White Flowers (Round Terminal Clusters) 1 2 3 4
Saxifrage Family

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Early Saxifrage (Saxifraga virginiensis): Small clusters of fragrant white flowers on naked stalks from the center of oval basal leaves. Blooms April to June. As you can see they like rocks. Location: Shenk's Ferry Wild Flower Preserve, Holtwood Recreation Area, PA.

 

Swamp Saxiphrage (Saxifraga pensylvanica): Prefers moist places. Location G. Rhichard Thompson W.M.A. Photo by Ken Clark, 05/09.

Lettuceleaf Saxifrage (Saxifraga micranthidifolia): Can grow up to 30 inches. Large, dandelion-like toothed basal leaves. Minute white flowers atop nearly naked stems. Blooms in spring. Prefers streams, seeps and other moist areas. Location: SNP, VA. Photo by Dimitri Tundra.

Michaux Saxifrage (Saxifraga michauxii): Grows in rock crevices. Blooms in June. Location: Mount Rogers N.R.A., VA.

Mints

Hoary Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum icanum): Flower clusters in the leaf apeces and at the top. Leaves covered in a down. Location: Duncan Knob. VA.

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Water horehound (Lycopus americanus): A non-aromatic mint. Clusters of small white flowers around a square stem with opposing toothed, lanceolet leaves. Thrives in wet areas. Location: Williams River, Tea Creek Backcountry, MNF, WV.

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White Burgamot or Basal Balm (Monarda clinopo-dia): Found in the same areas as M. didyma. Location: Williams River, Tea Creek Backcountry, MNF, WV.

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Virginia Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum ): Found in dry fields and thickets. Max. height 3 feet. Flowers are very small, white and dotted with violet. Photo by Ken Clark.

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Virginia Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum ): Found in dry fields and thickets. Max. height 3 feet. Flowers are very small, white and dotted with violet. Photo by Ken Clark.

Bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus): Suggestive of mints but without odor. Prefers wet soil.

Others

Fragrant Bedstraw (Galium triflorum): Leaves mostly in whorls of six. Inconspicuous green/white flowers in groups of three. Fragrant when leaves are dried. Downs Park, MD.

Wild Madder (Galium mollugo): Alien bedstraw. Prefers open areas/roadsides. Leaves in whorls of eight. Blooms in July. Location: Mount Rogers N.R.A., VA.

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Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense).: A Lily. Forms mats through rhizomes. Location: Gunpowder Falls SP, MD. Photo by Ken Clark.

Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata): Grows in wetlands and along rivers and streams. Very small amounts can kill a man. Related to Poison Hemlock given to Socrates. Location: Williams River, Tea Creek Backcountry, MNF, WV.

 

 

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Blooms throughout the summer in sunny areas. Domestic varieties come in assorted colors. Location: Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, VA.

Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens): Probably the first blooming heath in this region (March - May). Flowers may be white or pink. A creeper. Location: Sugarloaf Mt. Photo by Ken Clark.

 

 

Erect Hedgeparsley (Torilis japonica): Also called Japanese Parsley. An aggressive invasive alien from Eurasia. Leaves are highly lobed, bottom-most ones more so. Location: Seneca Rocks Trail, WV.

Bur Cucumber (Sicyos angulatus): Large maple-like leaves with clusters of small 5-petaled flowers arising from the leaf axils that eventually turn into burs. Location: Morgan Run N.E.A., MD.

Lyre-leaved Rock Cress (Arabis lyrata): In the mustard family. Rosette of deeply lobed basal leaves (not shown). Prefers sandy soil. Location: Soldiers' Delight, MD. Photo by Dimitri Tundra.

 

 

 

 

 

Others (Con't)

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Wild (Smooth) Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens): Close relative to the domestic variety. These small flowers are a few days away from blooming. Loves moist forest hillsides. Location: Tea Creek Backcountry, MNF, WV.

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Button Bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis ): Flourishes in moist areas. Location: Great Falls National Park, MD. Photo by Ken Clark.

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White Baneberry/Doll's eyes (Actaea pachypoda ): Clusters of fine, white flowers give rise to these in late spring/early summer. Location of berries: SNP, VA. Photo by Ken Clark. Location of flower: Tea Creek, MNF, WV.

Bristly Sarsaparilla (Aralia hispida): In the Ginseng family. Ovate leaves. Found in dry open woods. Summer bloomer. Bears dark purple grape-like fruit. Location: Strickler Knob, VA.

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Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense).: A Lily. Forms mats through rhizomes. Location: Gunpowder Falls SP, MD. Photo by Ken Clark.

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria officinalis) is a very invasive alien plant. Environmental groups and government agencies conduct programs just to manually inhibit the spread of this weed. Note the heavily veined maple shaped leaves. Location: GWNF, Mau-Har Trail.

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White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum): Grows in thickets in shadey woods. Heart-shaped, toothed leaves. Location: Canaan Mt, CLR13, Monongahela National Forest, WV.

 

Spikenard (Aralia racemosa): In the Ginseng family. Black stem, sharply toothed broad leaves, with several umbels of small flowers. Location: Morgan Run N.E.A.

Others (con't)

White Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata): Broad, ovate leaves. Flowers simiiar to Poke Milkweed except they don't nod or droop and have tinges of purple instead of green. Photo by Anita Mueller.

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Wild Leek or Ramp (Allium tricocca): Clusters of small flowers atop naked stems. No visible leaves apparent. Grows in moist woods. Blooms June-July. Location: Otter Creek Trail, MNF, WV.

Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota): AKA Wild Carrot. Blooms the entire summer. Roadsides and disturbed areas. Location: AFT, PA.

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Elder Berry (Sambucus canadensis): Very tall bush with opposite, dark green, lanceolete leaves. Grows in woods and along waterways. Wine and jams are made from its fruit. Location: Williams River, Tea Creek backcountry, MNF, WV.

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White Clintonia (Clintonia umbellulata): In the lily family. Tight, round cluster of fragrant white flowers atop a 8-20 inch stem. 2-5 waxy basal leaves. Blooms May - July. Produces round, black berries. Location: Cornelius Creek Tr, JNF, VA.

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Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza claytoni): Fern-like leaves. Six clusters of small flowers, each on a seperate branch, radiate from a central stem. Roots have a licorice scent. Location: Tea Creek, MNF, WV.

Corymbed or Dwarf Spirea (Spiraea corymbosa ): Grows to less than 2 feet in height. Clusters on dainty white flowers with pink centers. Blooms in early summer. Location: Brown Mountain Trail, SNP, VA.

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White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra): White but often tinged in violet. Fall bloomer. Location: Little North Mt, GWNF, VA.

Here's a pure white version from Gifford Pinchot SP. PA.

Others (con't)

Swamp Honeysuckle (Rhododendron viscosum): Not a Honeysuckle at all but rather an Azalea. As the name implies it prefers wet, sandy areas. Blooms in June. Location: Downs Park, MD.

Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium): Petals are very small. Dry Woods. Location: Duncan Knob, VA. 07/09.

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Cotton Grass: This variety is Eriophorum virginicum. Grows in peat bogs of WV. Blooms in late summer/early fall. These were found in a couple of places on Canaan Mt, MNF, WV.

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Mapleleaf Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium: Clusters of tiny white flowers bracketed by two maple-like leaves. Yields small black berries.

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Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum): Grow along water,in valleys and even on mountains. Bloom in July and are white to light pink. Location: Laurel Run Trail, Great North Mt., GWNF, WV.

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) - Grows along roadsides and edges. Used in dry flower arrangements. Location: Losey Rd, Quehanna Wild Area, PA. Photo by Pat Roberts.

Sweet Everlasting, Catfoot (Gnaphalium obtusifolium): Similar to Pearly Everlasting, above, but lower growing, more branched with smaller, more cylindrical flowers. Location: Soldiers' Delight, MD. Photo by Dimitri Tundra.

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Dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolium): 4-8 inches. Blooms May-July in moist forests. Location: AFT, PA

New Jersey Tea (Ceanoyhus americanus): Low growing shrub with round clusters of white flowers rising from leaf axils of new shoots. Colonist would make tea from the leaves. Hence the name. Blooms May - July. Location: Brown Mountain Tr, SNP, VA.

Silvery Nailwort (Paronychia argyrocoma): Found on rock ledges and cliffs in the mountains. Requires very little substrate for growth. Location: North Fork Mountain, WV.

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