Flora Pittsburghensis

Spin the wheel of botany and see a random article.

Double Form of Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

Photographed June 18.

Also known as Bouncing Bet, which Wikipedia tells us is a traditional epithet for a washerwoman: the sap produces suds that can be used to wash clothes. The usual form is single, but once in a great while a double form shows up. The double forms became prized cultivars, and some of their escaped progeny may in turn contribute to the double forms we see in the wild. These plants were blooming in front of the abandoned St. Wenceslaus Church in Scweitzerloch.

For a description of the species, see the Saponaria officinalis reference page.

Comments
Dayflower (Commelina communis)

Photographed June 30.

Just about the purest blue in the floral kingdom, and indeed the flowers make a prized blue dye in Japan. These flowers are common weeds in city yards and vacant lots, but old Pa Pitt loves them and loves to photograph them. These were part of a big patch blooming in Beechview in the morning. By the middle of the afternoon, the flowers are withered, so you must look for them early in the day.

For a description of the species, see the Commelina communis reference page.

Comments
Nipplewort (Lapsana communis)

Photographed June 22.

Delicate dandelion-like flowers that prefer open shade. These were growing by the hundreds along the trains in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon.

Comments
Enchanter’s Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana)

Photographed June 29.

These delicate little flowers can easily pass unnoticed, but there may be thousands of them along a woodland trail. These plants were growing in Bird Park, Mount Lebanon. Whether the plant is properly Circaea lutetiana or Circaea canadensis is a question we leave to botanists; in many classifications the species are separate, but the USDA PLANTS database recognizes only Circaea lutetiana.

For a description of the species, see the Circaea lutetiana reference page.
English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

Photographed June 6.

Every time he sees these odd flower heads, Father Pitt thinks they look like something invented by a set designer for an alien planet in a 1960s science-fiction movie. This plant was blooming by a parking lot in Banksville.

For a description of the species, see the Plantago lanceolata reference page.

Comments

Double Form of Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

Dayflower (Commelina communis)

Nipplewort (Lapsana communis)

Enchanter’s Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana)

English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)