Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Wednesday - June 05, 2013
From: Bethlehem, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Plant Identification
Title: Identification of riparian plant in Pennsylvania
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I'm wondering if this is a native plant: the plant is 3-5ft. tall, it has a tough reedy stalk, grows in sunny riparian areas, has whorled leaves with toothed margin, and has elongated clusters of tiny reddish flowers. This plant seems to grow in colonies, and it seems quite common along our spring-fed creek. Does this type of plant seem familiar to you?ANSWER:
This sounds like one of the docks. There are several native and introduced species that occur in Pennsylvania. The one that is the most similar to your description is one of the native ones:
Rumex orbiculatus (Greater water dock) Here are more photos and information from the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center and University of Michigan Herbarium.
There are three other native species that are candidates:
Rumex altissimus (Pale dock) Here are photos and more information from Missouri Plants.
Rumex hastatulus (Heart-wing sorrel) Here are more photos and information from Southeastern Flora and Discover Life.
Rumex verticillatus (Swamp dock) Here are more photos and information from Plants of Wisconsin and the New England Wildflower Society.
Below are some introduced Rumex species that sound somewhat similar to your description:
Rumex acetosella (Sheeps sorrel) Here is more information from Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide.
Rumex conglomeratus (Sharp dock) Here are more photos from CalPhotos, University of California-Berkeley.
Rumex longifolius (Dooryard dock) Here are more photos and information from New England Wildflower Society.
Rumex obtusifolius (Bitter dock) Here are more photos and information from Virgina Tech Weed Identification Guide.
If none of the plants above is the plants you are seeing and you have (or can take) photos, please visit our Plant Identification page to find links to several plant identification forums that will accept photos of plants for identification.
From the Image Gallery
More Plant Identification Questions
Mystery Ground Cover in WI
July 11, 2011 - I am trying to identify a ground cover plant that has started growing in my yard (I'm in central Wisconsin). It is very short, only about 1-2 inches tall and is very thick covering the ground. It h...
view the full question and answer
Wanting to grow a Buckley Oak in Amarillo, TX
January 20, 2016 - I live in Amarillo Texas in the Texas Panhandle. I recently became interested in the Buckley Oak and was wondering if it might grow well here and if so, where I might find one that I could purchase a...
view the full question and answer
Identification of plant with purple leaves and yellow flowers
April 21, 2008 - I'd like to know the name of a plant that has purplish leaves and sends roots out underground to make new plants. It can be invasive. It has yellow flowers. Leaves are oval in shape. Almost looks lik...
view the full question and answer
What's invading my bermuda grass?
June 11, 2013 - Our grass is being totally overrun by this weed.(I don't know what the name is identify it by the description. It is in Bermuda grass and the only way to describe the weed is to say it looks like big...
view the full question and answer
Plant Identification
August 07, 2015 - I live in southeastern Michigan. I found a plant growing in the backyard that caught my eye. I chalked it off as a weed, but it's unique. It is shaped like a bushing type plant, has red stem, each cl...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |