Category: Other Plants

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/29/24 Observation Time: 11:35 a.m. Observation Location: Sharon Historical Society, High Street, Sharon Common Name: Black Raspberry Scientific Name: Rubus occidentalis Comments: The black raspberry is related to the red raspberry Rubus idaeus and Rubus strigosus, sharing the white underside of leaves, and fruit that readily detaches from the carpel. Black raspberry grows in disturbed areas and in meadows, often near streams […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/11/23 Observation Time: 4:45 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. (garden in my back yard) Common Name: Carolina Horsenettle Scientific Name: Solanum carolinense Comments: As the name implies, the natural range of this invasive, thorny weed is the mid-Atlantic states, but it is spreading north as the climate warms. More Information: Minnesota Wildflowers

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/25/23 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (wetland boardwalk) Common Name: Poison Sumac Scientific Name: Toxicodendron vernix Comments: Everyone should learn to identify poison sumac and avoid contact with it. As both its common name and its scientific name suggest, the leaves of this plant can cause an itchy rash. Poison sumac is often found in […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/23 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Sapphire Berry Scientific Name: Synplocos paniculata Comments: Sapphire Berry is a non-native shrub. Since it is a non-native species that spreads and displaces native plants, the specimen shown in the photo will be removed. More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time: 4:05 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon WIldlife Sanctuary Common Name: Indian Cucumber Root Scientific Name: Medeola virginiana Comments: Indian cucumber-root is a common perennial of the forest understory in New England. As the name suggests, the edible root tastes somewhat like cucumber. More Information: Go Botany

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/27/23 Observation Time: 3:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) along dirt road under high tension wires Common Name: Wild strawberry Scientific Name: Fragaria virginiana Comments: Found in patches in fields and dry openings, this plant produces tasty strawberries. More Information: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Observer: Susan Drisko Observation Date: 4/27/2022 Observation Time: 3:35 p.m.  Observation Location: Town-owned conservation land near Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Green False Hellebore Scientific Name: Veratrum viride Comments: Green false hellebore, or giant false-helleborine, is native to eastern and western (but not central) North America. It is extremely toxic, and is considered a pest plant by farmers with livestock. The species has acquired a large number […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/24/21 Observation Time: 3:10 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Black Raspberry Scientific Name: Rubus occidentalis Comments: The black raspberry is related to the red raspberry Rubus idaeus and Rubus strigosus, sharing the white underside of leaves, and fruit that readily detaches from the carpel. Black raspberry grows in disturbed areas and in meadows, often near streams and lakes, trails or […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/7/20 Observation Time: 5:30 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land at Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Wild Grapes Scientific Name: Vitis spp. Comments: Wild grapevines are native to eastern North America. I smelled these wild grapes before I saw the grapevine laden with purple fruit climbing a tree beside the trail. Be careful not to confuse wild grapes, which are edible, with Canadian Moon Seeds, which are […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/4/20 Observation Time: 1:20 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm 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 occurrence. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/13/20 Observation Time: 3:30 p.m. Observation Location: Mountain St. Common Name: Devil’s Beggarticks Scientific Name: Bidens Frondosa Comments: A summer annual that may reach as much as 3 1/2 feet in height.  Devils beggarticks has prickly fruit that facilitate seed dispersal by sticking to the fur and clothing of any animal or human that brushes by this weed when mature.  […]

Observer: Rita Corey Observation Date: 8/13/20 Observation Time: 1:50 p.m. Observation Location: Rattlesnake Hill Common Name: Halberd-leaved Tearthumb Scientific Name: Persicaria arifolia Comments: Halberd-leaved tearthumb has distinctly arrow-shaped leaves with outward-pointing projections at the base. The stem is covered with small downward-curving barbs that gives this small annual wetland vine its common name. A halberd is a medieval battleaxe. More Information: Go Botany

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/12/20 Observation Time: 7:15 p.m. Observation Location: along Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Summer Grape Scientific Name: Vitis aestivalis Comments: Vitis aestivalis, the summer grape, or pigeon grape, is a species of grape native to eastern North America from southern Ontario east to Maine, west to Oklahoma, and south to Florida and Texas. It is a vigorous vine, growing to 10 m or more […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/12/20 Observation Time: 7:10 p.m. Observation Location: along Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Common Mugwort Scientific Name: Artemesia vulgaris Comments: Common mugwort is used as a culinary herb and medicinally throughout the world. More Information: Botanical.com and Wikipedia

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/12/20 Observation Time: 6:45 p.m. Observation Location: along Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Oriental Bittersweet Scientific Name: Celastrus orbiculatus Comments: This non-native invasive species comes from Asia. It grows as a vine that smothers plants and can topple trees due to its weight. It was introduced into the United States around 1860 as an ornamental plant. In fall, it produces attractive red and […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/13/20 Observation Time: 6:15 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Spreading Dogbane Scientific Name: Apocynum androsaemifolium Comments: Spreading dogbane is a showy member of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) that is found in nearly all of the 50 states except some in the southeast. The common name, dogbane, and the genus name, “Apocynum,” meaning “away from dog,” are testaments […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/13/20 Observation Time: 6:10 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Catchweed Bedstraw Scientific Name: Galium aparine Comments: Native to North America and Eurasia, this weed is an annual broadleaf plant with a shallow, branching taproot. The stems of catchweed bedstraw are square in cross-section, weak, mostly unbranched, and grow to about 6 feet long, but are […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/13/20 Observation Time: 5:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: American Groundnut Scientific Name: Apios americana Comments: Apios americana is found in every state east of the Rocky Mountains. It is a perennial vine that grows to 10 feet long in wet areas – marshy meadows and thickets, stream and pond banks, and moist woodlands. Both the tuber and the […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/4/20 Observation Time: 11:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Field Horsetail Scientific Name: Equisetum arvense Comments: Field horsetail, a perennial plant of genus Equisetum, is the only living representative of the very ancient and primitive class Sphenopsida, tree-sized members of which were prominent in the land vegetation of the Carboniferous era (353-300 million years ago). More […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

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

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 2:40 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Autumn Olive Scientific Name: Elaeagnus umbellata Comments: Autumn-olive is a hardy, prolific shrub that thrives in a variety of conditions, in part because it is capable of fixing nitrogen. Some varieties can produce up to 80 pounds (37 kilos) of bright red edible berries in a season, which ripen […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/16/19 Observation Time: 1:50 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Skunk Cabbage Scientific Name: Symplocarpus foetidus Comments: Skunk cabbages are among the first plants to emerge in early spring. They can maintain an internal temperature significantly warmer than the surrounding air – as much as 15-35 degrees warmer – by consuming carbohydrates stored in their fleshy rhizomes. […]