Monday, May 28, 2007

Common Nightshade

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Common Nightshade
Solanum americanuum
Family: Solanaceae (nightshade)

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POISONOUS - foliage and fruit. The green berries contain solanine and can be fatal if eaten in sufficient quantities. Some sources state that the fully ripe berry which is shiny black is edible, but most sources recommend avoiding ingesting the berries at all.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Leafless beaked orchid or Frost-flowered Neottia

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LEAFLESS BEAKED ORCHID
Sacoila lanceolata
Family: Orchidaceae (orchid)

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The reddish orange native (Florida) terrestrial orchid grows on leafless spikes 3 feet tall.

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This orchid is an unusual find, but can be found throughout central Florida (and Pollywog Creek in SW Florida) in wet, pine flatwoods and sandhills - flowering in the spring and summer.

Day-flower

DAY-FLOWER
Commelina erecta
Family: Commelinaccae (spiderwort or day-flower)

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The day-flower has 2 lateral blue petals and 1 smaller white petal, 3 greenish and equal sepals, 6 stamens (3 fertile, 3 unfertile).

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The leaves are alternate, lanceolate or elliptic and succulent.

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The flowers can be found through Florida in late winter, spring, summer and fall, on dry, sandy soil and cultivated sites.

Florida Wildflower Coloring Book (PDF)

Roseling or Pink Spiderwort

PINK SPIDERWORT
Cuthbertia ornata
Family: Commelinaceae (spiderwort or dayflower)

The Pink Spiderwort has 3 pink or rose petals with wavy margins. The flower has 3 sepals, 6 fertile stamens and hairy filaments.

The leaves are few, less than 3mm wide, alternate, grasslike and linear.


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It can be found in south and central Florida in dry pinelands and oak woods, in late winter, spring, summer and fall.

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