Plant Profile: Cat’s whiskers (Orthosiphon aristatus)
Karen Native to the forest edges of tropical areas in Southeast Asia, this herbaceous perennial shrub is also known as Java tea, and is a member of the deadnettle family, Lamiaceae,…
Plant Profile: Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus)
Native to swamps and shallow water of eastern North America, this perennial emergent water plant is also known as water dragon and swamp lily. It is a member of the…
Plant Profile: Alpine yellow Fleabane (Erigeron aureus)
Native to the Cascades and Rocky Mountains of northwestern North America, this short-lived herbaceous perennial is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and sunflower.…
Plant Profile: Common Ladybells (Adenophora confusa)
Native to China, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the bellflower family, Companulaceae, that also includes lobelia and balloon flower. The plants grow 2-2.5′ tall and have fleshy roots…
Plant Profile: Orange Fleabane (Erigeron aurantiacus)
Native to the mountains of Kazakhstan and Xinjian in central Asia, this clump-forming, herbaceous perennial is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow, and lettuce.…
Plant Profile: Downy Amsonia (Amsonia ciliata aka A. angustifolia)
A native of southeastern United States, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that also includes perwinkle, oleander, and milkweed. The plant grows 1-3′ tall and…
Plant Profile: Dwarf Chenille Plant (Acalypha pendula)
Also called kitten-tail, red hot cat’s tail, and strawberry firetail, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is native to Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti and is a member of the spurge family,…
Plant Profile: Wandering Fleabane (Erigeron peregrinus)
Native to bogs, streamsides, wet meadows and moist mountain soils from the Rockies to the Coastal Range, wandering fleabane is also called subalpine fleabane, coastal fleabane, and mountain daisy. It…
Plant Profile: Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum)
Also known as hounds berry, black nightshade is an annual or short-lived perennial native to wooded areas and disturbed sites of Europe and Asia but is found in the United…
Genus Acalypha for the Garden
The genus Acalypha is in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that also includes pointsettia, caster oil plant, and crotons. There are 450 species in the genus including perennial herbs, shrubs and…