Learning More About the Plants That Live in a
Prairie Community

Source: Joel McNeal This specimen of Penstemon hirsutus (northeastern beardtongue) was found on a rocky slope within the Arboretum. We will attempt to germinate seeds of this species for the restored prairie because it is one of the plants one might find growing among the grasses in a prairie remnant.

The list below includes the plants whose seeds were germinated in 2001 for the prairie restoration pilot study. Names in boldface are plants that were still growing in the prairie patch after two years.

An asterisk (*) indicates that the plant is critically endangered in Pennsylvania.

The "+" symbol indicates that the plant is threatened in Pennsylvania.

The "#" symbol indicates that the plant is a species of special concern, or has an undetermined status.

For complete definitions of these terms, as well as other rank and status definitions, please visit the following page on the Web site of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/pndi/rank.htm

 

Botanical Name	Common Name
Allium cernuum	Nodding onion
Anaphalis margaritacea	Pearly everlasting
Andropogon virginicus	Broom sedge
Anemone cylindrica	Long-headed anemone*
Anemone virginiana	Thimbleweed
Asclepias tuberosa	Butterfly-weed
Aster laevis	Smooth blue aster
Aster novae-angliae	New England aster
Bouteloua curtipendula	Side-oats grama+
Bromus kalmii	Bromegrass#
Eupatorium altissimum	Tall eupatorium
Gaura biennis	Biennial gaura
Helianthus decapetalus	Thin-leaved sunflower
Monarda fistulosa	Wild bergamot
Penstemon digitalis	Tall beardtongue
Pycnanthemum muticum	Mountain-mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum	Mountain-mint
Silphium trifoliatum	Whorled rosinweed
Solidago bicolor	Silver-rod
Solidago nemoralis	Gray goldenrod
Solidago rigidas	Stiff goldenrod

 

Source: Joel McNeal

Managing the prairie patch will involve keeping groundhogs away from Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly-weed), one of their favorite foods in the research plot. This native wildflower is often found in dry fields, on roadsides, and in shale barrens. It flowers in July and August.

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E-mail comments and questions to Kathleen Reeder kkr1@psu.edu.

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