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What's blooming in your back yard?
BY CYNTHIA COLEMAN • STAFF WRITER
 | | Atop the western slope of Warm Springs Mountain on the Bear Loop Trail, a bright, white grouping of Tassel-rue was spotted in the shadows of the woodland surrounding it. This native wildflower is in the Buttercup family and is often called Carolina bugbane. (Recorder photo by Cynthia B. Coleman) |
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WARM SPRINGS MOUNTAIN - Near the end of the Bear Loop trail, some of which overlooks the Ashwood area, the path drops down into a thick, lush woodland. On the western side of the mountain slope, before the loop ties off into one dirt road again, a bright spot was spotted in the shadows, as a mass of white clustered foamy flowers on sturdy stalks lit up the shade.
The flower was quickly identified and photos snapped. But later, upon closer examination of the photos with those in wild flower identification books, the first identification was found to be incorrect and the wildflowers books did not clearly show any other type of flower similar to the one seen and photographed.
Serious stalkers of wildflowers will carry into the wild a backpack of many books or else a deep reservoir of knowledge held in memory. This time, however, neither the books nor memory served to make the correct identification.
In this day and time of computers and the Internet, more help is at hand and several sites and forums exist to help make correct identifications. From a plant and tree identification forum on the site of Dave's Garden, members (there is no fee, just a sign-up with a user name and password) can ask for help to identify any type of flora and can upload photos to help with the identification.
Only one member responded to the flower in question query, but with the perfect link to an Internet page where many photos of the flower were shown along with the botanical name: Trautvetteria caroliniensis. Common names of this plant are Tassel-rue, Falsebugbane and Carolina bugbane. One look at both the flowers and the leaves made the correct identification a sure bet.
Confusing this flower with another is easy as the flowers are similar but the leaves are not and there lies the problem. Many wildflower books show the flower and perhaps its fruit but do not give good images of its stalk or leaves, both of which are often crucial in making the correct identification.
The Tassel-rue's leaves were hidden below other low lying plants and were not easily seen, until a close-up photo of the flower was taken. In the photo the leaves are a bit out of focus but still distinctive. They are large and palmshape with thick, deep finger-like lobes. Along with the distinctive tassel-like flower, the description of the leaves gives no doubt to the identity of this wildflower.
The Tassel-rue, a member of the Buttercup or Ranunculaceae family, is a native plant of the southeast and is found in wetland areas or is an indicator of a wetland area. It is also rare and in many areas has the status of being threatened or endangered. The Tassel-rue has been used medicinally for the treatment of boils, as the roots were pounded to a pulp to make a poultice that was applied to the affected skin.
The quest to identify the Tasselrue is a good reminder to use many sources to check on the identity of plants and trees as many share similar features and it is easy to confuse one with another. Carrying a small camera on a hike helps, but it is necessary to capture not only images of the lovely flowers but the stem or stalk and the leaves. Sometimes leaves are not pinned along the stalk or stems but hug the ground, so be sure to carefully clear the debris around the base of a plant if the leaves are not visible.
If your own personal knowledge or several books cannot help make the identification, then turn to the Internet as the ultimate source of world-wide information.
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