Georgia Native Plant Society

Wood lily or prairie lily (Lilium philadelphicum) has limited natural range in Georgia, it is only in the NW-most counties. Size is modest, up to 3 feet, and normally only 1-3 flowers are produced per stem. The flowers are held erect (unlike the last 3 species we featured). Despite the common name of wood lily, these grow in full sun (hence the other name, prairie). Due to its limited range and declining habitat, this species is considered endangered in Georgia. According to GA DNR, this species occurs in wet meadows, forest openings, damp roadsides, and rights-of-way; usually over sandstone.

The second native lily blooming now is Turk’s cap lily (Lilium superbum), pronounced superb-um. While the coloring of this lily’s flower is very similar to the Carolina lily, there are several ways to distinguish them. Turk’s cap lily is taller, reaching up to 7 feet tall. It tends to have more flowers. The inside of the flower has green markings at the base of each petal, often called a green star. The leaves are also in a whorl but their shape is elliptic to lance-shaped (Carolina lily leaves are oblanceolate).

Native lilies are every bit as beautiful as their non-native cousins. Two summer native ones are blooming now. The first one is Michaux’s lily (Lilium michauxii), also called Carolina lily. Native throughout the southeast, it is found in Georgia in scattered areas in the north and mid-state counties, although it is found into Florida so populations may be underreported. Flowers are orange-red with 3 petals and 3 sepals that are strongly reflexed; leaves are a deep green, whorled and oblanceolate in shape. A plant may have 1-6 flowers, and the plant can be 1-4 feet tall.

It seems strange to admire an onion, but nodding onion (Allium cernuum) is one native onion that is much appreciated. Native to north Georgia, this pretty and well-behaved perennial is often propagated and sold at native plant sales or passed along among friends. It is blooming now if you get a chance to spot it.

A native azalea is blooming now and it takes some people by surprise. The plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) is a summer blooming azalea that might bloom in late June, July, or even August. The deep red color is appreciated, especially with the critters like butterflies and hummingbirds, but the species lacks fragrance. This plant is native to only a small area around the Georgia/Alabama border. In Georgia, that area is near Callaway Gardens. The logo for Callaway Gardens includes the plumleaf azalea. It is popular with hummingbirds and large butterflies.

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) is a fragrant, summer-blooming shrub that sustains a lot of pollinators. The long racemes of tiny white flowers provide pollen and nectar to a variety of bees and butterflies over several weeks. This is a suckering shrub that appreciates moist areas so give it room to spread. Several cultivars are available, including pink forms and shorter, more compact forms. Leaves are a handsome glossy green that look good all spring and summer.

The rosinweeds are large summer-blooming flowers that many people might mistake for a sunflower. Starry rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus) is a very garden-worthy member of this genus, offering up beautiful yellow flowers for several weeks. Large seeds form after the flowers are done and attract a number of seed-eating birds like goldfinches. It is native to Georgia and adjacent states and is blooming now (as well as several other species of Silphium such as cup plant, S. perfoliatum).

Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa, formerly Cimicifuga racemosa) is a summer-blooming woodland perennial that is blooming now. The statuesque perennial sends up bloom stalks that effectively double its height, up to six feet tall. This plant does best in average moisture. It has been used in herbal medicine quite a bit, and it is a host plant for the Spring Azure butterfly.

Rose gentians are found throughout Georgia, lovely pink flowers every one of them. This is an annual one (Sabatia angularis) that pops up almost as a surprise in places where the tiny seeds have traveled to. With 13 different species of Sabatia native to Georgia, you can surely one of these beauties near you.

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A taller species of mountain mint, and more distributed in Georgia, is southern mountain mint (Pycnanthemum pycnanthemoides). Reaching 4-5 feet tall, it has large whitish leaves that frame the clusters of speckled purple flowers. There might be noticeable hairs around the flowers and leaves. It also attracts pollinators, and it was the Georgia Native Plant Society’s 2020 Plant of the Year!

Mountain mint is a great summer perennial, but of course you need to give it some room (it is a mint after all). This one is clustered mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum). The genus name Pycnanthemum means "densely flowered" from the Greek for dense (pyknos) and flowered (anthos) because its flower heads are packed with tiny flowers! The small flowers bloom for weeks, attracting pollinators large and small. The foliage is aromatic and overall plant size is about 3 feet tall.

Threadleaf mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) has been blooming, one of the earliest of many species native to Georgia (although by now the bigger species are starting to bloom too and we'll feature those next). Its tiny, pale purple flowers are very popular with equally tiny bees! Some of the other species have large flowers (or bigger clusters of them) and attract butterflies as well.

In general, mountain mints are deer-resistant, drought-tolerant pollinator powerhouses that deserve to be in gardens and designed landscapes.

One of our summer-blooming trees is blooming now. Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) is native from the top of the state into the upper part of the Coastal Plain, along the western edge and even into the Florida panhandle. Beloved by bees, sourwood nectar makes wonderful honey for beekeepers willing to make the effort to collect it at the right time. In addition to the lily of the valley summer flowers, the fall color is wonderful.

Purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is the more well-known species in Georgia. Large, showy, exotic purple flowers can be found on roadsides throughout the state, no doubt startling people that see it for the first time. It has large, glossy leaves with 3 lobes and the large fruit pods are quite noticeable. Known by folks throughout the South as “maypops,” these fruits have been lobbed and smashed by kids as long as there have been kids!

Passiflora is the host plant for both the Gulf and Variegated fritillary butterflies as well as a source of nectar for native bees and other insects. Look for the orange caterpillars with soft black spikes munching away on the leaves. They are also a host plant for Heliconius charithonia, the zebra longwing or zebra heliconian, in the southern part of the state.

Think native plants aren’t way cool? Have you met the passionflowers? Yellow passionflower (Passiflora lutea) may be the modest member of the family, but it still packs a serious wow factor when viewed up close. Two species are native to Georgia and we’ll feature the other one tomorrow. Passiflora is the host plant for the Gulf fritillary butterfly as well as a source of nectar for native bees and other insects, including the specialist passionflower bee.

Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), the summer cousin to our spring buckeyes, is blooming now. Native to just a couple of counties on the western side of Georgia, this large shrub loves to grow in many other places. It prefers full sun (6+ hours of sun, that is) to part shade where it grows large and full, topped by numerous spires (racemes, but spires sounded elegant) of fluffy flowers. Pollinators love the flowers and single buckeyes form from the pollinated ones.

Another tiny flower blooming now might be in your lawn – juniperleaf (Polypremum procumbens) is a native annual/perennial in a family that you might not expect. This petite plant is usually only about 6-8 inches tall with very thin leaves and small 4-petaled white flowers. You might be surprised to find that you have it around somewhere; it is native throughout much of the state.

Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a very showy plant in the fall when purple berries seem to appear out of nowhere. But they all started with a flower and those flowers are blooming now. Tiny pink flowers are arranged in clusters, close to the stem, just as the berries will appear. An ant conveniently walks through the picture to give you a sense of scale for these small flowers. Beautyberry loves full sun and isn’t picky about growing conditions otherwise. It’s an easy native shrub to grow and keep. (Deer generally don’t bother it much either.)

This native perennial is also found in Georgia's coastal communities.

Plants that thrive in what we might consider challenging conditions (such as standing water) deserve special respect. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is a large native shrub that thrives in wet conditions, offering beauty and nourishment where you might not expect. Bees and butterflies love buttonbush flowers and their strange, exotic look is a special treat for humans too. Of course what we think is one flower is a cluster of many small ones. This plant is native throughout Georgia and all of the eastern US, growing in marshes, along streams and other wet areas. They do well at the edge of ponds and are happy to extend their roots right into the pond. The seeds ripen in the fall and are eaten by ducks, geese and other birds. Look for it blooming now.

Angelica looks very much like Queen Anne’s lace which is a non-native, naturalized wildflower on roadsides and in fields. But angelica has different leaves and can be much larger. This is hairy angelica (Angelica venenosa), one of only 3 species found in Georgia. In addition to height and leaf shape, it can be distinguished from Queen Anne’s lace by a slight difference in the flower head, especially as the bloom gets older and it develops from a flat arrangement to a more pronounced umbel. This perennial plant develops a thick taproot and is very drought tolerant. It is one of the host plants for the Eastern Black swallowtail butterfly.

Lobelias are some of our most beautiful summer flowers. While the more colorful ones are better known, the tiny-flowered palespike lobelia (Lobelia spicata) is perhaps the earliest to flower. Prairie Moon Nursery describes it as a “perennial yet short-lived dainty Lobelia for medium soil prairies, savannas and woodland openings” and it is found in the northern half of Georgia and much of the eastern and mid-western US. This 12-18 inch tall plant is best noticed when growing in a group of others. Look for it on sunny roadsides and fields.

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th of July with scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma), a very firework-looking flower. What other native flowers look like fireworks to you?

Native to the maritime Coastal Plain counties of Georgia, saltmarsh mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos, syn. Kosteletzkya virginica) is appreciated around the state for its beautiful flowers in late summer. It’s not hard to see its relationship to our native Hibiscus as well as many other mallow family (Malvaceae) members.

Our last hibiscus picture in this series. This is Hibiscus laevis (halberd-leaved rosemallow). It bears blooms that are 4 to 5 inches across and are a delicate light pink with a dark pinkish purple center. The leaves are usually three-lobed with a sharp tip on the center lobe, giving them an appearance similar to a medieval halberd. It is native to the eastern and central US, where it is usually found in marshes and wetlands. It usually grows 4 to 6 feet tall, making it easy to incorporate into most gardens, provided sufficient moisture can be provided.

Swamp rosemallow (Hibiscus grandiflorus) is naturally found in brackish wetlands and freshwater marshes in the Southeastern US (two Georgia counties shown in USDA) but it is, like other Hibiscus, grown in plenty of home landscapes (with sufficient moisture conditions, but it doesn’t have to grow in standing water). In ideal conditions it grows up to 10 feet tall. The leaves and seedpods have a velvety texture. Photo by GNPS member Ed McDowell.

Comfort-root (Hibiscus aculeatus) is another one of our native hibiscus found in the Coastal Plain (although it grows well as a garden plant further north). It is also called pineland hibiscus because it is naturally found in coastal pinelands as well as upland bogs and moist roadside ditches. While it does have a red ‘eye’, the flowers are a creamier pale yellow color compared to the white forms of the crimson-eyed rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) that we featured yesterday. It is occasionally confused with a non-native relative called Abelmoschus manihot which has a red eye, but the pollen-bearing stamens are yellow (not red as found on H. aculeatus).

Crimson-eyed rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) is a shrub-like herbaceous perennial with large, glabrous leaves and 4-5" wide flowers that range from pink to white. The flowers last only for one day like all hibiscus. It is native to wetlands and creek edges in the southeastern USA and is useful in poorly drained areas and can be grown in a large pot if kept moist.

Somewhere in between Rhododendron minus and R. maximum is Rhododendron catawbiense, medium-large evergreen shrub with a smaller distribution than the others (only North Georgia). Sometimes called Catawba rosebay, the purple blooms are quite striking. This species has been used alone and with hybridization to create some of the showy plants found in the nursery trade.