Home Prairie and Wetland Center
16245 S US Hwy 71
Belton, MO 64012
Tel: (816) 331-9738
Fax: (816) 331-9739

Native Plants

Botanical Name     Common Name
A B C D E F-G H I J-L M-O P Q R S T U-Z
Hamamelis vernalis
Common Name: Vernal Witchhazel
From late winter into early spring, this unique native shrub blooms when little else is flowering. The fragrant flowers, which can persist for three to four weeks, are clustered or solitary. Flowers are yellow to dark red in color and have four stri...

Hamamelis virginiana
Common Name: Witch Hazel
This tall shrub or small tree has upright spreading branches that form an irregular crown. Witch Hazel blooms with yellow, fragrant flowers that open in late fall or early winter. The flowers are a boon to migrating hummingbirds. The fall leaf color...

Helenium autumnale
Common Name: Sneezeweed
This sneezeweed is an erect, clump-forming, native perennial which occurs in moist soils along streams, ponds or ditches. Typically grows three to five feet tall on rigid, distinctively winged stems which branch near the top. Features clusters of dai...

Helenium flexuosum
Common Name: Purple-Head Sneezeweed
The very dark-colored disk distinguishes Purple-Head Sneezeweed from other species of sneezeweed which have yellow-green disks. On all sneezeweeds, the yellow ray petals have three lobes which distinguish sneezeweeds from Black-eyed Susan and other y...

Helianthus annuus
Common Name: Common Sunflower
Native to dry plains, prairies, meadows and foothills in the western U. S., Canada and northern Mexico, this sunflower is a coarse, hairy, leafy, fast-growing annual that grows on stiff upright stalks. The species is a somewhat weedy plant that is no...

Helianthus maximilianii
Common Name: Maximilian Sunflower
Coarse plant with hairy stems and serrated leaves. In midsummer to fall many flowers bloom in a tall, narrow cluster near the top of each plant. Each flower is about four inches in diameter with 10-25 petals. Found on exposed, rocky slopes and dry to...

Helianthus mollis
Common Name: Ashy Sunflower
Beautiful butter-yellow flowers bloom in August. Leaves are soft, grayish-green and covered with fine hairs. The firm stems reach up to six feet tall and serve as perches for songbirds. Creeps slowly by rhizomes, making this one of the best-behaved ...

Helianthus occidentalis
Common Name: Western Sunflower
In late summer to fall, bright yellow flowers appear on leafless, hairy stems. The seeds are enjoyed by birds. Good species for dry sites and prairie plantings....

Helianthus salicifolius
Common Name: Willow-leaved Sunflower
Blooms in late summer or early fall with clusters of two inch wide, medium yellow sunflowers with dark brown centers on whitish green stems. It makes a good cut flower. The distinctive foliage, narrow, drooping, willow-like pale green leaves, provid...

Heliopsis helianthoides
Common Name: Ox-eye Sunflower
In summer, the Ox-eye Sunflower blooms for weeks with golden yellow daisy-like flowers that attract butterflies. It makes a good cut flower and songbirds enjoy the mature seed....

Hesperis matronalis
Common Name: Dame's Rocket
An upright, multi-branched, short-lived perennial or biennial. Features white to purple fragrant flowers in loose clusters which bloom in late spring. Serrated, lance-shaped, dark green foliage....

Heteranthera reniformis
Common Name: Mud Plantain
A simple North American aquatic plant with broad, kidney-shaped leaves and white, star-shaped flowers that bloom in summer....

Heuchera americana 'Purple Palace'
Common Name: Coral Bells
Cultivar of native perennial which occurs in dry locations such as rocky open woodlands and along ledges and crevices of bluffs. Typically features a 12- to 15-inch-tall basal clump of heart-shaped, lobed leaves. Tiny, greenish-white, bell-shaped flo...

Heuchera richardsonii
Common Name: Alum Root
This native coral bells is a clump-forming perennial which is found on dry prairies, open woodland slopes, uplands, banks and along railroads. Typically features a 12-18" tall basal clump of heart-shaped, shallow-lobed, green leaves which show some w...

Heuchera villosa 'Caramel'
Common Name: Hairy Alum Root
Bright apricot-colored new growth fades to soft amber by summer. Fall color is an intense salmon red. Its lobed fuzzy foliage stays clean. Cultivar of eastern US native species that is plenty hardy and unsurpassed for longevity, even in the prolonged...

Hibiscus militaris
Common Name: Rose Mallow
Easy-to-grow plant that will bloom equally well in full sun or part shade, as long as soil is kept evenly moist. Flowers seem to hold their pink tinge better where not exposed to direct overhead at midday....

Hydrangea arborescens
Common Name: Wild Hydrangea
These plants form rounded mounds and bloom in June with large clusters of flat, creamy white flowers that last for many weeks and can be used in dried flower arrangements. The flowers are pollen-rich and attract butterflies and other pollinators. G...

Hypericum prolificum
Common Name: Shrubby St. John's Wort
This dense little shrub with stiff erect stems and blue-green leaves blooms in summer with very showy, bright yellow, one inch flowers. In September, brown seed pods form and remain on the plant all winter and can be used in dried floral arrangement...

Hystrix patula
Common Name: Bottlebrush Grass
This distinctive native grass occurs in a broad variety of sites from mesic to dry upland forests, glade margins and upland prairies, to streambanks. Does well on disturbed sites. The plant is easy to identify because of its big inflorescence which h...