Spring Ephemerals by Chris Benda

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1. Which of the following species blooms in the spring?

a. Violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea)

46.3%

b. Yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

10.0%

c. Common sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella)

1.3%

d. All of the above

42.4%

2. Which of the following early flowering species exhibits thermogenesis?

a. Harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa)

5.2%

b. Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)

79.0%

c. Liverleaf (Hepatica acutiloba)

3.3%

d. Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

12.6%

3. Some spring ephemeral plants produce one leaf when sterile and two leaves when reproductive. This includes:

a. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)

7.4%

b. White trout lily (Erythronium albidum)

25.0%

c. Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)

32.9%

d. All of the above

34.7%

4. Which of the following plant species was used by indigenous people to treat toothaches?

a. Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata)

75.6%

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

2.3%

c. Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)

13.4%

d. All of the above

8.7%

5. Maroon colored flowers attract:

a. Bees

9.9%

b. Moths

15.7%

c. Flies

52.2%

d. Hummingbirds

22.2%

6. Which plant species produces seeds that are dispersed by ants?

a. Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

19.7%

b. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

27.2%

c. Yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum)

9.2%

d. All of the above

44.0%

7. Which of the following Trillium species have sepals that point downward?

a. Green trillium (Trillium viride)

9.9%

b. Purple trillium (Trillium recurvatum)

55.6%

c. Sessile trillium (Trillium sessile)

13.0%

d. White trillium (Trillium flexipes)

21.4%

8. What is the earliest flowering milkweed in Illinois?

a. Horsetail milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

26.6%

b. Poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)

22.6%

c. Four-leaf milkweed (Asclepias quadriflora)

29.9%

d. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

20.9%

9. Which of the following early flowering plants are eudicots, but have flower parts in groups of three?

a. Wild ginger (Asarum canadense)

19.8%

b. Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

6.4%

c. Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

19.1%

d. All of the above

54.6%

10. Which of the following is an early flowering plant with pretty flowers that grows in calcareous fens?

a. Cattails (Typha spp.)

8.3%

b. Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)

53.5%

c. Blue flag iris (Iris shrevei)

24.9%

d. False rue anemone (Enemion biternatum)

13.3%

11. Plants with mottled leaves that flower in the spring are in the genus:

a. Hydrophyllum (waterleaf)

82.8%

b. Ranunculus (buttercup)

1.8%

c. Viola (Violet)

4.0%

d. All of the above

11.4%

12. Myrmecochory is the term for dispersal of seeds via:

a. Wind

13.4%

b. Mammals

30.0%

c. Ants

55.0%

d. Bees

1.6%

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