Last year, a number of Comandra umbellata individuals were transplanted into a tub outside the Hjelm house. Comandra umbellata (bastard toadflax) is a semi-parasitic plant found throughout the state of Minnesota. The goal of this experiment is to test different transplantation techniques (with vs. without field host) and, ultimately, to facilitate pollination studies.
The Comandra tub contains an array of prairie species. C. umbellata is, of course, present, with at least seven surviving individuals as of the last day of the 2026 field season (2-Oct-2026). Galium boreale (northern bedstraw), which was planted as a potential host plant for the Comandra, is widespread in the tub. Fragaria vesca (woodland strawberry) has taken over much of the tub, and a few Viola pedatifida (prairie violet) individuals are also present.
Although we did not collect any data on the Comandra this summer, we watered the tub daily. We also collected seed from the Galium growing in the tub, ultimately filling a small envelope.
- Start year: 2025
- Location: Wagenius property
- Overlaps with:
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