Wildflowers Identified: Shepherd's Purse
You can search Google Images for images of this wildflower.
Shepherd's Purse has these characteristics:
- 4 petals
- cluster or spike of flowers (a spike is a long cluster, with the flowers along the stem)
- 1/8 of an inch or less flower width
- whitish flower color
- blooms in April or earlier
- blooms in May
- blooms in June
- blooms in July
- blooms in August
- blooms in September or later
- plant height one foot or less
- leaf petiole present (has a leafstalk)
- leaf petiole absent (has no leafstalk)
- alternate leaf arrangement on the stem
- smooth leaf edges
- leaf edge has at least 4 teeth per inch
- irregular leaf edge
- deeply cut leaf edge
- branched leaf veins
- simple leaves about 1 1/2 to 5 times as long as wide
- simple leaves over 5 times as long as wide
- compound leaves are pinnate - leaflets arranged along a midrib
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Eric Haines,
erich@acm.org