We were hiking all day today and yesterday and stumbled into five plants that we could not find in our guides. All five were found in the woods in southern Ohio. Photo 1) I suspect is virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), but I thought that had much darker leaves. Found in the shade. Photos 2,3) There are bladdernut trees all over the woods near this location, but these leaves look much different. Since 3 compound leaves are so common I took a photo of both top and bottom of the leaves. Found in the shade. Photos 4,5) From the leaves we thought this might be some sort of anemone. Found in the shade. Photos 6,7,8) This plant has enormous leaves. There was a small cluster of these growing in mostly shade. Photo 9) We suspect that this is false solman's seal - and is that a beech/elm sapling in the corner of the photo? This was in the shade. thanks!
1: yes, virginia creeper 2,3: possibly trillium (trillium macrophyllum) 4,5: looks like a meadow rue (thalictrum spp.) but could be wild columbine (aquilegia canadensis) I don't know what their seeds look like 6,7,8: i've never seen that but it looks like an acer or viburnum with the opposite leaves 9: my first guess would be twisted stalk (streptopus lanceolatus) but you have to look at the hair under the leaves to really tell for sure. yes, it very possibly could be false solomon's seal though.
6.7.8. Don't think the leaves look right for Acer or Viburnum, There are no petioles. Looks more like a perennial to me.
2,3 not trillium - trillium leaves are balanced at same level around the stalk - one set of leaves only (on all that I've seen, anyway).
One in the bottom row I dont know the name of. But I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that yellow flowers emerge at the top. Sort of cute, if it's what I think it is.
Vaden - my initial knee jerk reaction for 6-7-8 was Sumac, but the leaf structure is all wrong and you're absoultely right, it has yellow flowers. We have the same (or a really close relative) down here, and the common name for it here is Sumaco, which is confusing because it's clearly not Rhus spp.
Thank you all for your help. I will have to watch 6,7,8 carefully and when it blooms (if it hasn't already!) and post pictures on UBC. Here is another photo of the stems if this helps... All of these plants are on a single large stem - this is not a bush. The crushed leaves do not have an unpleasant nor strong odor. I know that there are quite a few "large flowered trillium" (Trillium Grandiflorum) in these woods - it is the state flower of Ohio. Jack-in-the-pulpit also exists here. I can't say I could recognize either one without the flowers though. Photo 9 - I have seen 3 or 4 of these in the woods. I know exactly where this one is and will monitor it for flowers. If they are yellow I will send M.D. Vaden a doughnut.
We were just there on Sunday and I checked - no they look the same just taller. They don't even have flower buds yet. We are going there again tomorrow. As soon as they flower I will take decent photos and post them on this site. This is really the only contribution I can make to this site - I really cannot help anybody identify anything!
Try maybe Viburnum acerifolium... something in the back of my head says it's a really familiar and common plant. nrrrr.
Lorax, I too feel I should know it, however it has no leaf stalk and is too big for Viburnum acerifolium.
Oh, Right. I was grasping at threads there.... Grah. Maybe it's listed under native flora of Ohio.....
OK, we just got back, and one of them is starting to flower. You are going to be disappointed- the photos were taken with a cell phone and are not very good. I was so exhausted from hiking all day I did not have the energy to hike back to the car and get the real camera when I discovered this one plant was blooming. The flowers are yellow and the flower buds are very small relative to the plant. Actually there was really only one which had any hint of a bloom which had just started to open (photo), the others just had buds. I went to a portion of the property today which I have not been to in several weeks and discovered many dozens more of these plants all over the hillside. I would guess that there are hundreds of these plants. The stem is hollow and has a pleasant fragrance when crushed. Each one grows as a single stalk from the ground, not as a bush.
jon45150, thank you for going back and taking more pics. Unfortunately it is not Polymnia canadensis. Leaf shape wrong, flowers white. Hopefully someone may now come up with the answer. It is such a huge leaf! http://www.missouriplants.com/Whiteopp/Polymnia_canadensis_page.html
Looks like you were on the right track!!! Think it might be Polymnia uvedalia. Leaf shape ok tapering down the end where normally you get a stalk, yellow flowers!!! I have found it difficult to describe the leaf .....I can now quote "Tapering blade tissue along the petiole". Common name American bearsfoot. http://images.google.com/imgres?img...microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7SUNA&sa=N
Just having a look at other mentions of Polymnia uvedalia on the web and came across this. http://homeoint.org/seror/boger/polymnia2.htm Seems to have been used as herbal medicine back in 1897. However it does not go on to tell us if Mr J lived, or was killed by it!
Thank you very much! A similar plant was identified last fall on UBC, but I never made the connection since when the plant (and therefore leaves) are smaller it looks much different. When I smelled the broken stem it was very familiar, but I could not place it. Thanks for your patience.
I am always suspicious of those old time remedies! Many of them were baseless and pure speculation! I was laughing as I was reading that link since I was not sure if the plant was causing the symptoms. They don't even mention what he is trying to cure! I have more faith in some of the American Indian remedies.
