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Menyanthes spp.
Bogbean
Circumboreal: northern Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America
Overview
Menyanthes spp. is a genus of the family Menyanthaceae represented by the single species Menyanthes trifoliata, known as bogbean or buckbean. It is a hardy aquatic and marginal perennial of bogs, fens, pond edges, and shallow still water across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. A thick, spongy rhizome creeps along the surface of wet mud or just below water, sending up emergent leaves on long stalks. Each leaf is divided into three smooth, oval leaflets 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) long, resembling those of a broad bean. In late spring, erect flower stalks rise 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) above the water, carrying short racemes of star-shaped flowers about 0.6 inch (15 mm) wide. The five petals are white, flushed pink on the outside, and fringed on their inner surface with dense white hairs. The flowers open from the base of the spike upward over two to three weeks and are visited by bees and hoverflies. The creeping rhizome lets colonies spread across suitable wet ground. Plants need permanently wet, acidic to neutral conditions and decline if the rootstock dries out.
Native Range
Menyanthes trifoliata, the only species in the genus, has a circumboreal distribution, native across northern and central Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America. It grows in bogs, fens, marshes, and the shallow margins of lakes and ponds.Suggested Uses
Grown at pond and bog-garden margins, in wildlife ponds, and in container water gardens kept permanently wet. The early flowers provide nectar for emerging bees and hoverflies. The genus suits naturalistic wetland and rain-garden plantings on acidic soils.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6" - 1'
Width/Spread1'6" - 3'
Bloom Information
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
GreenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-8 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
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Plants grow in full sun to light shade in permanently wet ground, including shallow standing water up to about 4 inches (10 cm) deep over the rhizome. Acidic to neutral, peaty or mucky substrates match the bog and fen habitat of the species. The rhizome must stay wet at all times, and plants fail where water levels fall and the rootstock dries. In ponds, the creeping stems are grown at the margin in baskets or planted directly into saturated soil. Spread is steady, and colonies are thinned by lifting and dividing sections of rhizome in spring. Still or slow-moving water suits the species better than fast flow.Pruning
Maintenance is limited to removing yellowing leaves and spent flower stalks as they fade. Overgrown colonies are reduced in spring by pulling or cutting away lengths of rhizome. The plant dies back over winter and reshoots from the rhizome in spring.Pruning Schedule
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
early spring
Container Growing
Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 3 gallons