Perennial Plant Characteristics Wet Soil and Flooding Adaptability.xlsx

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1	Perennial Plant Characteristics & Adaptability
2	Wet Soil and Flood Tolerant Perennials
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7	Common Name	Latin Name	Origin	Wisconsin Native	Min. Hardiness Zone	Exposure	Bloom Time	Flower Color	Height (ft)	Width	Larval Host Plant	Deep Shade Tolerant	Heat Tolerant	Drought Tolerant	Wet Soil Tolerant	Flood / Standing Water Tolerant	Clay Tolerant	Deer Resistant	Rabbit Resistant	Alkaline Soil Tolerant	Infertile Soil Tolerant	Juglone Tolerant	Salt Tolerant	Cut Flower	Pollinator Plant	Hummingbird Plant	Fragrant	Feature	Notes	Propagation or Culture Notes

8	Black Cohosh	Actaea (Cimicifuga) racemosa	North America	No	3a	Part shade to full shade	Summer	White	4 to 6	2 to 4	Spring Azure, Appalachian Azure, Holly Azure	Yes			Yes			Yes	Yes	Yes					Yes	Yes	Flower
23	Big Bluestem	Andropogon gerardii	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun	Fall	Red-purple	4 to 6	2 to 3	Common wood nymph (Cercyonis pegala), Newman's borer (Meropleon ambifusca), multiple skipper species			Yes	Yes			Yes				Yes	Moderate	Yes				Provides winter interest if not cut back until spring	Extensive root system. Seed provides food for songbirds. Nesting site for certain sparrows, wrens, and meadowlark. Variety 'Blackhawks' is the PPA Perennial Plant of the Year for 2026.	Reseeds in favorable sites
24	Great Angelica	Angelica atropurpurea	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to early fall	White	3 to 10	2 to 6	Short-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio brevicauda)				Yes			Yes							Yes
29	Goat's Beard	Aruncus dioicus	Temperate Northern Hemisphere	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Spring	White	4 to 6	2 to 4	Dusky azure				Yes	Yes			Yes						Yes
32	Swamp Milkweed	Asclepias incarnata	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer	Pink, white	2 to 4	1 to 3	Monarch, milkweed tussock moth				Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes							Yes	Yes		Edible shoots and young pods - double boil	Clay soil tolerant
40	Hybrid Astilbe	Astilbe x arendsii	Hybrid	No	3a	Part shade to full shade	Summer	Pink shades	1 to 1.5	.75 to 1		Yes			Yes			Yes	Yes	Yes				Yes	Yes
41	Canada Milkvetch	Astragalus canadensis	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer	White	3 to 4	1.5 to 2	Western Tailed Blue, clouded sulfur butterfly				Yes						Yes				Yes			Nitrogen fixer
52	Marsh Marigold	Caltha palustris	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Spring to early summer	Yellow	1 to 1.5	1 to 1.5					Yes	Yes		Yes							Yes			Young leaves edible cooked (double boil), in moderation
54	Gray's Sedge	Carex grayi	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Late spring to fall	Green	2 to 3	1.5 to 2	Appalachian Brown Butterfly and American Ear Moth				Yes	Yes		Yes
55	Glaucus Woodland Sedge	Carex laxiculmis	North America	Yes	5a	Part shade to full shade	Early summer	Yellowish white	.5 to 1	.5 to 1	Certain satyrine butterflies	Yes	Yes		Yes			Yes											Rhizomatous, slow spreading habit
56	Pennsylvania Sedge	Carex pensylvanica	North America	Yes	3a	Part shade to full shade	Late spring	Greenish	.5 to 1	.5 to 1	Appalachian Brown butterfly and skippers	Yes		Yes	Yes			Yes
57	Tussock Sedge	Carex stricta	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Early summer	Red-brown	1 to 3	1 to 2	Eyed brown, mulberry wing, black dash				Yes	Yes		Yes											Rhizomatous, colonial habit; clumping. More behaved in consistently wet soil
58	Fox Sedge	Carex vulpinoidea	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer	Green	1 to 3	1 to 3					Yes	Yes		Yes											Spreads rapidly, can be weedy
60	Plumbago	Ceratostigma plumbaginoides	China	No	5a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to early fall	Blue purple	.75 to 1	1 to 1.5					Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes				Yes	Yes			Benefits from winter mulch in cold climates
61	Northern Sea Oats	Chasmanthium latifolium	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Late summer to early fall	Greenish white	2 to 5	1 to 2.5	Pepper & salt skipper, Bell's road side skipper, bronzed roadside skipper butterfly				Yes	Yes		Yes				Yes		Yes				Coppery color in fall
62	White Turtlehead	Chelone glabra	North America	Yes	3a	Part shade	Summer to fall	White	2 to 3	1.5 to 2.5	Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton), Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)				Yes	Yes				Yes					Yes
63	Red Turtlehead	Chelone obliqua	North America	No	5a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to early fall	Pink shades	2 to 3	1 to 2					Yes		Yes								Yes	Yes
65	Virgin's Bower	Clematis virginiana	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to full shade	Summer to fall	White	12 to 20	3 to 6		Yes			Yes	Occasional		Yes				Yes			Yes	Yes	Flower	Will flower in shade
67	Marsh Cinquefoil	Comarum palustre (Potentilla palustris)	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer	Red-purple	2						Yes	Yes									Yes
68	Mistflower	Conoclinium (Eupatorium) coelestinum	North America	No	5a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to fall	Blue-purple	1.5 to 3	1.5 to 3	Clymene Moth (Haploa clymene), Lined Ruby Tiger Moth (Phragmatobia lineata), Three-Lined Flower Moth (Schinia trifacia)				Yes	Occasional		Yes				Yes			Yes	Yes
89	Parasol Whitetop	Doellingeria umbellata (Aster umbellatus)	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer	Lavender	2 to 5	1 to 3	Harris' Checkerspot (Chlosyne harrisii)				Yes										Yes				Rhizomatous habit
100	Boneset	Eupatorium perfoliatum	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to fall	White	4 to 6	3 to 4	Clymene moth (Haploa clymene), Wavy Lined Emerald, Red Humped caterpillar, joe pye weed borer				Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes						Yes	Yes				Good cut and dry flower
101	Forked Aster	Eurybia furcata (Aster furcatus)	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to fall	White with yellow	1 to 3	.75 to 1.5					Yes										Yes				Rhizomatous
102	Joe Pye Weed	Eutrochium (Eupatorium) dubium	North America	No	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to fall	Pink	3 to 5	2 to 4					Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes					Yes		Yes
103	Hollow Joe Pye Weed	Eutrochium (Eupatorium) fistulosum	North America	No	4a	Full sun to full shade	Summer to fall	Purple	4 to 7	2 to 4		Yes			Yes	Yes		Yes						Yes	Yes		Flower (mild)		Hollow stems
104	Spotted Joe Pye Weed	Eutrochium (Eupatorium) maculatum	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to fall	Pink	4 to 7	3 to 4	Several moth species				Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes					Yes		Flower		Spotted stems
105	Sweet Joe Pye Weed	Eutrochium (Eupatorium) purpureum	North America	Yes	4a	Part shade to full shade	Summer to fall	Pink	5 to 7	2 to 4					Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes					Yes		Flower
106	Queen of the Prairie	Filipendula rubra	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer	Pink	6 to 8	3 to 4					Yes		Yes	Yes							Yes		Flower, foliage			May reseed in favorable sites
113	Wild Licorice	Glycyrrhiza lepidota	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun	Summer	Pale yellow	2	1	Silver spotted skipper			Yes	Yes	Occasional					Yes		Moderae					Nitrogen fixer	Wisconsin special concern species
114	Helen's Flower	Helenium autumnale	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun	Late summer to fall	Yellow	3 to 5	2 to 3	Dainty sulfur (Nathalis iole)				Yes		Yes	Yes							Yes
115	Swamp Sunflower	Helianthus angustifolius	North America	No	5a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to fall	Yellow	5 to 8	2.5 to 4	Silvery checkerspot				Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes			Yes		Yes		Yes				Good bird food plant (seeds)
121	Rose Mallow	Hibiscus laevis	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun	Summer to fall	White with rose	4 to 6	2 to 3	Io moth, whitemarked tussock moth, pearly wood nymph, gray hairstreak, straight lined mallow		Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes							Yes	Yes
122	Swamp Mallow	Hibiscus moscheutos	North America	Yes	5a	Full sun	Summer to early fall	White to pink	3 to 7	2 to 4	Io moth, whitemarked tussock moth, pearly wood nymph, gray hairstreak, straight lined mallow		Yes		Yes	Yes									Yes	Yes		Good hummingbird plant
123	Hybrid Hibiscus	Hibiscus x hybrida	Hybrid	No	4a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to early fall	White, pink, or red shades	Varies	Varies			Yes		Yes			Yes							Yes	Yes			Numerous cultivars of assorted hybrid parentage. Height, flower color, and foliage color can vary
129	Southern Blue Flag	Iris virginica	North America	Yes	5a	Full sun	Early summer	Violet blue with yellow and white	1 to 3	1 to 3					Yes	Yes		Yes						Yes
131	Soft Rush	Juncus effusus	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun	Summer	Yellow-green	2 to 4	2 to 4					Yes	Yes				Yes									Rhizomatous, spreading habit. Can be grown in containers to reduce spread
132	Hard Rush	Juncus inflexus	Europe, Asia, Africa	No	4a	Full sun	Early summer	Yellow-brown	1 to 3	1 to 3					Yes	Yes				Yes
145	Prairie Blazing Star	Liatris pycnostachya	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun	Late summer to fall	Purple	2 to 5	1 to 2			Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes							Yes	Yes			One of the only Liatris species tolerant of very moist soil conditions
147	Dense Blazing Star	Liatris spicata	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun	Summer	Purple	2 to 6	1 to 2			Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes								Yes				Good cut flower
148	Cardinal Flower	Lobelia cardinalis	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to early fall	Red	2 to 4	1 to 2					Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes						Yes	Yes		Excellent hummingbird plant
149	Great Blue Lobelia	Lobelis siphilitica	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to early fall	Blue	2 to 3	1 to 1.5		Yes			Yes	Yes									Yes	Yes
151	Yellow Loosestrife	Lysimachia punctata	Europa, Asia Minor	No	4a	Full sun to part shade	Late spring to early fall	Yellow	2 to 3	1 to 1.5					Yes					Yes									Rhizomatous, spreads in favorable sites (but not overly aggressively). NOT related to invasive purple loosestrife
153	Allegheny Monkey Flower	Mimulus ringens	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to early fall	Lilac purple	1 to 3	.75 to 1	Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton), Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)				Yes	Yes		Yes							Yes	Yes
154	Purple Moorgrass	Molinia caerulea	Eurasia, Africa	No	4a	Full sun	Summer to early fall	Purple	2 to 3	1 to 1.5					Yes			Yes			Yes	Yes						Golden yellow fall color, does not provide winter interest
163	Prairie Sundrops	Oenothera pilosella	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun	Summer	Yellow	1 to 2	1.5 to 2				Moderate	Yes		Yes								Yes				Spreading, mat forming habit, shallow rooted. Can be an aggressive spreader
169	Royal Fern	Osmunda regalis	North America	Yes	3a	Part shade to full shade	NA	NA	2 to 3	2 to 3		Yes			Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes									Tolerates growing in standing water
170	Cinnamon Fern	Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (Osmunda cinnamomea)	North America	Yes	3a	Part shade to full shade	NA	NA	2 to 3	2 to 3		Yes			Yes	Yes			Yes			Yes						Tolerates growing in standing water
171	Switch Grass	Panicum virgatum	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to fall	Pinkish	3 to 6	2 to 3	Black-bordered lemon moth (Marimantha nigrofimbria), hobomok skipper (Poanes hobomok), tawny edged skipper (Polites themistocles), broad winged skipper (Poanes viator), least skipper (Ancyloxpha numitor), common wood nymph		Yes	Yes	Yes			Yes		Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes
173	Foxglove Penstemon	Penstemon digitalis	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Late spring to early summer	White	2 to 4	1.5 to 2	Saunder's sallow (Sympistis saundersiana), chalcedony midget (Elaphria chalcedonia), common buckeye (Junonia coenia), confused haploa (Haploa confusa), Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton), more			Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes							Yes	Yes		Hummingbird attractive
176	Carolina Phlox	Phlox carolina	North America	No	5a	Full sun to part shade	Late spring to fall	White to purple	1 to 5	1.5 to 2			Yes	Yes	Yes										Yes	Yes		Good hummingbird plant	Powdery mildew resistant
183	Obedient Plant	Physostegia virginiana	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to full shade	Summer	Pink	3 to 4	2 to 3					Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes					Yes	Yes
213	Wild Senna	Senna (Cassia) hebecarpa	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Summer	Yellow	4 to 6	3 to 4	Cloudless sulfur			Yes	Yes		Yes			Yes	Yes				Yes			Nitrogen fixer, yellow fall color, a preferred bumblebee pollen source	Extrafloral nectaries. Can be floppy in fertile soil
215	Rough Goldenrod	Solidago rugosa	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun	Summer to fall	Yellow	3 to 5	1.5 to 2.5	Keystone: astroid (Cucullia asteroides), brown-hooded owlet (Cucullia convexipennis), green leuconycta (Leuconycta diphteroides), many more		Yes		Yes		Yes	Yes							Yes				Rhizomatous, spreading habit; may reseed
217	Bog Goldenrod	Solidago uliginosa	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Late summer to fall	Yellow	2 to 5	2 to 4					Yes			Yes							Yes			Red-purple stems	Rhizomatous, spreading habit; may reseed
219	Woodland Pinkroot	Spigelia marylandics	North America	No	5a	Part shade to full shade	Summer	Red with yellow	1 to 2	.5 to 1.5		Yes			Yes					No					Yes	Yes		Highly attractive to hummingbirds	May be marginally hardy in zone 5a
223	New England Aster	Symphyotrichum novae-angliae	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun	Late summer to fall	Pink, purple	3 to 6	2 to 3	Pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos), Aster flowerhead caterpillar (Eucosma parmatana), aster-head phaneta (Eucosma tomoana), dimorphic gray (Tornos scolopacinarius), goldenrod gall moth (Epiblema scudderiana), Speyer's Cucullia (Cuculla speyeri), pale-banded dart (Agnorisma badinodis), blackberry looper (Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria)				Yes		Yes							Yes	Yes
224	New York Aster	Symphyotrichum novi-belgii	North America	No	4a	Full sun	Late summer to fall	Pink, purple, white	3 to 4	2 to 3					Yes		Yes							Yes	Yes
234	Blue Vervain	Verbena hastata	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to early fall	Purple	2 to 6	1 to 2.5	Common buckeye, verbena moth				Yes	Yes	Yes								Yes	Yes
235	Wingstem	Verbesina alternifolia	North America	Yes	4a	Full sun to part shade	Summer to fall	Yellow	4 to 8	2 to 6	Gold moth, summer azure, silvery checkerspot, more			Moderate	Yes			Yes	Yes						Yes
236	New York Ironweed	Vernonia noveboracensis	North America	No	5a	Full sun	Late summer	Purple	4 to 6	3 to 4					Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes				Yes			Yes
237	Common Blue Violet	Viola sororia	North America	Yes	3a	Full sun to full shade	Spring	Blue-purple to white	.5 to .75	.5 to .75	Edward's Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary, Coronis Fritillary, Mormon Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary	Yes			Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes		Yes			Yes		Flower	Edible leaves and flowers		Reseeds
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