Index of Richmond's Wildflowers
 by common names

The following is a list by common name of wildflowers I have seen within the boundaries of the City of Richmond, VA. Click on the highlighted common names to view photos.

The list is growing frequently as I venture out for more walks in different areas of the city and at different times of the season. My intention is to identify, photograph and catalog all wildflowers within the city limits. This may take a few seasons. I began this project in the spring of 1999.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Newton Ancarrow, now deceased, for going before me and cataloging over 450 species of flowers growing wild along the banks of the James River at the fall line in Richmond. I use his list frequently to verify the accuracy of my findings, and for inspiration.

View a copy of Ancarrow's list as published in the 1975 book, "The Falls of the James", by David D. Ryan.

I also must put in a word for Forest Hill Park on the city's south side. I have found more out of the way species there than in any other place in the city.

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Common Name Botanical Name Common Family Name Botanical Family Name
AlumrootHeuchera americanaSaxifrageSaxifragaceae
Aster, White-toppedSeriocarpus asteroidesSunflowerAsteraceae
Avens, WhiteGeum canadenseRoseRosaceae
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Baby Blue EyesNemophila trilobaWaterleafHydrophyllaceae
Beardtongue, HairyPenstemon hirsutusSnapdragonScrophulariaceae
Bedstraw, HairyGallium pilosaBedstrawRubiaceae
BellwortUvularia perfoliataLilyLiliaceae
Bindweed, HedgeConvolvulus sepiumMorning GloryConvolvulaceae
Bittercress, Small-floweredCardamine hirsuta MustardBrassicaceae
BloodrootSanguinaria canadensisPoppyPapaveraceae
Bluebells, VirginiaMertensia virginicaForget-me-notBoraginaceae
BluetsHoustonia caeruleaBedstrawRubiaceae
Bluets, SummerHedyotis purpureaBedstrawRubiaceae
BurdockArctium minusSunflowerAsteraceae
Buttercup, CommonRanunculus acrisButtercupRanunculaceae
Buttercup, KidneyleafRanunculus arborvitusButtercupRanunculaceae
ButtonbushCephalanthus occidentalisBedstrawRubiaceae
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Cancer Root, One-FloweredOrobanche unifloraBroomrapeOrobanchaceae
CatsearHypochaeris radicataSunflowerAsteraceae
CheesesMalva neglectaMallowMalvaceae
Chickweed, CommonStellaria mediaPinkCaryophyllaceae
Chickweed, Mouse-earedCerastium vulgatumPinkCaryophyllaceae
Chickweed, Star Stellaria puberaPinkCaryophyllaceae
ChicoryChichorium intybusSunflowerAsteraceae
Cinquefoil, Canadian DwarfPotentilla canadensisRoseRosaceae
Cinquefoil, Rough FruitedPotentilla rectaRoseRosaceae
CleaversGalium aparineBedstrawRubiaceae
Clover, Lesser Low HopTrifolium dubiumPeaFabaceae
Clover, Low HopTrifolium campestre PeaFabaceae
Clover, Rabbit-footTrifolium arvense PeaFabaceae
Clover, RedTrifolium pratense PeaFabaceae
Clover, Yellow SweetMelilotus officianalisPeaFabaceae
Clover, WhiteTrifolium repensPeaFabaceae
Coreopsis, WhorledCoreopsis verticulataSunflowerAsteraceae
CornflowerCentaurea cyanusSunflowerAsteraceae
Corn SaladValerianella olitoriaValerianValerianaceae
Corydalis, YellowCorydalis flavulaPoppyPapaveraceae
Cranesbill, CarolinaGeranium carolinianum GeraniumGeraniaceae
Cress, SpringCardamine bulbosaMustardBrassicaceae
CudweedGnaphalium purpureumSunflowerAsteraceae
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DandelionTaraxacum officinaleSunflowerAsteraceae
Dayflower, AsiaticCommelina communisSpiderwortCommelinaceae
Daylily, CommonHemerocalis fulvaLilyliliaceae
Dock, CurlyRumex crispusBuckwheatPolygonaceae
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Evening PrimroseOenothera biennisEvening PrimroseOnagraceae
Evening Primrose, Cut LeavedOenothera lanceolataEvening PrimroseOnagraceae
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False Foxglove, DownyGerardia virginicaSnapdragonScrophulariaceae
FennelFoeniculum vulgareCarrotUmbelliferae
Flax, WildLinum perenne FlaxLinaceae
FleabaneErigeron annuusSunflowerAsteraceae
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Goatsbeard, YellowTragopogon dubiusSunflowerAsteraceae
Garlic, FieldAllium vinealeLilyLiliaceae
Goat's-rueTephrosia virginianaPeaFabaceae
Golden AlexandersZizia aureaCarrotUmbelliferae
GoldenrodSolidago rugosaSunflowerAsteraceae
Green and GoldChrysogonum virginianumSunflowerAsteraceae
Ground IvyGlechoma hederaceaMintLamiaceae
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Heal-allPrunella vulgarisMintLamiaceae
Heartleaf Hexastylis virginicaBirthwortAristolochiaceae
Heliotrope, CreepingHeliotropium amplexicauleForget-Me-NotBoraginaceae
Hemlock, PoisonConium maculatumCarrotUmbelliferae
HenbitLamium amplexicauleMintLamiaceae
HonewortCryptoaenia canadensisCarrotUmbelliferae
HorsenettleSolanum carolinenseNightshadeSolanaceae
Hydrangea, WildHydrangea arborescensSaxifrageSaxifragaceae
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Iris, Crested DwarfIris cristataIrisIridaceae
Indigo BushAmorpha fruticosaPeaIridaceae
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Jack-in-the-PulpitArisaema triphyllumArumAraceae
JimsonweedDatura stramoniumNightshadeSolanaceae
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Lady's ThumbPolygonum persicariaBuckwheatPolygonaceae
Lamb's QuartersChenopodium albumGoosefootChenopodiaceae
Lespedeza, CreepingLespedeza repensPeaFabaceae
Lettuce, WildLactuca biennisSunflowerAsteraceae
Loosestrife, FringedLysimachia ciliataPrimrosePrimulaceae
Loosetrife, PurpleLythrum salicariaLoosestrifeLythraceae
LopseedPhryma leptostachyaLopseedPhrymaceae
LousewortPedicularis canadensisSnapdragonScrophulariaceae
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Madder, FieldSherardia arvensisBedstrawRubiaceae
Mallow, CommonMalva sylvestrisMallowMalvaceae
ManrootIpomoea pandurataMorning GloryConvolvulaceae
MayapplePodophyllum peltatumBarberryBerberidaceae
MayweedAnthemus cotulaSunflowerAsteraceae
MilkweedAsclepias syriacaMilkweedAsclepiadaceae
MulleinVerbascum thapsusSnapdragonScrophulariaceae
Mullein, MothVerbascum blattariaSnapdragonScrophulariaceae
Mustard, GarlicAlliara officianalisMustardBrassicaceae
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Nettle, Purple DeadLamium purpureumMintLamiaceae
New Jersey TeaCeanothus americanusBuckthornRhamnaceae
Nightshade, CommonSolanum americanumNightshadeSolanaceae
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Partridge BerryMitchella repensBedstrawRubiaceae
PassionflowerPassiflora incarnataPassionflowerPassifloraceae
PeriwinkleVinca minorDogbaneApocynaceae
Pea, EverlastingLathyrus latifoliusPeaFabaceae
Pea, HoaryTephrosia spiccataPeaFabaceae
Peppergrass, WildLepidium virginicumMustardBrassicaceae
Phlox, Wild BluePhlox divaricataPhloxPolemoniaceae
PickerelweedPontederia cordataPickerelweedPontenderiaceae
Pink, WildSilene carolinianaPinkCaryophyllaceae
Pinxter FlowerRhododendron nudiflorumHeathEricaceae
Plantain, CommonPlantago majorPlantainPlantanginaceae
Plantain, EnglishPlantago lanceolataPlantainPlantanginaceae
PokeweedPhytolacca americanaPokeweedPhytolaccaceae
Prickly PearOpuntia humifusaCactusCactaceae
PurslanePortulaca oleraceaPurslanePortulacaceae
Pussytoes, Plantain-leavedAntennaria plantaginifoliaSunflowerAsteraceae
Pussytoes, SmoothAntennaria parliniiSunflowerAsteraceae
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Queen Anne's LaceDaucus carotaCarrotUmbelliferae
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Radish, WildRaphanus raphanistrumMustardBrassicaceae
Ragweed, CommonAmbrosia artemisifoliaSunflowerAsteraceae
Ragwort, SouthernSenecio smalliiSunflowerAsteraceae
Rattlesnake WeedHieracium venosumSunflowerAsteraceae
Rose, MultifloraRosa multifloraRoseRosaceae
Ruellia, HairyRuellia caroliniensisAcanthusAcanthaceae
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Sage, Lyre-leafedSalvia lyrataMintLamiaceae
St. JohnswortHypericum perforatumSt. JohnswortHypericaceae
Saxifrage, EarlySaxifraga virginiensisSaxifrageSaxifragaceae
SeedboxLudwigia alternifolia Evening PrimroseOnagraceae
Shepherd's PurseCapsella bursa-pastorisMustardBrassicaceae
Smartweed, NoddingPolygonum lapathifolium BuckwheatPolygonaceae
Snakeroot, BlackSanicula canadensis CarrotUmbelliferae
Solomon's Seal, FalseSmilacina racemosaLilyLiliaceae
Solomon's Seal, SmoothPolygonatum biflorumLilyLiliaceae
Sow Thistle, Spiny-LeavedSonchus asperSunflowerAsteraceae
Speedwell, PersianVeronica persicaSnapdragonScrophulariaceae
Speedwell, Thyme-leavedVeronica serpyllifoliaSnapdragonScrophulariaceae
SpiderwortTradescantia virginianaSpiderwortCommelinaceae
Spring BeautyClaytonia virginicaPurslanePortulacaceae
Star of BethlehemOrnithogallum umbellatumLilyLiliaceae
Strawberry BushEuonymus americanusStaff-treeCelastraceae
StorksbillErodium cicutariumGeraniumGeraniaceae
Sweet CicelyOzmorhiza claytoniParsleyApiaceae
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ToadshadeTrillium sessileLilyLiliaceae
Touch-Me-NotImpatiens capensisTouch-Me-NotBalsaminaceae
Trout LilyErythronium americanumLilyLiliaceae
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Venus' Looking GlassSpecularia perfoliataBluebellCampanulaceae
Vetch, Big FlowerVicia grandiflora PeaFabaceae
Vetch, CommonVicia augustifoliaPeaFabaceae
Vetch, SmoothVicia dasycarpaPeaFabaceae
Vervain, WhiteVerbena urticifoliaVervainVerbenaceae
Violet, Common BlueViola papilionaceaVioletViolaceae
Violet, Bird-FootViola pedataVioletViolaceae
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Wild LicoriceGallium circaezansBedstrawRubiaceae
Willow, WaterJusticia americanaAcanthusAcanthaceae
Wintergreen, SpottedChimaphila maculataWintergreenPyrolaceae
Wood Sorrel, YellowOxalis strictaWood SorrelOxalidaceae
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YarrowAchillea millefoliumSunflowerAsteraceae