresh the seedheads by simply reaching into the bag and squeezing the capsules or use a dough roller over the bag to pop the capsules to separate the seeds from the husk. Sift seed through a sieve or common kitchen strainer to remove the chaff.
Place moistened peat or paper towels into a labeled ziplock bag (plant name and date) and then carefully empty the seeds from the paper bag into the ziplock bag. Leave in the refrigerator for 30-60 days before germinating.
Propagation by Seed:
It is probably best to simply sow your harvested seeds on the surface of a prepared seed bed (seeds need light to germinate) in late fall so that the seed overwinters and germinates naturally in spring.
Alternatively, you may begin plants indoors after cold/moist stratification of your harvested seeds. To do so, place seed on top of your slightly moistened potting mix (seed needs light to germinate). Keep the soil of each container moist until germination occurs. They should not be allowed to dry out. Germination takes 10-21 days. Then transplant the contents of each container into the spots you’ve selected to establish these plants.
Seed-started plants will flower two to three years after sowing.
This week, I’m featuring Large-leaved Aster (Eurybia macrophylla) as one of our local wildflowers that begins to bloom at this time.
Aster is from the Greek for “a star” referring the appearance of the flower head on all asters. The species name macrophylla is the combination of macros for large and phyllos for leaf giving us the common name of “large-leaved.” All the new world asters, formerly in the genus Aster, have now been reclassified, most into the genus Symphyotrichum; several, such as this species, into the genus Eurybia. That word comes from two Greek words, eurys, for “wide” and baios for “few”; both together are referring to the somewhat wide flower rays.
Description:
Large-leaved Aster is a native erect perennial with stems from 1 to 4 feet tall. This perennial wildflower consists of a rosette of basal leaves during the spring that spans up to one foot across. The large basal leaves of this aster are very conspicuous during the spring.
During the summer, unbranched or sparingly branched stems with alternate leaves are produced. Flowering plants have basal leaves that wither away by flowering time; the basal leaves of non-flowering plants may persist longer. Lowest leaves are large and heart-shaped, up to 8 inches long and 6 inches wide, on long stalks, becoming progressively smaller, more egg-shaped, and shorter stalked as they ascend the stem, with the uppermost leaves reduced to stalkless leaf-like bracts. The upper surface of leaves is medium green and hairless to short-hairy, while the lower surface is pale green and hairy along the major veins. The stems of the alternate leaves are up to 3″ long and they are often winged, particularly where they join the stem. The stems of the basal leaves are up to 6″ long, light green, and usually hairy.
Plants transition from groundcover to wildflower when erect stems emerge. The upper central stem of each plant (and any upper lateral stems) terminates in a flat-headed panicle (corymb) of flowerheads spanning 3-8″ across. (In a corymb, the flower stalks are of different length so that the flower heads form a flat-topped cluster.) Individual flowerheads are ½-1¼” across, consisting of 8-20 ray florets (the pistillate or female flowers) that are irregularly spaced around the small, yellow, center disk. The petal-like corollas of the ray florets (the bisexual flowers) are lavender or white. The tubular corollas of the disk florets are initially pale yellow or yellow, but they later become orange-red, dark red, or brown. At the base of each flowerhead, there are numerous overlapping floral bracts (phyllaries).
During the autumn, both ray and disk florets are replaced by small seeds (cypselae). Each seed is dry, brown, 2.6 to 4.5 mm long with 7-12 ribs, with tawny bristly pappus attached for wind dispersion.
The Algonquin cook the large, thick young leaves and eat them as greens. The Ojibwe use the roots to make soup.
The Iroquois use the root as a blood medicine, and they also use a compound decoction of the roots to loosen the bowels to treat venereal disease. The Ojibwe used an infusion of this plant to bathe their heads to treat headaches.
Wildlife Value:
The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract a large variety of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, beetles, and plant bugs. Small bees, including yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus spp.) and Lasioglossum sweat bees, as well as bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and mining bees (Andrena spp., such as an oligolectic Andrenid bee, (Andrena hirticincta)) are regular visitors to these flowers. Oligolectic species of bees gather pollen from two to several species in one plant family; many species of the genus Andrena are aster specialists.
Large-leaved Aster is the larval host plant for the caterpillars of Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) and Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) butterflies and also the caterpillars of Aster Borer Moth (Carmenta corni), Goldenrod Hooded Owlet Moth (Cucullia asteroides), and Arcigera Flower Moth (Schinia arcigera).
This week, I’m featuring Horse Balm (Collinsonia canadensis) as one of our local wildflowers that begins to bloom at this time.
The genus was named in honor of Peter Collinson, an early English botanist.
Description:
This perennial herbaceous plant grows 2 to 4 feet tall. The central stem is erect, hairless to moderately short-haired, light green, bluntly 4-angled with shallow channels along its sides, and usually unbranched. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along the entire length of the stem.
These leaves are 2 to 6 inches long, 1½ to 4 inches across, usually ovate in shape, and coarsely toothed along their margins. The leaf tips are usually sharply pointed, while the leaf bases are wedge-shaped (cuneate) to rounded. The upper leaf surface is medium to dark green and hairless to sparsely short-haired, while the lower leaf surface is light grayish green and hairless to sparsely hairy; when held in bright light, glistening dots will appear. The narrow leaf stems (petioles) are ½ to 2 inches long, light green, and hairless to moderately short-haired; sometimes the uppermost leaves are stemless or nearly so.
The central stem terminates in either a spike-like raceme or pyramidal panicle of flowers. These individual clusters are up to 8″ long and 6″ across, consisting of a central stalk and several lateral branches that become progressively shorter upward. These lateral branches are spreading to ascending. Both the central stalk and lateral branches of the flower cluster are light green and bluntly 4-angled with shallow channels along their sides; they are hairless to moderately short-haired.
Individual flowers are about 1/3 to ½ inch long, consisting of a short-tubular to bell-shaped green calyx (whorl of sepals that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud) with 5 teeth, a two-lipped tubular corolla (whorl of petals within the sepals and enclosing the reproductive organs) that is predominately cream-colored or yellow, two long fertile stamens that extend well beyond the other flower parts, and an ovary with a slender style that is similarly extended well beyond the other flower parts. The corolla has a narrow tubular base, but it becomes wider and more trumpet-shaped towards its mouth with 5 spreading lobes (2 upper lobes, 2 lateral lobes, and 1 lower lobe that is larger in size). The upper and lateral lobes are either oval or somewhat triangular in shape, while the lower lobe is violin-shaped, mostly white, and heavily fringed along its outer lip. Sometimes there are reddish stripes or bars along the upper and middle lobes of the corolla, while either patches or stripes of faded red may occur toward the base of the lower lobe. The throat of the corolla is a little wider than tall, where there is a patch of fine white hairs. The slender style is dark red and usually bent toward one of the stamens. The stems (pedicels) of the flowers are about 1/8″ in length or slightly longer; they are light green and short-haired. Only a few of the flowers are open at any one time; the rest are either still in bud or shriveling on the stem, all of which contributes to the rather unkept appearance of this plant. Both the flowers and foliage have a lemon or citronella scent.
Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by small nutlets (usually two per flower). Individual nutlets are about 1.5 mm. across, round but somewhat flattened in shape, and dark brown.
The whole plant, but especially the fresh root, is alterative (able to restore normal health), antispasmodic, diaphoretic (induces sweating), sedative, tonic, vasodilator (promotes the dilatation of blood vessels), and vulnerary (wound healing). A tea made from the roots is strongly diuretic (induces urination), therefore, Horse Balm is used to treat urinary tract problems including bladder pain and swelling due to water retention, stones in the kidney and elsewhere in the urinary tract, and excess uric acid in the urine. It has also proved of benefit in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (mucous colitis) and varicose veins.
Other parts of this plant also provide additional medicinal uses. The Cherokee made a tea from the leaves and flowers to use as a diuretic. They also applied a poultice of the leaves or roots to burns, bruises, sores, sprains, etc.
Wildlife Value:
Bumblebees are the primary pollinators of the flowers, where both nectar and pollen are available as floral rewards. While bumblebees have been reported to be the primary pollinators of the flowers, moths also visit the flowers for nectar.
William Hamilton Gibson first called attention to this plant’s ingenious scheme to prevent self-fertilization by illustrating how a bumblebee ensures cross-fertilization.
Horse-balm. Collinsonia
Only a few days since, while out on a drive, I passed a luxuriant clump of the plant known as “horse-balm.” I had known it all my life, and twenty years previously had made a careful analytical drawing of the mere botanical specimen. What could it say to me now in my more questioning mood? Its queer little yellow-fringed flowers hung in profusion from their spreading terminal racemes. I recalled their singular shape, and the two outstretched stamens protruding from their gaping corolla, and could distinctly see them as I sat in the carriage. I had never chanced to read of this flower in the literature of cross-fertilization, and murmuring, half aloud, “What pretty mystery is yours, my Collinsonia?” prepared to investigate.
What I observed is pictured severally at Fig. 9, the flowers being shown from above, showing the two spreading stamens and the decidedly exceptional unsymmetrical position of the long style extending to the side. A small nectar-seeking bumblebee had approached, and in alighting upon the fringed platform grasped the filaments for support, and thus clapped the pollen against his sides. Reasoning from analogy, it would of course be absolutely clear that this pollen has thus been deposited where it will come in contact with the stigma of another flower. So, of course, it proved. In the bee’s continual visits to the several flowers he came at length to the younger blooms, where the forked stigmas were turned directly to the front, while the immature stamens were still curled up in the flower tubes. Even the unopened buds showed a number of species where the early matured stigma actually protruded through a tiny orifice in precisely the right position to strike the pollen-dusted body of the bee, as he forced his tongue through the tiny aperture.
Horse Balm is the larval host for the caterpillars of the Hermit Sphinx (Lintneria eremitus), a few owlet moths (Noctuidae), and the Stalk Borer Moth (Papaipema nebris).
This week, I’m featuring Bulb-bearing Water Hemlock (Cicuta bulbifera) as one of our local wildflowers that begins to bloom at this time.
Description:
This native erect perennial plant grows from 12 to 40 inches high on slender hollow stems with limited widely spaced branching. The stems are light green to slightly light reddish and smooth.
The compound leaves are up to 1′ long and 8″ across (excluding their stems), becoming smaller as they ascend the stems; they are alternate, widely spaced, green, and smooth. The lower leaves are double-pinnate with long stalks, while the upper leaves are often simple-pinnate on short stalks or stalkless.
The leaflets are up to 3″ long and less than 1/8” across; they are linear to lance-like, have irregular, widely spaced teeth or may be toothless, and are sometimes cleft into narrow lobes. The axils of the upper leaves often have stemless (sessile) clusters of ovoid bulbils, capable of giving rise to new plants.
The upper stems terminate in a flower head (inflorescence) that is a compound umbel of many clusters on long stalks arising from the leaf axils. The umbel can have 8 to 10+ umbellets with up to 16 flowers each, with the whole compound umbel spanning about 2 to 4 inches across. The stalks of the umbellets are of unequal length giving the entire cluster a domed, but uneven appearance. Each flower is only 1/8 inch wide with 5 white petals that are notched at the rounded tip and very narrowed at the base. There are 5 stamens with white filaments that are placed in-between the petals. There is no noticeable floral scent.
A pair of seeds are contained in each fruit (schizocarp). The fruits are about 1/8″ long; they are somewhat flattened, ovoid-oblong in shape, and slightly notched at their apices. This plant reproduces by seeds (sexual reproduction) and aerial bulbils (asexual reproduction).
Culinary and Medicinal Uses:
WARNING! The foliage, seeds, and fleshy roots are highly poisonous (especially the latter) and consumption of them can cause convulsions and death. Ingestion of a small portion of the root is enough to kill an adult. The plants of the genus Cicuta are among the most poisonous naturally occurring North American leafy plants.
The plant has no known medicinal uses.
Wildlife Value:
Like other members of the Carrot family, the nectar of the flowers is accessible to insects with short mouthparts; therefore, these flowers attract visitors such as flies, wasps, beetles, and small bees. Some of these insects may collect or feed on the pollen as well.
Curious By Nature 
