arrow arum

Peltandra virginica

Herbaceous Emergent

2'

Apr-Jul

green to white

green or black

globular head of berries enclosed in green leathery case, curved downward

beardtongue, foxglove beardtongue, tall white beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

Herbaceous

2-5'

Jun-Aug

white or faintly purple

capsule

tolerates poor drainage; variety of cultivars

black cohosh, black snakeroot, fairy candles

Cimicifuga racemosa

Herbaceous

2.5-8.5'

Jun-Sep

white

pod

blazingstar, gayfeather, spiked blazing star

Liatris spicata

Herbaceous, Grass/Grasslike

1-6.5'

Jul-Aug

rose-purple or white

capsule

blue flag

Iris versicolor

Herbaceous Emergent, Herbaceous, Grass/Grasslike

3'

May-Jun

blue

green to brown, capsule

blue vervain, simpler's joy

Verbena hastata

Herbaceous, Herbaceous Emergent

1.5-5'

Jun-Oct

blue to purple

nut/nut-like

bright flowers; herbal uses

blueberry, highbush blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum

Shrub, Medium

6-12'

Apr-Jun

white or pink-tinged

blue to black, berry

edible berries commonly cultivated

blue-eyed grass, coastal blue-eyed grass, eastern blue-eyed grass

Sisyrinchium atlanticum

Herbaceous, Grass/Grasslike

0.5-2.5'

May-Jul

blue-violet

capsule

leaves grasslike, more slender than S. angustifolium

butterflyweed, butterfly milkweed, butterfly flower

Asclepias tuberosa

Herbaceous

1-3'

May-Jul

orange

pod

taproot does not transplant well but seedlings do; attractive seed pod

cardinal flower

Lobelia cardinalis

Herbaceous, Herbaceous Emergent

2-4'

Jul-Oct

red

long bloom time; biennial, must reseed

Christmas fern

Polystichum acrostichoides

Fern

0.5-2'

-

grows in clumps; easily grown in rock gardens and shaded places; impartial to soil type

duck potato, arrowhead, broadleaf arrowhead

Sagittaria latifolia

Herbaceous Emergent

0.5-4'

Jul-Sep

white

green, achene (dry, flat seed)

evergreen wood fern, marginal shield fern, evergreen shield fern

Dryopteris marginalis

Fern

1-3'

-

clump-former; attractive; easily transplanted

false Solomon's seal

Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum  (Smilacina racemosa)

Herbaceous

1-3.5'

May-Jul

white

red, berry

flowers in plume-like clumps at tip of stem; herbal uses

golden aster, Maryland golden aster

Chrysopsis mariana

Herbaceous

0.5-2.5'

Jul-Oct

yellow

goldenrod , gray goldenrod, dwarf, old-field, one-sided goldenrod

Solidago nemoralis

Herbaceous

0.5-3'

Jun-Nov

yellow

capsule

tolerates poor soils

Indiangrass

Sorghastrum nutans

Grass/Grasslike

2.5-8'

Aug-Sep

tall clump grass with beautiful seed head; nutritious for livestock

ironweed, New York ironweed

Vernonia noveboracensis

Herbaceous, Herbaceous Emergent

3.5-8'

Aug-Oct

purple

capsule

brilliant flowers; tall upright form adds structure to garden; spreads

Joe-Pye weed, green-stemmed Joe-Pye weed

Eupatorium purpureum

Herbaceous

2-6.5'

Jul-Oct

pink, purple, cream

capsule

occurs in drier, shadier habitats than other joe-pye-weeds; injured or dried plant has vanilla scent

little bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium (Andropogon scoparius)

Grass/Grasslike

1.5-4'

Aug-Oct

tolerates poor soil; clump grass; winter interest and wildlife cover; excellent forage grass

lyre-leaf sage

Salvia lyrata

Herbaceous

1-2'

Apr-Jun

violet

nut/nut-like

marsh marigold

Caltha palustris

Herbaceous, Herbaceous Emergent

1-2'

Apr-Jun

bright yellow

clump-forming; needs some periods of drier soil; tolerates flooding to 6\

Maryland wild senna, southern wild senna

Senna marilandica (Cassia marilandica)

Herbaceous

3-6.5'

Jul-Aug

yellow

pod

pods important food for upland gamebirds

New Jersey tea

Ceanothus americanus

Shrub, Low

3'

May-Sep

white

black

tough; tolerates moist soil if well drained; fixes nitrogen; tolerates dryness

partridgeberry

Mitchella repens

Herbaceous

0.5'

May-Jul

white

scarlet, berry

two flowers form one fruit; berry edible; slow creeper, forms mats under trees

pasture rose

Rosa carolina

Shrub, Low

0.5-3'

May-Jun

pale pink

red, berry

edible fruit is a berry-like hip; thorns

pickerelweed

Pontederia cordata

Herbaceous Emergent

3.5'

Jun-Nov

purple

spreads vigorously; a small bladder-like structure crested with toothed ridges holds one seed

river oats, wild oats, sea oats, spanglegrass

Chasmanthium latifolium

Grass/Grasslike

2-5'

Jul-Sep

green then tan

rose mallow, eastern rosemallow

Hibiscus moscheutos (H. palustris)

Herbaceous Emergent

(Can grow with roots in water)

3-6'

Jul-Sep

cream, pink

brown, capsule

common along coast; persists in winter; split seed capsules; use H. laevis in Piedmont

smooth blue aster

Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve (Aster laevis)

Herbaceous

1-5'

Aug-Oct

pale blue, violet, white

sneezeweed , yellow sneezeweed, common sneezeweed

Helenium autumnale

Herbaceous

1.5-6'

Jul-Nov

yellow

capsule

tolerates wet areas; showy flowers; herbal uses

soft rush

Juncus effusus

Herbaceous Emergent, Grass/Grasslike

1-4'

Jun-Sep

greenish brown

brown, capsule

often grows in clumps

St. John's wort , dense St. John's wort

Hypericum densiflorum

Shrub, Low

1.5-6'

Jul-Sep

yellow

brown, capsule

blooms small but form dense flat-topped clusters; can spread aggressively

swamp azalea

Rhododendron viscosum

Shrub, Medium

6.5-10'

May-Aug

white, pink

brown, capsule

attractive spreading, loose-branched habit; demands acid soil; susceptible to disease and insects

swamp sunflower

Helianthus angustifolius

Herbaceous

1.5-5.5'

Aug-Oct

yellow

capsule

sweet pepperbush, summersweet

Clethra alnifolia

Shrub, Medium

6-12'

Jul-Aug

white/ pink

brown, capsule

very fragrant; tolerates some flooding by partly salty water

sweetfern

Comptonia peregrina

Shrub, Low

3'

Apr-May

yellow-green

green to brown, cone/cone-like

fragrant; fixes nitrogen, leaves may persist into winter

switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

Grass/Grasslike, Herbaceous Emergent

3-6'

Jul-Oct

food for sparrow species; grows in clumps; controls erosion

tall coneflower, green-headed coneflower, cutleaf coneflower

Rudbeckia laciniata

Herbaceous

1.5-10'

Jul-Sep

yellow

capsule

herbal uses

turtlehead , white turtlehead

Chelone glabra

Herbaceous

1.5-6.5'

Jul-Oct

white

capsule

strong grower; herbal uses; host for Baltimore checkerspot butterfly

tussock sedge

Carex stricta

Grass/Grasslike, Herbaceous Emergent

1-3.5'

May-Aug

reddish to purple brown

grows in clumps; partly persists in winter; tolerates flooding to 6\

Virginia bluebells

Mertensia virginica

Herbaceous

1-2.5'

Mar-Jun

pink turning blue

nut/nut-like

dormant in summer; flower color blue, pink, or white according to soil acidity

white fringetree

Chionanthus virginicus

Tree, Small/Medium (Understory)

20-35'

May-Jun

white

bluish black, berry

white snakeroot

Ageratina altissima v. altissima  (Eupatorium rugosum)

Herbaceous

1-5'

Jul-Oct

white

capsule

tough plant; cultivars available; prefers basic soils

wild sarsaparilla

Aralia nudicaulis

Herbaceous

0.5-1.5'

May-Jul

white or green

purple-black, berry

aromatic; single-leaved; lacks an above-ground stem; not common in coastal plain

winterberry, winterberry holly, black alder

Ilex verticillata

Shrub, Medium

6-12'

Jun-Jul

greenish white

red, berry

berries provide winter bird food, poisonous to humans; berries on female plants, need male plant to pollinate

yellow wild indigo

Baptisia tinctoria

Herbaceous

1-3'

May-Sep

yellow

tolerates poor soils