Botanizing .....

Not Nootka

Sadly, the sweet rosey bush in our front yard turns out to be a European invasive: Sweetbriar Rose (Rosa rubiginosa). The leaves smell sweet. The thorns point down. The sepals are sometimes forked and covered with glands. For future reference, the USDA produced a decent 24-page treatment of the 2 invasive and 3 native rose species common in the Pacific Northwest. Download here.

 

Update: On my walk today, I did find Nootka Rose along Woodson Road. Here are some comparison photos: Nootka is the larger flower with the bald hypanthium. On the right in the first photo and on the left in the second photo. Other characters not shown here were the paired thorns at the base of most of the leaves in the Nootka Rose.

The Hidden Dangers of Botany

Click here, if you dare.

Monkey Flower

One of our neighbors has tried to restore a sloping wet meadow. Today, I identified Mimulus guttatus from 30 feet away! Also native lupine.

It would be a nice addition to the wetter parts of our yard.

Photo source.

Vanilla Leaf

I want a gold star for this one. All I had was a leaf photo and a hunch. We saw this along Brice Creek Trail southeast of Lake Dorena.

I just guessed that it was in the Berberidaceae, and then generated a list of the family from Plants.usda.gov and then guessed among several genera.

Also known as Sweet-After-Death. Read more here.

Daphne Laurel aka Spurge Laurel

Found on the Ridgeline Trail, fairly deep in the woods with shooting star and trout lily.

This is an invasive with caustic sap. I need to see if it's in my yard.

The flowers under the microscope have an unusual placement of the anthers, as shown in this diagram.

Oregon State University Department of Horticulture website lists it as a landscape plant. 

Oregon Cherry

The valley along Woodson Loop is full of flowering trees. Blooming now.

They are Oregon Cherry, otherwise known as Bitter Cherry (Prunus emarginata). These are quite tall, and the leaves are hairy, so may be a rarer variety.

They produce bright red cherries that are inedible, apparently even to birds.

Here's the Wikipedia write-up.

Stork's Bill

In bloom now, along our roadside. Only about an inch tall!

Erodium cicutarium, also known as redstem filaree, redstem stork's bill, common stork's-bill or pinweed.

 Public Domain, Link

Stork's Bill

In bloom now, along our roadside. Only about an inch tall!

Erodium cicutarium, also known as redstem filaree, redstem stork's bill, common stork's-bill or pinweed.

 Public Domain, Link

Pinus mugo

Near the driveway entrance are several mugo pines.

Needles in bundles of 2 and very small cones. Multistemmed small trees.

80% sure of my ID.

Rocky Mountain Pine

I've got a pretty good ID for the pine between the pond and the garden. Pinus flexilis or Rocky Mountain white pine or limber pine. 5 needles, very flexible small branches.