The features in this document orignally appeared in Outdoor Indiana magazine in 2015

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Elliptical-leaf Wintergreen ()

By Derek Nimetz

ike many outdoor enthusiasts, of American wintergreen American Indians used portions Lelliptical- wintergreen en- are rounder and shinier than the of Pyrola for a variety of me- dures low temperatures, deep snow, leaves of Pyrola elliptica. dicinal treatments. The common and prefers the cooler climates of Elliptical-leaf wintergreen name shinleaf originated when Indiana’s northern counties. blooms during June and July. It smashed plants were applied to the If you want to see this plant, is a perennial forb, or wildflower, shins of sore legs as an orthopedic now is a good time. 6 to 12 inches tall. It often has aid. Pyrola were also used The name elliptical-leaf winter- more than 10 per plant, to relieve indigestion. American green leaves little to imagination. and the flowers suspend from a Indians also used infusions of the The leaves are elliptical to oval slender stalk. There are five petals leaves as mouthwash to treat sore shaped and remain green during per . The petals are white throats and mouth sores. winter. Other common names to cream in color with a waxy ap- Even if you’re not a winter include waxflower shinleaf, el- pearance, thus the common name outdoor enthusiast, take heart. liptic or large-leaved shinleaf, and waxflower shinleaf mentioned Elliptical-leaf wintergreen can be sometimes just shinleaf. earlier. Also, the petals can some- found and appreciated in the heat Pyrola is derived from a Latin times have green veins. of summer as well as the chill of word meaning “pear.” The reason The “style” of a flower refers to winter. Either season, visit Dunes is the leaf shape of some species a long, slender stalk that connects Nature Preserve to test your bot- in the Pyrola genus resembles the stigma and the ovary. The any skills and enjoy the beauty that fruit. style of the flower of elliptical-leaf of one of Indiana’s most distinct Of the five Pyrola species that wintergreen is its most noticeable natural areas. n have been known to occur in feature—it curves down below the Indiana, Pyrola elliptica is by petals. Using some imagination, Derek Nimetz is an ecologist with the far the most common; however, this plant’s style resembles the DNR Division of Nature Preserves in the the Indiana DNR considers even trunk of an elephant. Coastal Region. it to be a watch-list plant, which means its numbers are few. Elliptical-leaf wintergreen can be found in numerous states and provinces in . It prefers shady locations in oak woodlands and is often found in areas with sandy soils. Some populations of this plant are scattered along Trails 4 and 10 of Indiana Dunes State Park. Close observations are necessary when identifying Pyrola species in the park’s Dunes Nature Preserve because American wintergreen (Py- rola rotundifolia var. americana) also is found within the property. The leaves of elliptical-leaf win- tergreen are low to the ground and originate near the base of the plant. Upon close examination, the leaves have diminutive teeth along the margins. The leaf blades are mostly Frank Oliver photo as long as or longer than the leaf This perennial forb often has more than 10 flowers per plant. Each flower stalks, also known as petioles. The has 5 petals, and the flowers suspend from a slender stalk.

OutdoorIndiana.org n January/February 2015 11 Plant Feature n

Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)

By Emily Stork

hat’s in a name? same time the fish American shad ash (Sorbus), the old name for W Serviceberry, juneberry, ascends coastal streams to spawn. which was sarviss. shadbush, shadblow—these are As the petals fall and scatter Because they are coveted by just a few of the monikers by about the ground below, the dra- songbirds, wild turkeys, bobwhite which we know this small under- matic cloud-like figure Homoya quail, mourning doves, red fox, story tree. spoke of gives way to spring’s chipmunks, squirrels, and hu- While a rose by any other green-up, disappearing into the mans alike, the ripe berries may name may smell as sweet, a woodland. Upon closer inspec- be hard to find. But if you can serviceberry might surprise you. tion, the charm remains in the beat the competition, the fruit Although a member of the rose pale, soft white-downy leaves just makes delicious jams, jellies and family, Amelanchier is what beginning to unfold, revealing a juneberry pies. many botanists consider a “dif- medium-green upper surface, fine Downy serviceberry can be ficult” group. That’s because the teeth and a faintly heart-shaped found infrequently through- various species can intergrade so base. out Indiana on the dry soils of readily there is not even consen- Thanks to the early bloom, by wooded slopes and bluffs. It also sus on how many distinct species June, reddish-purple edible fruits can make an attractive native ad- there are. that look like tiny apples are ripe dition to landscaping, with its all- Not only does downy service- for picking before most other season appeal of flowers, fruits, berry have a questionable family fruits. This earns it the name yellow-to-red autumn leaf color, tree, some question if it is a tree. juneberry. and smooth, light-gray bark. The species name arborea The popular story behind the To see serviceberry in its natu- literally means “the tree,” but name serviceberry says that its ral habitat, try Trail 2 at Dunes the trunk, which typically rises early bloom cued settlers that the Nature Preserve in Indiana Dunes 10–20 feet aboveground and on ground had sufficiently thawed State Park. n rare occasions as high as 40 feet, to dig a grave and hold a funeral is often divided into several slen- service. The name is more likely Emily Stork is the ecologist covering der trunks. related to these useful little fruits the Grand Calumet Region for the DNR Is it a small tree or a tall shrub? that resemble those of mountain Division of Nature Preserves. Whichever it is, downy service- berry cuts a striking appearance in the landscape. DNR botanist Mike Homoya perhaps put it best when he said “they look like miniature cloud puffs, hanging onto bluff edges as if about to spill into the valley below.” The dense clusters of delicate white flowers open as early as March or April, before the leaves emerge. The result is an ethereal display of star-shaped flowers dangling from slender branchlets against a backdrop of dormancy. Serviceberry blooms so early that in the eastern United States it earned the name shadbush or Frank Oliver photo shadblow because, by coinci- Whether you consider it a small tree or a tall shrub, downy serviceberry is an dence, the flowers emerge at the eye-catcher whose flowers sometimes open before their leaves.

OutdoorIndiana.org n March/April 2015 11 Plant Feature n

bines in North America. It occurs Wild Columbine in most Indiana counties. The Hoosier state’s wild col- ( canadensis) umbine favors shaded outcrops of limestone or rocky soils, but is also at home on sandstone cliffs, steep banks of streams, and even in well-drained floodplain forests. The tall sand dunes along Lake Michigan are another habitat for this showy plant. In the wild, this plant grows with a rather consistent suite of other plants, including wild hydrangea, witch hazel, prickly gooseberry, running strawberry bush, smooth rock cress, walking fern, purple cliff brake, hepatica, Solomon’s plume, mountain stonecrop and blue-stemmed goldenrod. Some reports indicate that the genus name Aquilegia comes from aquila, for eagle. Observ- Frank Oliver photo ers often say the curved spurs of the flowers look like eagle claws. Part of wild columbine’s common name comes from the Latin word for dove. Another source claims the genus The flower is said to look like a circle of doves. name is from the Latin word aquilegus, meaning “collecting water.” The opinion refers to ei- By Michael Homoya ther the nectar in the spurs, or to drops of water beading up on the any old-fashioned decorative Or both. leaves after a rain. Yet another Mgardens include an attrac- Wild columbine is a perennial source says the name comes from tive purple-flowered plant known member of the buttercup fam- the German word ageleia, a name as granny’s bonnet or garden ily () that grows originally for plants that have columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris). from 1–3 feet tall. It has alternate spikes, or in the case of Aquile- It is a nice plant, but how it compound leaves and flowers gia, spurs. gained preference in gardens over with five-spurred petals, blooming The origin of the common Indiana’s native wild columbine is from April to June. name columbine is more certain. hard to figure. There are 21 native species The word is now most familiar to Not to demean the garden of columbine in North America. many people not because of the variety, but wild columbine’s Most are western mountain or flower but because of the 1999 fiery-red blossoms nearly shout canyon plants with strong prefer- shootings in the Colorado high excitement. In comparison, the ences for growing on rock. school that carries the flower’s wild version’s blooms are show- Indiana has no mountains or name. stoppers. grand canyons, and the rock That fact is both heartbreaking Lately, wild columbine’s stature outcrops, while impressive, are and tragically ironic. “Columbine” is rising. It is gaining popularity limited in number. Perhaps this is from the Latin columbina, as a garden ornamental, and may relative lack of rock habitat meaning dovelike. The flower’s soon equal or surpass the use of explains why only one native col- structure gives the appearance other columbine species. It is umbine species is known to occur of a circle of doves, a universal easy to grow from seed and does naturally in Indiana. Fortunately symbol of peace and hope. n well in most soils that aren’t too for Hoosiers who notice it, wild wet. Although generally consid- columbine occurs in a variety of For more than 33 years, Michael ered a shade plant, wild colum- other habitats, too. This versatil- Homoya has been surveying Indiana’s bine may do best when exposed ity makes it the most common natural areas for the DNR Division of to morning or late afternoon sun. and wide-ranging of all colum- Nature Preserves.

OutdoorIndiana.org n May/June 2015 11 PLANT FEATURE SENSITIVE FERN (Onoclea sensibilis)

State Range: Statewide Size: Fronds (leaves) are usually about a foot tall Habitat Requirement: Moist soil, sun or shade Emerges: April or May, as the weather warms

Jason Larson photo The sensitive fern doesn’t like the cold but fossils indicate the species has managed to survive unchanged for 65 million years.

By Jason Larson

ome plants, like some people, are You might guess from the name interconnect in a pattern resembling easier to please than others. that the leaves are sensitive to touch, the links of a chain. Although its name might as in the aptly named sensitive plant Sensitive fern has one close look- suggestS otherwise, sensitive fern is (Mimosa pudica), but that is not the alike in the state, the netted chain fern actually a rugged plant that thrives in case. The “sensitive” in this plant’s (Woodwardia areolata), which has a a wide variety of situations. It is one of name comes from its susceptibility to more restricted range and is much less our most common ferns, and can be cold. It withers and turns brown after likely to be encountered. To distinguish found throughout the state. This plant’s the first frost but returns each spring between the two, look at the lower leaf- main requirement is moist soil. It is from the underground rhizome. lets of a frond. The sensitive fern’s are commonly found in low or wet woods, The fertile fronds, which bear directly across from each other. A chain in ditches, along streams and lakes, spores, have a much different fern’s are staggered. Additionally, netted and even in power line right-of-way appearance than the more-abundant chain fern fronds have fine-toothed areas. It grows in areas with full shade sterile leaves. They have much thinner edges like a hacksaw blade. With sensi- to full sun, as long as there is enough leaflets curled up into tight balls. tive fern, the edges are smooth. moisture. This characteristic lends the plant Fossils found in the United States The light-green leaves (fronds) are another common name: bead fern. and Canada indicate this species has usually around a foot tall, but can be The genus name, Onoclea, is Greek for been virtually unchanged for around taller or shorter, depending on local “closed vessel” and also references this 65 million years. That’s the Paleocene soil and light conditions. Each leaf is structure. Epoch, around the time of the great divided into six to 10 pairs of leaflets Close examination of a frond will dinosaur extinction. (pinnae). The leaves emerge in April reveal a unique feature of this plant, Not a bad run for a plant with or May as the weather warms. The pre- the pattern of its veins. Most ferns in “sensitive” in its name. U vious year’s brown and tattered fertile Indiana have “free veins” that travel fronds are often seen next to the newly from the middle of a leaflet to its edge. Jason Larson is the southeast regional ecologist emerging fronds. Sensitive fern has “netted veins” that for the DNR Division of Nature Preserves.

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