Flora Pittsburghensis

Author: Father Pitt

  • Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum)

    Hydrophyllum virginianum

    Just up the hill from a large patch of Appendaged Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum appendiculatum) in Beechview, we found two plants of Virginia Waterleaf (H. virginianum). Although old Pa Pitt has visited that patch of Appendaged Waterleaf annually for years, he has never seen Virginia Waterleaf there before, though he has run into it elsewhere more than once. It is an odd coincidence. Below, we see the divided leaves that distinguish H. virginianum from its relatives in these parts.

    Leaves

    For a fuller description, see the Hydrophyllum virginianum reference page.

    Cluster of flowers
    The same cluster
    Whole plant

  • Dandelion Seeds (Taraxacum officinale)

    We often picture the flowers, but the seedheads of the common dandelion are at least as decorative and probably more artistic.

  • Appendaged Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum appendiculatum)

    Appendaged Waterleaf

    Every year we return to this patch of Appendaged Waterleaf in Beechview. It’s an unusual plant around here, but this patch seems to be flourishing and spreading, though menaced by the constant advance of Japanese monster knotweeds nearby.

    The bluish lavender of the flowers is hard to capture on the camera sensor, but Father Pitt has tried to adjust the colors to look as close to nature as possible. He used two different cameras with wildly different ideas of color balance, so there will be color differences.

    For a full description, see the Hydrophyllum appendiculatum reference page.

    Thriving patch of plants

    We took more than a hundred pictures on May 16 and picked out a dozen to publish. To avoid weighing down the main page, we’ll put most of them behind a “more” link.

    (more…)

  • Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum pubescens).

    Polygonatum pubescens

    Arching fronds of alternate leaves hide the dainty little bells: you have to lift the stem, or crouch on the ground, to see the flowers, as we see below.

    Plant from above

    But it is worth the extra effort to reveal the flowers. They are small and green, but beautifully shaped.

    The flowers close up
    More flowers

    These plants were growing abundantly in the Kane Woods Nature Area in Scott Township, where they were photographed May 5.

    For the botanical description by Fernald, see the Polygonatum pubescens reference page.

  • Indian Strawberry (Potentilla indica)

    Potentilla indica

    Indian Strawberry can bloom almost any month of the year, but right now (May 9) the little yellow flowers are everywhere in lawns and sidewalk cracks.

    For a full description, see the Potentilla indica reference page.

    Indian strawberry
    Potentilla indica