Culver's Root can offer a strong upright accent to any perennial garden or prairie/savanna. It's an elegant unbranched plant, reaching heights of 5' with candelabra-like spikes of white flowers that open from the bottom up mid-summer. The small white flowers densely packed together can sometimes take on a purple hue; the contrast of these flowers against the dark green foliage is stunning.
Culver's Root grows in zones 3-8, as successfully in full sun as in partial shade (savanna conditions, up to 70% shade), and prefers moist, well-drained soil. The seeds are so tiny that they should be directly sown on the soil surface in fall or in the spring (see germination code D, right).
The plant really has no other synonyms, going only by the name Culver's Root, derived from Dr. Coulvert of the late 17th to early 18th century, who found laxative properties in the plant.
The plant really has no other synonyms, going only by the name Culver's Root, derived from Dr. Coulvert of the late 17th to early 18th century, who found laxative properties in the plant.
