Elaine AbuSharbain, Ph.D.

PrairieScape

Plan  - Plant - Protect

  
Department of Biological Sciences  

Secondary Education Biology Advisor

  

Plants in the PrairieScape

Common Name Scientific Name Month of Bloom Height
June Grass  Koeleria Macrantha Jun-Jul 2'
Prairie Dropseed  Sporobolus hererolepis Sep-Oct 3-4'
Side oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendula July 1-3'
Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Aug-Sept 3-4'

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Common Name Scientific Name Month of Bloom Flower Color Family Height Notes
Nodding Onion Allium cernuum Summer Pink Liliaceae 1.5 feet Used by Native Americans for food
Tall Thimbleweed  Anemone virginiana Mid May to Mid June White Ranunculaceae 2.5 feet Short oval fruiting head, 
Columbine  Aquilegia canadensis  May to Mid June Pink and Yellow
2-3 feet Popular with hummingbirds
Butterflyweed  Asclepies tuberosa June to July Brilliant Orange Asclepiadaceae 2 to 3 feet Roots used for food & medicine by Native Americans.
Sky Blue Aster  Aster azureus Mid Sept. to Oct. Blue to Lavender Asteraceae 2 to 3 feet Mesic to dry prairies
Canadian Milk Vetch  Astragalus canadensis June to July White Fabaceae 2 to 4 feet moist thickets, along streams, woodland edges
White Wild Indigo Baptisia leucantha May June July White Fabaceae 3 to 5 feet Medicinal uses by native americans, poisonous in quantity
Partridge Pea Cassia fasciculata 

Chamaecrista fasciculata

 July Aug. Sept. Yellow Fabaceae 2 feet
Sand Coreopsis  Coreopsis lanceolata Midsummer Yellow Asteraceae 1 - 2 feet dry sandy soils
Prairie Coreopsis  Coreopsis palmata June July Yellow Asteraceae 1 to 2.5 feet dry prairies, sandy gravely or rocky sites
White Prairie Clover Dalea candidum Late Spring White Fabaceae 3 feet roots go 5' deep
Purple Prairie Clover  Dalea purpureum Late Spring Purple Fabaceae 2 feet Native Americans used it for tea
Midland Shooting Star Dodecatheon meadia Mid-late spring
Primrose 2 feet
Pale Purple Conflower  Echinacea pallida May June July Pale purple Asteraceae 2 to 3 feet Medicinal, illegal digging is threadening the species
Rattlesnake Master Eryngium yuccifolium July to August White Apiaceae 2 to 4feet Leaves resemble the yucca plant
Flowering Spurge  Euphorbia corollata June to Sept. White Euphorbiaceae 3 feet Flowerhead has several tiny yellow male flowers and a single female flow4er
Stiff Gentian  Gentiana quinquefolia Late summer to fall Purple Gentianaceae 1 foot Infrequent in moist to dry paairies with limestone, calcium-rich soil
Western Sunflower Helianthus occidentalis Aug. to Sept. Yellow Asteraceae 1 to 3 feet
False Boneset  Kuhnia eupatoriodes

Brickellia

 Midsummer- fall Yellowish- White Asteraceae 4 feet Confused with Tall Boneset. False Boneset has alternate one-veined leaves. Tall B. has opposite 3 veined leaves
Round-headed Bush Clover  Lespediza capitata Mid Aug to Mid Sept. Creamy White with purple spot at base Fabaceae 3 to 5 feet
Rough Blazing Star  Liatris aspera Sept. Purple Asteraceae 3 to 4 feet acidic soil
Wild Lupine  Lupinus perennis Midspring to Midsummer Purple Fabaceae 2 feet the endangered Karner Blue butterfly's larvae depends on this plant
Wild Quinine Parthenium integrifolium June July Aug. White Asteraceae 1 to 2 feet tea was used to treat fevers
Penstemon digitalis Foxglove Beardstonue Late spring, midsummer White Scrophulariaceae 4 feet seed heads produce a strong odor
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium Slender Mountain Mint  Late spring-summer White Lamiaceae 3 feet 2-lipped corolla
Rudbeckia hirta Black Eyed susan Midspring-fall Yellow Asteraceae 3.5 feet yellow dye is used from this plant 
Solidago nemoralis Old Field Goldenrod Late summer fall Yellow Asteraceae 1 - 3 feet common
Solidago rigida Stiff Goldenrod Late Aug. to Oct. Yellow Asteraceae 3 feet Stalk is very stiff
Solidago speciosa Showy Goldenrod Late Sept. to Oct.  Yellow Asteraceae 3 - 5 feet Stems and stalks stout and reddish 
Trasdsdcantia ohiensis Ohio Spiderwort  Late spring - fall Blue to Purple Commelinaceae 2 - 3 feet Leaves up to 10" long. Flowers last 1 day
Verbena stricta Hoary Vervain Late spring- early fall Purple Verbenaceae 4 feet bitter tasting, livestock avoid it 
Zizia aptera Heart-leaf Golden Alexanders Midspring - Early summer Yellow Apiaceae 3 feet occurs in drier prairies
Zizia aurea Golden Alexander Midspring - Early summer Yellow Apiaceae 3 feet Compound leaves
Silphium
 Compass Plant
 Silphium Yellow Silphium

Silphium Prairie Dock
 Silphium Yellow Silphium

Silphium Rosin Weed
 Silphium Yellow Silphium

Culvers Root
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Shurbs and Vines        
Scientific Name Common name Bloom  Color Height
Amorpha canescens Lead Plant Jun Jul Violet 2'
Ceanothus americanus New Jersey Tea  Jun Jul White 2-3'
Rosa arkansana  Prairie Wild Rose 


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URL http://www.siue.edu/~eabusha/
Created by Elaine AbuSharbain <eabusha@siue.edu>
Last updated June 12, 2009