Name these wildflowers (Western PA, USA)

September 21, 2016 6:00 AM

We just moved into a pretty much total landscaping blank slate house and I'm planning my gardens to start putting in in the spring. I want to place a heavy emphasis on native plants, so I've been taking pictures on my runs through local parks. Inside: name those wildflowers!

(Click on the images to embiggen.)

Plant One (Tall, light pink small clustered trumpet-shaped flowers)
Plant Two (Medium height, small purple flowers, spear-shaped leaves)
Plant Three (Tall plants with medium-sized yellow flowers with yellow centers)
Plant Four I seem to have accidentally deleted my pictures of but it's a medium-height plant with deep orange unclustered snap-dragon-shaped flowers if this sounds familiar to anyone.

Thanks in advance! Also thanks to anyone who wants to share links to their favorite places to purchase native flowers and seeds.

posted by soren_lorensen to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Three looks like a sunchoke or Jerusalem Artichoke You can eat the tubers but beware their nickname is the fartichoke.
posted by koolkat at 6:27 AM on September 21, 2016

I'm trying to get Southeastern natives planted in my yard too, and have found the folks at iNaturalist to be a great resource.
posted by Drosera at 6:33 AM on September 21, 2016

Best answer: Plant one looks like an eupatorium, plant two looks like vernonia (commonly called ironweed) and plant three might be a sunchoke, though it could conceivably be another variety of helianthus.

Is plant four orange jewelweed, by any chance?
posted by lydhre at 6:50 AM on September 21, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Oh, to add, my favorite website for native plants and seeds is Prairie Moon Nursery. They are awesome.
posted by lydhre at 6:51 AM on September 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

Eupatorium dubium or Joe Pye weed
Vernonia - might be New York ironweed
Sun choke (likely)
Jewel weed.
posted by sciencegeek at 7:01 AM on September 21, 2016

Joe Pye weed is a fabulous pollinator plant. They also make a miniature version and a "chocolate" version with dark foliage.

Deep orange flowers sound possibly like jewelweed. Jewelweed can be used to treat poison ivy.

Don't forget to plant some milkweed, too!
posted by Ostara at 8:26 AM on September 21, 2016

The easiest way to check if they are sunchokes is to dig a few up later in the season, as they are dying back. If there are tubers, then it's a sun choke, and you can eat them or transplant them. If not, it's not a sunchoke, but some Aser cousin.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:30 AM on September 21, 2016

I can't identify your flowers but I can point you to the PA Native Plant Society. Surely someone there can help you find local sources of local native plants.
posted by mareli at 9:12 AM on September 21, 2016

Ask a Master Gardener at Penn State Extension (site allows you to upload photos).

The site also offers a list of suggested native plants.

And here is a list of nurseries throughout the state that specialize in native species.
posted by LuckySeven~ at 12:14 PM on September 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

Botanist that works in Western Pennsylvania here.

1. Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium fistulosum). Formally in Eupatorium, but botanists love to change things!
2. tall ironweed (Vernonia gigantea).
3. Yes. Jeruselum artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Note that botanists don't consider this native in PA.
4. Yes. Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). Its an annual and will grow readily from seed. Now is the time to collect and the the seed pods are explosive.

Sylvania Natives in Squirrel Hill is a great nursery. Highly recommended. Kathy will likely have the Joe-pye and Ironweed in stock.
posted by buttercup at 6:26 PM on September 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

Audubon Society tool for selecting plants native to your area.
posted by mareli at 5:15 AM on September 27, 2016