Forbs Flashcards
- White composite flowers
- Ubiquitous
- Fern-like leaves
- Aromatic
- Woolly stems and leaves
Achillea millefolium
Western yarrow
COMPOSITAE
- White flowers
- Low growing forb, stoloniferous
- Gray leaves
- Heads of flowers resemble pads on cat’s feet
Antennaria parvifolia
Rocky Mountain pussytoes
COMPOSITAE
- Yellow flowers
- Heart-shaped leaves
- Opposite leaves
- Long rhizomes
Arnica cordifolia
Heartless arnica
COMPOSITAE
- Leaves alternate, simple, irregularly lobed(and variable)
- Rhizomatous
- Densely pubescent
Artemisia ludociciana
Prairie sage, Louisiana cuddled or sagewort
COMPOSITAE
- Many species toxic to animals, someare good forage
- Leaves found on the flowering stemspinnately dissected
- Flowers variable in color
- Keel petals are blunt
Astragalus spp.
Locoweed or milk vetch
Leguminosae
- Synonym: Chamaenerion angustifolium
- Bright purple flowers
- Back side of leaf has 1 conspicuous vein
- Secondary veins run parallel to leaf margins
- Common in disturbed areas, especially after fire
- Leaves linear
- lanceolate
Epilobium angustifolium
Fireweed
ONAGRACEAE
- Stems very hairy
- Yellow composite flowers
- Alternate leaves
- Reddish stems
- Increaser species
Chrysopsis villosa
Hairy golden aster
COMPOSITAE
- Poisonous to cattle, especially in spring
- Low growing leaves
- Blue flowers with spurs
Delphinium spp.
Larkspur
RANUNCULACEAE
- Forb that closely resembles a grass
- Very fine linear leaves, opposite
- Sharp points on tips of leaves
- White flowers
Eremogone fendleri
Fendlers sandwort
CARYOPHYLLACEAE
- Small linear leaves, alternate
- White composite flowers
- Fine hairs on foliage
Erigeron spp.
Daisy (COMPOSITAE)
- Umbel inflorescence
- Leaves at base of plant
- Bracts at base of inflorescence
- Stoloniferous
- Stems are reddish
- Leaves light green above and dusty gray below
Eriogonum umbellatum
sulphur-flower (POLYGONACEAE)
- Biennial mustard
- Yellow flowers
- “Fish hook” subdivisions on leaf margins
Erysimum asperum western wallflower (CRUCIFERAE)
Grows in moist environments
- Stoloniferous
- Compound leaf with 3 leaflets
- White flowers
- Red stems
Fragaria ovalis
strawberry (ROSACEAE)
- Square stem
- Small white flowers
- Leaves in whorls originating from eachside of the stem
Galium boreale
bedstraw (RUBIACEAE)
White to purple flowers
- Leaves with long petioles, sticky hairs on foliage
- Palmately divided leaves
Geraniumspp.
geranium (GERANIACEAE)
- Looks like dill
- Umbel inflorescence
- Yellow flowers
- Highly dissected leaf
Harbouria trachypleura
whisk-broom parsley (UMBELLIFERAE)
- Common on disturbed sites
- Invader species
- Mostly opposite leaves
- Course hairs on stem
- Yellow composite flower
Helianthus pumilus dwarf sunflower (COMPOSITAE)
- Many lupines are poisonous
- Palmately divided leaves
- White-blue flowers
Lupinus argenteus common lupine (LEGUMINOSAE)
- Generally grows in moist sites
- Waxy leaf-Fleshy feel to plant
- Blue tubular flowers
Mertensiaspp.
bluebells (BORAGINACEAE)
- Succulent-Numerous thick spines on pads
- Bright lemon yellow flower
Opuntia polyacantha starvation cactus (CACTACEAE)
- Poisonous to most herbivores, especially horses
- Flowers scapose, i.e., borne on stalks that do not support leaves
- Purple flowers with pointed keel petals
- Leaves pinnately compound
Oxytropis lambertii
crazyweed (LEGUMINOSAE)
- Purplish-blue tubular flowers
- Irregular, 5-petalled flowers
- Opposite leaves
- Leaves waxy, tend to be folded
Penstemonspp.
penstemon (SCROPHULARIACEAE)
- Leaves variable
- Leaves end in 3 leaflets
- Gray to greenish colored leaves
- Yellow flowers
Potentillaspp.
cinquefoil (ROSACEAE)
- Leaves palmately divided
- Fine hairs on leaves
- Flowers early in spring
- Reddish stem
Pulsatilla patens pasque flower (RANUNCULACEAE)
