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cardinal flower

Wildflowers Part III: How Many of These Appalachian Wildflowers Have You Found?

March 12, 2019

I’m amazed at the quantity and variety of wildflowers I’ve seen since moving to Western North Carolina ten years ago! It has become a game to see how many different kinds I can find . . . and remember. Because of the hundreds of wildflower species in our region, I’ll leave it up to you to acquire reference books and field guides, apps, and to search websites. To get you started, here are a few of the most common—and most interesting—wildflowers that I’ve seen that you’re likely to discover, too.

Spring ephemerals at low to mid-range elevations
• Trillium (Trillium spp.) Three-leaved whorl and three-petal flower distinguish Trilliums. Our mountains harbor at least 10 species with fun common names such Wake Robin, Sweet Betsy, Nodding trillium, Toadshade trillium, and Painted trillium. Trilliums come in an array of blossom colors—white, pink, red, or yellow; solid-colored or speckled leaves; and blossoms that stand erect above the leaf whorl or hang below.
Habitat: Rich, moist woods and coves

Wake Robin Trillium

• Wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia). The flower “petals” are sepals colored white or pink. Wood anemones and the rue anemones (Thalictrum thalictroides [= Anemonella thalictroides]) are very similar, differing in the shape of their leaves and positioning of blossoms on their stems. Rue anemones are sometimes called windflower, because they produce little nectar, but lots of wind-blown pollen.
Habitat: Rich humus soil; open woods and thickets

Wood Anemone

Spring perennials found in a wide range of elevations
• Fire pink (Silene virginica). This wildflower’s scarlet-red five-petal blossoms—atop slender stems with narrow opposite leave—“pink” refers to the notched petals—“pinked” at their tips. Fire pink is at home on harsh, dry, rocky slopes, although it will grow in well-drained, moist soils and partial shade. Pollinators and hummingbirds love it. Songbirds eat the seeds.
Habitat: Dry, rocky slopes

Fire Pink

• Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum). Look under the large, umbrella-like leaves to find the mayapple blossom, a solitary one-inch flower hanging at the fork of two leaf stalks. Growing in large colonies about 18 inches tall, Mayapples produce an apple-like yellow fruit.
Habitat: Moist, hardwood forests

May Apple

Summer perennials
• Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Like North Carolina’s state bird, the wildflower is named for its resemblance to Roman Catholic cardinals’ clothing. Growing 3-5 feet tall, with erect flower spikes atop each stem, cardinal flowers open from the bottom of the spike to the top.
Habitat: Banks of streams; moist meadows and thickets; full sun to part shade
Elevation: Low to mid-range

Cardinal Flower

• Turk’s cap lily (Lilium superbum). This lily has up to two dozen orange-speckled flowers with backward-curving petals, looking like the caps ancient Turks wore. It can reach 9 feet tall! The smaller Carolina lily (L. michauxii)—North Carolina’s official wildflower—grows 2 to 3 feet tall. Both lilies have whorled leaves along their stems, but Turk’s cap has sharply pointed leaves—Carolina lily leaves taper to a blunt point.
Habitat: Moist woods, trailside thickets
Elevation: Wide range

Turk’s Cap Lily

Fall perennials
• Crane-fly orchid (Tipularia discolor). When this orchid blooms in late summer, with tiny whitish-brown blossoms along a 15-inch stalk, it has no leaves—but its distinctive, low-growing leaves emerge in autumn and persist until spring. Somewhat crinkly looking, their upper side is dull to shiny green, the underside is purple.
Habitat: Rich forest soils along slopes and streams
Elevation: Low to mid-range

Crane-Fly Orchid

• Blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium [= Aster cordifolius]). You’ll often spot these tiny blue flowers lighting up fall landscapes.
Habitat: Rich forests, shaded roadbanks
Elevation: Mid- to high-range

Blue Wood Aster

Unusual wildflowers
• Lady slipper (Cypripedium spp.). Discover this pink or yellow orchid, and you’ve found a jewel. The inch-long blossom looks like an inflated pouch or soft lady’s slipper. The pink lady slipper flowers on a stalk sitting above two large basal leaves. The yellow lady slipper has 3 to 5 leaves along the stalk. Their dust-like seeds require the right soil fungi to germinate. Never try to dig and transplant lady slippers! Enjoy them in their natural habitat.
Bloom time: April-June
Habitat: Dry to moist woods
Elevation: Low to mid-range

Lady Slipper

• Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). You have to look carefully to see the flower that pops up at the node of one or two leaves, each divided into three leaflets. Look for the hooded pulpit and Jack (or Jill!) standing inside. That’s right, this wildflower can produce male or female flowers, depending on the amount of resources stored in its corm (underground stem). The pulpit can be green, brownish-purple, striped, or mottled. If the plant produces a female flower, red berries appear in late summer when both Jill—and the pulpit—are gone!
Bloom time: March-June
Habitat: Moist woods; along creeks
Elevation: Wide range

Jack in the Pulpit

Article written by Beth Leonard, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

Stay tuned
Wildflowers Part IV discusses gardening with wildflowers.

Learn more
NC State Extension Plants
Photographs and searchable lists of wildflowers by common and scientific names.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/category/wildflowers/4/?category=wildflowers&s=common_name

North Carolina Native Plant Society
Photographs and searchable lists of wildflowers by common and scientific names.
https://ncwildflower.org/search/results/1c9da2083d71b05c3799f539f48d2a5c/

Wildflowers of the United States
References, photographs, and searchable lists by state.
https://uswildflowers.com/stateref.php?State=NC

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Categories Wildflowers Tags Blue wood Aster, cardinal flower, Crane-fly orchid, Fire Pink, Jack in the Pulpit, Lady Slipper, May Apple, native plants, trillium, Turk's Cap Lily, wildflowers, Wood Anemone

Going Native with Plants: More Than Meets the Eye

March 23, 2017

Living in one of the oldest and most biodiverse places on earth, it’s easy to take our native plants for granted. Look beyond the showy favorites—rhododendron, mountain laurel, native azaleas, dogwood, and sourwood—and you’ll find beautifully understated plants that create welcoming wildlife habitats and gorgeous gardens. 

Why native plants matter
Native plants do much more than look pretty! There are horticultural and environmental reasons to integrate them into your home garden:

“The destruction of natural habitat is the greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide. In fast-growing regions, development often fragments remaining natural habitats into smaller pieces that are less likely to support a range of ecosystem services. As natural areas disappear, residential landscapes become more important sources of nourishment and habitat for the many species needed to support healthy ecosystems.”
N.C. State Extension Gardener Handbook
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/12-native-plants

Take a page from Sherlock Holmes
Investigate the planting location. What does it tell you?
Soil: Is it well-drained or does it hold water? What is the pH? Some of our most showy native plants require specific soil conditions. The Turk’s Cap Lily, for example, likes rich, slightly acidic soil.
Light: How do the intensity and timing of direct sun and shade change throughout the day and during each growing season?
Aspect: Does the garden face north/south/east/west?
Space: Can both the horizontal and vertical space accommodate mature plants? Some grasses and wildflowers grow several feet tall!
Elevation: What is your altitude? Even a few hundred feet in altitude change can make a difference in frost hardiness. 

Mimic Mother Nature
Going native means focusing on plant diversity and layering. According to the authors of “Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants” (https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/landscaping-for-wildlife-with-native-plants): “Clustering similar types of vegetation allows wildlife easy access to seasonally abundant food sources without excessive movement and increased exposure to predators.” Create layers by planting low-growing plants and shrubs under taller ones. This produces a healthy environment in which birds can nest and feed.

Wildflowers that wow
Wildflowers often come to mind when we think of native plants— for good reason. They attract pollinators and add vibrant color. Reliable choices for our region include: eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), eastern columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), and lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) for spring; butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), summer phlox (Phlox paniculata), and green-headed coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) for summer; and Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium fistulosum), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) for fall.

Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)_John Brandauer_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Eastern bluestar
Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)_Stephen_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_flickr
Eastern red columbine
Lanceleaf Tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata)_Jenny Evans_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Lanceleaf coreopsis
Butterfly weed (Asclepia tuberosa)_Mark Levisay_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
Butterfly weed
Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)_Fritz Flohr Reynolds_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Joe pye weed
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)_Jame_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
Cardinal flower

Gorgeous groundcovers
Instead of planting a cultivated groundcover, consider a native that thrives in shady areas. For color and impact, partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) is hard to beat. In the spring, its small white flowers are a striking contrast against the plant’s vibrant green leaves. In the fall its bright red berries look holiday-inspired. Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) is a popular low-growing groundcover perfect for rock gardens or along a woodland path.

Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens)_Per Verdonk_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Partridgeberry
Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)_J Michael Raby_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Green and gold

Fantastic ferns
They may not be show-stoppers, but in shade gardens nothing quite compares with a lush stand of ferns. Use cinnamon (Osmunda cinnamomea) and Christmas (Polystichum acrostichoides) ferns, for example, to provide a sturdy backdrop for their more delicate relatives like maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum).

Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)_Aaron Carlson_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Cinnamon fern
Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)_NatureServe_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Christmas fern
Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)_Kent McFarland_CC BY-NC 2.0_Flickr
Maidenhair fern

Great grasses
It’s easy to overlook these hardy plants that provide a rich habitat for songbirds, skipper butterflies, and small mammals.  But to add height, texture, and delicate color to your garden, grasses provide a low-maintenance option. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), for example, has pink-tinged flower particles which create a cloud-like effect in mid-summer. Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) develops a blue cast in the summer that turns copper-colored in the fall and lasts through winter.

Panicum virgatum_Matt Lavin_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Switchgrass
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)_Autumn Light_jacki-dee_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Little bluestem in fall

Resources
With so many choices available, making decisions about what is right for your garden can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are excellent resources for navigating the world of native plants. Purchase your plants from nurseries and gardens that specialize in propagating natives. Not only do plants harvested in the wild rarely survive, the practice of harvesting them degrades the very ecosystems we know and love.

NC Native Plant Society:
http://www.ncwildflower.org/native_plants/recommendations

Article written by Janet Moore, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

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Categories Native Plants Tags bluestar, butterfly weed, cardinal flower, Christmas fern, cinnamon fern, columbine, coneflower, coreopsis, ferns, green and gold, groundcovers, ironweed, joe pye weed, little bluestem, maidenhair fern, native plants, ornamental grasses, partridgeberry, switchgrass, tickseed, wildflowers

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