Vascular Plants

Family Araceae Green Dragon (Arisaema dracontium) A single horseshoe-shaped leaf, with 7-15 leaflets radiating out. The hooded flower supposedly looks like a dragon with a long tongue. Tight cluster of red fruit. Found commonly in the flood plain area of Acadiana Nature Park. The root may be edible, but only after drying and aging for months. Fresh plants should not be ingested. The Chinese have historically used related species as a local anesthetic and for treating epilepsy and paralysis. The fruit and leaves are sometimes eaten by wildlife, such as wood thrushes.

Family Bromeliaceae
Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides). This epiphytic plant gathers its nutrients and water from the air around it, thus making its very susceptible to environmental pollution. It lives on the shady branches of many trees or wires and is widely distributed in the southeastern region, from swamp to upland. The flowers are about 1/4 inch in diameter and are emerald green with three petals. As a bromeliad, this plant is not really a moss but rather related to the pineapple. Has been used for making pillows and mattresses, but it contains red bugs.

Family Commelinaceae Broad-leaf Dayflower (Commelina virginica) - This perennial species is easily identified by its flowers, consisting of two larger blue petals and a third smaller petal in a terminal cluster, blooming all summer and fall. They prefer open, sandy habitat. Its seeds are eaten by Mourning Doves, Quail, and several kinds of songbirds. In China, where it originates, a tea is used to treat sore throats, or for its cooling, detoxifying, or diuretic properties.

Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohioensis) - These less-than-one-inch purple flowers are found blooming from March until late spring. Here in the Nature Station, these perennial herbs are found in sunny, open areas, mixed in with grasses, sedges, and other herbaceous plants. American Indians used the root in a tea to treat kidney and stomach and as a laxative. They would also make a poultice by smashing the leaves to treat insect bites or stings.

Family Cyperaceae
Caric Sedge (Carex sp.); several species, as yet undetermined. There are 125 species in this area, and it is very difficult to tell them apart. The seeds are an important food source for wildlife, including waterfowl like teals and rails, and songbirds like sparrows, cardinals, and finches. Sedges also provide dense cover for nesting. 

Family Iridaceae
Short-stem Iris (Iris brevicaulis) - stem is about two feet tall, with a zig-zag growing pattern. Grows in low wet areas, with deep blue to purple flowers. Slender rhizomes propagate the species.

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium sp.); a couple of species (undetermined) - A native grass making small blue flowers in the spring. Found on the lawn in the prairie terrace area of Acadiana Nature Park. American Indians made root tea for diarrhea and leaf tea for stomachaches.

Family Lemnaceae
Duckweed (Lemna aequinoctialis) - an extremely aggressive aquatic plant, lacking any distinct stem or leaves. Its masses will fill water surfaces in the open or shade and can potentially chokes out other aquatic life. It covers the waterways in the Acadiana Nature Park in the summer. It fills an important role in our waterways by providing food for waterfowl and small mammals.