Overview
Adenocaulon bicolor is a slender herbaceous perennial in the aster family, growing 1-3 feet (30-90 cm) tall in shaded forest. Its name comes from the leaves, which are green above and coated with white wool beneath, so that a leaf turned by a passing foot flips to show its pale underside and marks a trail. The leaves are broadly triangular to heart-shaped, 2-6 inches (5-15 cm) long, with shallowly lobed or toothed margins and long stalks, clustered low on the plant. In summer a tall, thin, branched stalk rises well above the foliage and carries many tiny white flower heads, each only about 0.1 inch (3 mm) wide. The small fruits are club-shaped and covered with sticky, stalked glands that cling to fur and clothing for dispersal. The plant grows in moist, shaded coniferous and mixed forest with rich humus and spreads slowly by seed and short rhizomes. It needs cool shade and steady soil moisture and fails in sun or dry ground. Top growth dies back in winter and returns in spring.
Native Range
Adenocaulon bicolor is native to western North America, from British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest south through California and east into the northern Rockies, with a separate range around the upper Great Lakes. It grows in moist, shaded coniferous and mixed forests.Suggested Uses
American trailplant is used in woodland and native shade gardens with moist, rich soil beneath trees. It suits naturalized forest-floor plantings alongside ferns and other shade perennials. The silver-backed leaves form a low groundlayer that turns to flash pale when brushed.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 3'
Width/Spread1' - 2'
Reaches mature size in approximately 3 years
Bloom Information
Flowering occurs in summer, generally June through August, on wiry stalks held above the foliage. The tiny white flower heads are easily overlooked and draw small flies and other minor pollinators. Sticky fruits ripen afterward and cling to passing animals for dispersal.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
green above, white-woolly beneathGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Tolerates up to 4 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight