December’s Native Maryland Plant

All of them!

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all well and thinking of how you can use native plants in your gardens next year to provide habitat, filter stormwater pollution, sequester carbon, provide shade and create beautiful natural spaces to enjoy.  Studies have shown that being in nature reduces stress and native plants are so valuable for the environment that creating native places with them helps all living things.

For those of you who have been reading Latin for Gardeners, it’s now time to test your knowledge of the scientific names of the eleven native plants that have been featured this year. It’s always best to use the Latin names of plants when you recommend them to friends and the public – there’s only one Latin name for a plant so it avoids confusion and ensures people select the right plant when shopping at nurseries.

The botanical names of the plants (in alphabetical order) are:

Asclepias syriaca, Clethra alnifolia, Ilex glabra, Juncus effusus, Liatris spicata, Osmunda spectabilis, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, Parthenium integrifolium, Quercus falcata, Rudbeckia fulgida, Salix discolor

Their common names (in alphabetical order) are: Cinnamon fern, Common Milkweed, Gayfeather, Inkberry, Orange Coneflower, Pussy Willow, Royal fern, Soft Rush, Southern Red Oak, Summersweet, Wild Quinine

The first group of photos shows the plants in their winter dress. The second group of photos shows them during bloom. Can you still recognize them?  I’ve given you a few hints but don’t feel bad if you can’t place them all – Latin is not an easy language.  Good luck, or as they say in Latin, “Fortuna!”

Match the number of each plant to the letter of each plant in its summer bloom (answers at the bottom).

Alison Milligan - MG/MN 2013
Watershed Steward Class 7/CBLP
aligmilligan@gmail.com