# Need help identifying flowers
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 15, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682 "2005-07-15T17:56:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/1 "2005-07-15T17:56:59Z")
In the past couple weeks some unusual (to us, anyway) flowers have bloomed on our property (southern NY state) and I have no idea what they are.
At first glance this: [Red Flower 1](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0710Image0049.jpg) [Red flower 2](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0710Image0050.jpg) almost looked like a larger wilder form of indian paintbrush.
Then there’s this: [White flower 1](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0710Image0052.jpg)[White flower 2](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0710Image0053.jpg) that we thought might be chamomile, but the flower looks more plush than the chamomile’s daisy-like flower. Sorry about the lack of focus.
Any ideas? Thanks.
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### Author:  [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/2 "2005-07-15T18:31:46Z")
Red Flower might be a type of chrysanthemum. White Flower looks like a variety of shasta daisy.
(These are guesses - not totally wild, but not Botanist Expert Level either.)
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/3 "2005-07-15T18:37:46Z")
The white flowers look rather like [fleabane](http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=Fleabane&sm=Yahoo%21+Search&fr=FP-tab-img-t&toggle=1&cop=&ei=UTF-8) to me. They look more like [chamomile](http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=Chamomile&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-img-t&fl=0&x=wrt) to me though.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/4 "2005-07-15T18:55:14Z")
> [@mack](#):
>
> At first glance this: [Red Flower 1](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0710Image0049.jpg) [Red flower 2](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0710Image0050.jpg) almost looked like a larger wilder form of indian paintbrush.
The red one is [Red Bergamot](http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/design/handbooks/herbgarden/images/herbgarden_45.jpg)
I’m still working on the other.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/5 "2005-07-15T18:56:02Z")
Red flower might be monarda (bee balm).
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/6 "2005-07-15T18:59:49Z")
I found some pictures of a plant nicknamed “scentless chamomile”. You can see it on [this](http://www.sarahshriver.sunnisan.com/flwrs/wild029.html) page. Does your plant have a scent, **mack**?
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/7 "2005-07-15T19:01:15Z")
Cursor down on [this page](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.intrinsicperennialgardens.com/2004_perennials/Monarda%2520%27Jacob%2520Kline%27.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.intrinsicperennialgardens.com/perennial_gallery_pages/pm.htm&h=400&w=300&sz=182&tbnid=xTs2OreZazgJ:&tbnh=120&tbnw=90&hl=en&start=9&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmonarda%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3Durl=) to see monarda.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/8 "2005-07-15T19:04:11Z")
> [@mack](#):
>
> Then there’s this: [White flower 1](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0710Image0052.jpg)[White flower 2](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0710Image0053.jpg) that we thought might be chamomile, but the flower looks more plush than the chamomile’s daisy-like flower. Sorry about the lack of focus.
The white one I believe is [Pearly Everlasting](http://itd.idaho.gov/highways/ops/maintenance/images/Wild1/AnaphalisMargaritacea.jpg%5B/url)
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/9 "2005-07-15T19:05:42Z")
Your most recent link doesn’t work, **Colibri**.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/10 "2005-07-15T19:11:52Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Red flower might be monarda (bee balm).
Monarda is the same as [Red Bergamot (_Monarda didyma_)](http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/BERGAMOT.html), aka Bee Balm, Oswego Tea, etc.
Regarding the white flowers, I believe the petals are too short for it to be either chamomile or scentless chamomile.
Here’s another link for [Pearly Everlasting](http://www.zeutschergarten.de/anaphalis.jpg) _Anaphalis margaritacea_
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/11 "2005-07-15T19:21:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Monarda is the same as [Red Bergamot (_Monarda didyma_)](http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/BERGAMOT.html), aka Bee Balm, Oswego Tea, etc.
Learn something every day!
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/12 "2005-07-15T19:22:03Z")
I’m not entirely sure about the Pearly Everlasting, since I can’t tell if the leaves in **mack’s** photos belong to the flowers or not. If so, it must be something else, since Pearly Everlasting has narrow rather fuzzy leaves/
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/13 "2005-07-15T19:25:40Z")
[This image](http://members.aol.com/skkato1/PearlyE.html) shows Pearly Everlasting leaves.
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### Author:  [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/14 "2005-07-15T20:59:06Z")
Thanks for the feedback so far!
I think we have the red one nailed. I’m still not sure about the white. The petals of fleabane look to be too narrow, as do the leaves of the Pearly Everlasting.
There’s really no scent to speak of, but the chamomile flower’s petals seem to be more sparse. Maybe it’s a mutant scentless chamomile.
Here are two more shots hot off the card: [size](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0715Image0056.jpg)[Leaf](http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/app_j_m/2005_0715Image0057.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/15 "2005-07-15T21:03:24Z")
Ok, with that leaf I’m pretty sure it’s none of the candidates named so far.
Back to the field guides.
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### Author:  [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/16 "2005-07-15T21:26:14Z")
Definitely not fleabane. Looks like something in compositae. back soon.
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/17 "2005-07-15T22:19:10Z")
Could it possibly be [poison hemlock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conium)?! (The leaves looked to be in the parsely family, so I started pulling up memebers of that family…)
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/18 "2005-07-15T22:20:13Z")
Strike that, no purple on the stem, back to searching.
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/19 "2005-07-15T22:26:06Z")
Have the experts looked at both German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)?
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-identifying-flowers/312682/20 "2005-07-15T22:44:15Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#):
>
> Could it possibly be [poison hemlock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conium)?! (The leaves looked to be in the parsely family, so I started pulling up memebers of that family…)
It’s definitely a composite, family Asteraceae, and probably in the subfamily of either the everlastings or the chamomiles.
> [@](#):
>
> German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
I don’t think so. I checked photos, and in both of those the petals are too long, and the leaves are too thin (although they are divided).
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