Lizard's Tail

Saururus

Saururus cernuus
A rhizomatous perennial, reaching up to 5 ( rarely over 3.5 ) feet, that forms extensive colonies in marshes, swamps and streambanks. It is native to North America ( from eastern Kansas to southeast Wisconsin to central Michigan to Bayfield, Ontario to Midland, Ontario to Ottawa, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec to Massachusetts; south to central Texas to southern Florida ). It is critically endangered in Kansas and Connecticut; endangered in Ontario; extinct in the wild in Wisconsin and Massachusetts. In the Windsor/Essex County, Ontario regions; it occurred locally in the Canard River Valley and south of Amherstburg during the 1800s. It was abundant on the Ohio shore at that time.
The pointed, heart-shaped leaves, up to 6.5 x 3 inches in size, are mid-green.
The fragrant, greenish-white flowers are borne on dense, narrow, curved inflorescences up to 12 inches in length, during early summer to early autumn.
Hardy zones 4 to 9 in full sun to partial shade on wet soil to water up to 12 inches deep.

* photos taken on June 30 2013 @ U.S. National Arboretum, DC

* photos taken on June 1 2014 @ Maryland Horticulturalist Society garden tour, Clarksville

* photos taken on Aug 3 2014 @ National Zoo, Washington, DC

* photos taken Aug 2016 @ Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, MD

* photo taken by Dr. Nick V. Kurzenko @ CalPhotos

* photos taken on May 27 2017 @ Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA

* historic archive photo

* photos taken on Nov 10 2020 @ Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD

* photo taken on July 24 2021 in Columbia, MD

* photo taken on June 25 2024 in Columbia, MD

Saururus chinensis
A perennial, reaching up to 4 feet in height, that is the Asian native counterpart of Saururus cernuus. It is native to swamps from most of southern China to Korea and much of Japan; south to India to Vietnam to Phillipines.
The cordate leaves are up to 8 x 4 inches.
Hardy zones 5 to 8

* photos taken on Aug 1 2022 in Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD