late figwort
Scrophularia marilandica
Despite its tiny, inconspicuous dull-brown flowers, this plant is a heavyweight nectar producer, attracting an incredibly diverse army of predatory wasps and native bees.
- Scientific name
- Scrophularia marilandica
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Scrophulariaceae › Scrophularia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Rich deciduous woods, woodland borders, clearings, and riparian slopes.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Eastern United States, Central United States, Southeastern Canada
- Size
- 1.5 to 3 meters (5 to 10 feet) tall
- Lifespan
- 3-7 years (Perennial)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, displacement by invasive plant species, and severe canopy closure limiting sunlight.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch and safe to observe at any distance. Do not ingest, as the plant contains bitter saponins that can cause mild stomach upset. No special treatment is required for physical contact.
Scrophularia marilandica , also called late figwort , Maryland figwort , carpenter's square , or eastern figwort , is a flowering plant in the family Scrophulariaceae, native throughout eastern and central North America, where it is found growing in dry woods from Manitoba and Quebec south to Texas and Florida.
Photo: Michael J. Papay, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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