# Any help with wildflower ID? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625 "2011-05-03T21:14:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/1 "2011-05-03T21:14:25Z")
I’m usually fairly good at keying out plants and wildflowers. But I’ve come across a little plant that has me stumped. I’ve tried Newcomb’s, Audubon, Peterson, etc. , and the web. Nada. I found this little guy in moist woods today in one of the forest perseves of north Cook County, IL. Three tiny pointed petals, maybe three sepals, on a single stalk, all of about 1/8" across. Deeply divided leaflets. Anyone have an idea? Here are a few pictures: [https://picasaweb.google.com/heresthepictures/TinyWildflowerAtHarmsWoods5311?authkey=Gv1sRgCJn\_v4nJnpi0Fw#](https://picasaweb.google.com/heresthepictures/TinyWildflowerAtHarmsWoods5311?authkey=Gv1sRgCJn_v4nJnpi0Fw#) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/2 "2011-05-03T21:40:00Z")
That IS a tiny little guy! Did you happen to see any seed pods to help with identification? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/3 "2011-05-03T22:24:43Z")
I have nothing right now. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/4 "2011-05-03T22:43:12Z")
It’s [False Mermaid](http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/fs_mermaid.htm), Foerkea proserpinacoides. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/5 "2011-05-03T22:52:50Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It’s [False Mermaid](http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/fs_mermaid.htm), Foerkea proserpinacoides. Wow. Good call, jayjay and good eye to spot such a tiny beauty, CC. I’ve been burrowing through the tedious Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas for nearly an hour with no accurate results so far. Now I’m free to throw some dinner on 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/6 "2011-05-03T23:09:22Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > Wow. Good call, jayjay and good eye to spot such a tiny beauty, CC. I’ve been burrowing through the tedious Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas for nearly an hour with no accurate results so far. Now I’m free to throw some dinner on 🙂 If the OP hadn’t given a location, I’d probably never have found it. Just googling “wildflowers IL” gave me that site, and a little digging in “woodland wildflowers” got me the actual page. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/7 "2011-05-03T23:20:16Z")
Oh, man. Nice find. I’ll remember that route from now on. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/8 "2011-05-04T03:54:47Z")
I’m so glad I came back too late to say Floerkea proserpinacoides or False Mermaid. That’s what I get for taking a nap. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/9 "2011-05-05T15:07:39Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > If the OP hadn’t given a location, I’d probably never have found it. Just googling “wildflowers IL” gave me that site, and a little digging in “woodland wildflowers” got me the actual page. Apparently, “a little digging” means looking at every listing until you get to the matching plant. That’s more than just a little digging, but I appreciate your efforts. I’d really like to get a thorough plant key that I could use for the area, since I keep coming upon plants that I can’t ID. I’ll keep looking. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-help-with-wildflower-id/580625/10 "2011-05-05T15:16:54Z")
> [@CC](#): > > Apparently, “a little digging” means looking at every listing until you get to the matching plant. That’s more than just a little digging, but I appreciate your efforts. I’d really like to get a thorough plant key that I could use for the area, since I keep coming upon plants that I can’t ID. I’ll keep looking. Thanks again. Well, yeah, but you get to skip the ones whose names you can put to a mental image of the actual plant, so it wasn’t THAT bad.