Field Guide

Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants

Showing 1 - 10 of 41 results
Photo of a sensitive fern, vegetative leaf
Sensitive Fern
Onoclea sensibilis
The leaves of sensitive fern usually wither quickly upon the first frost, leaving the upright, beadlike, spore-bearing spikes to be noticeable.
Photo of a northern maidenhair fern
Maidenhair Ferns
Adiantum spp. (2 in Missouri)
Maidenhair ferns are distinctive and beautiful. Their leaflet veins divide by twos over and over, forming a fan pattern.
Photo of lowland brittle fern fronds and fiddleheads growing in woods
Lowland Brittle Fern (Southern Fragile Fern)
Cystopteris protrusa (formerly C. fragilis var. protrusa)
Lowland brittle fern, also called southern fragile fern, is an easily recognized species. It’s a common springtime sight in moist forest soils.
Photo of a broad beech fern
Broad Beech Fern
Phegopteris hexagonoptera
Broad beech fern has broadly triangular leaves that tilt backward from their long, upright stalks. Wings of leafy tissue connect the main leaf lobes along the main axis, and the bottommost lobes usually point downward.
Photo of a rattlesnake fern growing above leaf litter in a woodland
Rattlesnake Fern
Botrypus virginianus (syn. Botrychium virginianum)
Rattlesnake fern rises from the ground with a single stalk. A lacy-cut, bright green fern leaf is stalkless at its tip. At the same joint, a single upright stalk arises that bears clusters of tiny ball-shaped spore cases.
Photo of a cut-leaf grape fern showing whole plant
Cut-Leaf Grape Fern
Botrychium dissectum (syn. Sceptridium dissectum)
Cut-leaf grape fern appears as a single, leathery fern leaf. Another stalk grows upward from the base and bears yellowish spore cases that resemble tiny bunches of grapes. The fleshy leaves turn reddish brown in fall.
Photo of false rue anemone plant and flower
False Rue Anemone
Isopyrum biternatum
To distinguish false rue anemone from "true" rue anemone, look for the following: 5 white (not pinkish) sepals, and leaves present on the flowering stems. Confirm your identification by noting that it's growing in a colony (not singly) and is in a moist, low area.
Photo of white anemone
White Anemone (Windflower)
Anemone canadensis
White anemone is a showy native wildflower with interesting, deeply toothed leaves. Often occurring in colonies, it spreads easily (even aggressively) from rhizomes and is sometimes cultivated in wildflower gardens.
Green dragon plant in bloom along Katy Trail east of Portland Mo
Green Dragon
Arisaema dracontium
What could be cooler than finding a green dragon? This leafy green plant with a long, noodly spadix is closely related to Jack-in-the-pulpit. It occurs in the same habitats but is less common and easily overlooked.
Photo of hispid buttercup plant with flower
Hispid Buttercup
Ranunculus hispidus
Hispid buttercup is a densely hairy plant with showy yellow flowers. It is found mostly in the southern half of Missouri, usually in moist locations.
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About Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants in Missouri

A very simple way of thinking about the green world is to divide the vascular plants into two groups: woody and nonwoody (or herbaceous). But this is an artificial division; many plant families include some species that are woody and some that are not. The diversity of nonwoody vascular plants is staggering! Think of all the ferns, grasses, sedges, lilies, peas, sunflowers, nightshades, milkweeds, mustards, mints, and mallows — weeds and wildflowers — and many more!