Carolina vanilla

[L. Wakefield]

Hi Tom! I bet you are in the right neck of the woods to get a pic of this one. It's a plant I'm quite interested in, and natch it won't grow this far north. It's called deertongue (or sometimes dogtongue) with another common name as I indicate in the title- Carolina vanilla. In reading about it, I found out that it is or used to be added to tobacco in the curing process. it is one of the scented plants- hence my interest. It goes by the name of either Liatris odoratissima or Trilisa odoratissima. There's a Purdue website that has one pic, but yours are a little better generally speaking. Have you ever encountered this puppy in the field?          LW

[Tom]

Not and known it LW.  I'll look and see if I can find some.  Deer Tongue huh?

[L. Wakefield]

   Look at www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/herbhunters/vanilla.html for a description and an (inferior) picture. That's why I was hoping you might run across it and send us a pic. Sounds like it would be a lovely thing to have growing in the woodlands or the fields. :)lw

[Tom]

LW,

Here is a young plant that is called Deertongue around here and I think is what you want.  I can make a more defined image of this picture and send it to you by way of email (no optimization) if you like.  I will also look for a more mature plant that may make a better picture.  When I find one in bloom later in the summer I will get one of that as well.


By the way, Your URL said that the leaves were smooth and these are hairy.  I think they may have been referring to the edges.  Also, my sniffer mechanism may be broken because I can detect nothing that smells like vanilla......just smells green

[CHARLIE]

Tom, are you sure that that (double word!) isn't a dandelion? Sure looks like one to me.

[Tom]

Charlie,

I'm not sure of anything anymore at this point!!
I asked several of my older friends, John the bowl turner etc., and they said this was deertongue without my prompting them.  I am going to the county agent with that other thingy witht the berries this afternoon if I can get away and will take both with me.  They are educated so I'll probably really get confused.