Wildflowers: Iris Native to the Mid-Atlantic States
Karen Meyers Iris is a genus of 310 species and is in the plant family Iridaceae that also included gladiolus, crocus and freesia. The plants are all perennial and grow from rhizomes…
Plant Profile: Oleander (Nerium oleander)
Karen Oleander is an evergreen shrub or small tree and a member of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae, that also includes blue star (Amsonia), periwinkle (Vinca), and milkweed (Ascelpius). Its native range…
Plant Profile: Feathery Cassia (Senna artemisioides aka Cassia artemisiodes)
Endemic to Australia, this compact evergreen shrub is also known as silver senna, wormwood senna and silver cassia. It is in the pea family, Fabaceae that also includes beans, lupine…
Plant Profile: Crystalline Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum)
This evergreen prostrate annual or biennial is native to southern Africa, Sinai, Canary Islands, and southern Europe where it grows on cliffs, coastal bluffs, sand dunes and disturbed areas. It…
Plant Profile: Prostrate Sand Verbena (Abronia umbellata)
Also known as beach sand verbena and purple sand verbena, this tender perennial is often grown as an annual and is a member of the four o’clock family, Nyctaginaceae, that…
Plant Profile: Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)
Also called firewheel and sundance, this hairy annual is native to northern Mexico and southern and central US from Arizona east to Florida, and the Carolinas and north to Nebraska…
Plant Profile: Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)
This hybrid short-lived perennial is the result of a cross between tall, perennial G. aristata and shorter, annual G. pulchella and is a vigorous, long blooming plant with a short…
Plant Profile: Soap Aloe (Aloe maculata aka A. saponaria)
Also known as zebra aloe, this evergreen succulent perennial is native to southern and eastern South Africa, and south-eastern Botswana and Zimbabwe where it grows in a variety of habitats…
Plant Profile: Indian Hawthorn (Raphiolepis indica)
Also known as Hong Kong hawthorn, this dense evergreen shrub is native to south China to Indo-China and temperate eastern Asia including Japan, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. It is…
Plant Profile: Silver-Lace Vine (Polygonum aubertii aka Fallopia baldschuanica)
This deciduous woody twining perennial vine is also known as Russian-vine, Bukhara fleeceflower, Chinese bindweed, and mile-a-minute vine. It is a member of the knotweed family, Polygonaceae, that also includes…