Common Forest Herbs of Saint John’s University & the College of St. Benedict

Introduction: Once the canopy closes in the spring, a on light conditions limit the amount of nutrients the forest floor gets very little light. In fact, no that they can invest in support structures. more than 2% of the sunlight that reaches the Thus, when picked, forest herbs usually wilt canopy penetrates to the forest floor. There are more rapidly than grown in more open several consequences of this limited availability environments; and of light. Compared to plants that grow in prairies, disturbed areas, and other more lighted • Grow taller to ‘reach’ for light and habitats, herbaceous plants that grow in mature outcompete neighboring plants for this forests after canopy closure: precious resource

• Are usually less diverse. Few plants can St. John's is located in the Eastern Broadleaf tolerate the low-light conditions. Not Forest Province which extends roughly in a surprisingly, oak forests are often better narrow diagonal swath from the SE corner of the habitats to find woodland wildflowers than a state northwest toward Lake Itasca (Minnesota maple-basswood forest because oak forests Department of Natural Resources, 2005). This are usually more open than maple-basswood region formed a transition between the prairie to forests. This allows for more light west and to the north. Our campus penetration to the forest floor and more woods are classified by the Minnesota DNR species can take advantage of the additional (2005) as a Central Mesic hardwood forest. light; Common trees in the area include sugar maple (Acer saccharum), northern red oak (Quercus • Photosynthesize more slowly because of the rubra), basswood (Tilia americana), ironwood lower light levels. However, forest herbs (Ostrya virginiana), red maple (Acer rubrum), typically utilize light more efficiently – it and green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). takes very little light before they reach their maximum rate of photosynthesis; The ground layer will be relatively sparse, in large part due to the destructive effect of earthworms • have a lower light compensation point and and deer foraging. There are relatively few lower carbon dioxide point. Simply put, they grass-like plants that grow in these habitats. are more efficient at using low amounts of Among them are mountain rice-grass (Oryzopsis light. These plants also have less rubisco asperifolia; tufted, semi-evergreen, erect leaves, (the enzyme that fixes carbon dioxide in the persistent flowering culms with pairs of glumes) Calvin cycle). and bearded shorthusk (Brachyelytrum erectum; pubescent leaf sheaths, leaves held at a 90 angle • grow more slowly since they have less light to the stem, culms snapped off at first node), and a available for manufacturing food; variety of clump-forming sedges (Carex sp.). Among the shrubs that occur here include • have thinner, larger leaves. The larger leaves chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), pagoda act as a bigger antenna to more efficiently dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), gooseberry harvest the limited light that they receive; (Ribes sp.), leatherwood (Dirca palustris) and hazel (Corylus sp.) • tend to be supported by water pressure rather than internal support tissues because the low

2 | Forest Herbs in Central Minnesota

Checklist of Some Common Species

ADOXACEAE (CAPRIFOLIACEAE) – FABACEAE - Bean or Pulse Family Honeysuckle Family Amphicarpaea bracteata – Hog-peanut Sambucus racemosa (S. pubens) –Red elder Desmodium canadense – Tick-trefoil D. glutinosium – Pointed-leaf tick-trefoil APIACEAE – Carrot Family Cryptotaenia canadensis – Honewort GENTIANACEAE – Gentian Family Osmorhiza claytonia – Hairy sweet-Cicely Gentiana andrewsii – Bottle gentian O. longistylis – Aniseroot Sanicula marilandica – Black snakeroot GERANIACEAE – Geranium Family Geranium maculatum – Wild geranium ARACEAE – Arum family Arisaema triphyllum – Jack in the pulpit LILIACEAE – Lily Family Allium tricoccum (Amaryllidaceae) – Wild ARALIACEAE – Ginseng Family leek Aralia nudicaulis – Wild sarsaparilla canadense () – Aralia racemosa – Spikenard Wild lily of the valley, Canada mayflower Panax quinquefolia – Ginseng M. racemosum (Asparagaceae) – False Solomon’s-Seal ARISTOLOCHIACEAE – Birthwort Family Polygonatum spp. (Asparagaceae) – Asarum canadense – Wild ginger Solomon's seal Streptopus lanceolatus – Twisted stalk ASTERACEAE (Compositae) – Sunflower Trillium cernuum (Melianthaceae) – Nodding Family trillium Eurybia (Aster) macrophyllum – Uvularia grandiflora (Colchiciaceae) – Large-leaved aster (wood aster) Large- bellwort Ageratina altissima (Eupatorium rugosum) – U. sessilifolia (Colchiciaceae) – Sessile-leaf White snakeroot bellwort Solidago flexicaulis – Zigzag goldenrod Symphotrichium (Aster) sp. – Aster ONAGRACEAE – Evening Primrose Family Circaea lutetiana – Enchanter's nightshade BERBERIDACEAE – Barberry Family Caulophyllum thalictroides – Blue cohosh ORCHIDACEAE – Orchid Family Goodyera pubescens – Rattlesnake plantain BETULACEAE - Birch Family Corylus americana – American hazel PHYRMACEAE – Lopseed Family C. cornuta – Beaked hazel Phyrma leptostachya – Lopseed

BORAGINACEAE – Borage Family POACEAE – Grass Family Hackelia deflexa – Stickseed Brachyelytrum erectum – Bearded shorthusk H. virginiana – Beggar’s lice Elymus patula – Bottlebrush grass Oryzopsis asperifolia – Mountain rice-grass CELASTRACEAE - Staff-Tree Family Celastrus scandens – Bittersweet RANUNCULACEAE – Buttercup or Crowfoot Family ERICACEAE - Heath Family Actaea rubra – Red baneberry Monotropa uniflora – Indian pipe Anemone quinquefolia – Wood anemone 3 | Forest Herbs in Central Minnesota

Aquilegia canadensis – Wild columbine Hepatica americana – Liverleaf, hepatica References: Thalictrum dioicum – Meadow rue • Clements, FE, CO Rosendahl, FK Butters (1913) Minnesota Plant Studies. V. Guide to ROSACEAE – Rose Family the Autumn of Minnesota Field and Agrimonia sp. – Agrimony Garden. Univ. of Minnesota, Mpls. Geum sp. – Avens • Mahall, BE & FH Bormann (1978) A quantitative description of the vegetative RUBIACEAE – Coffee Family phenology of herbs in a northern hardwood Galium sp. – Bedstraw forest. Bot. Gaz. 139: 467-481. • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources THYMELAEACEAE – Mezereum Family (2005) Field Guide to the Native Plant Dirca palustris – Leatherwood Communities of Minnesota: The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province. Ecological Land URTICACEAE – Nettle Family Classification Program, Minnesota County Laportea canadensis – Wood-nettle Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Pilea pumila – Clearweed Nongame Research Program. MNDNR, St. Urtica dioica – Stinging nettle Paul, MN. • Randall, WE, Jr. (1953) Water relations and VIOLACEAE – Violet Family chlorophyll content of forest herbs in southern Viola sp. – violets Wisconsin. Ecology 34: 544-533. • Struik, GJ (1965) Growth patterns of some VITACEAE – Grape Family native annual and perennial herbs in southern Vitis riparia – Wild or river grape Wisconsin. Ecology 46: 401 – 420. Parthenocissus vitacea (inserta) – Woodbine, Virginia creeper