Selected North Dakota and Minnesota Range Plants (continued)EB-69, 1998 Common Name: Black-eyed susan Species: Rudbeckia hirta L. Synonym: Rudbeckia serotina Nutt. Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Description: Biennial or short-lived perennial, but apparently able to flower in first year, 3-10 dm tall. Stems arising from a taproot. Leaves vary in size and shape with well-developed lower leaf blades mostly egg-shaped, up to 15 cm long and with petiole, middle leaves much longer than broad to oblong and stalkless upwards. Heads a long one-flowered stalk; disk up to 2 cm across, oval shaped; whorl of bracts under the flower are distinctly hairy, sometimes elongated; ray florets 8-21, ligule 2-4 cm long, orange or orange-yellow, sometimes purple-tinged at the base; disk florets dark purple; chaffy bracts sharply pointed and having rigid hairs at the apex; style branches distinctly elongated. Achenes quadrangular; pappus none. Origin: Native Growing Season: This warm season forb begins growth in May and flowers from late June through September. Habitat: Black-eyed susan can be found growing on disturbed prairies, rangeland, along roadsides, and waste areas. A beautiful flowering plant that can become a weedy pesk, especially on disturbed areas. Distribution: This species can be found on moist areas throughout much of the eastern half of the Great Plains region. It occurs from Newfoundland, Canada south to Florida and west to British Columbia and south to Mexico. In North Dakota, it can be found on moist sites in the eastern two-thirds of the state. Forage Value: This species is seldom grazed by livestock with poor palatability and classified as worthless to poor forage value. Black-eyed susan is considered an increaser with grazing pressure. Wildlife Value: This species has little to no wildlife value for feed or habitat. Only the seeds will provide any wildlife use to some songbirds. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Soft goldenrod Species: Solidago mollis Bartl. Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Description: Perennial 1-5 dm tall, herbage spreading minutely having coarse, long hairs to pubescent throughout or the stem becoming smooth and not hairy below, somewhat grayish-green in aspect. Stem single to several loosely clustered, arising from a creeping rhizome. Leaves thickish and firm, chiefly attached to the stem, prominently 3-nerved, the lower leaves also attached to stem but early-deciduous; leaves attached to stem at middle are elliptic to lanceolate, 3-8 cm long and 1-3 cm wide, 2.5-5 x longer than wide, irregularly toothed to subentire, without a stalk or short-petiole. Inflorescence a dense, rather elongated panicle or sometimes a compact, compound panicle, the lower branches often weakly recurved-secund; involucre 3-6 mm tall; involucral bracts rounded to somewhat acute, ray florets 6-10, often 8; disk florets 3-8. Achenes short or appressed hairy. Origin: Native Growing Season: A warm season forb which begins growing in June, flowering in July and August, maturing throughout September and October. Habitat: This species grows in dry or drying prairies and is often found in open woods. Also frequently found along fence rows. Common on most dry (xeric) range sites. Distribution: Occurs throughout the Great Plains except in eastern Kansas and adjacent Oklahoma. Also found in south central Canada. This species can be found throughout North Dakota, but most common in central and western regions. Considered the most common goldenrod (Solidago) species in western North Dakota. This species occurs in the extreme western prairie region in southern Minnesota. Forage Value: This species will provide some grazing value to cattle in spring and fair to good grazing value for sheep and goats during the spring and early summer. Typically classified as poor forage value for cattle and horses. Classified as an increaser with grazing pressure. Wildlife Value: The wildlife use of this species is very limited in proportion to its abundance and availability. The seeds and foliage of this species are used for food by sharp-tailed grouse, songbirds, small mammals and white-tailed deer. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Goat's beard, Western salsify Species: Tragopogon dubius Scop. Synonym: Tragopon major Jacq. Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Description: Biennial or short-lived perennial 3-8(10) dm tall, arising from a long taproot; herbage unevenly covered with tufts of soft, wooly hairs when young but smooth and not hairy as matures. Leaves long and narrow, up to 30 cm long, gradually tapering from the base to the apex. Heads solitary at the ends of the long, hollow peduncles; involucral bracts typically 13 but sometimes about 8 in stunted plants, 2.5-4 cm tall in flower and clearly exceeding the florets, becoming long and relaxed at maturity; florets all ligulate and fertile, corolla yellow. Achenes with a slender body, tapering upward to a stout beak, 2.5-3.5 cm long overall; pappus a single series of white to dusty whitish featherlike bristles. Origin: Introduced species from Eurasia. Growing Season: A cool season forb which begins growth in May, mostly remaining in vegetative stage the first year. Second year begins regrowth in May, flowering in June and July. May flower a third year if conditions favor. Habitat: This species is known for growing on roadsides and disturbed waste sites, especially along the edges of grain fields. Also commonly found in pasturelands and during the early years of reestablished grass stands. Distribution: Occurs throughout the Great Plains; established over much of temperate North America. Originally from Eurasia. This species can be found throughout North Dakota and Minnesota. Forage Value: This species provides poor grazing value for cattle and horses and fair for sheep and goats. Only seldom grazed by any class of livestock. Classified as an invader on rangelands. Wildlife Value: No information was found concerning the wildlife value of this species. The species has a milky sap and its foliage is probably not palatable. The hairy seeds are probably used as nesting material by small mammals. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Prairie ragwort Species: Senecio plattensis Nutt. Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Description: A biennial or short-lived perennial, 2-5 dm tall; covered with tufts of wooly hairs or irregularly smooth. Stems single or rarely 2 or 3 loose clusters from a short, ascending tough base consisting of root and stem which is sometimes stoloniferous. Basal leaves having a petiole, blades are oval to egg-shaped, toothed with shallow-rounded teeth or sharply toothed, 2-6 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, petiole about 1-1.5 times as long as the blade; stem leaves progressively reduced upward, lower and middle ones with compound leaflets, uppermost ones irregularly dissected to entirely dissected. Inflorescence a flat-topped cyme of 6-20 heads; a whorl of bracts under the flower about 13, 5-7 mm long; ray floret about 8, ligule about 10 mm long. Achenes normally minutely hairy, especially along the angles. Origin: Native Growing Season: A cool season forb that begins growth in May and flowers by early June. Habitat: This forb can be found growing on open prairies, along roadsides, and on drier rocky ground. Distribution: Prairie ragwort occurs throughout the Great Plains region but is more common in the east. It can be found from Manitoba and New Foundland, south to Tennessee, Texas and Colorado. This plant can be found throughout North Dakota and Minnesota. Forage Value: The grazing value of this species is fair for cattle and sheep. Prairie ragwort contains toxic substances poisonous to livestock within the leaves but it rarely becomes fatal due to limited use. This species is considered an increaser with grazing pressure; however, it will reduce in abundance in continual overgrazed pastures. Wildlife Value: This species will provide fair forage for some small mammals and hoofed browsers. Considered of little importance to wildlife species. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Names: Stiff goldenrod, Rigid goldenrod Species: Solidago rigida L. Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Description: A perennial forb, 2-16 dm tall, densely hairy with short, spreading hairs, or rarely almost smooth below. Stems arising from a stout, branching base consisting of the root and stem. Leaves firm, entire margins to obscurely dented; basal and lower stem leaves prominent and persistent; blades oval and longer than broad to broadly ovate, 5-15 cm long and 2-10 cm wide, often exceeded by the long petiole; stem leaves progressively reduced with short petioles upward. Inflorescence flat-topped and congested, heads relatively large; bracts whorled under a flower, 5-9 mm tall; bracts are firm, rounded and conspicuously marked with ridges; ray florets 7-14; disk florets 19-31. Achenes prominently ribbed, smooth or with few hairs near summit. Origin: Native Growing Season: A warm season forb that flowers from August to October. Habitat: This forb is commonly found on drier prairies, rocky open sites, and sandy soils. Stiff goldenrod is commonly associated with the mixed and tall grass prairie. Distribution: Stiff goldenrod occurs from Saskatchewan south to Georgia and New Mexico and is commonly found throughout the western half of the Great Plains region. It can be found throughout North Dakota, more prevalent in the eastern two-thirds. This species occurs througout Minnesota. Forage Value: This species' foliage is considered of poor to fair value for cattle and horses, fair for sheep. Cattle will often eat the tops off stiff goldenrods in July and August. It is classified as an increaser with grazing pressure. Wildlife Value: The foliage of this species is used to some extent by white-tailed deer and some small mammals. The seeds are utilized by a number of songbirds and small rodents. The leaves are utilized to a small extent by sharp-tailed and ruffed grouse and to a greater extent by prairie chickens. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Names: Species: Sonchus arvensis L. Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Description: Perennial growing 4-15 dm tall, arising from an extensive creeping root system; smooth and often covered with a whitish waxy bloom. Lower and middle stem leaves pinnate to lobulate to weakly pinnatifid to merely dentate or even subentire, 6-40 cm long and up to 15 cm wide, margin prickly; upper leaves less lobed, auriculate-clasping; uppermost leaves bractlike. Heads few to several in a terminal, flat-topped inflorescence, flowers large, 2.5-3.5 cm across; mature involucres 10-22 mm tall, having short glandular hairs to smooth; florets ligulate and fertile, corolla yellow. Achenes flattened, ribbed and wrinkled, beakless, 2.5-3.5 mm long; pappus of abundant capillary bristles. Origin: Introduced from Europe and Asia. Growing Season: A warm season forb beginning growth in May and flowering from July through September. Habitat: This forb is commonly referred to as a weed in cultivated fields, gardens, ditches, and waste areas where water is available. Perennial sow-thistle can be found on rangeland and pastures on moist sites that favor its establishment, spreading rapidly due to aggressive, creeping rootstock. Distribution: Perennial sow-thistle occurs throughout much of the United States and is commonly found throughout North Dakota as a noxious weed. The plant is known from five counties in Minnesota. Forage Value: This species is readily grazed by cattle and sheep, providing the stand is not too large. Large stands are seldom grazed. It is not a high preference plant when associated with grass species and is grazed sparingly. This species is considered an invader with grazing pressure. Wildlife Value: The seeds of this species are utilized by some songbirds, most noticeably by the common goldfinch. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Common dandelion, dandelion Species: Taraxacum officinale Weber Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Description: Taprooted perennial which bears flowers on a scape, 4-30 cm tall. Leaves lightly hairy, especially beneath and on the midvein, wider at middle, up to 25 cm long and 15 cm wide, variously lobed, toothed with terminal lobe usually larger than others, tapering at base to a winged and indistinct petiole. Head single on a hairy to smooth scape; a whorl of bracts under a flower 1.5-2.5 cm tall; principal whorl of bracts 13-20, subtended by a series of shorter calyx-like bracts; the whorl of bracts all erect when young, reflexing in age with mature fruit forming an easily disassembling ball; florets all small flowers with corolla expanded into ligule, corolla yellow. Achenes with a brown body 3-4 mm long; pappus of abundant white capillary bristles. Origin: Introduced from Eurasia Growing Season: A cool season forb that will flower all summer long, usually from May to September. Habitat: This forb has adapted to a variety of soil types and climates, but it prefers moist sites and moderate climates. It can be found growing in lawns, meadows, pastures, haylands, along open stream banks, and disturbed sites. Distribution: Dandelion grows throughout the United States. It occurs as a common weed in North Dakota and Minnesota, both in the urban and rural areas. Forage Value: This species is readily grazed by all classes of livestock, providing good range forage throughout the growing season if moisture is sufficient. Although not very pleasing to look at in pasturelands, livestock will graze the lush leaves when available. This species is considered an invader with grazing pressure. Wildlife Value: The foliage of dandelions is very palatable to most grazing and browsing wildlife, providing good forage for white-tailed deer, antelope, pocket gophers, prairie dogs, rabbits, sharp-tailed grouse, partridge, and Canada geese. Other gamebirds and small mammals use this species to a lesser extent. Many songbirds, small mammals, and gamebirds use the seeds of dandelions as feed, especially goldfinches and English sparrows. Other: The leaves of this species have been used by humans as greens for centuries. The flowers have been used for making dandelion wine. The root has been used for medicinal purposes as a liver stimulant and mild laxative. The plant is a good honey plant and is utilized by bees. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Hoary puccoon Species: Lithospermum canescens (Michx.) Lehm. Family: Boraginaceae - Borage Family
Description: Perennial from a thick taproot, 12-35 cm tall, stems several and simple, sometimes branching near top. Leaves coming off stem, often ascending, much longer than broad, rounded, 20-55 mm long, 4-11 mm wide, having soft grayish or silkish hairs. Inflorescence a cyme terminal; the bracts much longer than the sepals. Flowers having styles of two different lengths; sepals 4-17 mm long; petals 7-18 mm long, to 1.4 cm wide, yellow to yellow-orange, the lobes entire, the fornices conspicuous, swollen on one side; stamens borne near the middle of the tube in long-styled flowers or at the middle of the tube in short-styled flowers. Nutlets smooth, shiny, yellowish white, egg-shaped, with a ventral keel. Origin: Native Growing Season: A cool season plant which begins growth in late April and flowers by June. Habitat: This plant is quite common on prairies, usually found on drier prairies or open woods. Distribution: Occurs from Saskatchewan east to Pennsylvania, south to Texas, Missouri, and Georgia. This plant can be found throughout the eastern two-thirds of North Dakota, seldom in western North Dakota. It occurs throughout Minnesota. Forage Value: This species provides no feed value to cattle and horses and is only seldom grazed by sheep. This species is considered an increaser with grazing pressure but rarely becomes a nuisance species. Wildlife Value: There is no information on the use of this plant species by wildlife. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Narrow-leaved puccoon Species: Lithospermum incisum Lehm.
Family: Boraginaceae - Borage Family
Description: Perennial with sharp, stiff, appressed hairs that grow from a woody taproot; stems to 4 dm tall, usually branched above with age. Leaves cauline, basal leaves sometimes present, linear or narrowly broader than long, terminating into a sharp point, 13-45 mm long, 4-10 mm wide, with hairs sharp and stiff, sometimes with a small pimple-like base. Inflorescence a terminal cyme. Early, open pollinating flower with sepal 3-15 mm long, petal pale yellow, yellow-orange, or occasionally yellow-green, a slender tube expending into a flat limb, 18-48 mm long, about 15 mm wide, the lobes usually with a dented margin or gnawed looking, occasionally entire, the tube very slender, the throat with weakly to strongly invaginate fornices; stamens borne only near the top of the tube, the style long and the stigmas barely to strongly projected. Late flowers smaller, closed and self-pollinating, petals only 2-6 mm long or absent; sepals much exceeding the petals; the style short. Nutlets white, shiny, sometimes pitted, constricted near the base. Origin: Native Growing Season: A cool season forb begins growth in April and flowers in June and July. Habitat: Occurs on dry prairies, disturbed areas, and open woods. It has adapted to a wide variety of soil types, most common on dry stony soils, sandy, clayey, or loamy textures. Distribution: This plant can be found from Ontario to British Columbia, south to Utah, Texas, Missouri, and Indiana. It can be found growing throughout North Dakota and in the prairie region of Minnesota. Forage Value: This species provides no feed value to cattle and horses and is only seldom grazed by sheep. It is considered an increaser with grazing pressure but rarely becomes a nuisance species. Wildlife Value: There is no information on the use of this plant species by wildlife. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Hoary alyssum Species: Berteroa incana (L.) DC. Family: Brassicaceae - Mustard Family
Description: Annual with star-shaped whitish hairs, stiffly erect, usually branched above, to 7 dm tall. Leaves alternate, broadest toward the middle to occasionally oval-shaped, 2-5 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide, apex obtuse to sharply pointed, entire. Flowers racemose; sepals equal, ascending; petals white, deeply two-cleft, about 3 mm long, more than 2 times longer than the sepals; short filaments flanked on each side by a short semicircular gland, anthers oblong; ovary with 2-6 ovules per locule; style elongate, persistent. Silicle fruit oval-shaped, slightly flattened parallel to the septum, 5-8 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, star-shaped and hairy, often only slightly; seeds 3-6 per locule, brown, roundish, 1.5-2 mm long, narrowly winged. Origin: Native Growing Season: A cool season forb beginning growth in late April, flowers in June, and sets seed in September. Habitat: Hoary alyssum usually grows on sandy soils. It can be found along roadsides and railroad tracks, disturbed lands, and waste areas. Distribution: This plant can be found throughout the United States, except in the southern states. It grows throughout the eastern two-thirds of North Dakota and all of Minnesota. Forage Value: This plant provides little to no feed value to most classes of livestock. Hoary alyssum would be classified as an increaser on native rangeland. Wildlife Value: There is little information showing the importance of this plant species to wildlife. The plant produces many seeds, providing some feed value to songbirds and small mammals. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Western wallflower, Plains erysimum Species: Erysimum asperum (Nutt.) DC.
Family: Brassicaceae - Mustard Family
Description: Biennial or short-lived perennial with stems erect, simple or branched above, 2-10 dm tall; stiff, straight hairs form the presence of a dense covering of appressed Y-shaped hairs growing from epidermis. Leaves numerous, crowded, linear to much longer than broad, triangular shaped at the base, remotely dentate to entire. Flowers showy in dense racemes; sepals about 10 mm long; petals yellow to orange-yellow, 15-25 mm long, the blade about 1/2 as long as the very slender projected claw; racemes at maturity greatly elongate, pedicels stout, divergent, 7-15 mm long. Siliques widely spreading, 4-angled, 8-12 cm long, densely hairy on four sides, keels evident as longitudinal lines with a less dense covering of Y-shaped hairs growing from epidermis; seeds plump, oblong, often angular, with a short distal wing, 1.7-2 mm long. Origin: Native Growing Season: A cool season forb that begins growth in late April and early May and flowers from June through July. Habitat: Western wallflower commonly grows on upland prairies, sandhills, and open woodlands. Distribution: This species occurs throughout the Great Plains region of the United Sates. It can be found growing throughout North Dakota and occurs in five counties in Minnesota. Forage Value: This species is seldom grazed, but it can be grazed to some extent by most classes of livestock. This plant is indicative of native rangeland but is rarely a nuisance plant. Western wallflower is considered an increaser with grazing pressure. Wildlife Value: This plant provides little to no feed value for wildlife. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Ball cactus, Pincushion cactus Species: Coryphantha vivipara (Nutt.) Britt. & Rose var. vivipara Synonym: Mamillaria vivipara (Nutt.) Haw. Family: Cactaceae - Cactus Family
Description: Stems 1-several, more or less globose to cylinder-shaped, turbinate at the base, to 7 cm tall. Most tubercles with a groove on the upper side; the spine-bearing area on the cactus with 3-4 central spines, one of them turned downward, and about 12-40 smaller radial spines. Central spines prominent among the radials; radial spines 12-20 per spine-bearing area, 9-12 mm long. Flowers 2.5-4 cm long, pink to reddish purple. Mature fruit green, oblong to thickened toward the top, 19-25 mm long; seeds brown, reticulo-punctate, 1.5-2 mm wide. Origin: Native Growing Season: A warm season cactus flowers in June and July with the fruit ripening in the fall. Habitat: Ball cactus is quite drought resistant and most commonly found on upland prairies with stony and sandy soils. Distribution: This species occurs from Alberta and eastern Oregon, east to western Minnesota, and south to Texas and California. It can be found throughout the western two-thirds of North Dakota and in Big Stone County, Minnesota. Forage Value: This plant is of no forage value for livestock. Ball cactus is considered an increaser with grazing pressure. Wildlife Value: This plant provides no forage value to most wildlife species. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ]
Common Name: Canada goldenrod Species: Solidago canadensis L. Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Description: Perennial herb 2.5-20 dm tall; herbage usually minutely pubescent to spreading pubescent, at least above the middle of the plant. Stems arising singly or loosely clustered from an often extensive system of creeping rhizomes. Leaves numerous, chiefly belonging to the stem and about equally distributed along the stem, 3-nerved, narrowly lanceolate to elliptic, 3-15 cm long and 5-20 mm wide, without a petiole or very nearly so, usually densely spreading fine hairs on the underside but frequently rough to the touch or even slightly smooth and not hairy above. Inflorescence paniculate, with prominent recurved, secund lateral branches, or a compact, usually compound panicle and no lateral branches; involucre 2-4.5 mm tall; involucral bracts thinnish, narrow, acute to acuminate, yellowish but somewhat greenish toward the tip; ray florets (5)10-18, ligule 1-3 mm long; disk florets 2-8. Achenes short-pubescent. Origin: Native Growing Season: A warm season forb which begins growing in June, flowering in July and August, maturing throughout September. Habitat: This species grows on damp or drying open places, often in loose soils, and in clearings in wooded regions. Also found in ditches where moisture is plentiful, in meadows and subirrigated lands. Distribution: This species or varieties of this species can be found scattered throughout the Great Plains region of the United States as well as into Canada west to British Columbia. This species can be found throughout North Dakota, rarer in the western half, becoming more frequent in central and eastern regions where moisture is more available. It is found throughout Minnesota. Forage Value: This species provides poor grazing value for cattle and horses with some use by cattle in early spring. Canada goldenrod will provide fair grazing value for sheep and goats with greater use in the spring and early summer. This species will increase with overgrazing, lowering the range condition. Wildlife Value: The wildlife utility of this fall flowering species is very low in proportion to its abundance. Seeds of this species are used for food by the grouse species and various songbirds. Small mammals and white-tailed deer use the plant parts for forage. [ Back to Index ] [ Home ] [ Glossary ] EB-69, 1998
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