Plant Profile: Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (Cleome serrulata)
Karen Rocky Mountain bee plant is an annual and a member of the Cleomaceae, a family closely related to mustards. It is native to western North America where it grows in…
Plant Profile: Pickeral Weed (Pontederia cordata)
Pickerel weed is a deciduous emergent aquatic plant and a member of the Pontederiaceae a small family of tropical and subtropical aquatic plants including water hyacinth. It is native to…
Genus: Alternanthera For the Garden
Alternanthera is a genus of annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae, that also includes beets, spinach, celosia, and gomphrena. The genus consists of up to…
Plant Profile: Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Also called lady’s glove, fairy gloves, and fairy bells, this herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial is a member of the plantain family, Plantaginaceae, that also includes penstemon, turtlehead, and speedwell.…
Book Review: What is Climate Change?
Gail Herman’s book, What is Climate Change?, provides a basic introduction to the subject for young readers 8-12 years old. Beginning with a brief introduction to climate change and the…
Plant Profile: Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)
Golden Alexander is a short lived herbaceous perennial and a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae, that also includes parsley, celery, and poison hemlock. It is a native native to…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Chinese Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata)
Also called Chinese bush clover, this semi-woody perennial is native to China, Korea, Japan, Formosa, and the Himalayas but was introduced into North Carolina from Japan in 1896 and was…
Plant Profile: Common Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes)
Common water hyacinth is a floating perennial and a member of he pickerelweed family, Pontederiaceae, a small family of 34 species of tropical and subtropical aquatic plants. It is native…
Plant Profile: Purple Dragon Head (Physostegia parviflora)
This herbaceous perennial is also called western false dragon head is a member of the deadnettle family, Lamiaceae, that also includes basil, monarda and ajuga. It is native to Manitoba…
Plant Profile: Scouler’s Corydalis (Corydalis scouleri)
Scouler’s corydalis is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the fumatory family, Fumariaceae, that also includes bleeding heart and Dutchman’s breeches. It is native to western North America where…