Field Guide

Bottlebrush grass is a native perennial, tuft-forming wild rye that typically grows in woodlands. The widely spaced spikelets spread away at a right angle from the main flowering stem.

Canada wild rye can be identified by its bristly seed heads, which curve downward. As the seeds mature, the straight, long awns curve and bend. This is a common native cool-season grass that reaches about 4 feet tall and is highly valued as forage and hay for livestock.

Eastern figwort occurs statewide in rich woods, woodland borders, and bottomlands. It’s usually 2-5 feet high, has square stems and lance-shaped, toothed leaves, and bears spreading clusters of small, green scoop-shaped flowers with brown petal lobes.

The leaf blades of plains, or wayside violet are highly variable, and the plant produces differently shaped leaves as the season progresses. It’s quite similar to cleft violet, but the leaves are smooth and hairless.

Curly dock’s rosettes of wavy-edged, leathery leaves are a common sight on roadsides and other disturbed lands. The fruit clusters at the top half of the plant turn dark rusty brown and are easy to spot from a distance.

Showy lady’s slipper is a beautiful and rare wildflower. This orchid can be more than 3 feet tall, with showy flowers with a pink-suffused, inflated lower lip. In Missouri, it's restricted to the southern portion of the Ozarks.

Showy orchis is a perennial wildflower of rich, moist, shady woods, slopes, ravines, and stream valleys, often found with other spring wildflowers. It’s about 6 inches tall when it produces its beautiful pink and white flowers.