Ninebark Traditional Cache

Ninebark is supposed to have bark strips pealing in the shape of the number 9. I haven't seen it.

Ninebark shrub

Physocarpus opulifolius, common names common ninebark, ninebark or Atlantic ninebark, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae, native to eastern North America.

Description

It is a mound-shaped deciduous shrub with alternate, simple leaves, on arching stems. It has a height from 3–10 ft (1–3 m) and a spread of 4–6 ft (1–2 m). The leaves vary from 3–12 cm (1–5 in) in length, with palmately veined lobes. It is fast-growing, insect- and disease-resistant, and drought-tolerant. The species is adaptable to a very wide range of soil and site conditions, from moist to dry, acid to alkaline, and gravelly to heavy clay; and can grow in partial shade to full sun. The 5-petaled flowers are 6–8 mm in diameter and form in corymbs. The flowers are white to pinkish, and bloom from May to June in North America.

In Missouri the fruits ripen from August to early October and are small, dry pods hanging in drooping, papery clusters. The bark peels off in thin papery strips, resembling the number nine in shape, exposing brown inner bark which is the origin of the common name.

Noted for its exfoliating bark (on mature branches) which peels in strips to reveal several layers of reddish to light brown inner bark (hence the common name of ninebark). Bark provides winter interest, but is usually hidden by the foliage during the growing season. 

Genus name comes from the Greek physa meaning a bladder and karpos meaning fruit, referring to the inflated dry fruits of the plant.

Specific epithet refers to the leaves that resemble those of Viburnum opulus.

Common name of ninebark is in reference to its ornamental attractive exfoliating bark.

Location

Physocarpus opulifolius is found in eastern North America on rocky hillsides and banks of streams as well as in moist thickets, especially in counties south of the Missouri River.There is also a scarcely distinguishable form in the Rocky Mountain region and the Pacific Northwest. Its native range is from New York to Minnesota and South Dakota, south to Florida, Arkansas and Kansas. But it can be found from Quebec west to Minnesota, South Dakota and Colorado, south to Oklahoma to Georgia and north to New York. The shrub is an escape, or a wild plant formerly cultivated, northeastward.

Uses

The ability of P. opulifolius to grow in harsh conditions makes it especially suitable for erosion control on banks. But it is also grown for its ornamental foliage. Numerous cultivars have been developed, of which ‘Dart'sGold' and  'Diabolo' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

The cache is a tied in, camoed,"small" pill bottle, with an easy to open and close srew top. Please BYOP, take  a small bag with rubber bands to take along in the future, so you can fix caches that need rubber bands. There are 2 rubber band on the log bag, one to make a neck on the bag, so it's easy to retrieve. Please put everything back as you found it.

Don't try to get to the cache from the road side! Go around!

There is good parking just a short walk east of the cache.

Reminder: The gates close one hour after sunset!