Herbs or wildflowers have spread across the continents much as shrubs have. Many of the most common North American wildflowers, such as the dandelion, are immigrants. So is the wild strawberry as well as the plantain that infests lawns. Many wildflowers are both European and American in origin, although in most cases the species differ. Among them are the violets, some of the cinquefoils, many buttercup varieties, and the marsh marigold. The clovers that are so familiar to Americans are all imports the white clover, the red clover, and the alsike clover are all natives of Europe.
Several genera of grasses are found on both continents: Kentucky bluegrass is really the European smooth meadow grass. Annual rye grass, often used to green up new lawns quickly, is a European import, as is red fescue, common in hayfields. Timothy hay, cultivated in the United States as feed hay, is also an import from Europe.
The marshes and swamps of Europe are populated mostly by indigenous plants. Large numbers of sedges that are native to Europe are grouped together in the Carex genus and can be found in Europe's wetlands. Wetlands may have more "virgin" plant communities than anywhere else in Europe, because they were unsuitable for cultivation. Europeans have drained many of the continent's wetlands to convert the land to farmland; the most notable case is the Netherlands, where land has been reclaimed from the sea so that crops can be grown on it. Among the shrubs, Europe's wetlands, like those in North America, harbor alders, but Europe's are different species from those found in North America. The same can be said for willows, which grow well where ample moisture is available.
See also: Apple Trees
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