A Walk in a Fern Bluff Park (21 April 2007)

Cheatham Park, Page 3

Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica)

I noticed this tiny flower on my first round through the park, mentally noting its presence and, I thought, its precise location.  I'd hoped to find at least a few Veronicas, even though the sun was hidden and Veronicas love bright sunlight.  Later, while looking around the park at other flowers, I began gravitating toward where I thought the Veronicas were, only to discover they were not there.  As testimony to the paucity of this species in this park, I had to search for over fifteen minutes to finally come upon it once more (yes, about fifty feet from where I thought it was...).

I did see one other lone Veronica in another part of the park, later on, but that was it.

Spiderwort (Tradescantia spp.)

A number of spiderworts were blooming in the nature preserve inside the park.  From a distance these appear to be dayflowers (with two large, blue petals above, and one smaller pale petal below), but up close it is clear they are spiderworts , with three equal petals.

Notice the intricate hairs emanating from around the filaments of each of the flower's six golden-anthered stamens; together these are the male organs of the flower  The central pistil, with its purple style, white ovary (below) and swollen, white-topped stigma are, together, the female organs...

Now note the pubescent (hairy) sepals that cover each unopened bud, in the photo below. In the Ohio Spiderwort, the sepals are hairless, but the stamens are very hairy.  The western spiderwort has sepals that are nearly hairless, thought with a few glandular hairs, and hairy stamens.  By that definition this specimen, with its numerous glandular hairs on each sepal, is neither species--methinks...

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Archives of previous walks in the park: 12 May 2007,  05 May 2007; 28 April 2007, 21 April 2007, 14 April 2007,  1 April 2007 Easter Egg Hunt; 24 March 2007,  17 March 2007; Nov. 03, 2001; April 04, 2001; March 25, 15, 10-11, 04, 2001; February 24,  18, 10, 2001

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