Identify that Plant

During the late summer and early fall this plant makes its colorful appearance.  It is a tall plant, frequently growing alongside streams and roads throughout the central and eastern portions of North America.

Look at its beautiful flower . . .

The head consists of numerous flowers so this is a “composite” flower.  The individual disk flowers look quite soft with their rounded shape — prior to opening and revealing the pistil.  However, the flower head begins to look more prickly as it drops the ray petals and the fertilized flowers become seeds.

The next photo shows the dying plant with its numerous seed heads.

This plant is called Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia).  Its names give us clues to some observations about the plant.  First, the leaves alternate along the stem.  Secondly, the stem has “wings.”

Now, let’s move forward in time to the following spring and look at Wingstem as it begins growing for the season.

Notice the shape of the leaves and their alternate arrangement along the stem, as well as the stem structure.

As Wingstem matures, it begins developing its flower heads.

And, for me, this remains its most identifying characteristic:  the winged stem.

There is another tall plant growing in the same habitat which has beautiful yellow blossoms at the same time as Wingstem.  It grows throughout North America.

The leaves — at least at the top of the plant — are similar to Wingstem’s leaves.  However, Wingstem’s leaves remain the same overall shape for the entire plant while this plant’s leaves vary in shape during the growing season.

Look closely at its flower.  It, too, is a composite.

Here’s another flower from the same plant.

The center of this flower looks a bit rougher to the touch than the Wingstem flower.  The next photo shows the ray petals withering and the seeds developing.

Here are some dried seed heads.

This plant is called Tall coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata).  As with Wingstem, this plants’s names reflect some of its characteristics.  First, it is a tall plant.  Secondly, many of its leaves are “lacerated” or cut deeply.

When Tall coneflower begins growing for the season, you can see more of these deeply cut leaves.

The next image shows Tall coneflower developing its flower heads.

Lastly, as you may have noticed in some of the images above, Tall coneflower has a very smooth stem.

Here are four different plants with very similar leaves.  (Click on the image to get a larger view with better details.)  The leaves all have the same overall shape with coarsely toothed margins.  The venation looks the same with each of the two left-most images and with the two right-most images.  So what other differences are there to help with the identification of these plants?

Looking at the leaf arrangement along the stem, we can see that the three plants on the left have an “opposite” leaf arrangement while the right-most plant has an “alternate” leaf arrangement.

Let’s check out the stems . . .

Aahh . . . now we can see some distinct differences!  The two plants on the right have stinging hairs along their stems.  These are Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis).  They are more closely compared in this previous post — along with Clearweed (Pilea pumila) — also a member of the nettle family.  And, yes, that is Clearweed’s stem — second from the left.

For a last bit of four-way comparison, here are some of the inflorescences to be found on each of these four plants.  The first image is of our “mystery” nettle.

The next three are in the same order (left to right) as shown in the four-across photos previously.

Clearweed (Pilea pumila)

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis)

The fourth nettle (the left-most image in the four-across groupings above) is called False nettle.  The inflorescence shape is reflected in its scientific name — Boehmeria cylindrica — as the flowers are grouped in cylindrical shapes along the stem.  Here are some closer views of the False nettle inflorescence.  Notice the new leaf growing at the end of the inflorescence’s peduncle (stem) — a common occurrence.

False nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica)

False nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica)

False nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica)