All plant species represented on this page have demonstrated ability to survive
without human cultivation in the general area where they appeared. Some of these species were
originally introduced from other parts of the world, however.
North Carolina state-listed species shown below include the Prairie Wild
Indigo (Baptisia australis), which is "threatened;" the Smooth Coneflower (Echinacea laevigata), which is "special concern" and "endangered" and the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea
muscipula), which is "special concern."
The plants on this page are ordered by their
family classification within their subclass for simplicity. These Latin names were checked against the
Integrated Taxonomic Information System for validity.
Identification errors are possible. No information on this page
should be interpreted as medical advice or as authoritative information relevant
to herbal medicine, nor should any plants represented on it be assumed to be
edible.
NOTE:
Durham, NC is in USDA Hardiness Zone 7. The first hard freeze for
winter of 2009 was on the night of December 5 and the first snow on December 18.
Monocotyledons (Liliopsida class)
Arecidae
subclass
Araceae family,
Arecidae subclass
Jack-in-the-Pulpit(Arisaema triphyllum), Lake Crabtree County Park, Wake
County, NC, 4/16/09
Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), 5/21/06
Jack-in-the-Pulpit, with green seedheads, NC Botanical Garden, 7/17/09. Two plants are seen here.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) seedhead, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC,
9/2/04. The stalk typically breaks, letting the berries reach the
ground.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit, with red seedheads, Durham, NC, 9/16/09
Commelinidae subclass
Poaceae family,
Commelinidae subclass
Grass flowers,
Duke Forest, Gate 12, Orange County, NC, 10/13/05
Grass flowers, American Tobacco Trail (miles 4-6), Durham, NC, 4/13/09
Grass flowers. Durham, NC, 6/20/09
Grass (with stilt bug on lower right), Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 6/25/09
Grass, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/29/09
Commelinaceae family, Commelinidae
subclass
Virginia Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana), Duke
Gardens, Durham, NC, 4/6/09
White-bracted Sedge or Whitetop Sedge or Sandswamp Whitetop (Rhynchospora latifolia), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC,
5/11/09
Narrowleaf Whitetop Sedge, Ft. Fisher Recreational Area, New Hanover
County, NC, 8/5/09
Xyridaceae
family, Commelinidae subclass
Yellow-eyed Grass flower (Xyris fimbriata), Carolina Beach State Park,
New Hanover County, NC, 8/4/09
Yellow-eyed Grass (Xyris fimbriata), Carolina Beach State Park, New
Hanover County, NC, 8/4/09
Liliidae subclass
Iridaceae
family, Liliidae subclass
Blue-eyed Grass(Sisyrhynchium genus), Durham, NC, 6/6/09. Both flower and fruit are
shown here.
Blue-eyed Grass, Lake Crabtree County Park, Wake County, NC,
4/16/09
Blue-eyed Grass, Durham, NC, 5/1/09
Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata), Lake Crabtree County Park, Wake County,
NC, 4/16/09
Liliaceae
family, Liliidae subclass
Atamasco Lily (Zethyranthes atamasco), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/20/07
Little Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum), Duke Gardens, Durham County, NC, 3/28/08.
Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), Duke
Gardens, Durham, NC, 4/6/09. USDA status: "endangered" in Maine
and "exploitably vulnerable" in New York.
Wake Robin (Trillium erectum), Duke Gardens, Durham,
NC, 4/6/09
Bashful Wake Robin (Trillium catesbaei). North Carolina Botanical
Garden, 4/18/09.
Trout Lily (Erythonium americanum),
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 3/13/08. These ephemera show up in early spring and die back to
the ground when new leaves on the trees cut off the sunlight to the
understory. They are common in wooded areas around here.
Turk's Cap Lily (Lilium superbum),
Daniel Boone Gardens, Boone, Watauga County, NC, 8/5/08
Orange Daylilies or Tiger Daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva), near Old
Salem, Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, NC, 6/7/09. These were just
a few of the many daylilies of this species growing wild in this area.
Orange Daylily or Tiger Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva), near Old Salem,
Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, NC, 6/7/09
Orchidaceae family,
Liliidae subclass
Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripediumacaule, Orchidaceae family), Falling Creek Camp, Tuxedo,
Henderson County, NC, 5/23/03
Putty Root (Aplectrum hyemale), an orchid, 2/21/09,
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC.
The rather large leaf appears in fall and winter (but never the same
time as the inflorescence), even as far north as
Wisconsin, according to the University of Wisconsin at Madison Botany Department.
ID thanks to Will Cook.
Crane Fly Orchid (Tipularia discolor), Johnston Mill
Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 3/31/09. As with the Putty
Root, the leaf and inflorescence are never seen together.
Smooth Coneflower(Echinacea laevigata), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC,6/4/06. This is an officially endangered species according to the US Fish & Wildlife Service and North Carolina
Ecological Services according to their
Smooth Coneflower Page.
Salt-marsh Fleabane (Pluchea odorata),
Goose Creek State Park, Washington County, NC, 9/21/08. Also seen in
rural Chatham County, NC.
Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Durham, NC,
3/27/09
Green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum), North Carolina Botanical
Garden, Orange County, NC, 4/10/09
A kind of purple aster, perhaps the Late Purple Aster of the North
Carolina mountains, 10/16/08
Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare), Haw River State
Park, 5/31/08, with Zebra Longhorn Beetle
Cat's Ear (Hypochaeris radicata), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC,
6/29/09
Firewheel or Indian
Blanket
(Gaillardia pulchella),Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/11/09.
Although it is more commonly called "Firewheel" in North Carolina, it is
called "Indian Blanket" in warmer climates, e.g., southern Texas, where
it is seen in large clusters.
American Everlasting (Gamochaeta coarctata), Lake Crabtree County
Park, Wake County, NC, 4/16/09
Stokes Aster (Stokesia laevis), Duke Gardens, Durham, NC, 6/13/09
Centaurea genus maybe, NC Zoo, Asheboro, NC, 6/21/09
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), NC Zoo, Asheboro, NC, 6/21/09
Bushy Sea Oxeye Daisy or Bushy Seaside Tansy (Borrichia frutescens),
Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 8/3/09
Bitter Sneezeweed (Helenium amarum), Ft. Fisher Basil Trail, New
Hanover County, NC, 8/3/09
New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae), Daniel Boone Gardens, Boone,
Watauga County, NC, 8/12/09
Joe-Pye
Weed (Eupatorium purpureum), Boone, Watauga County, NC, 8/11/09
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Moses Cone Memorial Park,
Watauga County, NC, 8/12/09. This flower was alone.
Ageratum or Flossflower (Ageratum houstonianum), American Tobacco Trail,
Durham, NC, 9/1/09
Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) male flower buds (closeup),
Durham, NC, 9/8/09.
There were about 2000 of these approx. 10-flower units on this
particular plant.
Common
Ragweed flower (Ambrosia artemisiifolia, among buds, Geitner Park, Hickory, Catawba County, NC,
9/29/09. A typical mature Ragweed plant has thousands of flowers.
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC,
9/11/09
Late Purple Aster (Symphyotrichum patens), Geitner Park, Hickory,
Catawba County, NC, 9/25/09
Common Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia), Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 8/21/09
Tall Blazing Star (Liatris aspera), Carolina Beach, New Hanover County,
NC, 10/16/09
Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC,
7/26/09
Common Wild
Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC
(~Mile 5), 6/24/10
Balsaminaceae
family, Asteridae subclass
Pale Jewelweed (Impatiens palida), Boone, Watauga
County, NC, 8/4/08
Touch Me Not or
Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), with tiny Tarnished
Plant Bug, Boone, Watauga County, NC, 8/6/08
Touch Me Not or Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) seeds and burst pod,
Geitner Park, Hickory, Catawba County, NC, 9/25/09. Touching a
ripe pod, which has a slender convex shape, causes it to split at the
seams, freeing the seeds.
Lobelia genus, but defies species ID! About 3 feet high, just off Lake Crabtree trail on southern side of lake. Lake
Crabtree County Park, Wake County, NC, 4/16/09.
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), NC Botanical Garden, Orange
County, NC< 9/6/09
Miami Mist (Phacelia purshii),
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/2/10, one of many near the parking lot. ID thanks to Bailey Winstead,
who says they are common in the Smoky Mountains. They are not native
this far east, according to Harry LeGrand, who confirmed the species ID.
These are similar the Fringed Phacelia, which has fewer flowers per
stem.
Maybe Phacelia
bipinnatafida, in the mountain garden section of the NC Botanical
Garden, 5/9/10.
Lamiaceae
family, Asteridae subclass
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), Durham, 4/3/09.
Note the tiny black midge on the top flower.
Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) fruit, Durham, NC, 8/15/09
Fringe Tree
(Chionanthus virginicus), Durham, NC, 4/22/10
Orobachaceae family, Asteridae subclass
Squawroot
(Conopholis americana), Linn Cove Viaduct (south end of Tanawha Trail),
past blooming. Yes, this whole is the infloresence!State-listed in NH,
NY and RI.
Plantaginaceae family, Asteridae subclass
English Plantain (Plantago lanceola), Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC,
5/10/09
Common
Plantain (Plantago major), Sharp Top Mountain, Peaks of Otter
Recreational Area, Bedford County, VA, 7/10/09
Seems to be a struggling Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea).
Duke Gardens, Durham, NC, 6/12/09
Common
Foxglove, West Point on the Eno, Durham, NC, 7/4/09
Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna), Boone, Watauga County, NC,
8/12/09
Scrophulariaceae
family, Asteridae subclass
Purple False Foxglove (Agalinis
purpurea), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC
9/17/08. Note the many tiny "hairs."
Speedwell (Veronica genus), Durham, NC, 2/20/10
Speedwell (Veronica persica), Durham, 3/10/09.
This is a very common plant with tiny flowers, appearing early in the
year.
Speedwell (Veronica pedunculata), North
Carolina Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 4/10/09
Blue Toadflax (Linaria canadensis), Lake Crabtree County Park, Wake
County, NC, 4/16/09
Common Toadflax or Butter and Eggs (Linaria vulgaris) at Lake Abbott, Peaks
of Otter Recreational Area, Bedford, VA, 7/9/09
Penstemon genus member, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County,
NC, 5/21/09. Looks like Multiflora Penstemon (Penstemon
multiflorus), but is outside that species' natural range, i.e.,
hardiness zones 8-10.
Field of
penstemons, same species as on left, same time and place, i.e., Mason
Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/21/09. Their
blooming time was about 2 weeks.
Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 3/11/09
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC,
8/25/09. Reputed to be an invasive weed, but
not around here!
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC,
9/11/09
Dilleniidae subclass
Brassicaceae family,
Dilleniidae subclass
Toothwort(Dentaria laciniata), Penny's Bend Nature
Preserve, Durham County, NC, 3/14/07.This is one of the
favorite plants of Falcate Orangetip butterflies.
Wild Peppergrass (Lepidium virginicum), American
Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC, 6/29/09
Lyre-leaved Rock Cress (Arabis lyrata), Durham, NC, 4/5/09
Clusiaceae
family, Dilleniidae subclass
Common St. John's Wort
(Hypericum perforatum), Boone Greenway Trail, Watauga County, NC, 7/2/10
St. Andrew's Cross (Hypericum hypericoides), Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 8/9/09
Dionaceae
family, Dilleniidae subclass
Venus Fly
Trap (Dionaea muscipula), Carolina Beach State Park, New
Hanover County, NC, 12/20/06. This species depends on regular
forest fires to survive; otherwise it doesn't get enough sunlight.
Note the sandspur.
Ericaceae
family, Dilleniidae subclass
Catawba Rosebay (Rhododendron catawbiense), Hanging
Rock State Park, Stokes County, NC, 5/22/08
Great Laurel (Rhododendron maximum), Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes
County, NC, 6/18/09
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), (Rhododendron
minus), Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County, NC, 5/22/08
Florida Azalea (Rhododendron austrinum), North Carolina Botanical
Garden, Orange County, NC, 4/10/09
Pinxter Flower or Pink Azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides), Museum of Life and
Science, Durham, NC, 4/23/09
Blueberry (Vaccinium genus) flowers, North Carolina Botanical Garden,
4/10/09
Deerberry
(Vaccinium stamineum), held upside-down by Lori Musick. Eno River
State Park, Bobbitt's Hole Trail, Orange County, NC, 4/24/10
Fetterbush,
Mountain Andromeda or Lily-of-the-Valley shrub (Pieris floribunda),
Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County, NC, 4/11/10
Fetterbush Lyonia (Lyonia
lucida), with larger flowers (~10 mm long). These were very common
in this park.
Sourwood
(Oxydendrum arboreum), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC, 6/21/10
Monotropopaceae
family, Dilleniidae subclass
Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora), Macon County, NC
8/9/05. This view of a flower shows that it has the normal
reproductive organs, in contrast to widespread belief that it is not
actually a plant, but a fungus. This plant produces no
chlorophyll, obtaining its nutrients from the soil.
Indian Pipes (Monotropa uniflora), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange
County, NC, 5/30/09
Malvaceae family, Dilleniidae subclass
Bristly Mallow (Modiola caroliniana), Old Salem, Winston-Salem, Forsyth
County, NC, 6/7/09
Bristly Mallow
(Modiola caroliniana), in
a wild section off the parking lot,
NC Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 5/9/10
Rose Mallow
(Pavonia lasiopetala), San Antonio Botanical Garden, Bexar County, TX,
5/27/10
Pyrolaceae family, Dilleniidae subclass
Striped Wintergreen (Chimapila maculata) with buds, Durham, NC, 5/23/09.
Used to considered an Ericaceae family member.
Striped Wintergreen (Chimapila maculata), in full bloom, 5/31/09
Willow
blossom (Salix genus), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC,
3/11/09. These flowers lack petals and sepals. Note the fly at the base of the blossom.
Weeping Willow
(Salix sepulcralis) flowers and leaves, Durham, NC, 3/24/10
Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia), Eno River State
Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 3/6/08
Common Blue Violets
Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens), Penny's Bend
Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/4/09
Halberd-leaved
(Yellow) Violet (Viola hastata). Seen at the same elevation as the
lake (about 1200 feet) at Hanging Rock State Park, Stokes County, NC,
4/12/10.
Johnny Jump-Ups (Viola cornuta), Duke Gardens, Durham,
NC, 4/6/09
Field Pansy (Viola bicolor), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC, 3/11/09.
Field Pansy (Viola
bicolor), Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC, 3/30/10
Field Pansy (Viola bicolor), Durham, NC, 3/12/09
Field Pansy (Viola bicolor), Durham, NC, 3/29/09
A common violet, maybe a variant of the Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia),
according to
Hilton Pond's 3/15/09 newsletter. Durham, NC, 3/23/08.
Violet (Viola brittoniana), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham, NC,
4/22/09
Violet,
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 4/18/09
Violet, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 3/31/09
Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica) berries, Sandhills Horticultural
Garden, Pinehurst, Moore County, NC, 11/28/09
Fumariaceae family,
Magnoliidae subclass
Dutchman's Breeches(Dicentra cucullaria), Penny's Bend
Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/5/06
Dutchman's Breeches(Dicentra cucullaria), Penny's Bend
Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/4/09
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), seen at about 3700 feet in elevation
on Sharp Top Mountain in the Peaks of Otter Recreational Area (National
Parks Service), Bedford County, VA on 7/10/09. About 20 plants
were seen in close proximity near a small rain forest.
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia), North Carolina Botanical
Garden, Orange County, NC, 4/10/09
Lardizabalaceae
family, Magnoliidae subclass
Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata). A vine with five
leaves coming from one stem. These are young leaves. Durham, NC,
3/24/09. It is an introduced species from Japan. ID thanks to
Will Cook.
USDA info on Chocolate Vine.
Sensitive Brier or Sensitive Plant (Mimosa microphylla), NC Botanical
Garden, Orange County, NC, 7/17/09
Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum), North Carolina Museum of Art
nature trail, 4/23/09
Probably Trifolium campestre, since no other yellow Trifolium species
has reported in this county according to the USDA. Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC, 5/1/09
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), Southern Village, Chapel Hill, Orange
County, NC, 5/7/09
White clover (Trifolium
repens, var. repens), Durham, NC, 4/3/09
Common Yellow Wood-sorrel (Oxalis stricta), Durham, NC, 4/5/09
Pink Wood-sorrel (Oxalis violaceae), Pettigrew State Park, Washington
County, NC, 4/28/09
Passifloraceae
family, Rosidae subclass
Passion Vine with opening flower. One of a few remaining after a
large field was mowed. Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange
County, NC, 7/3/09
Passionflower
(Passiflora incarnata), Fort Macon State Park, Carteret County, NC,
7/21/08. These are the preferred larval plants of Zebra Heliconian
butterflies.
Rhamnaceae family, Rosidae subclass
Carolina Buckthorn (Frangula caroliniana), North Carolina Botanical
Garden, Orange County, NC, 4/10/09
Rosaceae family, Rosidae subclass
Sulfur Cinquefoil (Potentilla recta), American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC,
5/19/09
Purple-flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus), with flower. Mt.
Jefferson State Park, Ashe County, NC, 8/13/09
Purple-flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus), with fruit.Mt. Jefferson State Park, Ashe County, NC, 8/13/09
Wild rose (Rosa genus), appeared in Siler's Bog in the Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 6/25/09
Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County,
NC, 5/1/09. Introduced from China, Japan and/or Korea.
Wild Roses (Rosa genus), Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County, NC, 4/27/09
Saxifragaceae family,
Rosidae subclass
Early Saxifrage (Saxifraga virginiensis),
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham, NC, 3/19/09. Mottled leaf is
part of a Trout Lily. ID thanks to Joan Carr of South Williamson,
Kentucky.
Heartleaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Duke Gardens, 4/6/09
Heartleaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia),
North Carolina Botanical Garden, Orange County, NC, 4/10/09
Vitaceae family,
Rosidae subclass
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) flowers and buds,
American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC, 6/29/09