On First Looking into Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide

Keith and I first encountered Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide in an Indiana Master Naturalist class. We already owned several guides, but we were always looking for a better one, one that was comprehensive but still portable, definitive but easy for non-botanists to apply. Each time we encountered a new wildflower, we had to consult all of them just to make an educated guess. And it felt like a guess, given that most reputable guides are written for folks who already know the difference between an umbrel and a corymb and can translate the sometimes foreign language of botany. (“The plant produces an inflorescence on a short stalk and has leaves that are oblancelote and perfoliate.” What??!)

And then Phil Cox from Purdue Extension handed us a copy of Newcomb’s.

Newcomb’s is designed for anyone who can answer three questions about what makes a wildflower unique:

1. Flower Type: Is the flower irregular or regular, and if it’s regular, how many petals does it have?

The petals on an irregular flower vary in shape and size, while those on a regular flower do not. (Compare a violet, which has differently sized upper and lower “lips,” to a sunflower, which has a ray of equally sized petals.) In Newcomb’s system, petals range in number from 2 to 7 or more, or are indistinguishable, like those of a thistle or dock plant.

2. Plant Type: Where are the plant’s leaves located?

Some wildflowers have no leaves. Others have only basal leaves, which are located at the base of the plant. Still others have alternate leaves across from one another at step-like intervals, or leaves that are opposite (directly across) or whorled (circling the stem).

Note: At this point, you’ll also need to determine whether the plant really is a wildflower and not a shrub or a vine. Shrubs (think azalea) have a woody stem; vines (think Japanese Honeysuckle) have long stems that trail or climb.

3. Leaf Type: What kind of leaves does the plant have?

Again, it may have no leaves at all. Or the leaves may be entire (smooth-edged) or toothed (jagged or rounded), lobed (like a maple leaf), or divided (with leaflets like those on a clover, or very deep indentations).

The answer to each of these questions correlates to a number from 1 to 8. Each flower thus has a three-digit code, based on its flower type, plant type, and leaf type:

Flower Type

• 1 Irregular Flowers
• 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 Regular Parts
• 7 or More Regular Parts
• 8 Parts Indistinguishable

Plant Type

• 1 Wildflower with No Apparent Leaves
• 2 Wildflower with Basal Leaves Only
• 3 Wildflower with Alternate Leaves
• 4 Wildflower with Opposite or Whorled Leaves
• 5 Shrub
• 6 Vine

Leaf Type

• 1 No Apparent Leaves
• 2 Leaves Entire
• 3 Leaves Toothed or Lobed
• 4 Leaves Divided

Based on this system, the code for the common dandelion, for example, is 7-2-3. Here’s why:

The dandelion is a regular flower, made up of hundreds of individual “petals” that are all about the same shape, size, and color, so its flower type is 7 (“7 or More Regular Parts”). It has leaves only at the base of the plant, so its plant type is 2 (“Basal Leaves Only”). Last, its leaves typically are quite toothed, making its leaf type a 3 (“Leaves Toothed or Lobed”). In the Guide, you simply locate section 7 and turn the page until you find “Wildflowers with Basal Leaves Only” (2), and then “Leaves Toothed, Lobed or Divided” (3). And there she is on page 362: The Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).

Let’s use Newcomb’s system to identify some wildflowers that are blooming right now at the Perry Farm:

This wildflower is irregular: Instead of having petals of similar size and shape, it has two lobes on the upper “lip” of the flower and three on the bottom. So its flower type is 1 (“Irregular” Flowers”). Its leaves are alternate, not opposite or whorled, so its plant type is 3 (“Alternate Leaves”). Last, its leaves are toothed, so its leaf type also is 3 (“Leaves Toothed or Lobed”). This wildflower’s code thus is 1-3-3 (page 52). Its blue flowers grow right on the stem; unfurled, they are striped, blue and white. These additional details help us to identify this wildflower as Great Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica. (The wildflower’s name reflects its ancient use as a treatment for—you guessed it—veneral disease.)

The next plant resembles a sunflower, doesn’t it? If you count the petals on several flowers, you’ll see that each one has at least ten petals of similar shape and size. So this plant’s flower type is 7 (“7 or More Regular Parts”). Its leaves grow opposite one another on the stem, so its plant type is 4 (“Opposite or Whorled Leaves”). The leaves are slightly toothed, so the leaf type is 3. The code for this wildflower thus is 7-4-3 (page 388). But several flowers have the same code. To distinguish this one from others with these same characteristics, Newcomb’s asks us for some additional information. Do the plant’s leaves have two veins or only one vein (called a “midrib”)? You’re right—one! Did you notice that they also form a little cup where they come together at the stem? These clues lead us to a wildflower called (drum roll) the Cup Plant, Silphium perfolatium. (The Latin word “perfoliatum” describes a leaf that is pierced by its stem.)

You’re getting the hang of this! Let’s try one more.

The last flower has drooping, yellow petals of similar shape and size, so it also is regular. If you count petals, you’ll see that they vary (and fall off as you try to count them!) but typically number more than six. So its flower type also is 7 (“7 or More Regular Parts”). The leaves run alternately up the stem, so its plant type is 3 (“Alternate Leaves”). The leaves are slightly toothed, so its leaf type also is 3 (“Leaves Toothed or Lobed”). We have our code, 7-3-3 (page 370), but once again we need a little more information. Its flowers are more like those of a daisy than a dandelion, and its center is yellow, not brown. Notice that the plant also has darkish green wings growing out of its stem? So, yes, this 7-3-3 is Wingstem, Verbesina alternifolia. (Can you guess what its species name, “alternifolia,” means?)

I should point out that Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide includes only line drawings, most of them black and white, and so it may take some getting used to if you’re accustomed to guides that are organized by flower color and include glossy color photos. But photos depict flowers in various stages of bloom, light conditions, and colors, and so they may look nothing like the flower you’re trying to identify. Newcomb’s, in contrast, requires you to pay attention to the plants, not their photos. Like us, you’ll find that you remember wildflowers better when you’ve paid attention to their parts–counted their petals, touched their stems and leaves—and then reassembled them into a whole plant. That said, when it comes to wildflower identification, it’s always wise to get a second opinion. So use your existing guides to supplement Newcomb’s. Or consult a good website like Illinois Wildflowers.

Last, a word about the allusion in my title. “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” is a poem by John Keats that expresses the author’s appreciation for Chapman, who translated Homer’s poetry from Greek to English. Thanks to Chapman, Keats feels like “some watcher of the skies / When a new planet swims into his ken.”

I feel the same way about Newcomb each time I “discover” a wildflower with his help.

You can buy your own copy of Newcomb’s at any good bookstore.