Wildflowers In Taney County

One of the most beautiful natural resources in the area is the abundant, colorful wildflowers. Growing seasons vary, but from early spring to late fall, Ozarkians are delighted by the ever-changing colors around them. Though many wildflowers indigenous to the area are now extremely rare, others grow in abundance. Pictured here are a few common wildflowers with a brief description of the plant.

 

Indian Paint Brush

• Castilleja coccinea
• grows in glades, prairies, or swampy areas
• blooms from April to July
• height varies from 8" to 15" or taller

 

 

 

Shooting Star

• Dodecatheon meadia
• grows on glades, prairies, bluffs, ledges, wooded slopes
• blooms from April to June
• leafless stalks can grow 2 1/2'; leaves at base of plant 10" long.

 

 

 

 

Flowering Dogwood

• Cornus Florida
• grows on wooded slopes, ravines, bluffs on well-drained soil
• blooms from mid-April to mid-May
• state tree of Missouri, generally small but some trees with 8" diameter exist; leaves are oval, up to 5" long, pointed at both ends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Queen Anne's Lace

(also called Wild Carrot, Bird's Nest Plant)

• Daucus carota
• grows in fields, roadsides, waste ground
• blooms from May to October
• plants can reach 5' tall, with stout taproot; leaves form strap-like leaflets.
• difficult to control; frequently referred to as a weed

 

 

 

 

 

Dianthus (Deptford Pink)

• Sabatia armeria
• grows on sandstone and chert, glades, south of Missouri River
• blooms from May to October
• slender annual, stem stiff and erect, grows up to 20" high
• flowers pink with white dots; leaves are narrow, grasslike, pointed and hairy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goat's Beard

• Aruncus dioicus
• grows in moist woods, along bluffs
• blooms from May to July
• 4' to 5' tall plant
• leaves are compound, divided, and toothed
• shares the common name goat's beard with several other Missouri flowers

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow Sweet Clover

• Melilotus officinalis
• grows in fields, waste grounds, along roads, and railroads
• blooms from May to October
• tall, rigidly branched plant grows up to 6' high
• leaves are 3-divided with stipules at base; leaflets are narrow to oval, rounded at top, finely toothed.
• drought-resistant; has been used for hay, pasture, and green manuring

 

 

 

 

 

Forsythia (Golden Bells)

• Vahl ovata
• Not actually native to the midwest, the plant was imported from southeast Europe. However, it is not uncommon to see Golden Bells along fence rows or abandoned home sites.
• blooms in April and May.
• flowers are 1/2 to 3/4" long; bush grows up to 5' tall, with spreading branches.

 

 

 

Blue Phlox

• Phlox divaricata
• grows in rich, rocky woods and wet areas along streams
• blooms from April to June
• grows up to 12" in partial shade; flowers are tube-like, wht 5 petal-like lobes, which are pointed or notched; flowers are lilac, rose-lavendar, purple, blue, or sometimes white.
• leaves are lance-shaped, spaced along the stems; dark-green leafy shoots spread from base and take root

 

Lousewort

(Wood Betony)

• Pedicularis canadensis
• grows in open woods, along creeks, often in leeched and acid soils
• blooms in April and May
• often grows in dense clumps from 6" to 10" high when flowering; plant reached 18" later in season
• flowers are in dense clusters on branched stalks; leaves are fuzzy, fern-like, deeply cut and lobed both basal and on stalks, up to 5" long

 

 

 

 

Pawpaw

(Missouri Banana)

• Asimina triloba
• grows in wooded valleys, along streams, in rich soil
• blooms from March to May
• tree usually small, rarely over 20' high; often grows in dense stands, sending up suckers from the roots
• flowers appear before or with the leaves; six petals in two sets of 3-lobed layers; leaves are large, up to 12" long and 5" wide; fruit is oblong, 3" to 5" long, resembling a small banana.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Pea

(Everlasting Pea)

• Lathyrus latifolius
• grows in fencerows, along roads and railroads statewide
• blooms from May to September
• strong climber, covers large areas; stems are broadly winged with wings on two sides
• leaves are 3 divided; two lance-shaped leaflets branch from basal winged section.
• variety of colors, including rose-purpe, rose, pink, and white

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Violet

• Viola sororia
• grows in open woods, borders of woods, along streams
• blooms from March to June
• one of the seven blue violets in Missouri
• leaves are heart shaped and scalloped

 

 

 

 

Horsemint

(Wild Bergamot)

• Monardo russeliana
• grows in rocky, dry, open woods; glades; acid soil of Ozarks region
• blooms from late April to June
• stems are square and grow to 3' 1/2" tall
• flowers clustered on top of stalk; colors are whitish with purple spots or lavender; bracts have a purple color

 

 

 

Hairy Sunflower

• Helianthis mollis
• grows on prairies, roadsides, fields
• blooms from July to October
• plants up to 4' tall
• flowers are all yellow, with fifteen to twenty-five rays
• leaves rough on both sides, lanceolate, on short stalks

 

---

Works Consulted

Bailey, L. H. Manual of Cultivated Plants. New York: Macmillan, 1949, pp. 800-01.

Denison, Edgar. Missouri Wildflowers. 3rd ed. Jefferson City, MO: MO Dept. of Conservation, 1978.

Hall, Leonard. Ozark Wildflowers. St. Louis, MO: Sayers Printing, 1969.

Photographs of wildflowers, 1-6, taken by Gene Kletchka, courtesy of Gaye Lisby, Branson Living magazine

Photographs of wildflowers, 7-12, taken by Bill Hartman, Ozarks Mountaineer file, Lyons Memorial Library, College of the Ozarks

Home / Historical Archives / Lesson Ideas / Samples of Student Work

About Taney and Beyond / Contributors and Resources / Contact Us

Complete Site Directory

© 1999 Taney and Beyond

Educational Use Only