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- All other flowering non-woody plants
- All other herbaceous, flowering dicots
- Valerianella locusta
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
See Also
Lamb's lettuceIs Corn Good for You? Nutrition Facts and MoreCorn Salad CHEFIN Australia •6 Food Items you Should not Eat RawNon-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
European corn-salad is native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia, and has been grown in European kitchen gardens for several centuries. Cultivars are also grown commercially as salad greens. Corn-salad occasionally escapes cultivation in North America, and can become weedy in grain crops.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Flower petal color
-
- blue to purple
- white
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaf arrangement
- opposite: there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Fusion of sepals and petals
- the petals or the sepals are fused into a cup or tube
- Stamen number
- 3
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit length
- 2–4 mm
Show all characteristics
-
Clonal plantlets
- Bulbils
- the plant does not appear to have bulbils
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
-
Flowers
- Anther opening
- the anthers have narrow slits or furrows that run lengthwise along the anthers
- Anther spurs
- the anthers do not have spurs on them
- Calyx symmetry
- NA
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Cleistogamous flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on the plan
- Corolla palate
- no
- Corona lobe length
- 0 mm
- Epicalyx
- the flower does not have an epicalyx
- Epicalyx number of parts
- 0
- Filament surface
- the filament is smooth, with no hairs or scales
- Flower description
- the flower has an inferior ovary, with or without a hypanthium
- Flower petal color
-
- blue to purple
- white
- Flower symmetry
- there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
- Flowers sunken into stem
- no
- Form of style
-
- the style is lobed at the tip, and unbranched
- the style is unbranched, but it has two or more narrow appendages that are part of the stigma
- Fusion of sepals and petals
- the petals or the sepals are fused into a cup or tube
- Horns in hoods (Asclepias)
- NA
- Hypanthium
- the flower does not have a hypanthium
- Inflorescence one-sided
- the flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches, or occur singly, or in several ranks
- Inner tepals (Rumex)
- NA
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Ovary position
- the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes only one cycle of petals or sepals
- Petal and sepal colors
-
- blue to purple
- white
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal folds or pleats
- the petals of the flower do not have folds or plaits
- Petal hairs (Viola)
- NA
- Petal number
- 5
- Petal tips (Cuscuta)
- NA
- Reproductive system
- all the flowers have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
- Scales inside corolla
- no
- Sepal and petal color
- NA
- Sepal appendages
- the sepals do not have appendages on them
- Sepal appendages (Oenothera)
- NA
- Sepal number
- 0
- Stamen attachment
- the stamens are attached at or near the bases of the petals or tepals
- Stamen number
- 3
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Staminodes
- there are no staminodes on the flower
- Umbel flower reproductive parts
- NA
- Upper lip of bilabiate corolla
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene surface (Polygonum)
- NA
- Berry color
- NA
- Capsule color (Viola)
- NA
- Capsule ribs
- NA
- Capsule splitting
- NA
- Fruit (pyxis) dehiscence
- NA
- Fruit features (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Fruit length
- 2–4 mm
- Fruit locules
- three
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, usually one-seeded, does not separate or split open at maturity)
- Legumes (Fabaceae)
- NA
- Mericarp length
- 0 mm
- Mericarp segment shape (Desmodium)
- NA
- Other markings on berry
- NA
- Ovary stipe
- the ovary or fruit does not have a stipe
- Placenta arrangement
- the plant has apical placentation, where one or a few ovules develop at the top of a simple or compound ovary
- Rows of seeds in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit compression
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit segments
- 0
- Septum in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- the fruit does not have wings on it
- prickles on fruits
- the fruits do not have thorn-like defensive structures
-
Glands or sap
- Glands on leaf blade
- the leaf blades do not have glandular dots or scales
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
- Sap color
- the sap is clear
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
- Parasitism
- the plant is not parasitic
- Plant color
- the leaves or young stems of the plant are green
- Plants darken when dry
- no
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
-
Leaves
- Bracteole number (Apiaceae)
- 0
- Bracts in plantain (Plantago)
- NA
- Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)
- 0 mm
- Final leaf segment length to width ratio (compound lvs only)
- 0
- Hairs on underside of leaf
-
- the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or it has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- opposite: there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade base
-
- the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
- the leaf has no stalk
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- Leaf blade length
- 10–70 mm
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
- the leaf blade is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- the leaf blade is spatulate (spoon-shaped; narrow near the base, then suddenly widening to a rounded tip)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they whither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf form
- the leaves are green, with an expanded blade and a leaf-like texture
- Leaf spines
- there are no spines on the leaf edges
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaflet petiolules
- NA
- Leaves per node
- there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Pinnately compound leaf type
- NA
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Stipels
- NA
- Stipule features
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on the plant
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the plant does not have much of a smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Branched tendrils
- NA
- Hairs between stem nodes
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
- Hooked hairs on stem between nodes
- no
- Leaves on stem
- there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem
- Plant height
- 10–40 cm
- Tendril origin
- NA
- Tendrils
- the plant does not have tendrils
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- absent
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
None
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Valerianella radiata:
- fertile locule of fruit lacking a corky mass on the abaxial surface and corolla 3-4 mm long (vs. V. locusta, with fertile locule of fruit conspicuously thickened by a corky mass on the abaxial and corolla 1-2 mm long).
- Valerianella umbilicata:
- fertile locule of fruit lacking a corky mass on the abaxial surface and cymules with lanceolate or oblanceolate outer bractlets and usually eciliate inner bractlets or these sometimes with cilia near apex (vs. V. locusta, with fertile locule of fruit conspicuously thickened by a corky mass on the abaxial and cymules with spatulate outer bractlets and spinulose-ciliate inner bractlets).
Synonyms
- Valerianella olitoria (L.) Pollich
Family
Caprifoliaceae
Genus
Valerianella
Help
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
1. Valerianella locusta (L.) Lat. E
European corn-salad. Valerianella olitoria (L.) Pollich • CT, me; also reported from MA and VT by Hultén and Fries (1986), but specimens are unknown. Fields, pastures, river banks, and other open, often disturbed sites.
