Below is a list of the most common Yellow Flowers in the area. Please click on an individual flower for detailed information and pictures.
Primrose – Evening
Oenothera biennis Family Evening Primrose (Onagraceae) Bloom Summer, fall Habitat Dunes, meadows, fields, roadsides Status Native Cycle Biennial Height 2-5' Flower Many pale yellow flowers each 1-2" wide form a cluster. Each flower has 4 broad, yellow petals with a blunt end, notched tips, and an X-shaped stigma. Leaf Leaves are narrow and alternate on...
Read more ...
Sowthistle
Sonchus arvensis Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Summer, fall Habitat Meadows, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Perennial Height 2-5' Flower Flowers have several yellow flowers about 1" across in branched clusters. More than one may be in bloom at a time. Leaf Leaves are stemmed, alternate, clasping, prickly edged. Lower leaves mostly pinnately divided, upper leaves are...
Read more ...
St Johnswort
Hypericum perforatum Family St. Johnswort (Hypericaceae) Bloom Summer Habitat Meadows, fields, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower Flowers are yellow an numerous, about 1" wide. They have 5 petals with black dots on each petal and many long, protruding stamens. Leaf Leaves are in pairs and opposite each other. They are stalkless and...
Read more ...
Goldenrod – Bluestem
Solidago caesia Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Fall Habitat Forest Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower Tufts of tiny yellow flowers attached to the main sttem at points where leaves are also attached. Leaf Leaves are long, narrow, stalkless and taper to a point at the end. Surfaces are usually smooth. Notes Stems are smooth,...
Read more ...
Goldenrod – Zigzag
Solidago flexicaulis Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Fall Habitat Forest Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower Several round clusters of yellow flowers 1-2" wide. Leaf Leaves are pointed, coarse-toothed, oval 1-3" long. Notes Woodland goldenrod with one to three erect stems per plant. The stems bend back and forth between each leaf attachment. The flowers...
Read more ...
Sorrel – Yellow Wood
Oxalis stricta L. Family Wood-sorrel (Oxalidaceae) Bloom Summer, fall Habitat Meadows Status Non-Native Cycle Perennial Height Prostrate to 18" Flower Yellow, 5-petaled flowers are 1/4 to 1/2 inch across. Base of the petals may be reddish. Flowerstalks are much longer than leafstalks. Leaf Clover-like with 3 dark green leaflets radiating from a central point, each...
Read more ...
Lily – Yellow Trout
Erythronium americanum Family Lily (Liliaceae) Bloom Spring Habitat Deciduous forest Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 5-10" Flower Each stalk produces a single hanging yellow flower about 1" wide. Each flower has 6 backward-curving petals (actually 3 petals and 3 petal-like sepals). Leaf There are a pair of elliptical, pointed basal leaves up to 8" long...
Read more ...
Bellwort – Large-Flowered
Uvularia grandiflora Family Lily (Liliaceae) Bloom Spring Habitat Deciduous forest Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 8-20" Flower Flowers have 6 petals, bell-shaped, tubular and about 2" long. Petals tend to twist into spirals. They tend to droop as though the plant were wilting. There are 1-3 flowers per stem. Leaf Leaves are long, pointed, drooping,...
Read more ...
Puccoon
Lithospermum canescens Family Borage (Boraginaceae) Bloom Late spring, early summer Habitat Dunes, dry meadows Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-2' Flower Tubular flowers up to 1" wide flare into 5 bright yellow rounded petals. Leaf Leaves are hairy 1-2" long and longer than they are wide. Notes Stems arise from a woody base and become...
Read more ...
Violet – Downy Yellow
Viola pubescens Family Violet (Violaceae) Bloom Spring Habitat Deciduous forest Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 4-12" Flower There are usually several yellow flowers per plant. Flowers are 3/4" wide and made up of 5 petals with several dark purple veins. Each flower grows on its own stalk. Leaf Leaves are on the same stem with...
Read more ...
Blue Cohosh
Caulophyllum thalictroides Family Barberry (Berberidaceae) Bloom Spring Habitat Moist Deciduous forest Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower round cluster of small 6-petal flowers 1/2" wide. The cluster sticks up above the bushy plant. Leaf Distinctive leaves are divided into several stalks and many small leaflets. Each leaflet is 1-3" long and has 3-5 pointed...
Read more ...
Betony – Wood
Pedicularis canadensis Family Snapdragon (Scrophulariaceae) Bloom Late spring, early summer Habitat Dry woods, meadows Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 5-14" Flower The flower is a spike cluster 1-3" tall of yellow tube flowers. Individual flowers are 3/4" long arranged in a tight fuzzy cluster. Flowers can be yellow, red, or both. Leaf Leaves are highly...
Read more ...
Marigold – Marsh
Also known as Cowslip Caltha palustris Family Buttercup (Ranunculaceae) Bloom Spring Habitat Swamps, marshes, edges of streams and lakes Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-2' Flower Many conspicuous bright yellow flowers about 1" wide with 5-9 petals. Leaf Leaves are round, shiny, toothless basal leaves 2-7" wide with long stalks and a deep notch where...
Read more ...
Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata Family Composite (Compositae) Bloom Spring, summer Habitat Dunes, dry meadows Status Non-Native Cycle Perennial Height 2-3' Flower Flowers are conspicuous, bright yellow with one flower at the tip of long stems. There are 8 petals each having about 4 lobes at the tip. Leaf Leaves are long and narrow and found at the...
Read more ...
Spurge – Leafy
Euphora esula Family Spurge (Euphorbiaceae) Bloom Spring, summer, fall Habitat Dry, fields, roadsides Status Non-Native INVASIVE Cycle Perennial Height 1-2' Flower Flowers form flat clusters. Individual flowers are actually 2 large colored bracts that surround an extremely small green flower. Leaf Leaves are narrow, lance-shaped, 1-3" long scattered on the stem. Notes This is a...
Read more ...
Lady’s Slipper – Yellow
Cypripedium calceolus Family Orchid (Orchidaceae) Bloom Late spring, early summer Habitat Wet, shade, forest, swamps, marshes Status Native - PROTECTED Michigan Wildflower Cycle Perennial Height 4-24" Flower Each plant has 1-2 fragrant, muddy yellow flowers. Each flower is an inflated pouch surrounded by 4 brownish purple petals (actually 2 petals and 2 sepals) which are...
Read more ...
Loosestrife – Tufted
Lysimachia thyrsiflora Family Primrose (Primulaceae) Bloom Summer Habitat Wetlands, swamps, marshes, bogs Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower Flowers form small (1/2" - 1") compact dense clusters of tiny yellow flowers on flower stalks arising from leaf axis near middle of the plant - not on top of the plant. Leaf Leaves are lance-shaped...
Read more ...
Ragwort – Golden
Senecio aureus Family Composite (Asteraceae) Bloom Late spring, early summer Habitat Wetlands, swamps, bogs Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower Flowers are on slender stalks and have multiple flowers on a single plant. Flowers are bright yellow 1" diameter with 8-12 petals (ray flower) surrounding a mass of yellow disk flowers. Bracts below the...
Read more ...
Goat’s Beard
Tragopogon dubius Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Spring, summer Habitat Meadows, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Biennial Height 1-3' Flower A single large, dandelion-like yellow flower about 2" wide grows on the tip of the stem. Outer petals are notched at the tip and exceeded in length by the long, thin pointed green bracts. Leaf Leaves are...
Read more ...
Butter and Eggs
Linaria vulgaris Family Snapdragon (Scrophulariaceae) Bloom Spring, summer Habitat Dry, fields, meadows, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-2' Flower Many flowers form on an upright spike. They are yellow with an orange marking near the center of the blossom. There is a thick, pointed spur at the bottom which contains nectar. Leaf Leaves are...
Read more ...
Buttercup
Ranunculus acris Family Crowfoot (Ranunculaceae) Bloom Spring, summer, fall Habitat Wet meadows, near streams, lakes Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower Flowers have 5 rounded bright glossy yellow petals that grow on erect stalks above the leaves. Flowers are about 1" wide. Leaf Leaves are distance 3-lobed about 3-4" wide. They grow on long...
Read more ...
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Spring, summer, fall Habitat Meadows, fields, lawns, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Perennial Height 2-18" Flower Flowers are at the tip of an erect flower stalk that rises from the ground level, is leafless, hollow, and exudes a milky juice when broken. They appear to be 1 large yellow flower,...
Read more ...
Clover – Yellow Sweet
Melilotus officinalis Family Pea or Bean (Fabaceae) Bloom Spring, summer, fall Habitat Fields, meadows, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Annual or biennial Height 3-6' Flower Spike clusters 8" long of yellow irregular flowers Leaf Each leaf divides into 3 narrow, toothed, lance-shaped leaflets about 1" long. Notes The plant was introduced from Europe as a hay...
Read more ...
Winter Cress
Barbarea vulgaris Family Mustard (Brassicaceae) Bloom Spring, fall Habitat Meadows, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Biennial Height 1-2' Flower Several spikes of 4-petaled elongated clusters of yellow flowers form. Petals form a cross about 1/4" wide. Leaf Leaves are deeply cleft into one large, rounded terminal lobe and several small rounded lobes. Upper leaves are coarsely...
Read more ...
Hawkweed – Canada
Hieracium kalmii Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Summer Habitat Meadows, fields, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower Plants have 4-10 dandelion-like, bright yellow flowers about 1" wide that grow on a single stalk. They typically open one at a time. It is a composite flower made up of 20-30 individual flowers. Leaf Leaves are...
Read more ...
Silverweed
Potentilla anserina Family Rose (Rosaceae) Bloom Summer Habitat Moist meadows, beaches Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 2-8" Creeping Flower Yellow flowers grow up to 1" wide on leafless stalks with 5 rounded petals. Leaf Leaves are pinnately compound with 7+ leaflets that are hairy on the upper surface with prominent, long silvery hairs beneath. Margins...
Read more ...
Sulfur Cinquefoil
Potentilla recta Family Rose (Rosaceae) Bloom Summer Habitat Meadows, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Perennial Height 6-24" Flower Flowers are a pale yellow with 5 petals, each with a rounded notch on the end. The center of the flower is a darker yellow disk. Leaf Leaves are plamately compound and at the base are long-stalked and...
Read more ...
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Summer Habitat Dry, fields, meadows, roadsides Status Native Cycle Biennial or Perennial Height 1-3' Flower These are conspicuous flowers with a large flower head 2-3" wide with a brown button-like domed center. Petals are often darker near the base. Leaf Leaves are slender, toothless, and very hairy. They are...
Read more ...
Goldenrod – Canada
Solidago canadensis Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Fall Habitat Meadows, fields, roadsides Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 2-5' Flower Feathery plumes or spike clusters of tiny yellow flowers at the top of a stem. Leaf Leaves are narrow and up to about 6" long. They are rough to the touch with sharp teeth along the edges....
Read more ...
Gumweed
Grindelia squarrosa Family Aster (Asteraceae) Bloom Summer, fall Habitat Meadows, fields, roadsides Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 0.5-3' Flower Up to 20 yellow flower heads form a ray flower about 1" wide with outward curling green bracts. They exude a sticky gum-like resin. Leaf Oval simple leaves 1-2" long often wavy or curled edges and...
Read more ...
Horsemint
Monarda punctata Family Mint (Labiatae) Bloom Summer, fall Habitat Dunes, dry meadows, sandy soil Status Native Cycle Perennial Height 1-3' Flower Flowers form a ring or whorl of yellow, 2-lipped flowers spotted with purple emerging from a tubed, green calyx above another ring of whitish bracts. There is usually more than one ring of flowers...
Read more ...
Lily – Yellow Water
Nuphar variegatum Family Water-Lily (Nymphaeaceae) Bloom Summer, fall Habitat Ponds, lakes Status Native Cycle Perennial Height Aquatic Flower Floating, cup-shaped yellow flowers 3-5" wide made of 4 large yellow petals. The flowers stand up to several inches above the water surface. Leaf Round or heart-shaped, deeply notched, toothless, floating shiny green leaves 3-8" wide. Notes...
Read more ...
Mullein – Common
Verbascum thapsus Family Snapdragon (Scrophulariaceae) Bloom Summer, fall Habitat Meadows, fields, roadsides Status Non-Native Cycle Biennial Height 2-6' Flower A long upright spike at the tip of the stem made up of many small yellow flowers. The flowers have 5 rounded petals and only a few of them are open at a time starting from...
Read more ...