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Kentucky Plant
Life - Native Shrubs
The general difference between a
shrub (or bush) and a tree is height of the mature plant. A number of
plants can be shrubs or trees, depending on the environment. Generally,
perennial woody plants that do not grow taller than 15 feet (4.5
meters), are termed "shrubs". Another recognizable difference is in the
anatomy and appearance of the stem or trunk. A tree normally grows from
one upright stem or trunk. On the other hand, a shrub can have multiple
trunks, branching out from just above the ground. Kentucky native shrubs
include both deciduous
and evergreen
varieties.
Common native shrubs of Kentucky include:
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Members of the Heath Family:
Flame Azalea and Sandmyrtle
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Members of the Holly Family:
American Holly, Mountain Winterberry, Swamp Holly, and
Winterberry.
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Members of the Honeysuckle
Family: Coralberry, Elderberry, Hobblebush and Mapleleaf
Viburnum
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Members of the Rose Family:
Downy Serviceberry and Smooth Serviceberry.
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Members of the Sumac Family:
Fragrant Sumac, Smooth Sumac, Staghorn Sumac, and Winged
Sumac.
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The Wild Hydrangea and
Eastern Red Cedar, are also native shrub species found in the
Commonwealth.
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Some sources list
members of the Horse-Chestnut Family, including the Ohio
Buckeye, as shrubs.
Sandmyrtle
Photo by Paul Durr - Used with
permission of the University
of Tennessee Herbarium
The Sandmyrtle is a member of the Heath
Family. This plant can live in a variety of growing conditions but
flourishes best in cool moist soil and part shade. An evergreen
shrub, it produces pinkish-white flowers, (as shown in the picture
above), in late spring and generally grows to about 18 in. (45 cm)
tall.
Elderberry Shrub and the Fruit
of the Elderberry
Photos Copyright Steven J.
Baskauf, Vanderbilt University. Used with permission. (Vanderbilt
University Bioimages.)
The Elderberry or Common Elder is
native to a large part of the eastern United States, including Kentucky.
This deciduous
shrub prefers a sunny location and grows to 10 feet (3 meters) or more
in a variety of soils. In summer its flowers are large white corymbs,
(pictured above left), and in the autumn, purple-black berries are
produced in sagging clusters. All parts of the Elderberry are poisonous
except the berries which are used for jellies, in winemaking and
medicinal products.
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Photo by Ted Bodner, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / James H.
Miller and Karl V. Miller. 2005. Forest plants of the southeast
and their wildlife uses. University of Georgia Press., Athens.
Used with permission
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Smooth Sumac Smooth Sumac, (pictured at left), is a
spreading, bushy, deciduous
shrub, that can reach heights of 10 feet or more (3 meters) under
optimal growing conditions. It bears panicles
of small green flowers in late spring/early summer, followed by
larger panicles
of crimson red berries on female plants that remain throughout the
winter. |
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON A
VARIETY OF PLANTS:
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KSNPC Rare Plants Database
Kentucky State Nature
Preserves Commission provides a searchable database where you can
search by "common name", "scientific name", your "county name" or
get a listing for statewide rare plants. |
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USDA
PLANTS DATABASE
You can search by scientific or common
name, or do a state search and see a listing of plants in your
state. There are over 30,000 images of plants, and a wealth of
knowledge available on this site. |
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Plant Facts is a huge interactive data base with photos
and videos produced and maintained by The Ohio State University.
Their web site says they have: "merged several digital collections
developed at Ohio State University to become an international
knowledge bank and multimedia learning
center" |
Plants - Puzzles and Games
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