mystery plant ID

[rainbowgardener]

So here's an ID challenge for the geeks. I was at a park, walking the dog, without my camera/phone. Saw an interesting looking plant that seems distinctive. Can anyone ID it with NO picture?

Herbaceous flowering plant, roughly 2' high or so.

Stem is round, smooth, reddish, sturdy, jointed

Leaves are compound, axial (only coming out from the stem -branch nodes), with opposite small leaflets (1/2" to 1"), elliptical, smooth edged, but the terminal leaflet is larger (the one inch one) and notched at the end, with a main point and one smaller point on each side.

Flowers are white, in terminal clusters, tiny (about 1/4" across), with four tiny rays/ petals, widely spaced, with a whole bunch of stamens (?) drooping down from the flower center, each thin but with a terminal bulb.

Okay, go!

[Lindsaylew82]

This is so much harder!!! Haha!

I can't even picture it!

I'm assuming you know what it was!

Lemme go do some imaging.

[rainbowgardener]

No, I don't know what it was, that's why I'm asking! And yes, I understand that not having a picture makes it SO much harder, even though I tried to give you the information that a picture would.

[applestar]

Still trying to picture it. What does the terminal cluster of flowers form -- Umbel? Plume?

[rainbowgardener]

I don't know how to describe it. It is a very loose, branched cluster and each little flower is at the end of its own tiny branch.

[ButterflyLady29]

Umbel, think umbrella. Plume, think feather, long and tall.

[Lindsaylew82]

Did it remind you of anything?

[rainbowgardener]

It is neither an umbel, nor a plume, nor a flower spike. It is a loose, open, branched cluster.

This isn't it, this is baby's breath, but it was the best picture I could find to give the feel of what I am talking about



I guess this is called a panicle



and that is about what it was like

[ButterflyLady29]

Are the leaves fern-like? I thought maybe foam flower but the leaves don't sound right.

[rainbowgardener]

No the leaves are not fern like, they are compound leaves. They look a little like this, but again this isn't it, just a sample I found to show what I mean:



In the case of my plant, the leaflets are small. The terminal leaflet on the end is bigger (about 1 inch) and notched on the end, a little like this, but with one main point and one smaller one on each side:



Not at all like foam flower.

[Lindsaylew82]

Maybe next time you go out with the dog you can take your phone?

Google images has started predicting my type-ins starting with droopy stamen flowers, 4 pets led white flower and compound axial leaflets, common Tennessee white flowers, LOL.

[!potatoes!]

yeah, I'm a geek for this stuff, but this isn't the way my mind works! mystery plant indeed.

[Lindsaylew82]

yeah, I'm a geek for this stuff, but this isn't the way my mind works! mystery plant indeed.

Ditto!