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WILDFLOWERS OF SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA |
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And GOD said, "Let the land produce vegetation:
seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear
fruit with seed in it, according to their various
kinds." And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing
plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree
that has fruit with seed in it.
They will be yours for food."
Genesis 1:11-12, 29 | |
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Wildflowers, unusual varieties, and some that are rare as documented in and around
DeRidder (Beauregard Parish), Louisiana.
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Beauregard Parish can be referred to as the "Biological Crossroads" of Louisiana. |
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DWARF PALMETTO / Sabal MinorThis tropical is Louisiana's
most widespread native plant species.
Its flowering season is mid June-
July with clusters reaching up to
5 feet long. It bears black seeds
in the fall. Deer feed on the
palmetto fruit. Propagated by
bare root, it reaches a maximum
height of 4 feet. Fan shaped
leaves were made into mats and
baskets. These plants are found
in jungle like palmetto flats. |
SPANISH MOSS / Tillandsia UsneoidesThe name is misleading, as the
Spanish Moss plant is neither
Spanish nor a moss. Early French
settlers called it "Spanish beard."
Indian names translate as
"long hair" or "tree hair." This
is a flowering plant of the bromeliad,
or pineapple family. This plant is not
a parasite and does no harm to the
trees on which it grows. Sensitive
to air polution, survival of Spanish-
Moss indicates our air is clean to
breathe, at least in this area of
Louisiana. |
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Jungle like swamps support a variety of native wildflowers. Chainsaws can be heard in the distance but fortunately this magnificent habitat has not yet become a “biological desert.”
Many of the plants found in the swamp, nearly inaccessible in places, have evolved to live in its particular habitat. Any attempt to successfully transplant some of these plants only can hasten their extinction.
The uniqueness of the area is that its wild flowers continue to bloom throughout the year. Our climate, almost tropical, has prominent seasonal changes, and each season has its own special wild flowers. A drink of natural beauty is like a dose of good medicine. It is definitely a “mood elevator,” and is there to be enjoyed by all. |
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IMPORTANCE OF PLANTS AND FLOWERS |
If you are a layman and have a love for wildflowers, this site is for you. We know that without plants man could not exist. They have always played an essential role in his survival. Plants provide food, clothing, medicines, and, in fact, the very air we breathe - plants are the source of our life-giving oxygen (Spanish Moss). Since the beginning of time, man has gathered and cultivated plants and recorded their benefits. Since the time man emerged from the cave, he has been working with plants and flowers, and has built up an enormous amount of fact and fiction about them.In the 1st century AD, what was considered the first book on pharmacology, was compiled, describing the medicinal properties of about 600 plants, including many wildflowers. In 1492, Columbus sailed east in search of spices to season and preserve food and herbs to cure European diseases. The famous voyages by Columbus and other explorers of his time led to many exotic plants from the "New World" being sent back to Europe, thus setting off a major traffic in the worldwide distribution of plant species. It is our understanding that Hawaii Islands were rather barren until plants were brought in from other places. This kind of exploration and the invention of the printing press led to expanded plant study and publication of many books by the so-called Herbalists of the period. Today, of at least 20,000 native plants of North America that have been documented, 10 per cent have medicinal properties. This includes uses already known by Native Americans before European settlement plus the discoveries by the Europeans after their arrival.
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Wildflower Phenomenon |
Frost/Ice Flowers |
Appear to be white flowers in bloom |
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This phenomenon was found at the edge of Bundick Swamp during an icy morning. Christopher Reid, Louisiana Natural Heritage Botanist provided the following about this rarity: "Frost flowers is the name commonly given to a condition in which thin layers of ice are extruded from long-stemmed plants such as crownbeard. When the ground is not already frozen, the sap in the stem will expand, causing long cracks to form along the length of the stem. Water is then drawn through these cracks via capillary action and freezes upon contact with the air. As more water is drawn through the cracks it pushes the thin ice layers further from the stem, causing a thin "petal" to form. The thin layers of ice are often formed into exquisite patterns that curl into 'petals that resemble flowers'. The petals of frost flowers are very delicate and will break when touched." |
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To see large photograph of wildflower, click picture. |
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W 1 / Butterwort/ Pinguicula pumila
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Y1 / Buttercup/ Ranunculus Carolinianus |
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W 2 / Black locust/ Robinia pseudoacacia
W 2 / Bull nettle/ Cnidoscolus texannus
W 2 / Button snake root/ Eryngium yuccifolium
W 2 / Catalpa/ Catalpa speciosa
W 2 / Deerberry/ Vaccinium stamineum
W 2 / Dewberry/ Rubus trivialis
W 2 / Dogwood/ Cornus florida
W 2 / Fringe tree/ Chionanthus virginida
W 2 / Grassy arrowhead/ Sagittaria graminea
W 2 / Jack-in-pulpit/Arisaema triphyllum
W 2 / Lily evening rain/ Cooperia drummondii
W 2 / Lizard tail/Saururus cernuns
| | W 2 / May apple/Mandrake/ Podopmyllum Peltatum
W 2 / Mayhaw/ Crataegus opaca
W 2 / New Jersey Tea/Ceanothus americanus
W 2 / Partridge berry/ Mitchella repens
W 2 / Pussytoes/ Antennaria plantagenifola
W 2 / Sedge white top/ Rhynchospora colorata
W 2 / Silverbell/Snowdrop tree/ Halesia diptera
W 2 / Soloman's seal/ Polygonatum biflorum
W 2 / Spider lily/ Hymenocallis liriosme
W 2 / Spring cress/ Cardamine bulbosa
W 2 / Sweet bay/ Magnolia virginiana
W 2 / Sweet leaf/ Symplocos tinctoria
W 2 / Ten-Angle Pipewort/ Eriocaulon decangulare
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Y 2 / Bush pea indigo/ Baptisia leucophaea
Y 2 / Carolina Jessamine/ Gelseminum sempervirens
Y 2 / Crossvine/ Bignonia capreolata
Y 2 / Goats rue/ Tephrosia virginiana
Y 2 / Indigo wild/ Baptisia leucophaea
Y 2 / Lance-Leaved Coreopsis/Coreopsis lanceolata
Y 2 / Meadow beauty yellow/ Rhexia lutea | | Y 2 / Pencil flower/ Stylosanthes biflora
Y 2 / Pitcher plant/ Sarracenia alata
Y 2 / Pucoon/ Lithospermum caroleniense
Y 2 / Spotted bee balm/ Monarda punctata
Y 2 / Tickseed/ Bidens aristosa
Y 2 / Wood betony/ Pedicularis canadensis
Y 2 / Yellow savannah milkwort/ Polygala ramosa |
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B 2 / Blue eyed grass/ Sisyrinchium sagitliferum
B 2 / Candy root/ Polygala nana
B 2 / Coneflower purple/ Echinacea sanguinea
B 2 / Day flower/ Sommelina erecta
B 2 / French mulberry/Deer dessert/ Callicarpa americana
B 2 / Gay feather/ Liatris tennis
B 2 / Milk vine/ Matelea gonocarpa
B 2 / Passion flower/ Passiflora incarnata
B 2 / Periwinkle/ vinca minor | B 2 / Phlox/ Phlox nivalis
B 2 / Pigeon wings/ Cliloria mariana
B 2 / Purple pleat leaf/ Eustylis purpurea
B 2 / Rough skull cap/ Scutellaria integrifolia
B 2 / Ruellia/ Ruellia caroliniensis
B 2 / Spiderwort/ Tradescantia ohioensis
B 2 / Violet birdfoot/ Viola pedata
B 2 / Violet trilobe/ Viola triloba
B 2 / Wisteria/ Wisteria frutescens | |
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R 2 / American blue hearts/ Buchnera americana
R 2 / Azalea honeysuckle/ Rhododendron canescens
R 2 / Cardinal climber / ipomoca multifida
R 2 / Cardinal flower/ Lobelia cardinalis
R 2 / Coral bean/ Erythrina herbacea
R 2 / Hedge nettle/ Stachys floridana
R 2 / Honeysuckle coral/ Lonicera sempervins
R 2 / Jack in Pulpit SEED/ Arisaema triphyllum
R 2 / Maryland milkwort/ Polygala mariana
R 2 / Milk weed red/ Ascelepias ruba
R 2 / Morning Glory Wild/ Ipomoea trichocarpa | | R 2 / Orchid grass pink/ Calopogon pulchellus
R 2 / Orchid pogonia/ Pogonia ophioglossoides
R 2 / Rose gentian/ Sabatia gentianoides
R 2 / Rose pink/ Sabatia angularis
R 2 / Scarlet pea/ Indegofera miniata
R 2 / Sensitive briar/ Schrankia hystricina
R 2 / Spigelia/indian pink/ Spigellia marilandica
R 2 / Strawberry bush/ Euomymus americanus
R 2 / Sundew/ Drosera annua
R 2 / Thistle/ Cirsium horridulum
R 2 / Trumpet creeper/ Campsis radicans
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G 2 / Butterwort/ Pinguicula pumila
G 2 / Mayapple/Mandrake/ Podophyllum peltatum
G 2 / Sweet leaf/ Symplocos tinctoria |
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W 3 / Azalea swamp/ Rhododendron serrulatum
W 3 / Clematis white/ Clematis dioscoreifolia
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W 3 / Orchid lady tresses/ Spiranthes cernua
W 3 / Wild potato/ Ipomoea pandurata |
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Y 3 / Batchelor buttons/ Polygala Nana
Y 3 / Butterfly weed/ Asclepias tuberosa
Y 3 / Carolina lily/ Lilium merchauxii
Y 3 / Colic root/ Aletris aurea
Y 3 / Coneflower yellow/ Dracopis amplexicaulis
Y 3 / False fox glove/ Aueolaria grandiflora
Y 3 / Goldenrod
Y 3 / Green thread/ Thelesperma flavodiscum
Y 3 / Ground Cherry/ angulata
Y 3 / Indian blanket/ Gaillardia pulchilla | | Y 3 / Mullein/ Verbascum thapsus
Y 3 / Partridge pea/ Cassia fasciculata
Y 3 / Sneeze weed/ Helenium flexuosum
Y 3 / Snout bean Rhynchosia latifolia
Y 3 / St. Peter's wort/ Ascyrum stans
Y 3 / Sunflower
Y 3 / Sunflower stiff hair/ Helianthus hirsutus
Y 3 / Sunflower weak stem/ Helianthus debilis
Y 3 / Yellow eyed grass/ Xyris ambigua
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B 3 / Butterfly Pea/ Centrosema, Virgenianum
B 3 / Clover, bush, slender/ Lespedeza virginica
B 3 / Day flower/ Commelina erecta
B 3 / Eryno simple leaf / Eryngium integrifolium |
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R 3 / Catchfly/ Silene subciliata
R 3 / Coral Bean/ Erythrina herbacea
R 3 / Dragon head, false/ Physostegia intermedia
R 3 / Gerardia/ Agalinis viridis
R 3 / Hedge nettle/ Stachys floridana
R 3 / Meadow beauty/ Rhexia petiolata
R 3 / Missouri Iron weed/ Vernonia Missurica
R 3 / Trumpet creeper/Campsis radicans
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G 3 / Dwarf palmetto/Sabal minor
G 3 / Fruit passion-vine/Passiflora incarnata |
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B 4 / Ageratum/ Eupatorium coelestinum
B 4 / Aster/ Aster subulatus
B 4 / Barbara's buttons/ Marshallia tennuifolia |
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G 4 / Ground Cherry / Physalis angulata |
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WILDFLOWER LIST - Latin Names |
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Agalinis viridis
Aletris aurea
Antennaria plantagenifola
Arisaema triphyllum
Ascelepias ruba
Asclepias tuberosa
Ascyrum stans
Aster subulatus
Aueolaria grandeflora
Baptisia leucophaea
Bidens aristosa
Bignonia capreolata
Buchnera americana
Callicarpa americana
Calopopon pulchellus
Canpsis radicans
Cardamine bulbosa
Cassia fasciculata
Catalpa speciosa
Ceanothus americanus
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````` | Centrosema, Virgenianum
Chionanthus virginida
Cirsium horridulum
Clematis dioscoreifolia
Cliloria mariana
Cnidoscolus texannus
Commelina erecta
Cooperia pedunculata
Coreopsis lanceolata
Cornus florida
Crataegus opaca
Dracopis amplexicaulis
Drosera annua
Echinacea sanguinea
Eriocaulon decangulare
Erngium yuccifolium
Eryngium integrifolium
Eryngium yuccifolium
Erythrina herbacea
Euomymus americanus
````````````````````````````````````````````````` | Eupatorium coelestinum
Eustylis purpurea
Gaillardia pulchilla
Gelseminum sempervirens
Halesia diptera
Helenium flexuosum
Helianthus debilis
Helianthus hirsutus
Hymenocallis liriosme
Indegofera miniata
Ipomoca multifida
Ipomoea pandurata
Lespedeza virginica
Liatris tennis
Lilium merchauxii
Lithospermum caroleniense
Lobellia cardenalis
Lonicera sempervins
Lpomoea trichocarpa
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Magnolia virginiana
Marshallia tennuifolia
Maryland milkwort/ Polygala mariana
Matelea gonocarpa
Mitchella repens
Monarda punctata
Passiflora incarnata
Pedicularis canadensis
Phlox nivalis
Physalis angulata
Physostegia intermedia
Pinguicula pumila
Podophyllum peltatum
Podopmyllum Peltatum
Pogonia ophioglossoides
Polygala Nana
Polygala ramosa
Polygonatum biflorum
Ranunculus Carolinianus
Rhexia lutea | Rhexia petiolata
Rhododendron canescens
Rhododendron serrulatum
Rhynchosia latifolia
Rhynchospora colorata
Robinia pseudoacacia
Rubus trivialis
Ruellia caroliniensis
Sabal minor
Sabatia angularis
Sabatia gentianoides
Sagittaria graminea
Sarracenia alata
Saururus cernuns
Schrankia hystricina
Scutellaria integrifolia
Silene subciliata
Sisyrinchium sagitliferum
Solanum carolinense | Sommelina erecta
Spigellia marilandica
Spiranthes cernua
Stachys floridana
Stylosanthes biflora
Symplocos tinctoria
Symplocos tinctori
Tephrosia virginiana
Thelesperma flavodiscum
Tradescantia ohioensis
Vaccinium stamineum
Verbascum thapsus
Vernonia Missurica
Vinca minor
Viola pedata
Viola triloba
Wisteria frutescens
Xyris ambigua |
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DISCLAIMER |
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This wildflower site is for viewing enjoyment only. It is
provided "as is" without any express or implied intended
uses of plants for medicinal purposes or other implied warranties. Any reference to historical uses of plants is to portray the diversity of plantlife. Any attempt to use or experiment with these native plants is done so at your own
risk. The author is NOT AN EXPERT in the uses of plants and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from use of the information herein. | |
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REFERENCES |
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WILD FLOWERS OF THE BIG THICKET - Geyata Ajilvsgi
WILDFLOWERS O LOUISIANA - Clair A. Brown
ATLAS OF THE VASCULAR FLORA OF LOUISIANA - R. Dale Thomas & Charles M. Allen
THE WILDFLOWER BOOK - Donald and Lillian Stokes
CHEROKEE PLANTS - Paul B. Hamel & Mary U. Chiltoskey
HERBS - Anna Kruger
WILDFLOWERS - John & Gloria Tveten
TEXAS WILDFLOWERS - Campbell & Lynn Loughmiller
WILDFLOWERS OF ARKANSAS - Carl G. Hunter | |
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