Noted for its showy flowers and interesting foliage, Lachnanthes caroliana (Carolina Redroot) is an erect perennial boasting fan-like clusters, 2-4 in. wide (5-10 cm), packed with small, woolly looking, creamy-yellow flowers in summer. Borne atop tall, pubescent stalks, the conspicuous flowers are attractive to butterflies and moths. They give way to globular capsules bearing flat seeds that are devoured by Sandhill Cranes and other birds. The erect leaves are flat, swordlike and gradually tapering. Visible for most of the growing season, they give the plant an iris-like appearance before it flowers. Native to eastern North America, Carolina Redroot is found mostly in coastal areas from Louisiana east to Florida and Cuba and north to Nova Scotia, where it occurs naturally in wet flatwoods, marshes, bogs, dome swamps, savannas and coastal swales. The common name, Carolina Redroot, refers to the reddish rhizomes and roots, which were used by Native Americans for dye. Fast-growing, Carolina Redroot is a great choice for the acid-rich bog garden and useful in wet gardens with irises and other wetland wildflowers.

• Grows up to 1-3 ft. tall (30-90 cm) and 12 in. wide (30 cm). Will form colonies by underground rhizomes.
• Thrives in full sun to part shade in wet to consistently moist, acidic soils.
• Low maintenance, this perennial plant is generally pest and disease free. Toxic to livestock.
• Perfect for bog gardens, butterfly gardens, along ponds and streams or as a groundcover. Excellent for coastal prairie gardens with native grasses.
• Propagate by seeds or root division.
• Native to eastern North America.