Deerberry – Vaccinium stamineum

DEERBERRY – Vaccinium stamineum

Photos taken May 29, 2009 in Adams County, Ohio.

Bristle-Tipped Sedge - Carex eburnea

BRISTLE-LEAVED SEDGE – Carex eburnea

Photos taken November 15, 2009 in Adams County, Ohio.

Big Bluestem - Andropogon gerardii

BIG BLUESTEM – Andropogon gerardii

Photos taken July 25, 2009 in Adams County, Ohio.

Bundleflower - Desmanthus illinoensis

BUNDLEFLOWER – Desmanthus illinoensis

Photos taken July 11, 2009 in Adams County, Ohio.

American Aloe - Manfreda virginica

AMERICAN ALOE – Manfreda virginica

Photos taken July 6, 2009 in Adams County, Ohio.

Hooded Arrowhead

Hooded or Mississippi Arrowhead (Sagittaria montevidensis ssp. calycina or Lophotocarpus calycinus) is a rare species in Ohio occurring in a couple dozen wetlands throughout the state. In late summer of 2003, I had my first encounter with this species. I found a few plants growing in a shallow pool at Little Cedar Point in Lucas County.



In seasons of high water, no plants may be seen but in years when water levels drop, exposing mudflats, you may see hundreds even thousands of plants.




Hooded arrowhead is distinguished from other Ohio arrowheads by sepals appressed in fruit and its thick, spongy, decumbent flower/fruit stalk. Leaves are variable but look similar to the common arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia).



In E. Lucy Braun's The Monocotyledoneae [of Ohio]: Cattails to Orchids, she reports it from 5 counties. It is now known from 17 counties. Habitats include mudflats of river oxbows, marshes, lakes, and ponds.

James' Clammy-weed

James' clammy-weed (Polanisia jamesii, Capparaceae) is a rare introduction to the state of Ohio. First discovered in Ohio by Allison Cusick in 1967, he reported it growing in a railroad bed in Summit County. In 1999, I discovered another site in adjacent Portage County in similar habitat. This past summer, I returned to the site and was pleased to see it still there. James' clammy-weed has narrower leaves and fruits than its close relative, clammy-weed (Polanisia dodedandra). A species of the Great Plains, it likely came into Ohio via the railroad and now a rare "weed" in the buckeye state.