Module 4

Canterbury Bell. Image Source: skye820

Announcements

Learning Objectives

• Describe the ID characteristics of the plant species covered this week.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of this weeks plant species.
• Define the terms associated with plant species covered this week

Unopened Ballon Flower. Children love these. Image source: audreyjm529

Terms-to-Know

• invasive plant
• pubescence
• ground cover
• hybrid
• domestication
• plant breeding
• long-lived perennial
• short-lived perennial
• biennial
  

Plant List

APIACEAE
Daucus carota - Queen Anne's Lace (Wild Carrot)
Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpurescens' - Bronze Fennel

ASTERACEAE
Echinaceae purpurea - Purple Coneflower
Matricaria chamomilla - German Chamomile (sp. also listed as recutita)

CAMPANULACEAE
Campanula medium - Canterbury Bells or Cup and Saucer
Campanula persicifolia - Peachleaf Bellflower
Platycodon grandiflorus - Ballon Flower

POACEAE
Arundo donax - Giant Reed Grass

RANUNCULACEAE
Delphinium X elatum - Hybrid Delphinium

ROSACEAE
Rubus calcinoides - Creeping Raspberry

SAXIFRAGACEAE
Rodgersia henrici - Rodger's Flower

Echinacea detail. Image Source: Zanastardust

Reading Assignment

• pages in textbooks related to this weeks plant materials
• Review pictures of each species in Family Photo Album

Study Questions (10 pts each, answer in complete sentences).

1. Arundo donax is an invasive species. Personally I recommend that it never be planted in the landscape. Its size texture and growth potential have made it a choice selection for some designers in gardeners, but this reed quickly escapes the garden and causes problems with local ecosystems. Read the following abstract and discuss the biological attributes of Giant Reed Grass that make it an invasive species.
   
   
2. Explain how the life cycle of Campanula medium has limited its use in modern gardens? Further discuss how the use of perennials has impacted the labor requirement of modern landscapes (be careful before you jump to conclusions).
   
   
3. Conduct internet research on Daucus carota. What is the difference between Queen Anne's Lace and the cultivated carrot? How long did the selection process take to go from a wild plant to plant useful for human and domesticated animal consumption?
   
   
4. The use of Delphinium and Lupine in the garden is limited by some of the same factors. Discuss these limitations.
   
   
5. Most of you are very familiar with Echinacea purpurea. However, you may not have realized the number of different cultivars that are available. Develop a dichotomous key for the cultivars of Echinacea purpurea listed on pages 371 and 372 of your text.
   
   
6. Explain why the author of your text describes Fennel as a plant for everyone.
   
   
7. German chamomile is a classic example of where taxonomists and horticulturalists lose sight of the goal of the system of binomial nomenclature. Read the wikipedia article on German chamomile and discuss the variation in names that are botanical synonyms for this species.
   
   
8. Explain several advantages that Platycodon grandiflorus has over Delphinium and Lupine when designing the ornamental landscape.
   
   
9. What is somewhat uncommon about the floral morphology of Rodger's Flower in bloom?
   
   
10. Shady non-invasive ground covers for Western North Carolina are in demand. Describe a species covered this week that could fill this design niche.
    

Extra Credit (list the correct definition of each botanical term below, +1 each)

• persicifolia
• grandiflorus
• elatum
  

Additional Resources
The Global Invasive Species Initiative
Invasive Plant Information from the National Arboretum
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Worst Invasives in the U.S.

Hybrid Delphinium. Image Source: MShades