UGA Cooperative Extension

Union County Extension Office:
Agriculture & Natural Resources

Native Plants Bloooming

Week of May 28, 2010

1. Fourleaf Milkweed, Asclepias quadrifolia, is a general unbranched perennial herb with stems from 12-20 inches tall. The leaves of this plant are lance shaped, 2-6 inches long, slightly hairy underneath and the middle leaves are in whorls of 4. Flowers are light pink with white hoods. The plant is found in dry upland woods and forest edges from New Hampshire to Minnesota and south to Georgia and Alabama. This photograph was taken at an elevation of 2600 feet.

2. White Miilkweed, Asclepias variegata, is a perennial herb growing up to 3 feet tall with an unbranched stem. The leaves of this plant are opposite having 4-6 pairs of broad oblong leaves, 3-5 inches long. The leaves are dark green above, pale and hairy beneath. The flowers are white with a purple band around the center. . The flowers are borne in a dense umbel 1-2 inches wide. The plant can be found in dry upland woods and woodland margins throughout the eastern United States. This photograph was taken at an elevation of 2700 feet.

3. Wild Yam, Dioscorea villosa, is a perennial climbing vine with a smooth, twisting stem growing up to 10 feet long. The leaves of the plant are alternate on the upper stem and whorled on the lower stem. The leaves are heart shaped and 3-4 inches long. The flowers are inconspicuous, tiny and white. The plant can be found in moist woods and thickets throughout the eastern United States. This photograph was taken at an elevation of 1900 feet.

4. Blue-Eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium albidium, is a tufted, grass-like perennial herb, 4-16 inches tall. The leaves of the plant are basal, light green in color and iris like. The flowers of the plant are pale blue, about a half inch wide with a yellow center. The plants can be found in open places and dry woods in most of the eastern United States. This photograph was taken at an elevation of 2000 feet.

5. Speckled Wood Lily, Clintonia umbellulata, is an erect perennial herb 8-15 inches tall. This plant has 2-5 leaves which are basal, 6-12 inches long and 1-3 ½ inches wide. The flowers are white often with purple specks. The flowers are borne in a terminal umbel at the end of a leafless stalk. The plant can be found in acidic soils accompanied by rhododendron, hemlock and sweet birch at lower elevations of the mountains from New York to Georgia. This photograph was taken at an elevation of 2500 feet.