Flora Pittsburghensis

Author: Father Pitt

  • Smooth Yellow Violet (Viola pennsylvanica)

    Viola-pennsylvanica-02-1024

    We find these charming yellow violets on moist wooded hillsides; these grew near the Trillium Trail in Fox Chapel.

    Gray lists this as Viola scabriuscula; others as V. pubescens var. scabriuscula or V. eriocarpa. From Gray’s Manual of Botany: V. scabriuscula Schwein. (SMOOTH YELLOW V.) Similar to the preceding [V. pubescens], with which it intergrades ; the more pronounced forms have commonly 2-4 stems and 1-3 radical leaves from one rootstock, the stems shorter and more leafy, the leaves smaller and sparingly pubescent to glabrate, the time of flowering earlier ; flowers, capsules, and seeds as in the preceding [petals purple-veined, the lateral bearded ; sepals narrowly lanceolate, acute ; apetalous flowers abundant in summer on short peduncles ; capsules ovoid, glabrous or woolly ; seeds light brown, large, nearly 3 mm. long].  Moist thickets, often in heavy soil, e. Que. to L. Winnipeg, and southw.

  • Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora)

    2009-09-16-Clematis-virginiana-01

    In an earlier version of this article, we misidentified this as the native Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana). That is a very similar relative; this plant is the Asian Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora), which is becoming more and more common along fences and twining through hedges in the city.

    For a description of the species, see the Clematis terniflora reference page.

  • Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea)

    Ipomoea-purpurea-05

    These tropical garden escapes seem to love the Pittsburgh climate. They can cover whole hillsides or fences with twining vines that produce heart-shaped leaves, or sometimes three-lobed grape-like leaves when they really get large and vigorous. The flowers close by noon, giving us one of our best incentives for early rising.

  • Tall Ironweed (Vernonia altissima)

    Vernonia-altissima

    No photograph can convey the vivid purple color of ironweed, one of our most spectacular late-summer flowers. A field of ironweed and goldenrod is a sight not easily forgotten. Two species are common in our area; Tall Ironweed is, as its name implies, taller than New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), but otherwise very similar.

  • Crown Vetch (Securigera varia)

    2009-09-13-Securigera-varia-01

    Wherever there are hillsides that no one wants to mow, there is crown vetch. Its cheerful vigor means that it often escapes and invades a hillside on its own, but its happy clover-like pink flower heads make us willing to forgive its bad manners.