Description

Key Information:

Soil: Hydric (Wet) – Mesic (Medium)
Sun: Full Sun – Part Sun
Height: 2-6 feet
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Season: July – August

More Details:

Suggested Uses: Culver’s Root is a beautiful, tall plant that has dark green leaves that whorl around the stem. The spires of white flowers are striking! This is an excellent plant for large rain gardens.  It does grow quite tall so we also recommend it for growing on the back side of your garden (if there is one) or along a fence too. Grows well in clay soil.

Native Range: Native to the eastern half of North America. Native throughout the state of Minnesota.

Pollinators: Bees, butterflies, moths and other beneficial insects. It is a high-value nectar source for adult monarch butterflies. It is favored by the federally endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis).

Flowers: The flower head is a long, dense spike of tiny tube-like flowers. The flowers are about 1/4″ long, with 4 petals and 2 stamens that are longer than the petals.

Leaves: The 2″-6″ leaves are typically in whorls of 4-5, but sometimes up to 7. They are lance-shaped to linear-oblong and have serrated edges.

Name: Supposedly, the English common name comes from a Dr. Culver who used it to cure many ills but this is likely mostly myth. To learn about Lakota medicinal and cultural uses of Waȟpé pȟáŋpȟaŋla, refer to Linda Black Elk’s Culturally Important Plants of the Lakota (1998) linked here.

More information: USDA plant profile