Maryland Native Plants for Fall Interest

Gillenia trifoliatus – Bowman’s Root

 

Gillenia trifoliatus, or Bowman’s root, grows in full sun to light shade in moist to average soil conditions. This plant prefers mountainous habitats and can be found in dry to moist upland woods and rocky banks. It can tolerate drought conditions once established. Over time, the plant spreads into tight clumps that seldom needs dividing. Where temperatures are hotter it is usually found in shadier conditions, for example woodlands dominated by oak species. Bowman’s root does well when planted in masses, especially along the edge of a woodland garden where the light transitions from shade to full sun. It is pest and disease-resistant and boats an especially unpalatable flavor to mammalian herbivores. Many pollinators, from butterflies to skippers to bees, use the flowers as a nectar source in the spring and early summer.

A member of the Rose Family (Rosaceae), Bowman’s Root has the five, separate petals characteristic of most wild members of that family. The petals are white or pale pink, narrow, and often twisted, somewhat resembling those of Amelanchier species. The leaves are nearly sessile, three-parted, and sharply toothed. Once pollinated, the flowers form hairy fruits. In Maryland Bowman’s Root occurs mainly in rich woods of the western mountains, but there are scattered occurrences in the Piedmont and the western Coastal Plain.

Latin Name: Gillenia trifoliatus (Previously Porteranthus)

Common Name: Bowman’s Root

Type: Herbaceous perennial

Family: Rosaceae

Height: 2.00 to 4.00 feet

Spread: 1.50 to 3.00 feet

Bloom Time: May to July

Bloom Description: White

Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade

Water: Medium to Moist (Can handle drought after establishing)

Maintenance: Low

Flower: Showy

Leaf: Good Fall

Use: Birds, Pollinator, Edging

(Information from Missouri Botanical Garden, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, North Creek Nurseries.)

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