​3 Native Plants Perfect For Wetland Environments

CATTAIL PLANT

Scientific Name: Typha latifolia

USDA Climate Zones: 2-11

Height: 3-5 feet

Vegetation Spread Rate: Rapid

Soil Type: Damp

The common cattail is an aggressive growing aquatic herb that can range in height from 3 to 10 feet. The leaves are green, long, slender, and grow perpendicularly to the water with a brown, oblong-shaped flowering head. It is a rapid-growing plant that thrives best in full sun or partial shade with damp soil and some standing water. When growing cattails, keep them contained, or they will spread rapidly.

BULL TONGUE PLANT

Scientific Name: Sagittaria lancifolia

USDA Climate Zone: 5-8

Height: 1-6 Feet

Canopy Spread: N/A

Soil Type: Prefers Moist, Muddy Soils, or Sand

Sun: Prefers Full Sun to Partial Shade

The Bull Tongue Plant, or Bulltongue Arrowhead, gets its name from the distinctive arrowhead-shaped leaves which arise from an underground rhizome system. It is a perennial monocot native to Texas and the south-eastern areas of the United States. The Bull Tongue regularly presents a stem of beautiful clusters of white-to-slightly pink 3-petal flowers 1-5 inches in diameter. Bull Tongue grows naturally in shallow water bodies, marshes, and swamps and makes a great addition to any water garden spot.

DEER BERRY BUSH

Scientific Name: Vaccinium Stamineum

USDA Climate Zone: 5-9

Tree Height: 3-15 Feet

Canopy Spread: 3-15 Feet

Soil Type: Prefers Sandy Soils without Lime

Sun: Prefers Full Sun to Partial Shade

The Deer Berry Bush feeds a variety of wildlife, including whitetail deer. Twisted contorted trunks are covered in thin reddish-brown bark, which peels and shreds. Deciduous egg-shaped leaves, one to three inches in length, are white underneath and turn red and orange during the fall. Bell-shaped flowers with clusters of yellow stamens extend beyond white petals. Pale berries appear in late spring and early summer, ranging from bluish to purple, are sweet and spicy in taste.