Overview
Polymnia canadensis is a tall herbaceous perennial in the aster family, growing 2-5 feet (0.6-1.5 m) tall on branched, glandular-hairy stems that can feel sticky to the touch. The large lower leaves are 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) long, thin, and pinnately lobed with toothed margins, becoming smaller and less divided up the stem. From summer into fall, loose clusters carry small flower heads about 0.5-0.75 inch (12-19 mm) across, each with a few short white to pale cream ray florets, sometimes barely longer than the surrounding bracts, around a pale yellow disc. The ray florets are often small or irregular, so the heads can look incomplete. Dark seeds follow and drop near the parent plant. The species grows in moist, shaded woodlands, ravines, stream banks, and slopes over limestone across eastern and central North America. It needs cool, rich, consistently moist soil and deep to part shade, declining in dry or sunny sites. The plant dies back to the ground each winter and re-emerges in spring. Its muted, small flowers and large coarse leaves make it a foliage plant of shaded native gardens rather than a flowering feature.
Native Range
Native to eastern and central North America, from Ontario and New York west to Minnesota and south to Georgia and Arkansas, mainly on shaded limestone soils.Suggested Uses
Used in shaded native woodland gardens and along stream banks for its large foliage and tall summer form, spaced 18-24 inches (45-60 cm) apart. It fills moist, shaded ground where bolder foliage is wanted among ferns and woodland perennials.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height2' - 5'
Width/Spread1'6" - 2'6"
Bloom Information
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
white to pale creamFoliage Description
greenGrowing 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