Flora of West Virginia

Corallorhiza bentleyi is a rare species of orchid known to grow solely in mountainous deciduous forests of Virginia and West Virginia, United States. It was undescribed until 1999. It is a parasitic plant, with yellow to reddish stems and cleistogamous flowers.

Phlox buckleyi, common name swordleaf phlox or shale-barren phlox, is a plant species native to Virginia and West Virginia. It grows in open woodlands, primarily on hillsides derived from shale. The first known specimen was first collected in 1838 but not described as a species until 1930. Phlox buckleyi is a perennial herb spreading by means of stolons running on the surface of the ground. Rosettes of long, narrow, evergreen leaves form at the tips of the stolons, from the center of which arises a vertical stem up to 40 cm (16 inches) tall. Inflorescence is a cyme or a paniculate group of

Sedum glaucophyllum, the cliff stonecrop, is a species of Sedum native to the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States from West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Sedum glaucophyllum is a prostrate, mat-forming evergreen perennial plant forming patches up to 30–40 cm (12–15.5 in) in diameter. The leaves are glaucous green, succulent, rounded, 1–2 cm (0.5–1 in) long and wide, arranged in a dense helix on the stems. The flowers are white, 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) in diameter, with four slender, pointed petals; they are produced in clusters on erect stems up to 10 cm (4

Viola appalachiensis, the Appalachian blue violet, also known as Appalachian violet and Henry's violet is a Viola native to the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern United States.

Trifolium virginicum, the Kate's Mountain clover, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to West Virginia and Virginia in the United States, growing mainly on the Piedmont mafic barren, with Kate's Mountain as the type locality. Trifolium virginicum is a symbol of the West Virginia Native Plant Society. T. virginicum can also be found in Maryland and Pennsylvania, where it is considered imperiled or critically imperiled, respectively, by NatureServe.

Gentiana austromontana, the Appalachian gentian, is a 1–2 ft (30–61 cm) tall flowering plant in the Gentianaceae family. It is native to the southern Appalachians of West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Very similar to Gentiana clausa, it has paired, lanceolate leaves, usually on unbranched stalks, and blue or purple blooms which remain closed or nearly closed. It flowers from late August to October. It is thought that G. austromotana is the product of hybridization between G. clausa and G. decora as the Appalachian Gentian is found only in area where the former two are

Rubus originalis a rare North American species of brambles in the rose family. It has been found in the eastern United States (New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia, and North Carolina). Nowhere is it common. The genetics of Rubus is extremely complex, so that it is difficult to decide on which groups should be recognized as species. There are many rare species with limited ranges such as this. Further study is suggested to clarify the taxonomy.

Helianthus laevigatus is a North American species of sunflower known by the common name smooth sunflower. It is native to the east-central and southeastern United States from Georgia to Maryland. Helianthus laevigatus is a perennial herb up to 220 cm (over 7 feet) tall, spreading by means of underground rhizomes. Most of the leaves are on the stem rather than crowded around the base, each leaf up to 15 cm (6 inches) long. Leaves and stems generally have no hairs, and the undersides of the leaves sometimes appear pale because of a layer of wax on the surface. One plant usually produces 1-6

Packera antennariifolia, the shale barren ragwort, is a species of the genus Packera and family Asteraceae. It is endemic to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is found in the Appalachian Mountains.

Liatris helleri is a species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Heller's blazing star and Heller's gayfeather. It is native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States, found in the states of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. It is threatened by recreational activities in its habitat, and is federally listed as a threatened species. Liatris helleri is a perennial herb which grows up to about half a meter (20 inches) in height from a spherical corm. The leaves are variable in shape, from linear to lance-shaped, and

Ilex collina is a species of holly known by the common name longstalk holly. It is native to the eastern United States, where it can be found in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. This plant is a shrub or tree up to 3 to 4 meters tall. The leaves are oval with pointed tips and serrated edges. It is dioecious, with male and female reproductive parts on separate plants. The flowers are yellow-green and four-parted, blooming in May. The fruit is a drupe which is red to yellow in color and just under a centimeter in width. This plant grows in thickets in moist areas,

Solidago faucibus, the gorge goldenrod, is North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It was recognized as a distinct species in 2003. It is found primarily in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States, in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina. It is found in mesic forested gorges, often growing under Tsuga canadensis. Solidago faucibus is a perennial herb up to 150 cm (5 feet) tall, with a branching underground caudex. Leaves very broad, almost round, up to 20 cm (8 inches) long, with large teeth

Taenidia montana, the mountain pimpernel, is a herbaceous flowering perennial from the family Apiaceae. It is native to the Eastern United States (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland).

Penstemon brevisepalus, commonly known as short-sepaled beardtongue, is an herbaceous plant in the plantain family. It is a perennial that produces pale lavender flowers in late spring. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is restricted to the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Its natural habitat is acidic woodlands, prairies, and rock outcrops (typically sandstone or shale).

Pieris floribunda is a North American species of broadleaf evergreen shrub, a member of the fetterbush genus in the blueberry family (Ericaceae). It is commonly known in North America as mountain fetterbush or mountain andromeda. All parts of Pieris floribunda are poisonous if ingested. In landscapes it should be grown in full to part shade, out of windy locations, and have a good quality soil with much organic matter with acidity of pH 4.5 to 6.5. The mountain fetterbush is less subject to damage from the Azalea lacebug that often infests the related Pieris japonica.

Cardamine flagellifera, commonly known as Blue Ridge bittercress, is a species of herbaceous plant in the mustard family. It is native to eastern North America, where it is found primarily in the southern Blue Ridge. It is a perennial that produces white flowers in the spring. Its natural habitat is moist cove forests and bottomlands, along streambanks and in seepage areas. Unlike the similar-looking Cardamine clematis which grows in high elevations, C. flagellifera is typically found in low to moderate elevations. This species is considered to be vulnerable due to its limited distribution,

Heuchera parviflora is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common names cave alumroot and littleflower alumroot. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is found primarily in the Ozark Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, and Cumberland Plateau. It is found in deeply shaded areas such as under rock overhangs and cliffs, almost always where no direct sunlight falls. In this habitat, it is often the only vascular plant found. H. parviflora is an uncommon species throughout its range. It flowers in late summer through fall. There are two varieties

Eutrochium steelei, also known as Appalachian Joe-Pye weed or Steele's eupatorium, is a North American species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It is found only in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, in the States of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. Eutrochium steelei is a perennial herb sometimes as much as 200 cm (78.5 in; 6.5 ft) tall. Stems are greenish-purple, not hollow. One plant can produce many small pink or purple flower heads, each head with 5-10 disc flowers but no ray flowers.

Antennaria virginica is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common names shalebarren pussytoes. It grows on Devonian shale in the eastern United States. It is found in central Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, with a few populations in eastern Ohio. Antennaria virginica grows up to 25 cm (10 inches) tall, spreading by horizontal stems that run along the surface of the ground. Male and female flower heads are borne on separate plants. One plant can have several heads in a flat-topped array.

Vaccinium erythrocarpum, commonly known as southern mountain cranberry or bearberry, more rarely as mountain blueberry or dingleberry, is a deciduous flowering shrub native to the Southeastern United States.

Silene rotundifolia, the roundleaf catchfly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native to the east-central United States. A perennial, it is typically found in woodlands to the west of the Appalachians, on cliffs and bluffs. It is closely related to Silene laciniata.

Platanthera shriveri, Shriver's purple fringed orchid, is a rare orchid endemic to the United States. It is considered critically imperiled.

Chrysogonum virginianum, the golden-knee, green and gold, or goldenstar, is a North American species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the eastern United States from New York State and Rhode Island south to Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. The species is sometimes grown as a perennial ornamental because of its showy flowers. It is usually propagated by root cuttings. Varieties Formal botanical varieties of wild populations: Chrysogonum virginianum var. australe (Alexander ex Small) H.E.Ahles - Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana Chrysogonum virginianum var.

Asarum virginicum, commonly known as Virginia heartleaf, is a prostrate perennial plant in the Aristolochiaceae (birthwort family). It is found in the mideastern United States from Maryland and Virginia in the north, south to North Carolina and Tennessee. The plant is encountered in deciduous and mixed forests. Its flowers emerge in early spring from April through June.

Hieracium traillii is a species of hawkweed known by the common name Maryland hawkweed. Hieracium traillii grows in the eastern United States, primarily in the central Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, with some populations farther west in Ohio and Kentucky. Hieracium traillii is a small hawkweed forming a basal rosette of densely hairy gray-green leaves, each up to 8 centimeters (3.2 inches) long and some with toothed edges. It bolts a thin, hairy stem which reaches 60 centimeters (2 feet) tall. The stem bears an inflorescence of several flower

Trillium sulcatum is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. It is a member of the Erectum group, a group of species typified by Trillium erectum. The specific name sulcatum means "furrowed, grooved, or sulcate", which describes the tips of the sepals. It is most abundant on the Cumberland Plateau in central Tennessee and eastern Kentucky where it blooms in April and May. The species is commonly known as the southern red trillium or furrowed wakerobin.

Crataegus persimilis is a species of hawthorn, known by the common names plumleaf hawthorn and broad-leaved cockspur thorn, native to southern Ontario, Canada, and the US states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. It is widely cultivated, particularly in Europe, as an ornamental. Its sporadic distribution in its natural range and certain of its morphological characters leads authorities to consider it a probable naturally occurring hybrid, with its most likely parents being Crataegus succulenta (fleshy hawthorn) and Crataegus crus-galli (cockspur hawthorn).

Carex roanensis is a species of sedge known by the common name Roan Mountain sedge. It is endemic to the eastern United States, where it can be found in the Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, and Central Appalachian ecoregions. It was first collected on Roan Mountain in Tennessee in 1936. It was not collected again for fifty years. Now it is known from Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This plant forms small clumps of stems up to 85 centimeters tall. The stem bases and leaf sheaths are tinged maroon. The leaf blades are hairy. The

Pycnanthemum montanum, commonly known as Appalachian mountain-mint, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is an aromatic perennial herb native to the United States, where it is found in the Southern Appalachian region.

Draba ramosissima, the branched draba, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It has a restricted range, being found only on calcareous cliffs of the Appalachian Mountains, the Kentucky River Palisades, and Middle Tennessee. It is a small perennial herb with racemes of white flowers in the spring.