Follow

• 

  Asteraceae : Solidago canadensis

  R. Neil Reese

  Solidago canadensis is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and well-developed creeping rhizomes, often forming dense colonies. Plants typically reach 0.5–2 meters in height. The stems are erect, slender, unbranched below the inflorescence, and covered with short, fine hairs, especially toward the upper portions. Leaves are alternate, simple, 3-nerved, mostly lance-elliptic, 6–15 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, broadest near the middle, and tapering toward the base and to a sharp point at the tip. Leaves are sessile or have very short petioles and the margins are mostly sharply toothed except near the leaf base (leaves may be toothless or nearly so just below the flower clusters). Upper leaf surfaces are medium to dark green and rough-textured, while lower surfaces are lighter green and softly pubescent along the veins and occasionally over much of the surface. Flowering occurs from August through October, with the inflorescence forming a large, plume-like, branching panicle up to 40 cm long, composed of numerous small yellow flower heads. Each involucre is bell-shaped, 2–3 mm long, with several overlapping, greenish to yellowish, lanceolate phyllaries. Each head contains 7–15 yellow ray florets (about 2–4 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide) and 3–10 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1.5 mm long, forming a tube around the style; the prominent style is 2–3 mm long with a bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 1–2 mm long, grayish brown, maturing in late fall; each is topped by a white to pale brown pappus of fine bristles, 1.8 to 2.2 mm long. Canada goldenrod is native to South Dakota and is common throughout the state, found in prairies, fields, roadsides, and other disturbed or open habitats with full sun and well-drained or moderately moist soils. Solidago canadensis and Solidago altissima are difficult to differentiate. S. altissima has longer pappus hairs and thicker, firmer leaves that are minutely toothed or mostly toothed in the tip half where S. canadensis leaves are thinner, laxer, mostly toothed nearly to the leaf base, and is generally less hairy throughout.

• 

  Asteraceae: Solidago gigantea

  R. Neil Reese

  Solidago gigantea is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and stout, creeping rhizomes that often form loose colonies. Mature plants typically reach 1–2.5 meters in height. The stems are erect, round, and characteristically smooth and hairless (glabrous), often with a reddish or purplish hue, distinguishing them from other goldenrods with rough stems. Leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 8–20 cm long and 1–4 cm wide, with sharply serrated margins. The upper leaf surface is medium to dark green and smooth, while the lower surface is paler and glabrous or sparsely hairy; leaves are sessile or have very short petioles. Flowering occurs from August to October, with the inflorescence forming a large, open, plume-like panicle up to 40 cm long, composed of numerous small, bright yellow flower heads. Each involucre is bell-shaped, 2–4 mm long, with several overlapping, greenish to yellowish, lanceolate phyllaries. Each flower head contains 7–15 yellow ray florets (2–4 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide) and 3–10 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1.5 mm long, forming a tube around the style. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style 2–3 mm long and a bifid (two-parted) stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 1–2 mm long, grayish brown, maturing in late fall, each topped with a white to pale brown pappus of fine bristles 2 to 2.5 mm long. Giant goldenrod is native to South Dakota and is found widely across the state, especially in moist prairies, stream banks, wet meadows, ditches, and low-lying open areas with full to partial sun and moist to wet soils. Solidago gigantea is one of several large goldenrods that grow in SD. The lack of hairs on the stems (some have a waxy coating) and little or no hairs on the leaf surfaces help to distinguish it from S. altissima and S. canadensis.

• 

  Asteraceae: Solidago missouriensis

  R. Neil Reese

  Solidago missouriensis is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and short, thick rhizomes, often forming loose clumps rather than dense colonies. Mature plants typically reach 30–90 cm in height. The stems are erect, slender, often reddish at the base, and usually sparsely hairy or nearly glabrous. Leaves are alternate, simple, and mostly linear to narrowly lanceolate, with the largest basal leaves reaching 10–25 cm long and 0.5–2.5 cm wide; upper stem leaves are much smaller, 2–10 cm long and 2–7 mm wide, and become progressively reduced toward the inflorescence. Leaf margins are entire to slightly toothed; upper surfaces are green and smooth, while lower surfaces are usually paler and may be slightly hairy. Petioles are present on basal leaves (up to 5 cm long), but upper leaves are sessile. Flowering occurs from July to September, with the inflorescence forming a narrow, arching or one-sided panicle (raceme-like) up to 20 cm long, with numerous small, bright yellow flower heads. Each involucre is bell-shaped, 2.5 to 4.5 mm long, with several overlapping, green to yellowish, lanceolate phyllaries. Each head contains 5–12 yellow ray florets (2–3 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide) and 3–8 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1–1.5 mm long, forming a tube around the style. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style about 2 mm long and a bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, ribbed cypsela (achene), 1–2 mm long, brownish when mature in late summer to early fall, each topped with a single row of white to pale brown pappus bristles, 2.5 to 3 mm long. Missouri goldenrod is native to South Dakota, found throughout the state in prairies, open hillsides, roadsides, and dry, sandy, or rocky soils in full sun.

• 

  Asteraceae: Solidago mollis

  R. Neil Reese

  Solidago mollis is a perennial herb with a single or clusters of several ascending, grayish green stems arising from a rhizome and growing from 10 to 70 cm tall. There are both basal and alternate cauline leaves, thickish, firm, 3-nerved, elliptic to lanceolate, 3-8 cm long and 1-3 cm wide. The leaves are sessile or nearly so, the margins are subentire to irregularly toothed, and their size is reduced in the upper regions of the stem. The inflorescence is a dense, compact to elongated panicle of yellow heads. The heads have an involucre of overlapping bracts with a total height of 3.5-6 mm, with 6-10 ray flowers, corollas 3-4 mm tall with ligules 1-3mm in length, and 3-8 disk flowers, 2-5 mm tall. The achenes are short ~2 mm and hairy with a pappus of bristles. Velvety goldenrod blooms from July through October on dry or drying open prairies and open woods through South Dakota.

• 

  Asteraceae: Solidago rigida

  R. Neil Reese

  Solidago rigida is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and short, thick rhizomes or a branched caudex, forming loose clumps rather than dense colonies. Mature plants typically reach 50–120 cm in height. The stems are stout, erect, unbranched below the inflorescence, and covered with coarse, stiff hairs (hispid), giving them a rough texture. Leaves are alternate, simple, and thick-textured (coriaceous), with the largest basal leaves spatulate to oblong, 10–30 cm long and 3–8 cm wide, tapering to a long petiole (up to 10 cm); stem leaves are smaller, 5–15 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, becoming sessile or clasping toward the top of the stem. Leaf margins are entire or slightly wavy; both upper and lower surfaces are gray green, densely covered with short, stiff hairs, and rough to the touch. Flowering occurs from August to October, with the inflorescence forming a dense, flat-topped to slightly rounded corymb or panicle up to 20 cm across, with numerous bright yellow flower heads. Each involucre is hemispheric to bell-shaped, 5-9 mm tall, with overlapping, green, broadly lanceolate to ovate phyllaries, often with stiff hairs. Each head contains 8–20 yellow ray florets (5–8 mm long, 1–2 mm wide) and 15–31 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 2 mm long, forming a tube around the style. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style about 3 mm long and a bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, ribbed cypsela (achene), 2–3 mm long, prominently ribbed, brown when mature in late fall, each topped with a single row of stiff, yellowish pappus bristles. Stiff goldenrod is native to South Dakota and is found throughout the state in prairies, open woodlands, rocky hillsides, and occasionally roadsides, preferring dry to moderately moist, well-drained soils in full sun.

• 

  Asteraceae: Solidago simplex

  R. Neil Reese

  Solidago simplex is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and short, slender rhizomes, forming loose tufts or small colonies. Mature plants typically reach 20–70 cm in height. Stems are erect, slender, often reddish at the base, and usually glabrous or with sparse, fine hairs; in some subspecies, the upper stem may be glandular-sticky. Leaves are alternate, simple, and mostly linear to narrowly lanceolate; basal leaves are the largest, 8–20 cm long and 0.5–2 cm wide, with a prominent midvein and entire or slightly toothed margins. Basal leaves taper to a short petiole (1–3 cm), while upper leaves are much smaller (2–8 cm long, 2–7 mm wide), progressively reduced and sessile toward the inflorescence. Leaf surfaces are green, with the upper surface smooth and the lower surface sometimes sparsely hairy or glandular. Stipules are absent. Flowering occurs from July to September, with the inflorescence forming a narrow, erect or one-sided raceme or panicle up to 15 cm long, with numerous small, bright yellow flower heads. Each involucre is narrowly bell-shaped, 2–3 mm long, with several overlapping, green to yellowish, lanceolate phyllaries, sometimes glandular. Each head contains 6–12 yellow ray florets (2–3 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide) and 3–8 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1–1.5 mm long, forming a tube around the style. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style about 2 mm long and a bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, ribbed cypsela (achene), 1–2 mm long, brown when mature in late summer to early fall, each topped with a single row of white to pale brown pappus bristles. Sticky goldenrod is native to South Dakota and is found in mountainous areas in the western part of the state, in prairies, roadsides, rocky outcrops, sand dunes, and dry, open habitats with well-drained soils in full sun.

• 

  Asteraceae: Sonchus arvensis

  R. Neil Reese

  Sonchus arvensis is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a deep, extensive creeping root system and stout rhizomes, often forming dense colonies. Mature plants typically reach 60–150 cm in height. The stems are erect, hollow, branched above, and glabrous or sparsely hairy, often exuding a milky sap when cut. Leaves are alternate, simple, oblong to lanceolate, 10–35 cm long and 2–8 cm wide, deeply pinnately lobed with prickly, undulate margins; basal leaves are larger and taper to a winged petiole, while upper leaves are smaller, more clasping, and often auriculate (with ear-like lobes at the base). Both surfaces are green, with the upper surface smooth and the lower surface sometimes sparsely hairy along the veins. Petioles are present on basal leaves; upper leaves are sessile and clasp the stem. Stipules are absent. Flowering occurs from July to September, with the inflorescence forming a loose, branched corymb or panicle up to 20 cm across, composed of several to many large, dandelion-like heads. Each head is 3–5 cm across, with an involucre 15–20 mm long, composed of several rows of overlapping, lanceolate green phyllaries that are often glandular and sticky. The heads contain only yellow ray florets (ligulate), 15–30 mm long and 2–4 mm wide; there are no disc florets. Five stamens are fused to the corolla tube, with yellow anthers about 3–4 mm long. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style 8–10 mm long and a two-branched stigma, both yellow. The fruit is a compressed, ribbed, brown achene, 3–4 mm long, topped with a white, silky pappus up to 12 mm long for wind dispersal; fruits mature from August to October. Field sow-thistle is introduced in South Dakota, native to Europe and Asia, and is now widely established in disturbed habitats such as croplands, roadsides, ditches, pastures, and waste areas, especially in moist, fertile soils.

• 

  Asteraceae : Symphyotrichum ciliolatum

  R. Neil Reese

  Symphyotrichum ciliolatum is a perennial herb growing from a rhizome or occasionally from a short caudex and reaching 30-100 cm in height. The stems are mostly smoot toward the base and have short hairs towards the upper regions. The lower leaves are alternat, ovate to lanceolate with some of them contracted near the base forming a distinct petiole. The blade is toothed, 8-15 cm long and 2-6 cm wide and somewhat hairy beneath. The inflorescence is a panicle of a few to many heads, generally < 50 but occasionally more than 100. Each head has an involucre that is 5-7 mm tall with overlapping slender bracts that are yellowish white at the base. There are 15-25 ray flowers with blue-purple ligules 7-12 mm long and about 25 reddish purple disk flowers that slightly exceed the pappus. The fruit are flattened achenes, yellowish colored with minutely plumose bristles 3-6 mm long. Lindley’s aster blooms from July through October on rocky moist soils especially in open wooded areas.

• 

  Asteraceae: Symphyotrichum ericoides

  R. Neil Reese

  Symphyotrichum ericoides is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and slender, creeping rhizomes, forming dense, spreading colonies. Mature plants typically reach 30–80 cm in height. Stems are erect, slender, often much branched, and covered with short, fine hairs. Leaves are alternate, simple, narrow, and linear to lanceolate, 1–4 cm long and 1–3 mm wide, with entire margins and a pointed tip. Leaf surfaces are medium green and slightly rough or hairy, especially on the lower surface, and the leaf blades are sessile. Flowering occurs from August to October, with inflorescences forming dense, branched, leafy panicles up to 30 cm long and wide, with many small daisy-like flower heads. Each head is surrounded by a cylindric involucre, 3–5 mm long, with several rows of overlapping, green, lanceolate phyllaries with translucent margins. Each head contains 12–20 narrow, white ray florets, each 3–5 mm long and 0.5–1 mm wide, and 5–10 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1 mm long, forming a tube around the style. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style about 2 mm long and a bifid (two-parted) stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 2–2.5 mm long, grayish brown, maturing in fall; each is topped with a white, hair-like pappus 3–5 mm long for wind dispersal. Heath aster is native to South Dakota and occurs throughout the state in prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, and disturbed areas, especially in dry, sandy, or gravelly soils in full sun.

  Synonyms: Aster ericoides, Aster falcatus

• 

  Asteraceae: Symphyotrichum laeve

  R. Neil Reese

  Symphyotrichum laeve is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and short, creeping rhizomes, sometimes forming loose clumps or small colonies. Mature plants typically reach 40–100 cm in height. Stems are erect, slender, and mostly hairless (glabrous), often with a bluish or glaucous waxy coating. Leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate to ovate, 4–15 cm long and 1–4 cm wide, with smooth (entire) margins and a pointed tip. Basal and lower stem leaves are larger and may have short petioles, while upper leaves are smaller, clasping the stem with an auriculate (ear-like lobe) base. Leaf surfaces are blue-green, smooth, and glabrous above and below, giving the foliage a characteristic sheen. Flowering occurs from August to October, with inflorescences forming open, branched, leafy panicles up to 30 cm long, each with numerous showy, daisy-like flower heads, subtended by a cylindric involucre, 5–7 mm long, composed of several rows of overlapping, green to purplish, lanceolate phyllaries with translucent margins. Each head contains 15–25 pale blue to lavender ray florets (petals), each 8–15 mm long and 2–3 mm wide, and 15–30 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1.5 mm long, forming a tube around the style. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style about 3 mm long and a bifid (two-parted) stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 2–3 mm long, brown when mature in fall; each is topped with a white or pale brown, hair-like pappus 4–6 mm long. Smooth blue aster is native to South Dakota and found throughout the state in prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, and rocky hillsides, typically in well-drained, calcareous, or sandy soils in full sun.

  Synonym: Aster laevis

• 

  Asteraceae: Symphyotrichum lanceolatum

  R. Neil Reese

  Symphyotrichum lanceolatum is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and long, creeping rhizomes, frequently forming dense colonies. Mature plants typically reach 60–150 cm in height. Stems are erect, slender, often branching in the upper half, and smooth or slightly roughened, sometimes with sparse, fine hairs. Leaves are alternate, simple, and lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 5–20 cm long and 0.5–3 cm wide, with entire or finely toothed margins and pointed tips. Basal leaves may have short petioles and are often withered by flowering time; stem leaves are sessile, often clasping the stem with a heart-shaped or auriculate base. Leaf surfaces are medium to dark green, smooth or slightly rough above, and glabrous or slightly hairy below. Stipules are absent. Flowering occurs from August to October, with inflorescences forming large, spreading, and branched panicles up to 30 cm long, each with many daisy-like flower heads. Each involucre is cylindric, 4–6 mm long, with 3-6 rows of overlapping, green, lanceolate phyllaries with translucent margins, the outer layer shorter than the inner. Each head contains 12–25 white (occasionally pale blue or pink) ray florets (petals), each 5–9 mm long and about 1 mm wide, and 8–20 yellow disc florets. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1 mm long, forming a tube around the style. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style about 2 mm long and a bifid (two-parted) stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 2–2.5 mm long, brown when mature in fall (October to November); each is topped with a white, hair-like pappus 3–5 mm long for wind dispersal. White panicle aster is native to South Dakota and is found statewide in moist prairies, meadows, stream banks, ditches, and open woods, typically in moist to moderately moist, well-drained soils under full sun to partial shade.

  Synonym: Aster lanceolatus

• 

  Asteraceae: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

  R. Neil Reese

  Symphyotrichum novae-angliae is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and short, stout rhizomes, forming upright clumps rather than spreading colonies. Mature plants typically reach 90–180 cm in height. Stems are erect, stout, and densely covered with short, stiff hairs, often with a reddish tint. Leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate to oblong, 5–15 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, with entire to slightly toothed margins and pointed tips. Basal leaves have short petioles and may be withered by flowering time; stem leaves are sessile and clasp the stem with an auriculate (ear-like) base. Leaf surfaces are medium to dark green, rough and hairy above and below, giving the foliage a coarse texture. Flowering occurs from August to October, with inflorescences forming large, showy, branched panicles up to 30 cm wide, each with numerous daisy-like flower heads. Each head is subtended by a cylindric involucre, 7–10 mm long, with several rows of overlapping, green to purplish, lanceolate phyllaries with translucent margins. Each head contains 30–60 violet to purple (rarely pink or white) ray florets (petals), each 10–20 mm long and 1–2 mm wide. The disc florets are numerous (30–50 per head), tubular, 5–7 mm long, yellow at anthesis (turning reddish-brown with age), with five small lobes at the tip. Stamens are five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1.5 mm long, forming a tube around the style. The pistil consists of a single compound ovary per floret, with a slender style about 3 mm long and a bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 2–3 mm long, brown when mature in autumn (September through November); each is topped with a tawny to white, hair-like pappus 4–6 mm long. New England aster is native to South Dakota and is found throughout the state in moist prairies, meadows, stream banks, roadside ditches, and open woods, typically in moderately moist, well-drained soils under full sun to partial shade.

  Synonym: Aster novae-angliae

• 

  Asteraceae: Symphyotrichum pilosum

  R. Neil Reese

  Symphyotrichum pilosum is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and slender, creeping rhizomes, forming loose colonies or clumps. Mature plants typically reach 50–120 cm in height. Stems are erect, much-branched above, slender, and densely covered with long, spreading white hairs (pilosity) that give the plant a rough texture. Leaves are alternate, simple, and lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, ranging from 3–10 cm long and 0.5–2 cm wide, with entire or slightly toothed margins and a pointed tip; basal leaves are larger with winged petioles up to 2 cm long, but most leaves are sessile and become smaller and narrower toward the top. Leaf surfaces are medium to dark green above, lighter below, and both surfaces are hairy, especially along the veins and margins. Flowering occurs from August to October, with inflorescences forming large, open, branched panicles up to 30 cm wide, each with numerous small daisy-like flower heads. The subtending involucres are cylindric, 3–5 mm long, with several rows of overlapping, green, lanceolate phyllaries with translucent margins. Each head contains 15–35 white, occasionally pinkish, ray florets (petals), each 4–8 mm long and 1 mm wide. The disc florets are numerous (10–25 per head), tubular, 4–5 mm long, yellow at first and turning reddish-brown as they age, with five small lobes at the apex. Each disc floret has five stamens with yellow anthers about 1 mm long, forming a tube around the style, and a single compound ovary with a slender style about 2 mm long and a bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 1.5–2 mm long, gray-brown when mature, each topped with a white, hair-like pappus 3–5 mm long for wind dispersal; fruits mature from September to November. Hairy aster is native to South Dakota and is found throughout the state in prairies, open woodlands, roadsides, old fields, and disturbed areas, especially in dry, sandy, or gravelly soils under full sun.

  Synonym: Aster pilosus

• 

  Asteraceae: Symphyotrichum sericeum

  R. Neil Reese

  Symphyotrichum sericeum is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and short, thick rhizomes or a branched caudex, forming small, upright clumps. Mature plants typically reach 30–60 cm in height. Stems are erect, unbranched or sparsely branched, and densely covered with fine, silky, silvery hairs that give the plant a distinctive sheen. Leaves are alternate, simple, and narrowly lanceolate to linear, 4–12 cm long and 3–10 mm wide, with entire margins and pointed tips; both surfaces are densely covered with silky, silvery hairs, giving a soft texture and pale blue-green appearance. Basal leaves generally have short petioles and are often withered by flowering time; stem leaves are sessile and become smaller toward the top. Flowering occurs from August to October, with inflorescences forming small, open clusters (panicles or racemes) of showy, daisy-like flower heads, each 2–4 cm across. Each involucre is cylindric, 7–10 mm long, with several overlapping rows of green to purplish lanceolate phyllaries with translucent margins. Each head contains 15–30 bright lavender to purple ray florets, each 10–18 mm long and about 2 mm wide. The disc florets are numerous (15–30 per head), tubular, 5–7 mm long, yellow at anthesis, turning purplish with age, with five small lobes at the tip. Each disc floret has five stamens with yellow anthers about 1.5 mm long, forming a tube around the style, and a single compound ovary with a slender style about 3 mm long and a bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed cypsela (achene), 2–2.5 mm long, brown when mature, each topped with a pale brown to white, hair-like pappus 4–6 mm long; fruits mature from September to November. Silky aster is native to South Dakota and occurs primarily in dry prairies, open hillsides, rocky outcrops, and sandy or gravelly soils under full sun, often in association with other drought-tolerant prairie species.

  Synonym: Aster sericeus

• 

  Asteraceae : Tanacetum vulgare

  R. Neil Reese

  Tanacetum vulgare is a perennial herb with erect, usually smooth stems arising from a branched rhizome, singly or in clusters growing 50–150 cm tall and branching near the top. The plant is strongly scented and has numerous, alternate, twice pinnately divided, fern-like green leaves. The inflorescence consist of numerous (up to 200) heads in a corymbiform cyme. The heads are disk shaped, hemispheric at maturity, 5-10 mm in diameter and surrounded by an involucre of overlapping bracts. The outer yellow disc flowers are tubular and 3-toothed and the inner corollas are 5-toothed. The achenes are 5-sided with a short crown-like pappus. Tansy blooms in July and August in waste places stream banks and flood plains in the eastern and western edges of South Dakota.

• 

  Asteraceae: Taraxacum officinale

  R. Neil Reese

  Taraxacum officinale is a perennial, acaulescent, lactiferous herbaceous forb that develops a thick, fleshy, unbranched central taproot capable of penetrating up to 1 to 2 meters deep; it lacks true horizontal rhizomes, though root fragments readily regenerate cloned individuals. Mature plants typically range from 5 to 50 cm in height, lacking an upright, leafy stem; instead, the stem is reduced to a flattened basal crown, 1–2.5 cm long situated at or just below the soil surface, while the flowering scapes are erect, hollow, cylindrical, unbranched, leafless, and smooth to sparsely pubescent. Leaves are arranged in a dense, basal radial rosette, simple but highly variable in shape, ranging from oblong-lanceolate to oblanceolate with pinnately, deeply toothed, or sharply lobed margins. The leaves are bright green to olive green, measuring 5 to 40 cm long and 1 to 15 cm wide, with a glabrous upper surface and a glabrous to sparsely pubescent lower surface along the veins, tapering into a winged petiole of variable lengths. Flowering occurs primarily from April to June, though sporadic blooms persist through autumn, featuring a terminal, solitary flower head measuring 2.5 to 5 cm across, surrounded by an oblong involucre composed of 2 series of unequal phyllaries. The outer bracts are reflexed or downward-curved and the inner bracts erect. The calyx is highly modified into a pappus consisting of numerous white to silvery-white capillary bristles that are fused at the base into a small ring surrounding the corolla base. The petals are fused into a golden-yellow ligulate (ray-like) corolla, 5-toothed at the apex, measuring roughly 10 to 15 mm long and 1 to 2 mm wide. Each fertile floret contains 5 stamens featuring thin, pale yellow filaments and yellow anthers that are fused into a tube around the style, and a single inferior pistil with a slender, pale yellow style and a deeply two-lobed, coiled yellow stigma. The fruit is a dry, single-seeded achene, which is greyish-brown to olive-brown, oblong-lanceolate, 3 to 4 mm long, ribbed, and terminates in a long, slender beak attached to a parachute-like radiating cluster of silky white pappus hairs. Fruits achieve maturity from May to July, depending on ambient temperatures and geographic latitude. The common dandelion is not native to South Dakota; it is an introduced species native to Eurasia that has naturalized universally throughout all counties of South Dakota, thriving across disturbed habitats including lawns, agricultural pastures, gardens, roadsides, disturbed banks, and vacant fields.

• 

  Asteraceae : Townsendia exscapa

  R. Neil Reese

  Townsendia escapa is a perennial dwarf growing from a branched caudex, forming small mats. The stems are about 1 cm in height and inconspicuous. The leaves are simple, entire, linear-lanceolate, 1–5 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, with short stiff hairs and appressed hairs on their surfaces. The inflorescence is 1 or more heads, sessile laying among the leaves. The involucre is broadly campanulate, 1-2 cm tall with 4-7 series of bracts. There are 20-40 ray flowers, the ligules 10–22 mm long, white to pink. The yellow disk corollas are 8–10 mm long . The achenes are flattened, 3.5-6 mm long, pubescent and have a long bristly pappus. Townsend’s daisy blooms in early spring (April-May) on open dry plains in southwestern South Dakota.

• 

  Asteraceae: Tragopogon dubius

  R. Neil Reese

  Tragopogon dubius is a biennial (sometimes annual), herbaceous plant with a taproot. The plant typically grows 30–90 cm tall, occasionally reaching up to 120 cm. Stems are erect, simple or occasionally branched in the upper portion, hollow, glabrous, and light green to bluish green, often exuding a milky latex when cut. Leaves are alternate, simple, and linear-lanceolate with a grass-like appearance, sessile, clasping at the stem base. Each leaf is 10–30 cm long and 2–10 mm wide, gradually tapering to a long, thread-like point. Both upper and lower surfaces are smooth and glaucous (bluish green), without hairs. Flowering occurs from May to July. The inflorescence is a solitary, terminal flower head (capitulum) on a long, leafless peduncle. Flower heads are 4–6 cm in diameter when open. The involucre consists of 8–13 linear-lanceolate bracts, each 30–45 mm long, green, and extending well beyond the ray florets, giving the bud a beaked appearance before opening. The head is comprised of 20–40 yellow ray florets, each 25–35 mm long and 2–3 mm wide, strap-shaped with five small teeth at the tip. The petals are fused at the base and are a bright yellow, sometimes tinged faintly purple underneath. There are five stamens per floret, with yellow anthers fused into a tube around the style; filaments are short and pale. The pistil consists of a single style, about 15–20 mm long, which splits at the tip into two slender, recurved stigmatic branches that protrude beyond the anthers. . The pappus consists of numerous, soft, white to light brown bristles, each 20–30 mm long, aiding wind dispersal of the seeds. Fruit is a cylindrical achene, 20–35 mm long, with a conspicuous, elongated beak and ribbed surface, topped with the persistent pappus of feathery bristles. Fruits mature from June to August and turn brown when ripe. Yellow salsify is not native to South Dakota; it is native to southern and central Europe and western Asia. It is widely introduced throughout North America, including South Dakota, where it is found in disturbed sites, roadsides, pastures, prairies, and open grasslands, particularly in well-drained soils.

• 

  Asteraceae: Tragopogon pratensis

  R. Neil Reese

  Tragopogon pratensis is a biennial or short-lived perennial, lactiferous herbaceous forb that develops a stout, fleshy, deep-penetrating taproot. Mature plants typically range from 30 to 100 cm in height, supported by erect, round, smooth, hollow stems that are simple or sparsely branched, glabrous, and notably unswollen or only weakly inflated beneath the flowering heads. Leaves are arranged alternately along the stem, featuring a simple, narrow, linear-lanceolate shape resembling grass blades. The leaves are bluish green to pale green, measuring 10 to 30 cm long and 0.5 to 2 cm wide, possessing completely glabrous and smooth upper and lower surfaces, distinct parallel venation, a keeled midrib, and a tapering apex that often curls downward. They lack a petiole, instead becoming sessile and strongly clasping the stem at the base. Flowering occurs from May through August, characterized by solitary, terminal flower head measuring 3 to 5 cm across, which typically open in early morning sunlight and close by midday. The inflorescence is subtended by a single series of 8 (rarely up to 13) equal, linear-lanceolate, green involucral bracts (phyllaries) that are roughly equal to or noticeably shorter than the golden-yellow florets. Each floret has a white to tawny pappus composed of numerous plumose bristles fused into a ring at the base. The petals are completely fused into perfect, fertile, golden-yellow ligulate (ray-like) corollas that are 5-toothed at the apex, with the outer florets measuring 15 to 25 mm long. Each floret features 5 stamens with dark brown to purplish filaments and anthers fused into a prominent cylindrical tube surrounding the style. A single inferior pistil is present per floret, terminating in a slender, yellow style and a deeply two-lobed, coiled, yellow stigma. The fruit is a dry, slender, single-seeded achene measuring 15 to 25 mm long, which is dull pale-brown, rough, longitudinally ribbed, and ends in a long, slender beak that carries the parachute-like plumose pappus. Fruits achieve maturity from June to September. Meadow salsify is not native to South Dakota; it is an introduced species native to Europe and western Asia that has fully naturalized throughout the state. It is commonly found across all regions of South Dakota in disturbed habitats, including roadside ditches, pastures, old fields, railway lines, and vacant urban ground. Although it is less common than T. dubius. It can be distinguished from T. dubius because its green floral bracts are equal to or shorter than the yellow petals rather than extending past them.

• 

  Asteraceae: Tripleurospermum perforatum

  R. Neil Reese

  Tripleurospermum perforatum is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a fibrous root system and creeping rhizomes, often forming dense mats. Mature plants typically reach 20–80 cm in height. Stems are erect, branched, slender, and green to reddish, often sparsely hairy or glabrous. Leaves are alternate, pinnately divided, and fern-like, 5–15 cm long, with numerous small, narrow, linear to lanceolate lobes; leaves are bright green, with translucent oil glands visible as tiny dots when held to light (hence “perforatum”). Petioles are short or absent. Flowering occurs from June to September, with inflorescences forming solitary or few-flowered terminal heads resembling small daisies, 2–3 cm in diameter. Each flower head has a prominent involucre composed of several overlapping, green bracts (phyllaries) that are lanceolate to ovate, 8–12 mm long and 3–5 mm wide, with membranous margins. The flower head contains numerous white ray florets (20–30), each 6–12 mm long and 1–2 mm wide, and a dense central disc of yellow disc florets (30–50), tubular and 3–5 mm long with five small lobes at the apex. Stamens number five per disc floret, with yellow anthers about 1 mm long forming a tube around the style. The pistil is single with a slender style and bifid stigma. The fruit is a small, dry, ribbed achene (cypsela), 2–3 mm long, with three distinctive ribs and two resinous glands, maturing from August to October. Scentless chamomile is introduced in South Dakota, native to Eurasia, and found in disturbed sites such as fields, roadsides, pastures, and waste areas, thriving in well-drained, sandy to loamy soils under full sun.

  Synonym: Matricaria perforata

• 

  Asteraceae : Vernonia fasciculata

  R. Neil Reese

  Vernonia fasciculata is a perennial herb from a fibrous rooted base, 60-120 cm tall and unbranched or branched only near the top. The stem is round, hairless, and greenish to reddish purple. The alternate, simple lanceolate leaves are sessile or have very short petioles, 4-15 cm long and 5-45 mm wide. Their margins are toothed, the leaf surfaces are hairless, the lower leaf surface having a prominent central vein, and often small black dots. The inflorescence is a flat-topped cluster of heads with each head has an involucre of overlapping bracts, the inner ones longer than the outer bracts, their pedicels usually slightly pubescent. There are 10-30 magenta disk flowers, the corollas 9-11 mm long, with 5 spreading lobes and a prominent divided style. The achenes are ~3 mm long with a brown to purplish pappus that is about twice as long. Ironweed blooms from July through October in damp prairies and along streambanks throughout South Dakota.

• 

  Balsaminaceae : Impatiens capensis

  R. Neil Reese

  Impatiens capensis an annual herb with simple (occasionally branching), round, hollow stems that are smooth, succulent, pale green to pale reddish green, and somewhat translucent, growing 50-150 cm tall. The alternate, petiolate leaves are ovate to elliptic-ovate, 3-10 cm long and 2-7 cm wide, thin-textured, with rounded teeth. The leaf’s upper surface is green and the lower pale and waxy. The inflorescence consists of small clusters of 1-3 orange flowers, held horizontally on drooping pedicels from the axils of leaves. Each orange to red flower is 2-3 cm long, irregularly conical with upper and lower lips and a 6-9 mm spur that is bent back and parallel to the body. The petals usually have crimson to variously colored spots. The fruit is a 5-celled capsule and the mottled green to brown seeds are 4-5 mm long. When touched, the capsules explode and forcefully eject the seeds. Spotted touch-me-not blooms from May through October in moist woodlands, along streambanks and in marshes in eastern and southwestern South Dakota.

• 

  Boraginaceae: Buglossoides arvensis

  R. Neil Reese

  Buglossoides arvensis is an annual or biennial herb with an erect growth form, typically reaching 30–80 cm in height. It has a taproot system and reproduces solely by seed. The stems are branched and densely covered with rough, short hairs, giving a bristly texture. Leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 3–10 cm long, with entire or slightly toothed margins, and rough, hairy surfaces. Basal leaves are larger and ovate, while cauline leaves are smaller and narrower. Flowering occurs from late spring to early fall. The inflorescence is a scorpioid cyme—a coiled cluster of small, tubular flowers 8–12 mm long, with five fused petals forming a trumpet shape. Flowers are pale blue to violet with darker markings and a hairy throat. Each flower has five sepals, five stamens attached to the corolla, and a single pistil. The fruit is composed of four small nutlets (seeds), maturing in late summer. Native to temperate Europe and Asia, Corn Gromwell has been introduced and naturalized in parts of North America, including South Dakota, where it grows in disturbed fields, roadsides, and agricultural lands, mostly in eastern and central regions.

• 

  Boraginaceae: Cryptantha celosioides

  R Neil Reese

  Cryptantha celosioides is a biennial or short-lived perennial with 1 to several erect, simple to branched stems, 6–35 cm tall, growing from a caudex and covered with bristly hairs. There are both basal and alternate cauline leaves that are covered with grayish bristly hairs. The basal leaves are petiolate, the blades 1–6 cm long, spatulate to oblanceolate, the tips rounded to obtuse. The cauline leaves are narrower with pointed tips and usually less densely covered with hairs. The inflorescence is a collection of terminal cymes at the branch tips, condensed when young and uncoiling with age. The hairy calyx is 7–10 mm long in fruit and the white corolla is 3–6 mm long, 6–11 mm across the limb, often with a yellow coloring in the throat (fornices). The fruit are 4 ovate nutlets, 3–4 mm long. Buttecandle blooms from May into July in dry pastures and canyons in western South Dakota.

• 

  Boraginaceae: Cynoglossum officinale

  R. Neil Reese

  Cynoglossum officinale is an herbaceous, taprooted biennial (or short-lived perennial) herb with a thick, deep, woody taproot. The plant grows from 30 to 120 cm tall. Its stems are robust, erect, hollow, highly branched in the upper canopy, and densely covered in soft, spreading, velvety hairs. There is a basal rosette in the first year and alternate leaves along the flowering stem in the second year. The simple, entire, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate leaves are dull grey green to dark green, releasing a distinct "wet dog" odor when crushed. Basal leaves measure 10 to 30 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, with soft, velvety, pubescent hairs on both upper and lower surfaces and a prominent midvein. Basal leaves are supported by long petioles reaching up to 15 cm, whereas the upper stem leaves gradually become smaller, completely sessile, and clasping. Flowering occurs from May through August. The inflorescence consists of numerous terminal and axillary scorpioid cymes (coiled, one-sided clusters) that elongate into a paniculate arrangement measuring 10 to 20 cm long. The calyx features 5 fused-at-the-base sepals that are deeply divided into ovate-oblong, blunt, green-to-purplish lobes, 5 to 8 mm long and 2 to 4 mm wide. They are densely pubescent and grow larger as the fruit develops. The corolla features 5 radially symmetrical, fused petals forming a short tube that opens into rounded lobes, 6 to 10 mm wide; they have a dull reddish-purple to maroon color and are equipped with 5 small scales guarding the throat of the tube. Each flower has 5 epipetalous stamens with very short filaments and oblong, yellow-to-purple anthers completely enclosed within the corolla tube. The single compound pistil features a deeply 4-lobed superior ovary with 1 short, undivided style arising from the center and terminating in a tiny, capitate stigma. The fruit consists of 4 distinct, flat-topped, egg-shaped, dry nutlets (schizocarps) measuring 5 to 8 mm long. They turn a dry, grayish-brown or tan color upon reaching maturity between July and October. Their outer surfaces are completely covered in short, stiff, barbed prickles. Houndstongue is not native to South Dakota; it is an invasive weed indigenous to Europe and temperate Asia. It is heavily naturalized across South Dakota, with particularly severe infestations clustered in the Black Hills, rangelands, pastures, forest clearings, roadsides, and disturbed fields.