Yellow Wildflowers of the Eastern US Quiz

Answer: coltsfoot

Coltsfoot blossoms really do resemble dandelions, so it's fun to show off one's botanical knowledge by pointing out they're not, most obviously because they lack dandelions' toothed leaves, but the flowers look somewhat different in the center too. Come back a few weeks later and the flowers are gone, but the large rounded leaves with a few rough edges have appeared in clumps. Native to Europe originally, coltsfoot has been used by herbalists to treat coughs, but the discovery that it can cause liver damage cut back on that practice.

Answer: bellwort

Bellwort, or uvularia, is difficult to see from a distance, because its pale yellow color blends with the green leaves, and the downward hanging aspect is unusual in flowers. It grows in shady, moist woodlands and comes in five species, which overlap where they grow and vary mainly in size and minor details. Some of the petals are twisted, creating less of a neatly round bell shape.

Answer: black-eyed susan

There are other names: brown-eyed susan, yellow daisy, brown betty, and more. The plant is a native wildflower in the eastern and central U.S., but it has been bred for gardens too, such as the commercial variety "Indian Summer." It is the state flower of Maryland. The Preakness, a triple-crown horserace held in Baltimore, Maryland in May, awards the winner a blanket of Viking Poms, cultivated chrysanthemums that look like black-eyed susans, because the real flowers won't be blooming until fall.

Answer: buttercup

Buttercups apparently taste terrible, so animals avoid them unless put on an overgrazed pasture with more buttercups than grass. The little flowers should be avoided by humans as well, because a lot of handling can cause contact dermatitis. Everyone's grandmother--well, mine at least--may insist that you go through a ritual, holding a buttercup bloom under your chin. If it reflects yellow, that means you like butter.

The superstition seems bound to work. The shiny blooms reflect the color easily, and who doesn't like butter? Well, some people probably don't, but then some blooms are probably not as shiny.

Answer: dandelion

How could I omit this ubiquitous yellow flower? It grows in lawns wherever the climate makes it possible to survive, which is most of the world now, though it started spreading out from Europe and Asia. The greens can be eaten, the roots roasted for coffee, and the flowers used in wine and other foods. Medicinally, dandelion is supposed to be good for the liver, and works as a diuretic.

Answer: jerusalem artichoke

One etymological theory says the name comes from girasole, Italian for sunflower, which was corrupted into Jerusalem, plus the roots' similarity in flavor to an artichoke. Jerusalem may have also come from pilgrims wanting to believe the New World would be like a new Jerusalem.

The plant was native to America, but has since been spread to Europe. It was eaten by native Americans long ago, and more recently by Europeans during the shortages of World War II, but despite several attempts to reintroduce it as a normal food, it has never become popular, perhaps because of the odd, bumpy brown appearance of the roots.

Answer: beggartick

The flowers are like small daisies, and they're numerous on a bush that can reach three feet tall in wet ditches or low-lying areas. Each bloom fades and develops into a thick cluster of seeds that are achemes with two barbs. They cling stubbornly to clothing and pet fur.

There are many variations among the species that cover eastern North America, but if you brush against any that are ready to have their seeds spread, they'll expect you to do the work for them.

Answer: evening primrose

Evening primroses unfurl their petals so quickly as dusk arrives that you can almost see them move. There are many related species that vary mildly. Like a few other flowers, they appear different under ultraviolet light, so apparently pollinators see a more vivid pattern than the plain yellow color we see.

The plant, including its oil, is promoted for various medicinal uses which have not been shown to hold up under scientific testing.

Answer: hop clover

The name probably comes from the clover's resemblance to a miniature hop plant, the ingredient that goes in beer. Yellow clovers can have smaller blooms and sprawl more than white or purple clovers, making them look like hops, especially as the yellow flowers fade to brown.

They were naturalized in the eastern U.S. as grazing plants, and took off on their own in roadsides and sunny waste places.

Answer: partridge pea

The partridge pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata, can also be called a sensitive plant, which confuses it with another plant more often given that name. The fronds really are fun to play with, because you can watch them close up from just a touch. The plant is related distantly to the pea, and the blooms turn to pods with seeds in them, but the partridge pea is poisonous to both people and grazing animals, despites its occasional use as a herbal medicine.