NATIVES TO KNOW American Spicebush, Lindera benzoin By Joyce Tuharsky, WORC Member Consider spicing up your landscape with native American Spicebush, and you can spice up your morning tea as well. A deciduous shrub, Spicebush is a member of the laurel family. It grows 6–12 foot tall, has many trunks, and spreads by roots. The leaves […] Continue reading "NATIVES TO KNOW: American Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)"
Hart’s Tongue Fern, Asplenium scolopendrium L. var. americanum By Joyce Tuharsky, WORC Member The Niagara Escarpment is a limestone ridge that stretches in a huge arc from New York through Ontario, upper Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. It was formed from lime mud deposited from corals on an ancient sea floor 430 million years ago. The ridge that […] Continue reading "Natives to Know: Hart’s Tongue Fern"
Common Mountain MintPycnanthemum virginianum By Joyce Tuharsky WORC Member Last year, during our Wild Ones River City (WORC) field trip to the Hudsonville Nature Preserve, I encountered common mountain mint for the first time. I was struck by its pretty white blossoms with purple spots and its lush minty fragrance. So, I was thrilled to […] Continue reading "Natives to Know: Common Mountain Mint"
White VervainVerbena urticifolia By Linda Shuster, WORC Board Member-at-Large (2022) White vervain (sometimes called nettle-leaved vervain or white verbena) is a member of the Verbenaceae family. It is found in most central to southern Lower Peninsula counties and in several counties in the Upper Peninsula. White vervain grows in different types of deciduous forests, as […] Continue reading "Natives to know: White Vervain (Verbena urticifolia)"
NATIVES TO KNOW American Spikenard, Aralia racemosa By Linda Shuster, WORC Board Member-at-Large Common names for Aralia racemosa include spikenard, American spikenard, spignet, life-of-man, and Indian root. It belongs to the ginseng (Araliaceae) family. It is, according to the University of Michigan Herbarium, one of the largest herbaceous species in our Michigan flora. American spikenard is […] Continue reading "Natives to Know: American Spikenard"