Take a Walk in the Wild in Ohio

The plants you find taking a walk in the woods or along the rivers and streams in Ohio are commercially available for the home gardener. Leave the plants you find in the wild where they are. The plants play an important part in maintaining the balance of nature. The ones you purchase have been grown and bred for home gardens. They are grown from the best and strongest plants.

Take a look at some of the more unusual specimens.

Cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata) is a member of the magnolia family and is considered to be one of the hardiest members of the family. The cucumber tree grows from 60 to 75 feet tall with a round crown. The tree produces deep-green leaves from 6 to 10 inches long that turn yellow-brown in the fall. Green flowers measure 2 inches across, grow at the top of the tree in May and June and give way to a green fruit that resembles a cucumber and turns red as it ripens. Find the cucumber tree in the rich woods and along the stream banks. Plant in full sun, partial shade or full shade and a rich, moist, acidic soil.

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium ssp. angustifolium) is also known as narrow-leaf fireweed and willow herb and is a member of the evening primrose family. Fireweed grows in clumps 3 to 5 feet tall with red stems bearing elongated leaves and rosy-purple flowers 1 inch across growing in long clusters at the top from June through August. Fireweed grows in dry clearings, burned out woods, along roadsides and low-lying wetlands. Plant in full sun and a soil that is moist and well drained.

Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) is a member of the grass family. Side-oats grama produces 2 to 3-foot tall stems with purple spikes growing only on one side that turn brown in the fall and base leaves that turn red and purple. Side-oats grows in the prairies, open brush, forests and rocky slopes. The plant likes full sun or part shade and a soil that is moist to dry.

Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is a member of the horse chestnut family and is the state tree of Ohio. Ohio buckeye measure 50 to 75 feet tall. The tree produces compound leaves. Flowers grow in clusters at the tips of the branches in March, April and May. The flowers give way to nuts in a spiny husk shell. Plant Ohio buckeye in full sun, partial shade or full shade and moist, rich, well-drained soil. The tree grows along the rich, moist stream banks and bottomlands. These plant can be found growing throughout the state.

Source:
University of Texas