Joseph in the Passage

The Glen on Lookout Mountain, with the trailhead along Och’s Highway which goes from Chattanooga to Lookout Mountain, Georgia – home of Rock City – is a great place to take the grandkids.  A nice trail with no really challenging sections, relatively short walk to the creek down which the water cascades (at least until the dry summer,) and that great area with high rock bluffs makes for a fun adventure without taking the entire day. 

In addition to being a nice outing with the kids (Joseph and Noah) we were able to check out the wildflowers that were blooming along the trail.  Here’s what we found:

• Toothwort: I think these are forkleaf toothwort (Dentaria multifida.)

Forkleaf Toothwort

• Toadshade trillium:  None of the flowers were open, but many are getting close.
• Common blue violets:  Many along the trail.
• Rue Anemone:  Many along the trail; several very nice clusters
• Foliage only – wood sorrel, foamflower, cinquefoil in leaf, but no blossoms seen yet.
• There were several flowers that I couldn’t identify, including this one below, that I’d really like some help with.

Update 04/07/2009 – Looking through Jack B. Carmans Wildflowers of Tennessee this morning I found the identification.  This is Shrub Yellowroot – Xanthorhiza simplicissima.  I think that’s the longest scientific name of a wildflower I’ve run across yet.

Unidentified - Help please!