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Wildflowers and Herbs

We have identified 94 Wildflowers and Herbs that are easy to identify and widespread across the continental United States.

Click on the plant names below for a printable Identification Guide and Regular Report Datasheet that include pictures, identifying characteristics, and plant specific phenophase descriptions.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

Alpine forget-me-not

Alpine forget-me-not (Eritrichium nanum)

American pasqueflower

American pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens)

Annual sunflower

Annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Bigleaf lupine

Bigleaf lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus)

Bitter root

Bitter root (Lewisia rediviva)

Black-eyed susan

Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

Blue false indigo

Blue false indigo (Baptisia australis)

Blue-eyed grass

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium campestre)

Butterfly milkweed

Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

California fuchsia

California fuchsia (Epilobium canum)

California poppy

California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

Canada goldenrod

Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

Canada thistle

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Colorado blue columbine

Colorado blue columbine (Aquilegia caerulea)

Coltsfoot

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Common dandelion

Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Common greenbrier

Common greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia)

Common milkweed

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Common wormwood

Common wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris)

Common yarrow

Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Creamy indigo

Creamy indigo (Baptisia bracteata)

Dalmatian toadflax

Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica)

Darkthroat shootingstar

Darkthroat shootingstar (Dodecatheon pulchellum)

Datura

Datura (Datura stramonium)

Desert four o'clock

Desert four o'clock (Mirabilis multiflora)

Diffuse knapweed

Diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa)

Dogtooth violet

Dogtooth violet (Erythronium americanum)

Dotted blazing star

Dotted blazing star (Liatris punctata)

Dotted horsemint

Dotted horsemint (Monarda punctata)

Eastern teaberry

Eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens)

Edible thistle

Edible thistle (Cirsium edule)

Fiddleneck

Fiddleneck (Amsinckia menziesii)

Field mustard

Field mustard (Brassica rapa)

Foxglove beard tongue

Foxglove beard tongue (Penstemon digitalis)

Garlic mustard

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Grass of Parnassus

Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia glauca)

Gray-headed coneflower

Gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

Henbit deadnettle

Henbit deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule)

Hoary puccoon

Hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens)

Hummingbird sage

Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea)

Indian breadroot

Indian breadroot (Pediomelum esculentum)

Indian pink

Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica)

Jack in the pulpit

Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

Lanceleaf springbeauty

Lanceleaf springbeauty (Claytonia lanceolata)

Large flowered trillium

Large flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Lead plant

Lead plant (Amorpha canescens)

Maximilian sunflower

Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)

Mayapple

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)

Moss campion

Moss campion (Silene acaulis)

Mugwort

Mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana)

New England aster

New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Obedient plant

Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana)

Oregon wild iris

Oregon wild iris (Iris tenax)

Pacific silverweed

Pacific silverweed (Argentina egedii)

Pacific trillium

Pacific trillium (Trillium ovatum)

Pinkladies

Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa)

Plains prickly-pear

Plains prickly-pear (Opuntia phaeacantha)

Prairie blazingstar

Prairie blazingstar (Liatris pychnostachya)

Prairie phlox

Prairie phlox (Phlox pilosa)

Prairie smoke

Prairie smoke (Geum triflorum)

Purple coneflower

Purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)

Purple passion flower

Purple passion flower (Passiflora incarnata)

Purple prairie clover

Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea)

Red columbine

Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Rose checker-mallow

Rose checker-mallow (Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata)

Rough blazingstar

Rough blazingstar (Liatris aspera)

Sand penstemon

Sand penstemon (Penstemon ambiguus)

Scarlet gilia

Scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata)

Scarlet globemallow

Scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea)

Showy prairie gentian

Showy prairie gentian (Eustoma exaltatum)

Silverleaf phacelia

Silverleaf phacelia (Phacelia hastata)

Skunk cabbage

Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)

Soapweed yucca

Soapweed yucca (Yucca glauca)

Soft green eyes

Soft green eyes (Berlandiera pumila)

Spadderdock

Spadderdock (Nuphar advena)

Spider lily

Spider lily (Hymenocallis latifolia)

Spiderwort

Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)

Spotted knapweed

Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe)

Trailing arbutus

Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens)

Virginia bluebells

Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

Virginia creeper

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Wapato

Wapato (Sagittaria latifolia)

Water lily

Water lily (Nymphaea odorata)

Western blue-eyed grass

Western blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)

Western ragweed

Western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya)

Western skunk cabbage

Western skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus)

White clover

White clover (Trifolium repens)

Wild bergamot

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Wild lupine

Wild lupine (Lupinus perennis)

Wild quinine

Wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)

Wild strawberry

Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

Yellow coneflower

Yellow coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)

Yellow jessamine

Yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)

Phenophases

First Flower

Date the first flowers are fully open. When open, you will see the stamens among the unfolded petals. If flowers are in clusters or stalks, then there need to be open flowers on at least one stalk.

Full Flower

Date when half or more of the flowers are completely open.

First Ripe Fruit

Date when you notice the first fruits becoming fully ripe or seeds dropping naturally from the plant. If fruits are in clusters or stalks, then record the date when stalks have ripe or dispersing fruit. Ripening is usually indicated by a change in color to the mature color, or by drying and splitting open (for dry fruits such as capsules).

Full Fruiting

Date when half or more of the fruits are completely ripe or seeds are dropping naturally from the plant.

All Leaves Withered

Date when most or all of the leaves that developed this season, have lost green color or are dried and dead.




Project BudburstSM is co-managed by NEON and the Chicago Botanic Garden
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. All rights reserved.