Download Biology 1903

Biology 1903
Field Trip Report from Morton Arboretum (Extra credit)
Instructor: Peter Chen
Student: Viktorija Matuseviciute
11-07-06
Compass Plant and Cup Plant
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Eukarya
Plantae
Magnolyophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Asteracae
Silphium
Laciniatum/ Perfoliatum
The compass plant (Sipphium laciniatum) is native to east and central parts of North
America, it can now be found throughout the United States. In appearance it reminds of a
sunflower, although it has smaller flower head. The plant is called that way because it tends
to turn it’s foliage towards north and south to minimize the surface area with the hot noon
sun. It is interesting that the roots of this plant can go as deep as 15 feet, which makes it
very hard to draught it. Stems grow to 6 feet long. Compass plant prefers a shade over
sunny areas, it can grow in any ordinary garden, but grows really well in moist, nitrogen
rich environment. People drink tea made from the leaves is believed to treat coughs, lung
ailments and asthma.
A cup plant (silphium perfoliatum) is a close relative of the compass plant, can
often be found in the same areas. Unlike compass plant, cup plant does not have the rough,
hairy stem. Cup plants are dicots, with monoecious flowers. The large leaves on opposite
sides connect together and form a “Cup” around the stem that can fold water. This is how
this plant gained it’s unique name. The leaves have rough texture, that feels like sandpaper.
The yellow composite flowers have numerous infertile florets in the center. The ray florets
are fertile, they form little “wings” later in fall which help dispersing the seed by the wind.
Meanwhile the root system contains rhizomes which participate in spreading the plant
through soil, often forming large colonies.
Compass plant
Cup Plant
Bees and butterflies and wasps visit these yellow flowers often, they are the most
common pollinators. Birds often cone to the cup plant for water or to feed on the seeds, ad
during hot sunny days they find a shade under wide leaves of dense colonies of silphium
perfoliatum. The large herbivores may eat leaves of immature cup plant.
The Black Walnut
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Eukarya
Plantae
Magnolyophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fagales
Juglandaceae
Juglans
J.Nigra
One of the trees seen in Arboretum field trip was a Black Walnut, scientific name
Juglans Nigra. A key characteristic of this tree is it’s black bark. Trees can grow up to 150
feet tall and have 3-4 feet diameter. The leaves are alternate, pinnately compound13 – 23
inches long and each contain 10 to 24 ovate leavlets. The flowers that bloom in summer
time are monoecious. Males are 2 to 5 inches long single-stemmed catkins, and females are
short, yellow-green color spikes.
Everyone can recognize a walnut when it has nuts. Another way to recognize
walnut is to cut the twig in an angle and look at the pith: only walnut and it’s close relatives
have chambered pith, like a honeycomb. The smell of the twigs can also give away it’s
identity.
Walnut is a competitive tree, it’s roots spread a growth – inhibiting chemical which
keeps away many other species, even it’s own. The composition of it’s nut shows that
walnut is a dicot. The seed is covered by a hard shell underneath another, green shell,
which turns black when mature. Squirrels and some small mammals are attracted by those
nuts, helping the tree to disperse, and often destroy it’s fruit.
Bibliography
“Black Walnut” 2000<http://ostermiller.org/tree/blackwalnut.html>
“Compass plant”1998 <http://www.morningskygreenery.com/Plant%20pages/sillaci.html>
“Cup Plant” 1999<http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/cupplantx.htm>