Also called oyster-flower or goat’s-beard. There are three similar species, all naturalized from Europe; this one can be distinguished by the “peduncle upwardly enlarged below the head,” as Fernald’s revision of Gray explains. We can see what that means in the picture below: note how the flower stem—the “peduncle”—thickens as it goes up toward the base of the flower head.
These plants were growing in a gravely patch of ground beside Banksville Road in Banksville.
Little daisy-like flowers with raggedy heads of countless white or pink rays. It’s a common weed in lawns and along sidewalks in the city. The pink-blushed forms are especially decorative. The flowers above were blooming in Highland Park, the rest in Beechview.
For a description of the species, see the Erigeron philadelphicus reference page.
Golden Ragwort can be found in large drifts in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon, where it may have been introduced as part of a habitat-restoration program. The bright golden flowers make a striking sight in the dappled sun of the open woods.
For a description of the species, see the Packera aurea reference page.
A late aster still blooming on a rocky ledge in the middle of November. Our identification is probable, but asters are notoriously hard to sort out, and more so when the leaves have withered.
Listed as Chrysanthemum parthenium in many references. The plants bear dozens of little daisy flowers, and in some specimens—like these from Schenley Park—the rays crowd themselves so much that they create a doubling effect, which has been bred into full doubles in garden varieties.
