False Rue Anemone and Windlflower

-
False Rue Anemone
Isopyrum or Enemion biternatum
These darling little flowers are slowly spreading in the shade bed. The first time I noticed them there were only three or four roots and one flower. Today, there are several dozen tiny plants of False Rue Anemone, Enemion biternatum.

Every year when they come up I search for their name again since no matter what marker I put into that slope is washed away every winter by rain and melting snow.

It is easy to research though. Google Images responds cooperatively every year to my search for "tiny, woodland flowers with red stems".

False Rue Anemone leaf lobes
False Rue Anemone is easily confused with Windflower, Thalictrum thalictroides. Well, it is for my eyes and lack of experience trekking the woods. Here is the clincher - the depth of the leaf lobes.

Notice that they are deeply lobed. Then, click over to Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia.

You will see the difference immediately. Windflower leaves are similar but just different enough. If you consider the leaf shape, it is easy to accept that they are related to buttercups in the Ranunculae plant family. 

 According to jstor.org related names include: Anemone lexingtoniensis, Enemion biternatum, Isopyrum biternatum and Isopyrum thalictroides
Red stems of Isopyrum

 As summer heat comes, all evidence of False Rue Anemone disappears. It will reappear in the fall in some locations though I've never noticed it here.

 The plants mature at 4 to 6 inches tall. Cold hardy to zone 4. Full to dappled shade. 

 I've purchased many many seeds of native plants over the years. Most fail because we don't baby anything. Prairie Moon offers the seeds for you to try in your shady areas. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Moldy Tulip Bulbs

-
Image
Moldy tulip bulbs are a big disappointment when you are hoping to fill a bed or some pots. It is not that unusual for their skins to have a bit of penicillin mold but these are beyond that tad bit stage. Mold penetrating tulip bulb  Mold on emerging tulip bulb growth  So, what to do? The plant references say to throw them out and buy new ones but I already spent $22 for 50 of these white tulip beauties. First, they got a soak in 1% bleach solution in the kitchen sink in the hope that the bleach would stop the mold from continuing to grow without killing the life force in the bulb itself. After a good slosh around, I wiped them off to see how much damage was beneath the blue and black.  This tulip bulb is soft to the touch and there is little chance it will thrive in the soil. This basal root on these have been ruined by mold. The final step I took to try to salvage part of them  was to spray them thoroughly with fungicide.  They are all planted in the
Read more

Propagate Begonia Stem Cuttings in water - Cane-like Angel Wing Begonia

-
Image
Propagating by stem cuttings is just about the easiest way to make more begonias for next summer's garden. During the fall, I regularly trim off 3-node long cuttings and put them into the growing pots where they take root. Now that cold weather has arrived, I root the stem cuttings in a vase of water. It's a great way to produce more pots of Begonias for next summer's garden. Water the plant well the day before. Take a cutting about 4-inches long, with 3 nodes, from a healthy stem. Use a perfectly clean container. Rinse the container with a drop of bleach if you are uncertain about its spotlessness. Remove all but the top leaf or two. There should be no leaves in the water. The cutting should  have a healthy leaf node at the bottom. Don't leave a stub below the node. Place the cutting into the water, and place the container out of the sun. In a couple of weeks, you will see new roots beginning to form. Check the water periodically to make sure it is still f
Read more

Create Nesting Areas for Birds and Wildlife

-
Image
From the website, Choose Natives , this lovely and instructive article helped remind me to continue to increase the amount of habitat and nesting that we provide in our garden. Many, though not all, are native or considered to be native in Oklahoma. So, I did a little research on each recommended plant and provided a link to more information. You'll see the plant name in italics - those are my links for your edification. Here's the post Derek Stoner, Project Coordinator for the Delaware Nature Society, helped restore the 860-acre Middle Run Natural Area by “intensive habitat management”, including planting 12,000 trees and shrubs.  His lecture, ‘ Native Plants for Nesting Birds: Connecting Flora and Fauna’,  given to a group of enthusiasts at the Millersville Native Plant Conference   in Pennsylvania, focused on his observations. Here are Derek’s landscaping recommendations for attracting birds: Plant shrubs in clusters (“habitat circles”) that will create the dense
Read more