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)
- Low-growing plant
- Evergreen leaves with serrated margins
- “Leathery” leaves
- Leaves oval to spatulate
- Common in the understory of lodgepole pine forests
yrolaspp.
wintergreen (ERICACEAE)
- Low growing herb
- Succulent, fleshy leaves
- Yellow flowers
Sedum lanceolatum
stonecrop (CRASSULACEAE)
- Yellow flowers
- Netted venation on leaves
- Very common plant in forest understory
Solidagospp.
goldenrod (COMPOSITAE)
- Yellow flowers
- Leaves divided into 3 leaflets
- Leaflets with yellow veins
- Sheathing stipules at the base of petiole
Thermopsis divaricarpa golden banner (LEGUMINOSAE)
Yellow flowers
Lacerate, basal leaves
ubiquitous in disturbed areas with moist soil
Taraxum official
dandelion
COMPOSITAE
Aquilegia Caerulea
Rocky Mountain columbine
