Identify that Plant

The above photo shows a Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis).  It is frequently confused with Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis).  What follows is a series of side-by-side comparisons of these two plants.  Blackberry is always on the left side while Black raspberry is shown on the right side.

First we’ll look at a group of plants for each Rubus species.  Both have canes which develop roots at the tip when they get long enough to flop over and touch the ground.

Let’s check out the leaves.

The overall leaf shape is quite similar.  Both have compound leaves with 3-5 leaflets per leaf.  Both sets of leaflets have pinnate venation and serrated margins.  However, there is a significant difference between them.  Look at the underside of their leaves . . .

Although the underside of Blackberry’s leaves are lighter than their upper side, the Black raspberry leaves are markedly lighter.  They look almost white.

Next, let’s study the stems (or canes) of each plant.

Both plants have leaves which alternate along the thorny stems.  The Black raspberry stems are notably glaucous (bluish white).  Another difference can be seen in a closer view of the stems.  The Blackberry stems have ridges and angles while the Black raspberry stems are smoothly round-shaped (nearly circular in diameter).

Each plant’s thorns are different.  Blackberry thorns are heavy-duty and definitely not to be tangled with whereas the Black raspberry thorns are somewhat less challenging due to their smaller overall size.

Now for the berries.  Here are some green berries — beginning their development from the pollinated flowers.  The differences between the two plants’ berries are subtle.

The berries begin to ripen and they still look quite similar.

When the berries are fully ripe, they turn almost black in color (hence each plant’s common name).

Let’s pick a berry from each plant.

And now we can see one more notable difference between these plants.  The Blackberry fruit pulls away from the plant — leaving a rather flat receptacle on the plant.   The Black raspberry fruit pulls away and leaves a sizable cone-shaped receptacle.  (This is easier to see if you click on any of the photos and then zoom in with your browser’s “view” function.)

Correspondingly, the Blackberry fruit is nearly flat across the part of the berry which was attached to the plant, while the Black raspberry fruit has a deep indentation in the berry.

Both fruits are edible and prized for jams, jellies and just plain eating as you pick.

I found this plant in the woods early in May.  Identifying it became an interesting challenge.  There are not too many plants with whorled leaves at the end of a single stalk.  So this was either Indian cucumber root or Whorled pogonia.  The next plant I found — a few weeks later — was this one:

This clearly was Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana) since some nearby plants were blooming with the distinctive flower associated with this plant.  Let’s look at the annual growth cycle for Indian cucumber root and then we’ll return to the first plant (above).

Here is a group of young Indian cucumber root plants.  I suspect they may need several years of growth before they flower — similar to how American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) develops over a number of years.

Nearby there was another group of Indian cucumber root plants.  You can see that some of them have developed a stalk rising from the lower set of whorled leaves.

This rising stalk will have a smaller number of whorled leaves along with the plant’s flowers.

The next series of photos shows the Indian cucumber root flowers in various developmental stages.  First, a fresh blossom with pollen on one of the anthers.

In this close-up image, you can see the various female and male flower parts.

When the flowers bloom, they hang below the upper whorled leaves.

In this next photo, you can see several aspects of the developing flowers.  There are flower buds in the center of the whorled leaves.  Then there are the flowers hanging below the leaves (some not yet to the pollen stage, some with pollen on the anthers, and some which have been pollinated).  And notice the pollinated flowers (which have dropped their tepals) now rising above the whorled leaves.

Here’s a closer view of some pollinated flowers which are above the leaves.

You can scroll back up to the second close-up photo of the Indian cucumber root flower to see how the central ovary sits in the flower and how it then becomes lifted upwards again before dropping its three styles.

The pollinated flowers develop into berries.

As the berries mature, the upper whorled leaves begin to turn red near their point of attachment to the stalk.

As the Indian cucumber root’s annual growth cycle winds down, the leaves turn a lighter green color and then yellow.

The dark berries (sorry–no photo of those yet) drop off and the whorled leaves at the top keep their red coloration.

Returning to the first plant shown at the top of this post. . . .  I saw it bloom the next spring and identified it conclusively as Large whorled pogonia (Isotria verticillata).  Let’s follow this plant through its annual growth cycle.  Here are two young plants in early spring.

And here is a cluster of Large whorled pogonia plants.  Two are in bloom.  If you look carefully — way down near the bottom of the photo — between the two blooming plants, you can see a young Large whorled pogonia coming up.

This closer view of the Large whorled pogonia shows its elegant flower.

Closer still . . .

Another angle of view of the blossom . . .

And a very close view of the interior of the flower . . .

The flower stalk is ribbed and — depending on the individual plant — more or less twisted along its length.

This shows the Large whorled pogonia’s flower as it begins dying back.

This final image of the Large whorled pogonia illustrates the leaves beginning to change color in the fall — and shows the plant’s dried flower stalk and seed head.

Next . . . I created three sets of photos to more clearly compare these two plants.  If you come across one or the other plant in the woods and it is not in bloom, here is how you can distinguish each from the other.

In this photo of the set of lower whorled leaves, Large whorled pogonia (Isotria verticillata) is on the left and Indian cucumber root (Medola virginiana) is on the right.

Large whorled pogonia leaves are broader than Indian cucumber root’s leaves.  Both plants have leaves with entire margins and parallel veins.

The stems of each plant are quite different and may prove to be the key identifying characteristic when you find one of these plants.

The stem of Large whorled pogonia (on left) is smooth, looks soft and perhaps water-filled, and is usually purplish in color.  The stem of Indian cucumber root (on right) can be covered with fine hairs (especially when young) and is quite wiry.