Panicum virgatum (switch grass) [Poaceae or Gramineae, Grass Family]
Parthenium integrifolium (wild quinine or American feverfew) [Asteraceae or Compositae, Sunflower Family]
Pastinaca sativa (wild parsnip) [Apiaceae or Umbelliferae, Carrot Family] — NOT native to Illinois
- habit of plant in flower; prairie restoration, Meadowbrook Park, Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois
- habit; same locality
- dermatitis caused by wild parsnip
- pinnately compund leaf; prairie restoration, Meadowbrook Park, Urbana, Champaign County, Illinois
- closeup of leaf; same locality
- closeup of two leaflets; same locality
- inflorescence, a compound umbel; same locality
- inflorescence; same locality
- closeup of inflorescence; same locality
- macro of inflorescence and flowers; vacant lot, Champaign, Illinois
- young fruit; same locality
- habit of plant in fruit; Loda Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve, Iroquois County, Illinois
- cluster of mature fruits; same locality
- Click here for a distribution map in Illinois from the Illinois Plant Information Network
Pedicularis canadensis (Canada lousewort or wood betony) [Scrophulariaceae, Figwort Family]
- habitat ; near Kempton, Ford County, Illinois
- habit of plant in flower; Revis Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, Mason County, Illinois
- habit of plant with reddish leaves; Hunting Branch, Pope County, Illinois — the amount of red pigment in the leaves varies considerably; these plants growing in an open woodland in southern Illinois have abundant red pigment
- closer view of plant; same locality
- leaves; Revis Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, Mason County, Illinois
- inflorescence; Boyd Prairie, east of Baldwin City, Douglas County, Kansas
- closeup of inflorescence from above; same locality — note the graceful spiral
- macro of flower; ; Prospect Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve, Ford County, Illinois
- habit of plant in fruit; Revis Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, Mason County, Illinois
- another fruiting plant; Gensburg-Markham Prairie Nature Preserve, Cook County, Illinois
- macro of fruits
- Click here for a distribution map in Illinois from the Illinois Plant Information Network
Pedicularis lanceolata (swamp wood betony or swamp lousewort) [Scrophulariaceae, Figwort Family]
Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardstongue) [Scrophulariaceae, Figwort Family]
Penstemon pallidus (pale beardstongue) [Scrophulariaceae, Figwort Family]
Petalostemum= Dalea (prairie clover)
- Petalostemum candidum = Dalea candida
- Petalostemum foliosum = Dalea foliosa
- Petalostemum purpureum = Dalea purpurea
Phlox bifida (cleft or sand phlox) [Polemoniaceae, Phlox Family]
Phlox glaberrima var. interior (marsh or smooth phlox) [Polemoniaceae, Phlox Family]
Phlox pilosa (downy or prairie phlox) [Polemoniaceae, Phlox Family]
Phlox pilosa subspecies sangamonensis (Sangamon phlox) [Polemoniaceae, Phlox Family] — listed as ENDANGERED in Illinois
- habitat; along Illinois Route 150 just west of Mahomet, Champaign County, Illinois
- habit of plant in flower; floodplain of the Sangamon River, Piatt County, Illinois
- inflorescence; same locality — in Sangamon phlox, the stems, leaves, and sepals are glabrous (lack hairs)
- Click here for a distribution map in Illinois from the Illinois Plant Information Network
Physostegia virginiana (obedient plant or false dragonhead) [Lamiaceae or Labiatae, Mint Family]
- habitat; Shoe Factory Road Prairie Nature Preserve, Cook County, Illinois
- habitat; same locality
- habit of plant in flower; Bonnie's Prairie Nature Preserve, Iroquois County, Illinois
- another habit image; Shoe Factory Road Prairie Nature Preserve, Cook County, Illinois
- one more plant; Paintbrush Prairie Nature Preserve, Cook County, Illinois
- inflorescence; Bonnie's Prairie Nature Preserve, Iroquois County, Illinois
- another inflorescence; Grant Creek Prairie Nature Preserve, Will County, Illinois
- another inflorescence; Shoe Factory Road Prairie Nature Preserve, Cook County, Illinois
- macro of inflorescence; Bonnie's Prairie Nature Preserve, Iroquois County, Illinois
- macro of flower split open longitudinally; same locality
- macro of flower showing ovary and large yellow nectar gland; same locality
- habit of plant in fruit; Shoe Factory Road Prairie Nature Preserve, Cook County, Illinois
- macro of fruits; the sepals are persistent and enclose the fruits
- macro of fruits, the sepal cup split open to show the small nutlets ("seeds") inside
- Click here for a distribution map in Illinois from the Illinois Plant Information Network
Platanthera leucophaea or Habenaria leucophaea (prairie white fringed orchid) [Orchidaceae, Orchid Family] — listed as ENDANGERED in Illinois and THREATENED in the United States
Poinsettia dentata or Euphorbia dentata (wild poinsettia or toothed spurge) Euphorbiaceae, Spruge Family]
Poinsettia cyathophora or Euphorbia heterophylla (wild poinsettia or Mexican fireplant) Euphorbiaceae, Spruge Family]
Polygala polygama (purple milkwort) [Polygonaceae, Milkwort Family]
Polygana sanguinea (field milkwort) [Polygonaceae, Milkwort Family]
Polygala verticillata (whorled milkwort) [Polygonaceae, Milkwort Family]
Potentilla anserina or Argentina anserina ( silverweed or silverweed cinquefoil) [Rosaceae, Rose Family]
— In Illinois, this species is usually found along sandy beaches near Lake Michigan
Potentilla argentea (silvery cinquefoil) [Rosaceae, Rose Family] — NOT native to Illinois; in Illinois often found in disturbed sandy areas
Potentilla arguta (prairie or tall cinquefoil) [Rosaceae, Rose Family]
- habit of plant in flower; Manito Prairie Nature Preserve, Tazewell County, Illinois
- habit; Weston Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve, McLean County, Illinois
- habit; Chicago Botanic Garden, prairie restoration, Cook County, Illinois
- pinnately compound leaves; same locality
- inflorescence; Manito Prairie Nature Preserve, Tazewell County, Illinois
- inflorescence; Weston Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve, McLean County, Illinois
- flower; same locality
- macro of flower; same locality
- macro of flower; same locality
- flower in longitudinal section; same locality
- habit of plant in fruit; Nachusa Grassland, Lee County, Illinois
- macro of fruits
- macro of fruits
- achenes or "seeds"
- Click here for a distribution map in Illinois from the Illinois Plant Information Network
Potentilla fruticosa or Dasiphora fruticosa(shrubby cinquefoil) [Rosaceae, Rose Family] ‐ In Illinois, this species is found in calcareous habitats, which can be dry to wet
- habit of plant in flower; growing on bare limestone cliff, Apple River Canyon State Park, Jo Daviess County, Illinois
- habit of plant growing in sand swales; North Dunes Nature Preserve, Lake County, Illinois
- habit of plant in flower in a fen; Turner Lake Fen Nature Preserve, Lake County, Illinois
- flowers and leaves; Illinois Beach State Park, Lake County, Illinois — the leaves are pinnately compound with mostly 5 entire leaflets
- closeup of flowers; same location
- macro of achenes, which are covered with long hairs
- Click here for a distribution map in Illinois from the Illinois Plant Information Network
Potentilla palustis or Comarum palustre ( marsh cinquefoil or purple marshlocks) [Rosaceae, Rose Family] — not a prairie plant, but a fascinating cinquefoil with purple-brown flowers that in Illinois only occurs in bogs
Potentilla recta (sulphur cinquefoil) [Rosaceae, Rose Family] — NOT native to Illinois, introduced from Europe
Potentilla simplex (common or old field cinquefoil) [Rosaceae, Rose Family]
Potentilla tridentata or Sibbaldiopsis tridentata( three-toothed cinquefoil) [Rosaceae, Rose Family] — not a prairie plant and not found in the wild in Illinois since 1895, but common farther north and east
Prenanthes aspera (rough white lettuce or rough rattlesnakeroot) [Asteraceae / Compositae, Sunflower Family]
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium or Gnaphalium (sweet everlasting or old-field balsam) [Asteraceae or Compositae, Sunflower Family]
Psoralea tenuiflorum or Psoralidium tenuiflorum (slimflower scurf-pea) [Fabaceae / Leguminosae, Legume Family]
Pulsatilla patens or Anemone patens (Pasque flower) [Ranunculaceae, Buttercup Family]
Alphabetical by Genus:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Back to the start of Images of Prairie Plants
Back to The Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois
Ken Robertson's homepage
Created November 1997; updated 25 October 2004