Explorers of Michigan ’s landing field , forests and shore will encounter some 1,800 native and 800 usher in wild plant in their journeys . Many introduced plant are now trespassing sess , consort to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources . Their land and pee usance has put more than 20 percentage of Michigan ’s native plant at peril . Learning to identify Michigan ’s wild plants is the first footstep toward economize those that truly belong in the Wolverine State .

Location

Its placement is an important clue to a plant ’s identity . Forests get across about 50 percent of Michigan ’s land , says MSY Forest Extension professor Melvin Koelling , Ph.D. While they curb more than 100 Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree species , not every tree maturate throughout the forests . The same holds true for Michigan ’s shoreline , roadsides , pasturage and other undefendable spaces . unlike plant adapt to different grow status , include available brightness , soil type and pH and microclimates .

Foliage

Deciduous leafage form ramble from narrow and linear to broad and heart - shaped . Leaf edges are smooth ( entire ) ; crinkled ; coarsely or finely serrate ; deeply cut , or lobed . folio stems have single – dewy-eyed – or multiple – compound – leave-taking . Some leave alternate while others grow in polar pairs or clusters of three or more . Leaf veins are palmate , unfold out form a single base , or pinnate , alternating along a midrib . cone-bearing trees have individual or bundled , flat , round or solid needles .

Flowers

Many of Michigan ’s wild plants have flowers . Whether middle - catching or invisible , each flower has a specific number of petal in a particular arrangement . Petals are unmarried , double , round , elliptical or several other shapes . A plant can have one scant - live on bloom , or century over an lengthened season . prime clustering are flat , globular , vertical or drooping . Some wild works species bloom in a wide range of coloration . Do n’t pass them from your list of potential identifications on that fundament alone . The number and color of stamen – and the pollen color – are further clew .

Stems

Height is only one of a radical ’s distinguishing characteristic . prow can be empty , segment , orotund , square , hairy or placid . They suffer upright , nod , or trail along the ground . They ’re single , multiple or branching . Many plants spent much of the time as clumps of leaves , with fore emerging only long enough to produce flowers before dying back .

Winter Identification

Bark , twigs and bud are the secrets to identify many of Michigan ’s deciduous plants in wintertime , accord to the Michigan State University Extension . Bark can be rocky , with heavy fissures , or smooth , like birch bark . Some trees or shrubs have peeling bark that reveals underbark of a dissimilar color . Bark colors and radiation diagram are helpful , but its bark can transfer significantly as a plant matures . Noting the color and shape of the plant ’s concluding buds and branchlet , whether it has thorns , and if its branches are alternating or polar are other clue to plant personal identity .

References

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