Wet Prairie and Calcareous Woodlands
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
Ohio geologist Jane Forsyth, in a 1971 article “Geobotany” explained the relationship between vegetation, soil type and the geologic history of Ohio. Batelle Darby is contained within the western portion of the state, which is underlain by erodible limestone and dolomite. The result after erosion is a flat level landscape. At Battelle Darby, the limestone is near enough to the surface to affect the soil chemistry, resulting in a suite of lime-loving species that have an affinity to calcareous sites.
Scroll to the bottom of this page to read the article.
To view the key points about lime-loving plants
mentioned in “Geobotany,” use the image slider below.
PLANT LIST
(Battelle Darby Metro Park)
With Links to Species Pages
| Carpinus caroliniana Walter | American hornbeam | Betulaceae | native sm tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Fraxinus quadrangulata Michx. | blue ash | Oleaceae | native tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch | hophornbeam | Betulaceae | native tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch. | Virginia creeper | Vitaceae | native vine | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Platanus occidentalis L. | American sycamore | Platanaceae | native tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall | eastern cottonwood | Salicaceae | native tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Prunus serotina Ehrh. | black cherry | Rosaceae | native tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Quercus macrocarpa Michx. | bur oak | Fagaceae | native tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Quercus muehlenbergii Engelm. | chinquapin oak | Fagaceae | native tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Tilia americana L. | American basswood | Malvaceae | native tree | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Viburnum prunifolium L. | blackhaw | Adoxaceae | native shrub | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
| Zanthoxylum americanum Mill. | common pricklyash | Rutaceae | native shrub | Batelle Darby Metro Park |
Vids
(in no particular order)
Virginia creeper
bur oak