Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants
Media
![Photo of common golden Alexanders plant with flowers](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2014/03/golden_alexanders_3-21-14.jpg?itok=3z15_4Zc)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Zizia aurea
Description
Named for its resemblance to a European herb that was popular in Medieval times, golden Alexanders is a native Missouri wildflower with bright yellow flowers arranged in umbrella-like clusters.
Media
![Photo of common water hemlock or spotted cowbane flowers](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2013/12/common_water_hemlock_spotted_cowbane_flowers_12-31-13.jpg?itok=Eahjj_yh)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Cicuta maculata
Description
Full grown, water hemlock looks something like a gigantic Queen Anne's lace, but this common, widespread member of the carrot family is the most toxic plant in North America. All parts are deadly. A piece of root the size of a walnut can kill a cow-sized animal.
Media
![Photo of Johnson grass flower clusters](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2014/02/johnson_grass_flowers_02-10-14.jpg?itok=NTCAnw4H)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Sorghum halepense
Description
Johnson grass is a native of the Mediterranean that is invasive in our country. It’s a weed that infests cropland and degrades native ecosystems, and heavy infestations are found in all the major river bottoms of Missouri.
Media
![Photo of several big bluestem seed heads against a blue sky.](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2015/03/big_bluestem_3-26-15.jpg?itok=2v2iICpW)
Species Types
Scientific Name
All true grasses (species in the grass family)
Description
Missouri has 276 species in the grass family, including well-known crop plants and our native prairie grasses. Distinguishing between the species can be difficult, but it’s easy to learn some basics about the group.
Media
![Photo of Ohio horsemint inflorescence](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/field-guide/Ohio_Horsemint_Meramec_Spring_6-1-17.jpg?itok=XfpEvIro)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Blephilia ciliata
Description
Square, unbranching stems, opposite leaves, two-lipped flowers, and a mild minty fragrance are clues Ohio horsemint is in the mint family. Tight, rounded flower clusters are stacked atop one another at the stem tips.
Media
![Photo of self-heal flower head](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2014/02/self-heal_flowers_02-18-14.jpg?itok=NGy4FBj1)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Prunella vulgaris
Description
A square-stemmed plant with opposite leaves, self-heal bears two-lipped blue, lavender, or violet flowers in a cylindrical head. We have two varieties of self-heal in Missouri, one native and one introduced.
Media
![Photo of Bradbury beebalm plant with pale flowers](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2013/12/bradbury_beebalm_pale_12-31-13.jpg?itok=JZi_IXgn)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Monarda bradburiana (sometimes M. russeliana)
Description
Also called horsemint and wild bergamot, Bradbury beebalm is a showy, fragrant plant that is a favorite of native plant gardeners. It’s also a favorite of Missouri’s butterflies!
Media
![Photo of columbine flower closeup](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2013/12/columbine_flower.jpg?itok=Nq9RgyYZ)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Aquilegia canadensis
Description
Native to much of eastern North America, eastern red columbine's range almost matches the breeding territory of the ruby-throated hummingbird, its number-one pollinator. Its bloom time matches the hummingbird's northward migration, too.
Media
![Photo of hedge bindweed flowers](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2013/12/hedge_bindweed_12-21-13.jpg?itok=8FplxTwe)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Calystegia sepium (also Convolvulus sepium)
Description
Instantly recognizable as a type of morning glory, hedge bindweed is common in disturbed habitats and can be a serious agricultural weed, but it is not as problematic as its relative field bindweed.
Media
![Photo of butterfly pea plant with flowers](/sites/default/files/styles/media_library/public/mo_nature/media/images/2013/12/butterfly_pea_12-16-13.jpg?itok=IYNwBitI)
Species Types
Scientific Name
Clitoria mariana
Description
Butterfly pea is a low, shrubby, or twining perennial in the pea family, with showy, butterfly-like flowers. The leaves are compound with three leaflets. This species grows in the southern parts of Missouri, in acid soils.
See Also
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!