Category Archives: Wildflowers

Wildflowers that are native to Arkansas

Know Your Natives – Clammy groundcherry

Posted on July 24, 2018 by

Clammy groundcherry (Physalis heterophylla) of the Nightshade (Solanaceae) family is one of eleven species (with one having two varieties) of the genus occurring in Arkansas, with a twelfth species currently being described new to science. It occurs naturally throughout much … Continue reading →

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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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