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  Ulmaceae: Celtis occidentalis

  R. Neil Reese

  Celtis occidentalis is a perennial, medium to large deciduous tree. It grows from a deep, spreading root system that is sometimes shallow and wide, allowing for some basal sprouting. Trees can reach heights of 9–20 meters (occasionally taller), with a trunk up to 60 cm or more in diameter. Young bark is thin, gray, and smooth; mature bark is distinctively ridged with warty, corky projections. Branches are spreading and may be somewhat pendulous. Leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to lanceolate, 7–12 cm long and 3–7 cm wide, with an unequal (oblique) leaf base, sharply toothed margins, acuminate tips, and rough upper surfaces; leaves are attached by slender, slightly pubescent petioles. Both young stems and leaves may be slightly hairy, especially below. Flowering occurs from April to May before or with leaf emergence. Flowers are small, greenish and inconspicuous, borne singly (staminate) or in small cymes (bisexual/pistillate) in the leaf axils; individual flowers have 4–5 petal-like sepals. Flowers are mostly monoecious (male and female flowers on the same tree) but can be functionally unisexual. Fruit is a single-seeded, round drupe (hackberry), 6–10 mm in diameter, green turning deep purple or dark red at maturity in late summer to fall. The thin-shelled drupe contains a hard seed and a thin layer of sweet, edible flesh. Common hackberry is native to South Dakota, found in riparian forests, woodland margins, shelterbelts, river bluffs, and occasionally in upland prairies, statewide but especially common in eastern river valleys and shelterbelts.

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  Urticaceae: Laportea canadensis

  R Neil Reese

  Laportea canadensis is an unbranched, rhizomatous, perennial herb growing 40-100 cm tall. The stems, petioles, inflorescence branches and sometimes the leaf midribs are sparsely to densely covered with stinging hairs. The simple, alternate, petiolate leaves have ovate to elliptic blades, 8-20 cm long and 5-13 cm wide, rounded at the base and pointed at the tip, with petioles 3-11 cm long. The blade margins are toothed and the surfaces are smooth to covered in short bristly hairs. The plants are monoecious with the flowers in clusters in the upper leaf axils, female flowers above, reaching above the leaves and the male flowers below, not exceeding the leaves. The minute male flowers have 5 sepals and 5 stamens and the female flowers have 4 sepals, the inner pair larger than the outer pair which often abort. The fruit is an achene enclosed by the inner sepals. Wood nettle blooms from July into September in moist woods in eastern South Dakota.

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  Urticaceae : Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis

  R. Neil Reese

  Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis is a rhizomatous perennial herb with simple, erect, squarish stems, growing up to 3 m in height, with few to many stinging hairs on the stems. The alternate leaves are petiolate, the petioles equal to or shorter than the blades, with a sparse covering of stinging hairs and a pair of stipules at the base. The blades are larger and ovate toward the base, 1-6 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, and smaller, ovate to lanceolate towards the top, often somewhat folded lengthwise, the edges sharply toothed, the veins sunken on the upper surface and raised below. The upper surface of the leaf blades are typically hairless, with the lower surface being smooth, sometimes having a few tiny hairs, or stinging hairs. The plants are monoecious with clusters of male or female flowers in axillary panicles or sometimes in long string-like strands, usually in pairs, the inflorescence longer than the subtending leaf petiole. Both male and female flowers are 4-merous, tiny and indistinct, creamy green to pinkish in color. The fruit are ovate, tan to brown achenes about 1.5 mm long and <1 mm wide. Stinging nettle blooms from June into September in moist>woods, along streams, lakes and ditches throughout South Dakota.

  Synonym: Urtica gracilis ssp. gracilis

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  Verbenaceae : Glandularia bipinnatifida

  R. Neil Reese

  Glandularia bipinnatifida is a prostrate to ascending, mat-forming, short-lived perennial herb growing from a somewhat woody, branched base, with stems up to 60 cm long, moderately to densely covered with bristly hairs. The stems occasionally rooting from the lower nodes. The petiolate leaves are opposite, 1-6 cm long, 3-parted to compound bipinnate, with stiff appressed hairs on both surfaces and rolled margins. The inflorescence consists of flattened spikes 1-20 cm long, on peduncles originating at the ends of branches. The tubular calyx is green, 7-10 mm long, with 5 unequal lobes, 1-4 mm long. The pink to purple corolla tube is about 1.5 times the length of the calyx, covered with hairs on the outside, with reflexed, notched limbs, 7-10 mm wide. The fruit are nutlets, 4-seeded, 2-3 mm long. Dakota mock vervain blooms from May into October on dry plains, prairies and along roadsides in the southern counties in South Dakota.

  Synonym: Verbena bipinnatifida

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  Verbenaceae : Verbena hastata

  R. Neil Reese

  Verbena hastata is a short-lived, perennial herb with square, green to reddish stems, usually branched above, with short, rough hairs, growing 0.5-2.5 m tall. The simple, opposite, petiolate, lanceolate to lance-ovate leaves are 4-18 cm long, toothed, pointed at the tip and often 3-lobed at the base. The lower leaf surface is hairy, the upper smooth to sparsely hairy and the veins appearing sunken. The inflorescence consists of stiff, terminal, many-flowered spikes. The flowers are subtended by small bracts. The calyx is 2.5-3 mm long, tubular and 5-toothed and hairy on the outer surface. The blue to purplish corolla tube is about twice as long as the calyx, with 5 reflexed lobes, 2-3 mm long. the fruit are 4 nutlets enclosed in the persistent calyx. Blue vervain blooms from June to October in moist meadows and woodland, along streams and springs in all but the NW corner of South Dakota.

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  Verbenaceae : Verbena stricta

  R. Neil Reese

  Verbena stricta is a short-lived, perennial herb with erect stems, usually branched above, with a dense covering of hairs, growing 20-120 cm in height. The simple, opposite, erect to spreading, ovate to orbicular leaves are 3-7 cm long, sessile or nearly so, toothed, broadly pointed at the tip. The lower leaf surface is densely covered in hairs with prominent veins, the upper is hairy and wrinkled. The inflorescence consists of 1-several stiff, terminal, many-flowered spikes on each branch. The flowers are subtended by small bracts about the size of the calyx. The calyx is 4-5 mm long, tubular and 5-toothed, and densely covered with hairs. The blue to purple, rarely white, hairy corolla tube is about slightly longer than the calyx, with 5 reflexed lobes that create a disk 8-9 mm across. The petal lobes are slightly unequal in size, the 2 lateral lobes largest and the lower lobe notched at the tip. The fruit are 4 nutlets, 2.5-3 mm long, enclosed in the persistent calyx. Hoary vervain blooms from May to September in pastures, prairies, along roadsides and in wastelands throughout South Dakota.

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  Violaceae : Viola canadensis

  R. Neil Reese

  Viola canadensis var. rugulosa is a caulescent, colony-forming, perennial herb, spreading by stolons, with 1-several stems growing 20-40 cm in height. The leaves are simple, green to grayish green, heart-shaped, shallowly toothed and hairy, especially along veins on the underside. There are 3-5 basal leaves with long petioles, the blades up to 10 cm wide, usually not quite as long, the edges scalloped and with pointed tips. The alternate cauline leaves are similar but generally more ovate, with membranous stipules 8-15 mm long. The flowers arise singly on a peduncle from the axils of the upper leaves. The 5 green sepals are 4-6 mm long, often with a few short hairs. The corolla is irregular with 5 petals, white on the inside, with a yellow base, and purplish on the outside. The spurred lower petal and the 2 lateral petals have purple lines toward the base, and the lateral petals are bearded (have tufts of hairs), and the upper 2 petals are usually hairless. There are 5 stamens surrounding the pistil and the style is usually bearded. The fruit is a capsule 6-10 mm long. Canada white violet blooms from May through August in woodlands in eastern and northwestern South Dakota.

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  Violaceae : Viola nephrophylla

  R. Neil Reese

  Viola nephrophylla is an acaulescent perennial herb growing from a branching caudex. The basal leaves have petioles 5-20 cm long with lanceolate stipules. The blades are simple, green, heart-shaped, smooth or occasionally having a few short hairs, the margins with shallow rounded teeth. The flowers develop on a peduncle that is as tall or taller than the leaves. The 5 green sepals are 5-7 mm long and usually hairless. The corolla is irregular, with 5 blue petals that are 10-20 mm long. The lower petal has a short spur, and it and the 2 lateral petals have a whitish base, are bearded (have tufts of hairs), and the upper 2 petals are usually hairless. Additionally, there are cleistogamous flowers (small flowers that don’t open) on erect to prostrate peduncles. The fruit is a smooth capsule 6-8 mm long. Northern bog violet blooms in May and June in moist prairies and along streams and lakes in all but the central region of South Dakota.

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  Violaceae : Viola pedatifida

  R. Neil Reese

  Viola pedatifida is an acaulescent perennial herb growing from an erect, ascending and sometimes branching caudex. The green basal leaves are up to 55 mm long by 87 mm wide, usually palmately 3-parted, with each part divided into linear lobes that are divided again, the margins with fine hair. The petioles are up to 15 cm long having narrowly lanceolate stipules. The flowers develop on a peduncle that is usually taller than the leaves. The 5 green sepals are 6-8 mm long and usually with small hairs. The corolla is irregular, with 5 violet to red violet petals that are 10-20 mm long. The lower petals are white at the base with dark violet veins, with a beard (tufts of hairs), and the upper 2 petals are usually hairless. Additionally, there are cleistogamous flowers (small flowers that don’t open) on erect to prostrate peduncles. The fruit is a smooth yellow green capsule 8-12 mm long. Prairie violet blooms from April to June in prairies and open woodlands in all but the central region of South Dakota.

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  Violaceae : Viola pubescens

  R. Neil Reese

  Viola pubescens is a caulescent perennial herb growing from an erect to horizontal rhizome, with 1-several erect to decumbent stems growing 10 to 40 cm in length and covered with a few to many spreading hairs. The leaves are alternate on the upper portion of the stem, broadly heart-shaped, blunt to rounded at the tip, 4-10 cm long and about as wide or wider. The surfaces are smooth to hairy, the margins have rounded teeth fringed with short hairs. The petioles can be shorter to longer than the blades, hairy with leafy stipules. Solitary flowers develop in the axils of leaves, with a peduncle that is shorter to longer than the leaf. The 5 green sepals are 6-10 mm long, pointed and with narrow white margins. The corolla is irregular, with 5 yellow petals that are 8-12 mm long. The lower petals have darker, purplish brown veins, the lower most swollen, the lateral pair of petals with a beard (tufts of hairs), and the upper 2 petals are usually hairless. Additionally, there are cleistogamous flowers (small flowers that don’t open) that develop in the upper axils. The fruit is a tan to brown ovoid capsule 8-12 mm long, wooly to sparsely hairy. Downy yellow violet blooms from March to June in woodlands, along streambanks and in thickets along the eastern and western borders of South Dakota.

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  Vitaceae : Vitis riparia

  R. Neil Reese

  Vitis riparia is a perennial viny shrub with stem growing to 25 m in length. The young branches are green to a dull reddish brown and the older stems are woody with exfoliating bark. The simple, alternate leaves have smooth petioles up to 8 cm long. The blades are 7-20 cm long and nearly as wide, shallowly to deeply palmately lobed. Leaves on fertile branches usually have 3 major lobes with a broad gaps between the 2 basal lobes. The leaves on vegetative branches are more evenly divided. The margins are hairy and sharply toothed. The inflorescence consist of pyramidal panicles 4-12 cm long, opposite the leaves of this year's new branches. The plants are monoecious, separate male and female flowers are typically on the same plant, mixed in a cluster or separate, tiny with 5 green to yellowish petals that drop without expanding. The male flowers have 5 long, erect to ascending stamens. The female flowers have a short style and 5 short sterile contorted stamens. The fruit are purple black berries, 7-11 mm in diameter. Riverbank grapes bloom in May and June with fruit ripening in July through September. They are found along streams, fence rows, in woodlands and ravines throughout South Dakota.