Minnesota Wildflowers


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Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's Root)

Plant Info
Also known as:
Genus:Veronicastrum
Family:Plantaginaceae (Plantain)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; fields, prairies, edges of woods
Bloom season:June - August
Plant height:3 to 6 feet
County distribution (click map to enlarge):Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: 4-petals tubular spike

[photo of flowers] Spike cluster up to 10 inches long densely packed with 4-parted white tubular flowers, each about ¼ inch long with 2 yellow or reddish brown-tipped stamens. The flowers bloom from the bottom of the spike up. Several spikes surround the main spike at the top of the plant.

Leaves and stem: whorl simple

[photo of leaves] Leaves are whorled in groups of 3 to 7, with 4 or 5 most common. Each leaf is up to 8 inches long and 1½ inches wide with sharp, fine teeth, tapering to a point at both ends, with little or no leaf stalk. The underside of the leaves is hairy. The main stem is smooth and round.

Notes:

Like a number of other species formerly in the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) family, Veronicastrum has been reassigned to Plantaginaceae (Plantain).

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos by K. Chayka taken at Long Lake Regional Park, Ramsey County. Photos courtesy Peter M. Dziuk taken in Anoka County.

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: PD Wythe in Todd County
on: 2009-12-24 21:55:01

Saw these along a ditch in early July 2009. On Hy 27 from Little Falls to Long Prairie.

Posted by: Lynnette in SE Dakota County, Ravenna Township
on: 2011-08-15 15:57:52

Growing on our property...

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