''Veronicastrum virginicum'', or Culver's root, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the plantain

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older cl ...

. It is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada. Growing to tall by broad, it is an erect

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

with slender racemes of white or occasionally pink or purple flowers in summer.

Names and etymology

Other names and variants include Culver's-root, Culverphysic, Culver's physic, black root. The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''virginicum'' means "of Virginia", referring to a historic definition covering the entire eastern USA and southeastern Canada, (which roughly corresponds to its current distribution). The name "Culver's root" derives from a certain Dr. Culver who was a pioneer physician of the 18th century and used its bitter roots for purgative purposes.

Description

The stems are hairless and usually unbranched. The leaves are serrated and arranged in whorls of 3-7 around the stem. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is erect with slender and spike-like racemes to about long, giving the flower cluster a

candelabra A candelabra (plural candelabras) or candelabrum (plural candelabra or candelabrums) is a candle holder with multiple arms. Although electricity has relegated candleholders to decorative use, interior designers continue to model light fixtures ...

-like appearance. The stamens are crowded and protrude in a brush-like fashion perpendicular to the raceme. The corollas are white and are roughly 2mm in length. These plants flower for about a month from mid-June to late August, depending on the latitude.

Distribution and habitat

''Veronicastrum virginicum'' is found from southern Maine to northwest Florida to northern Louisiana up through Minnesota and somewhat north of the Canada–US border. Culver's root is frequently found in wet to wet- mesic prairies and sometimes moist upland sites. It is also found in a good number of prairie or native meadow restorations.

Cultivation

''Veronicastrum virginicum'' is cultivated as an ornamental for temperate gardens in the Eastern and Central United States around its native range. Most native plant nurseries commonly sell this easy and adaptable perennial. Even some conventional nurseries sell this plant, though it is not common yet in American landscapes and gardens. It is fully hardy down to at least , and grows in full sun to part shade and any moist, well-drained soil. It is easy to dig up, divide, and reset like a good number of standard perennials if they get too large or crowded. It stays as an upright clump and does not spread far. Plants rarely need staking; however, older clumps may require this. It can be pruned down in late May or dug up, divided, and reset. This plant does do some self-sowing with its tiny seed. In the UK the

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s 'Album', with white flowers, and 'Lavendelturm', with lilac flowers, have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Ecology

The larvae of the Culver's root borer moth feed on this plant.

Notes

References

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External links

* {{Taxonbar , from=Q4108065 Plantaginaceae Flora of Ontario Flora of the United States Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America) Flora of the Northeastern United States Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status