Category Archives: Native Plants

Native Arkansas Plant Photos and Descriptions

Know Your Natives – Heart-leaf Skullcap

Posted on July 11, 2018 by

Heart-leaf skullcap (Scutellaria ovata*) of the Mint (Lamiaceae) family is one of 11 skullcaps** found in Arkansas that have blue to purple, two-lipped tubular flowers. Heart-leaf skullcap occurs from Texas and Minnesota east to the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts, as … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Sensitive Brier

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

Sensitive brier (or briar) (Mimosa quadrivalvis var. nuttallii*) of the Bean (Fabaceae) family is a sprawling perennial legume that is covered with prickles. The genus name is from a Greek word for “mime” or “mimic,” in reference to leaves in some … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Foxglove Beardtongue

Posted on June 12, 2018 by

Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) of the Plantain (Plantaginaceae) family, formerly of the Figwort (Scrophulariaceae) family, is the largest of five white-flowered beardtongues in Arkansas. It is found throughout much of the eastern U.S. The genus name is from Greek words … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Death Camas

Posted on May 30, 2018 by

Death Camas (Toxicoscordion nuttallii) of the Bunchflower (Melanthiaceae) family* is a white-flowered, poisonous spring ephemeral. The genus name is from Greek for “poisonous garlic”. The specific epithet honors Englishman Thomas Nuttall who, beginning early in the 19th century, published books … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Wild Comfrey

Posted on May 14, 2018 by

Wild comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum) of the Borage (Boraginaceae) family is a short perennial with large leaves and pale blue flowers. In the US, it occurs from Texas to Illinois to New York to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. In Arkansas, … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Eastern Bluestar

Posted on April 23, 2018 by

Eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana) of the Dogbane (Apocynaceae) family is an herbaceous, long-living perennial with blue flowers. The genus name honors 18th-century Virginian physician Dr. Charles Amson. The specific epithet honors Jacob Tabernaemontanus, a 16th-century German physician and botanist and … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Violet Wood Sorrel

Posted on April 10, 2018 by

Violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea) of the Wood Sorrel (Oxalidaceae) family is a small bulb-plant that bears shamrock-style leaves. The genus name is based on a Greek word for “acid”, in reference to the plant’s pleasantly sour taste. The specific … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Wild Ginger

Posted on March 26, 2018 by

Wild ginger (Asarum canadense*) of the Dutchman’s-pipe (Aristolochiaceae) family is a low-growing woodland spring ephemeral. It occurs throughout the eastern U.S. from Louisiana and Oklahoma to North Dakota thence eastward to the Atlantic Coast, except Florida. In Arkansas, it occurs … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Green Trillium

Posted on March 7, 2018 by

Green trillium (Trillium viridescens), of the Trillium (Trilliaceae) family is a spring ephemeral. It has a limited distribution in the U.S., occurring along eastern borders of Texas and Oklahoma, in southeastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri, and throughout western Arkansas. In … Continue reading →

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Know Your Natives – Downy Serviceberry

Posted on February 24, 2018 by

Downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) of the Rose (Rosaceae) family is a small tree or large shrub that produces showy white flowers very early in spring. The genus name likely originates from a common name of the type species of the … Continue reading →

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