Plant – Page 7 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Bird’s Foot Violet – 5/19/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/20 Observation Time: 9:20 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Bird’s Foot Violet Scientific Name: Viola pedata Comments: Bird-foot violets are perennials with five-petaled flowers that bloom from March to June. The flowers are typically blue, but can range from white to purple. They spread by sending out rhizomes. The fan-shaped leaves have three lobes which are said to resemble a […]

Reindeer Lichen – 5/18/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/18/20 Observation Time: 10:20 a.m. Observation Location: under high tension lines across the street from the Gavins Pond soccer fields Common Name: Reindeer lichen Scientific Name: Cladonia rangiferina Comments: Reindeer lichen is a light-colored, fruticose lichen belonging to the family Cladoniaceae. It grows in both hot and cold climates in well-drained, open environments. As the common names suggest, reindeer lichen is an important food for […]

Lance-leaved Violet – 5/18/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/18/20 Observation Time: 10:50 a.m. Observation Location: under high tension lines across the street from the Gavins Pond soccer fields Common Name: Lance-leaved Violet Scientific Name: Viola lanceolata Comments: One of only a few white-flowered stemless violets, lance-leaved violet inhabits sandy or peaty shorelines and marshes as well as more disturbed sites. The narrow lance-shaped leaves are distinctive. More Information: Go […]

Blue Ground-cedar – 5/18/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/18/20 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: sandy high ground under high tension lines across the street from the Gavins Pond soccer fields Common Name: Blue Ground-cedar Scientific Name: Diphasiastrum tristachyum Comments: Diphasiastrum tristachyum, commonly known as blue clubmoss, blue ground-cedar, ground pine, deep-rooted running-pine or ground cedar, is a North American and Eurasian species of perennial clubmoss. In North […]

Sarsaparilla – 5/17/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/17/20 Observation Time: 10:10 a.m. Observation Location: woods near Gavins Pond Common Name: Sarsaparilla Scientific Name: Aralia nudicaulis Comments: On a whim, I decided to photograph a random plant along the trail in the woods. A friend helped me identify it, and it turned out to have a story! Wild sarsaparilla is a 1-2 foot tall shrub common to the forest understories […]

Ground Ivy – 5/15/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 9:40 a.m. Observation Location: near Pond Street rotary by Lake Massapoag Common Name: Ground Ivy (a.k.a. “Gill-over-the-ground”) Scientific Name: Glechoma hederacea Comments: Commonly known as ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground, creeping charlie, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, and run-away-robin, it has numerous medicinal uses, and is used as a salad green in many countries. European settlers carried it around the world, and it has […]

Pink Earth Lichen – 5/11/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/20 Observation Time: 9:40 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Pink earth lichen Scientific Name: Dibaeis baeomyces Comments: This lichen is found throughout eastern North America, from Alabama and Georgia in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north. While rare there, it does occur in both Alaska and the Northwest Territories. It prefers to grow directly on unstable soils such as […]

Wood Anemone – 5/6/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/20 Observation Time: 9:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Wood Anemone Scientific Name: Anemone quinquefolia Comments: Also called wood windflower, wood anemone is one of the earliest blooming flowers in the rich, moist forests of New England. Look for showy white flowers poking above the dissected leaves, only 3 inches (7 cm) tall. These offer food to pollinators […]

Crabapple Tree – 5/3/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/20 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Crabapple tree Scientific Name: Malus spp. Comments: Crabapple trees have lovely pink and white blossoms in spring. The apples they produce are tiny. More Information: Crabapple tree indentification

Old Man’s Beard Lichen – 4/16/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/16/20 Observation Time: 1:45 p.m. Observation Location: conservation land at Lakeview & Morse Common Name: Old Man’s Beard lichen Scientific Name: Usnea strigosa Comments: Also called bushy beard, this epiphytic (i.e. growing on trees) lichen is a composite organism that emerges from algae or cyanobacteria living among the filaments of the fungi in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship. The fungi benefit […]

Sugar Maple – 2/25/20

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 2/25/20 Observation Time: 5:30 pm Observation Location: Moose Hill, Billings Loop Common Name: Sugar Maple Tree Scientific Name: Acer saccharum Comments: The two huge sugar maples near the barn on the Billings Loop are called George and Martha because they began life at around the same time as George Washington and his wife Martha. The Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary […]

White Wood Aster – 10/6/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 10/6/19 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: Near Beaver Brook Common Name: White Wood Aster Scientific Name: Eurybia divaricata Comments: Eurybia divaricata is native to Eastern U.S. and typically grows in the wild in dry open woods. It grows in loose clumps with dark, sprawling, sometimes zigzag stems up to 2.5′ tall. Distinctive leaves are heart-shaped, stalked and coarsely toothed. Small […]

Yellow Patches Mushroom – 7/13/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/13/19 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: near footbridge over Beaver Brook Common Name: Yellow Patches Mushroom Scientific Name: Amanita flavoconia Comments: Amanita flavoconia, commonly known as yellow patches, yellow wart, orange Amanita, or yellow-dust Amanita, is a species of mushroom in the family Amanitaceae. It has an orangish-yellow cap with yellowish-orange patches or warts, a yellowish-orange annulus, and a white to […]

Mock Orange – 6/23/19

Observer: Rita Corey Observation Date: 6/23/19 Observation Time: 3:45 p.m. Observation Location: 282 Mountain Street Common Name: Mock Orange Scientific Name: Philadelphus coronarius Comments: Mock orange shrubs have flowers that are rich with nectar and attract butterflies. They are native to Southeast Europe and Italy. More Information: the spruce

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid – 6/23/19

Observer: Rita Corey Observation Date: 6/23/19 Observation Time: 2:15 p.m. Observation Location: Rattlesnake Hill Common Name: Downy Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid Scientific Name: Goodyera pubescens Comments: Please don’t dig up wildflowers. More Information: USDA Plant Fact Sheet

Enchanter’s Nightshade – 6/23/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/23/19 Observation Time: noon Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: Enchanter’s Nightshade Scientific Name: Circaea quadrisulcata Comments: Enchanter’s nightshade is a member of the primrose family. More Information: UMass Amherst Weed Herbarium

Witch’s Butter Fungus – 6/23/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/23/19 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Botanical Trail Common Name: Witch’s Butter Fungus Scientific Name: Tremella mesenterica Comments: Although the species appears to be growing on wood, it is actually a parasite on the (usually hidden) mycelium of a crust fungus. More Information: MushoomExpert.com

Indian Pipe – 6/23/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/23/19 Observation Time: 10:45 a.m. Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: Indian Pipe Scientific Name: Monotropa uniflora Comments: Indian pipe, also known as ghost plant (or ghost pipe) or corpse plant, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate regions of European Russia, Asia, North America and northern South America, but with large gaps between areas. It is generally rare in […]

American Hornbeam – 6/23/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/23/19 Observation Time: 10:45 p.m. Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: American Hornbeam Scientific Name: Carpinus caroliniana Comments: The common English name hornbeam derives from the hardness of the wood (likened to animal horn) and the Old English beam, meaning “tree” (cognate with German Baum). The American hornbeam is also occasionally known as blue-beech, ironwood, or musclewood, the first […]

Money Flower – 6/9/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/9/19 Observation time: 4:15 p.m. Observation Location: beginning of the trail at the end of Brook Road Common Name: Money Flower (a.k.a. Honesty) Scientific Name: Lunaria annua Comments: The seed pods of the money flower are shaped like coins. This flower originated from the Balkans and southwest Asia. Its popularity as a garden flower means that colonies are most often seen near to towns and […]

Rattlesnake Root (3-leaved) – 6/9/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/9/19 Observation Time: 4:05 p.m. Observation Location: trail near Brook Road Common Name: Three-leaved Rattlesnake Root Scientific Name: Nabalus trifoliolatus Comments: The leaves of this species of rattlesnake root look quite different from the arrowhead-shaped leaves of other kinds of rattlesnake root. More Information: GoBotany

Roundleaf Greenbriar – 6/9/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/9/19 Observation time: 2:50 p.m. Observation Location: along trail near Brook Road Common Name: Roundleaf Greenbriar Scientific Name: Smilax rotundifolia Comments: Greenbriar vines, often found near wetlands, have glossy, rounded leaves and large, sharp thorns. The tips of the vines are edible. More information: Marblehead Conservancy

Crown-tipped Coral Fungus – 6/9/19

Observer: Hana Jenner Observation Date: 6/9/19 Observation Time: 2:20 p.m. Observation Location: on a log beside a trail near Brook Road Common Name: Crown-tipped Coral Fungus Scientific Name: Artomyces pyxidatus Comments: This is one of the few coral fungi found on decaying wood. The crown-like tips of the branches are unlike those of any of the other coral fungi, thus making this species relatively easy to […]

Deer-tongue Grass – 6/2/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/19 Observation Time: 3:15 p.m. Observation Location: Along the dirt road under the power lines on the other side of South Main Street from Ward’s Berry Farm Common Name: Deer-tongue Grass Scientific Name: Dichanthelium clandestinum Comments: Deer-tongue grass is a perennial cool-season grass native to eastern North America. It grows to 2′ to 4′ tall. It is tolerant of low pH […]

Bird’s Foot Violet – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 4:40 p.m. Observation Location: Power lines near Walpole St. Common Name: Bird’s Foot Violet Scientific Name: Viola pedata Comments: Bird-foot violets are perennials with five-petaled flowers that bloom from March to June. The flowers are typically blue, but can range from white to purple. They spread by sending out rhizomes. The fan-shaped leaves have three lobes which are said to […]

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