| Scientific Name | Anemone canadensis | Asarum canadense | Chimaphila maculata | Cornus canadensis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Name | Canada anemone | wild ginger | spotted wintergreen | bunchberry |
| Height | 4-10" | 6-12" | 3-9" | 7-8" |
| Bloom Time | spring | spring | spring-summer | spring |
| Flower Color | white/blue | red/brown | white/pink | white/yellow |
| Habitat | prairies, clearings | fertile woods, neutral to calcareous soils | dry woods, acidic soils | bogs, swamps and wet woodlands (mainly in northeast Ohio) |
| Features | Easy to grow in moist areas with partial shade or full sun. Can become invasive. | Unique red-brown, three pointed flowers grow at ground level. Spreads into attractive groundcover; aromatic rhizomes. | Fragrant, waxy flowers in small clusters; evergreen leaves are mottled with white; brown capsules persist all winter. | Flowers resembling those of flowering dogwood sit above a cluster of "whorled" leaves. Red fruits. |
| Availability | specialty dealers | specialty dealers | specialty dealers | specialty dealers |
| Scientific Name | Dicentra cucullaria | Erythronium americanum | Fragaria vesca | Hepatica acutiloba |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Name | Dutchman's breeches | American trout lily | wood strawberry | sharp-lobed hepatica |
| Height | 4-12" | 4-10" | 3-6" | 4-6" |
| Bloom Time | spring | spring | spring | spring |
| Flower Color | white | yellow | white | violet/pink/white |
| Habitat | fertile woods | fertile woods, meadows | woods | moist, calcareous woods |
| Features | Fragrant, pantaloon-shaped flowers on a leafless stalk over feathery gray-green foliage that dies back after flowering. Dormant in summer. *(be) | Lily-shaped 1-2" flower; leaves mottled with brown. Responds to humus or mulch additions. | Resembles common strawberry with smaller fruits (1/2"). An effective groundcover. | Handsome 3-lobed, evergreen leaves; requires moist, humusy soils and light shade. |
| Availability | specialty dealers | specialty dealers | trade | specialty dealers |
| Scientific Name | Hepatica americana | Iris cristata | Opuntia humifusa | Sanguinaria canadensis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Name | round-lobed hepatica | crested dwarf iris | prickly pear | bloodroot |
| Height | 4-6" | 4-9" | 12" | 3-6" |
| Bloom Time | spring | spring | spring-summer | spring |
| Flower Color | violet/pink/white | violet | yellow | white |
| Habitat | dry, rocky woods; neutral to acidic soils | wooded hillsides and ravines | dry, sandy areas, open rocky sites | fertile woods |
| Features | Handsome 3-lobed, basal evergreen leaves and showy early spring flowers. | Creates an interesting groundcover or low border. Best in shade and infertile, well-drained soils. | Cactus with few showy, waxy flowers and fruits that ripen to purple and red-brown. Requires full sun and well-drained soils. Do not disturb in the wild. | Pleasant, lobed, green foliage lasts into late summer; flowers short-lived, but rebloom several times. |
| Availability | specialty dealers | trade | trade | specialty dealers |
| Scientific Name | Tiarella cordifolia | Viola blanda | Viola cucullata (or V. obliqua) | Viola pubescens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Name | foam flower | sweet white violet | marsh blue violet | common yellow violet |
| Height | 6-12" | 3-5" | 3-8" | 3-8" |
| Bloom Time | spring | spring | spring | spring |
| Flower Color | white | white | blue | violet |
| Habitat | fertile, moist woods, slightly acidic soils | water margins, moist, fertile woods | swamps, other wet areas | moist or dry woodlands |
| Features | Evergreen foliage with burgundy veins turns bronze in winter; feathery flower clusters. Forms large masses in moist, shaded, humusy soils. | Fragrant white flowers with purple veins; spreads by runners. *(bf-l) | Pale green foliage spreads to create groundcover; shade tolerant; aggressive. *(bf-l) | Yellow flowers are sometimes tinged with purple or brown. The plant is covered with small, soft hairs. *(bf-l) |
| Availability | trade | trade | specialty dealers |
| Scientific Name | Viola sororio (or V. papilionacea) | Viola striata |
|---|---|---|
| Common Name | common blue violet | common white violet |
| Height | 3-8" | 4-16" |
| Bloom Time | spring | spring |
| Flower Color | blue/white | white |
| Habitat | moist woods or meadows, roadsides | moist woodlands, water margins, roadsides |
| Features | Vigorous grower in sun or partial shade; aggressive and fragrant. *(bf-l) | Flowers white or cream-colored with dark purple veins. *(bf-l) |
| Availability | specialty dealers | specialty dealers |
KEY: = RED denotes plant is toxic to humans. Features: *(x) = a food or cover benefit for...*(bf) = butterflies, *(bf-l) = butterfly larvae, *(w) = wildlife; *(bd) = songbirds; *(be) honeybees; *(hb) = hummingbirds. "Do not disturb in the wild." = plant is endangered (!!), threatened (!), or potentially threatened (.)