Location: Northwest Georgia (Near Chattanooga TN) I am trying to survey a host of natives, including plants, and would appreciate some help in the plant area. The wetland plants are of particular interest but not exclusively. #1 is common in woodlands with lots of leaf litter and high overstory shade but minimal ground cover. #2 was found in the mountains near the head of a Conasauga river tributary I am working the length of. #3 found near where #2 was found. Thought it would be easy to identify but found nothing. #4 from the same mountain region but very small, only about 4 inches high. #5 grows in wetlands, often in several inches of water. This may be a candidate wetland plant for a project I am working on.
Cool, that gave me the keys to search more efficiently. Thanks. Here is what I find, with your help, on a quick check. I'll be more thorough shortly. #1 Trillium reliquum (looks very close but appears to lack the leaf edge serrations in the pic, close enough I can do my own research.) #2 Aesculus (Not seeing a really good match "yet", but reasonably close.) #3 Calycanthus floridus (except the leaves appear more complex in what I seen.) #4 Chimaphila maculata (Very good match.) #5 Alisma subcordatum (Very good match.)
I was wrong on the leaf serrations. I was picturing the Chimaphila. Thanks again, searching is hard without a starting point.
I was going through the different Trillium species. I was comparing grandiflorum and ovatum but was bothered by the way the ones I see always droop below the leafs. Yet T. flexipes did not seem to fit. So I am thinking it is T. cernuum and a search shows quiet a variability. Anyway, I have another photo where I laid on the ground and pointed the camera up under the bloom. Does this fit for T. cernuum?
Written descriptions point out important details that may not pop out at you in photos (you have to know what to look for, in each instance). Or even be visible in a particular photo or set of photos, like the full range of colors shown by a species.
Yes, but every time I try to guess which features I need to note I am usually wrong. Sometimes I think the ID will be easy, often wrong again. This applies to a lot more species than plants. It usually takes at least getting into the right family before knowing which of those features are important to describe. Anyway, I got exactly what I was looking for based on what I provided and I cannot expect much more. If I fail to get enough information to finish the keys check I know what to go back for, either here or in the field. I don't mind doing my homework and much appreciate the time this site saved me. Thanks.
