This research program was initiated in 1999 as part of an SDSU Agricultural Experiment Station funded program in the laboratory of Dr. R. Neil Reese. This project is designed to provide research and educational opportunities to students interested in conservation and utilization of native plant species, as well as encourage the use of native plants by small family farmers as alternative crops in South Dakota.
- To locate a plant by the Native American name, or common name use the search box in the left side-bar.
- A glossary of terms used in this collection can be found here.
- Some items contain supplemental images documenting the life cycle of the plant.
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Penstemon gracilis
R. Neil Reese
Penstemon gracilis is a(n) perennial herbaceous, which grows 2 dm to 5 dm in height. This species is commonly found sandy or gravelly soil in prairies, valleys, and at lover elevations in mountains. The leaves are opposite. Penstemon gracilis has pale blue lavender flowers that bloom from May to August.
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Penstemon grandiflorus
R. Neil Reese
Penstemon grandiflorus is a(n) perennial herbaceous, which grows 5 dm to 9.5 dm in height. This species is commonly found sandy to loamy prairie soils. The leaves are basal. Penstemon grandiflorus has pink pale blue flowers that bloom from April to July.
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Physalis heterophylla
R. Neil Reese
Physalis heterophylla is a(n) herbaceous, which grows 1.5 dm to 9 dm in height. This species is commonly found "sandy soil, pastures, roadsides, and disturbed areas -can also be. The leaves are alternate. Physalis heterophylla has yellow pale yellow flowers that bloom from May to October.
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Polygonum coccineum
R. Neil Reese
Polygonum coccineum is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 0.3 m to 1 m in height. This species is commonly found in the Minnelusa Foothills, Limestone Plateau and Belt, and the Central Core where rocky, sandy, or gravelly soils are. The leaves are alternating and the blades are elliptic-lanceolate to lanceolate, glabrous to finely appressed-hairy. Polygonum coccineum has deep rose pink flowers that bloom from June to September.
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Prunus americana
R. Neil Reese
Prunus americana is a(n) shrub or small tree deciduous, which grows 3 m to 8 m in height. This species is commonly found prairies and pastures, edges of woodlands and along roadsides and stream banks from Massachusetts to Manitoba, New Mexico, central Texas, and northwest Florida. Found locally all across South Dakota. The leaves are obovate to obovate-oblong or lanceolate-ovate. Prunus americana has white white flowers that bloom from April to May.
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Prunus virginiana
R. Neil Reese
Prunus virginiana is a(n) deciduous shrub or small tree, which grows 10 m to 15 m in height. This species is commonly found rich soils, thickets, fence rows, roadsides, borders of woods, sandy and rocky soil on hillsides and ravine banks from Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to south California, New Mexico, Kansas, Illinois, Maryland, and south in mountains to Georgia. The leaves are alternate ovate to broadly obovate. Prunus virginiana has white white flowers that bloom from April to May.
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Psoralea esculenta
R. Neil Reese
Psoralea esculenta is a(n) Stems having dense pubescence mark this perennial plant with a tuberous-thickened root, which grows 8 to 30 cm. Psoralea is harvested for food in height. This species is commonly found ridges and slopes from low to mid elevations in mixed grass prairies to open woodlands from Alberta and Manitoba south to Arkansas. The leaves are palemately compound (usually 5-merous). Psoralea esculenta has blue purple flowers that bloom from May to July.
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Ratibida columnifera
R. Neil Reese
Ratibida columnifera is a(n) herbaceous, which grows 3 dm to 10 dm in height. This species is commonly found at prairies, roadsides, open disturbed areas, Great Plains region, southcentral Canada to Mexico, North. Ratibida columnifera has yellow purple-yellow flowers that bloom from June to September.
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Rhus aromatica
R. Neil Reese
Rhus aromatica is a(n) perennial shrub, which grows 2 ft. to 6 ft. in height. This species is commonly found land from Quebec and Vermont to Kansas, south to eastern Texas and east to Florida. The leaves are alternate. Rhus aromatica has yellow red flowers that bloom from March to April.
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Ribes americanum
R. Neil Reese
Ribes americanum is a(n) shrub herbaceous, which grows 1m to 2m in height. This species is commonly found stream banks and ravines. The leaves are golden glands on underside of green palmately lobe. Ribes americanum has greenish-yellow white green white flowers that bloom from May to June.
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Ribes hirtellum
R. Neil Reese
Ribes hirtellum is a(n) perennial shrub, which grows 1 m to 1.5 m in height. This species is commonly found along streams and in moist forest habitats at mid to high elvations in th Black Hills. The leaves are oval to broadly rounded in outline with 3-5 deeply cut lobes and the leaf surface is a dull green. Ribes hirtellum has greenish to creamy white flowers that bloom from May to June.
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Ribes odoratum
R. Neil Reese
Ribes odoratum is a(n) shrub herbaceous, which grows 1m to 2m in height. This species is commonly found open hillsides, riverbanks, and thickets. The leaves are simple, alternate, 3-lobed. Ribes odoratum has yellow bright red flowers that bloom from April to May.
Additional notes: Branches arch with the younger ones light brown, older ones becoming dark brown. Leaves fascicled on side branches of older wood.
