BUTTONBUSH
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Uses
Buttonbush has exceptional wildlife benefits. The seed is eaten by eight species of
waterfowl and the twigs by three species of mammals.
Description
Buttonbush is a large, multi-stemmed shrub that grows to a
mature height of twelve feet. It has
opposite, entire leaves 2-6 inches long and 1-3 inches wide. They are glabrous and green above. The flowers occur in dense, round, 1 inch
diameter clusters which bloom from June to September. The seed matures in the round clusters that
resemble those of the sycamore tree.
This plant spreads by seed dispersal and resulting seedling
establishment.
Buttonbush is best adapted to shorelines and swamps with
saturated soil and full sunlight. It
will tolerate water depths up to three feet.
USDA, NRCS. 2013. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 15 July 2013). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA
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SWAMP MILKWEED
Asclepias incarnata
Description: Swamp milkweed is a native,
perennial, wildflower growing three to six feet tall. It gets its common name
from its white sap, although it has less sap than many of its relatives. It has
long, narrow, lance-shaped leaves that progress in pairs up the stem. Bright
pink, white and purple clusters of flowers appear in summer at the tops of the
stems. In the fall, blooms give way to distinctive tear-shaped five-inch seed
pods that are green when unripe, but harden to brown. The individual seeds are attached
to fluffy hairs that allow the seeds to drift on the wind. Swamp milkweed also
spreads through rhizomes.
Swamp milkweed needs full sun or partial shade to flourish.
It is insect-pollinated and self-fertilizing
Uses
Wildlife: Swamp milkweed is a favored food of
monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
larva. Swamp milkweed is also an important food source for the queen butterfly
(Danaus glippus) larva. Various other
butterflies and hummingbirds consume nectar from the flowers.
Ethnobotanical: Various Native American tribes used swamp
milkweed for medical purposes. It was used to treat lung problems, as a
deworming agent, to strengthen the body and to heal babies’ navels. The tough stringy stem fibers have been used
to make twine, rope and rough textiles.
The downy parachutes of the seeds are more buoyant that cork and warmer
than wool. Large quantities of milkweed were grown for use as stuffing in
pillows and lifejackets during World War II. photo: www.tva.gov
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NARROWLEAF
CATTAIL
Typha latifolia
Description
Cattails are herbaceous, colonial, rhizomatous, perennial plants with
long, slender, green stalks topped with brown, fluffy, sausage-shaped flowering
heads. Typha angustifolia plants are 15-30 dm tall. The spike-like, terminal, cylindric
inflorescence has staminate flowers above and pistillate flowers below.
Typha angustifolia generally occurs in deeper water than Typha latifolia. Typha
angustifolia has fewer and larger rhizomes, resulting in a low rate of
cloning but enabling it to grow in deeper water than Typha latifolia. Typha angustifolia has a higher
allocation to sexual reproduction.
Cattails spread both vegetatively and by seed, particularly
under drawdown conditions.
Uses
Ethnobotanic: All parts of the cattail are edible when gathered at
the appropriate stage of growth. The
base of the stem where it attaches to the rhizome can be boiled or roasted like
potatoes. The young flower stalks can be
taken out of their sheaths and can be boiled or steamed just like corn. The
rhizomes and lower stems have a sweet flavor and can be eaten raw, baked,
roasted, or broiled..
Wildlife: Some seeds
are eaten by several duck species. Geese
and muskrats prefer the stems and roots. Shelter and nesting cover are provided
for birds,especially redwing blackbirds.
Plant Materials
<http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/>
Plant Fact Sheet/Guide
Coordination Page
<http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/intranet/pfs.html>
National Plant Data
Center <http://npdc.usda.gov>
COTTONWOOD
Photo: statesymbolsusa.org staceypageonline.com
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Populus deltoides
A widely distributed tree throughout the east, the
cottonwood is a tall tree with alternate, triangular, toothed leaves. The leaves
have flattened petioles which allow for them to flutter in the breeze. (They
are related to quaking aspen, which do the same.) When young, bark is smooth
and greenish, but the older trees have dark, furloughed trunks. Mature
cottonwoods have some of the thickest bark of all trees in North
America .
The trees are most easily identifiable in the summer when female
trees release thousands of tiny seeds enclosed in a white cottony substance
from the long, catkins. Males release incredible amounts of pollen in the
spring.
The cottonwood is not recommended by the Indiana DNR because
it is so insect and disease prone.
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