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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Trillium cernuum
R. Neil Reese
Trillium cernuum is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 3 dm to 4 dm in height. This species is commonly found in moist, rich deciduous woods. The leaves are broadly rhombic-obovate narrowing to petiolelke leaf base. Trillium cernuum has white flowers that bloom from June to July.
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Uvularia grandiflora
R. Neil Reese
Uvularia grandiflora is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 3.5 dm to 6 dm in height. This species is commonly found in moist deciduous woods. The leaves are ovate-oblong to elliptic. Uvularia grandiflora has no color in the flowers that bloom from April to May.
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Verbena hastata
R. Neil Reese
Verbena hastata is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 0.4 m to 1 m in height. This species is commonly found at low to mid elevations, more common in the southern Black Hills than elsewhere; stream banks, shores, wet meadows, and springs. The leaves are opposite, short-petioled; blades lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, occasionally lobed near base, roughened. Verbena hastata has dark blue to a purple flowers that bloom from July to September.
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Verbena stricta
R. Neil Reese
Hoary Vervain is a weakly perennial forb that is well adapted to dry to mesic conditions. It reaches 2-4 feet in height with several to many spikes of flowers..
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Vicia americana
R. Neil Reese
Vicia americana is a(n) perennial forb, which grows 1 m to 3 m in height. This species is commonly found from low to high elevatoins througout the Black Hills area, in a variety of dry, open to moist, shaded habitats; mixed grass prairie, sagebrush steppe, meadows, pine forest, and deciduous woodlands. The leaves are even-pinnate, short-petioled to sessile, terminated by simple or branched tendrils. Vicia americana has bluish-purple flowers that bloom from May to July.
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Viola canadensis
R. Neil Reese
Viola canadensis is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 10 cm to 30 cm in height. This species is commonly found at low to high elevatons throughout the Blanck Hills; moist coniferous or deciduous forest habitats, especially along drainages. The leaves are long-petioled, balades eniform to broadly ovate-cordate, often abruptly tapered to a sharp tip, usually broader than long, bluntly serrate, usually short-pubescent at least on the veins beneath. Viola canadensis has white, yellow toward the base, flowers that bloom from May to June.
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Viola nephrophylla
R. Neil Reese
Viola nephrophylla is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 3 cm to 16 cm in height. This species is commonly found from low to high elevations throughout the Black Hills area; wet meadows, stream banks, fens, and boggy areas. The leaves are petioles; blades ovate-cordate to renifrom, bluntly toothed. Viola nephrophylla has blue-violate colored flowers that bloom from May to September.
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Viola pedatifida
R. Neil Reese
Viola pedatifida is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 5 cm to 25 cm in height. This species is commonly found at low to mid elevations in the cental and northern Black Hills and the Bear Lodge Mts.; meadows, clearings, and open pine forests. The leaves are bladed and palmately divided into linear or oblong segments, oval to semicircular in outline, somtime rather lax. Viola pedatifida has violet or lilac colored flowers that bloom from May to March.
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Viola pubescens
R. Neil Reese
Viola pubescens is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 10 cm to 30 cm in height. This species is commonly found at low to mid elevatoions in the central and northern Black Hills and the Bear Lodge Mts.; moist deciduous or mixed forests, often along streams. The leaves are long-petioled, stem leaves concentrated near top of stem; blades ovate and weakly to strongly cordate, or some rotund-ovate to reniform, rather coarsely but bluntly toothed; stipules ovate to lanceolate. Viola pubescens has yellow flowers that bloom from May to June.
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Vitis riparia
R. Neil Reese
Vitis riparia is a(n) dioecious viny shrub, which grows or climbing to 25m in height. This species is commonly found streambanks, open hillsides, and rich woodlands. The leaves are deeply lobed cordate-ovate. Vitis riparia has yellow green flowers that bloom from May to June.
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Zigadenus elegans
R. Neil Reese
Zigadenus elegans is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 20 cm to 70 cm in height. This species is commonly found at mid to high elevations throughout the Black Hills area; open forests, meadows, slate prairies, rocky slopes, and limestone glades of Minnelusa Foothills and Limestone Plateau. The leaves are chiefly basal, sheathing at the base, reduced upward, linear to linear-oblanceolate, mostly narrowed and somewhat folded toward the base. Zigadenus elegans has greenish-white flowers that bloom from June to July.
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Zizia aptera
R. Neil Reese
Zizia aptera is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 30 cm to 70 cm in height. This species is commonly found at mid to rather high elevations of the central and northern black Hills; moist meadows, slopes and open forests. The leaves are simple below to ternately compound above, the basal ones and those of basal offshoots ovate-cordate (rarely all ternate). Zizia aptera has small yellow flowers that bloom from June to July.
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Zizia aurea
R. Neil Reese
Zizia aurea is a(n) perennial herb, which grows 3 dm to 10 dm in height. This species is commonly found in low prairies, margnis of ponds, ditches, and open woodlands. The leaves are ovate to orbicular, blades biternate or middle leaflet pinnatifid, leaflets ovate to lanceolate. Zizia aurea has no flowers that bloom from May to June.
