| Aesclepias tuberosa |
Butterfly weed |
10 |
Attracts butterflies, especially monarchs. Also attracts bees and birds |
| Amelanchier spp. |
Serviceberry |
1* |
The latin name, Amelanchier, means "blood-red" referring to the color of the bard of the new branches that emerge.
Serviceberry got its name from colonial times - because it would bloom in early spring, about the time circuit-riding
preachers would hold the first religious services of the year or the time the ground thawed to permit burials from winter
deaths. The berries are small, sweet and edible for birds, deer, and humans.These trees used to be so common that folks made
"serviceberry pies" when in season.
|
| Andropogon virginicus |
Broom sedge |
19 |
Seed and cover for birds |
| Baptisia australis |
baptisia |
5 |
Cherokee used to make blue dye and tea for toothaches; sometimes used as a substitute for true indigo
Australis means southern, referring to its origins. Naturally found in open rocky riverbands
of Piedmont mountains.
|
| Callicarpa americana |
American beautyberry |
6 |
|
| Chasmanthium latifolium |
Northern sea oats |
2 |
|
| Dryopteris marginalis |
Eastern wood fern |
31 |
|
| Echinacea purpurea |
Purple coneflower |
17 |
The word Echinacea comes from Greek echinos meaning "hedge-hog", referring to the prickly scales of the flower's center
cone. Native Americans used Echinacea pallida to treat minor stings, burns and snakebites.Modern testing has found chemicals
within the plant that are effective in fighting viral infections.
|
| Fothergilla gardenii |
Fothergilla |
6 |
Named for Dr. John Fothergill (1712-1780), physician of Stratford, Essex, England who specialized in growing American plants.
|
| Gelsemium sempervirens |
Carolina jessamine |
1 |
State plant symbol for North Carolina - chosen because it is the first to bloom in the woodlands and for its fragrance
|
| Geranium maculatum |
Wild geranium |
15 |
Geranium is the classical Greek name for geranos, a crane; alluding to the long beak of the carpels or pistils.
The root has been used for medicinal purposes to treat diarrhea, gum disease, and other maladies.
|
| Hydrangea quercifolia |
Oakleaf hydrangea |
1 |
From greek budor, water and aggos, a jar.This name refers to the shape of the plant's seed capsule.
|
| Ilex glabra |
Inkberry |
3 |
Food and cover for birds and mammals Ilex from Latin name for the holm oak.
|
| Ilex verticillata cv. "red sprite" |
"red sprite" winterberry |
3 |
Food for birds, some mammals. |
| Juniperus virginiana
|
Eastern redcedar |
1 |
Food for birds |
| Lobelia cardinalis |
Cardinal flower |
4 |
Nectar for hummingbirds and black swallotails Lobelia named for Mathias de l'Obel (1538-1616), a Flemish
botanist and physician to James I of England.
|
|
| Lobelia siphilitica |
Great blue lobelia |
7 |
A native of streambanks, riverbanks and pond edges |
| Matteuccia struthiopteris |
Ostrich fern |
14 |
Edible fiddleheads |
| Mertensia virginiana |
Bluebell |
16 |
Named for Frances Carl Mertens (1746-1831), Professor of Botany at Bremen; Native to Virginia
|
| Myrica cerifera |
Waxberry |
1 |
Nitrogen fixer; leaves used by candle makers for fragrance. |
| Panicum virgatum |
Switch grass |
6 |
|
| Penstemon digitalis |
Beardtongue |
7 |
|
| Phlox divaricata |
Woodland phlox |
20 |
Phlox blossoms were used extensively in Victorian England for sending messages through bouquets.
Phloxes mean a proposal of love and a wish for sweet dreams.Leaves of phlox were sometimes crushed and
added to water to cure ailments, such as skin disorders, abdominal pain, and eye problems.
|
| Rudbeckia fulgida "goldstrum" |
Black-eyed susan |
21 |
Named for Olaf Rudbeck (1660-1740) Professor of Botany at Uppsala nad a teacher of Linnaeus
Spent flower stalks provide seed for finches
|
| Sarracenia purpurea |
Pitcher plant |
9 |
Carnivorous plant; native to bogs; small insects drown inside funnel-shaped leaves.
|
| Schizacharium scoparium |
Little bluestem |
22 |
|
| Silphium perfoliatum |
Cup plant |
13 |
|
| Sorgastrum nutans |
Squaw grass |
4 |
|
| Tiarella cordifolia |
Foam flower |
22 |
|
| Vaccinium corymbosum |
Blueberry |
1 |
Tasty fruit. |
