One of the great surprises in our bog garden is the survival of the North American native, bog bean, aka: Menyanthes trifoliata. This odd monotypic genus (only a single species), hails from cool parts of North America and Europe, and we assumed had little chance of survival in our hot, humid Southeastern climate. That was before Patrick McMillan shared a collection from near its southernmost range in West Virginia in 2023. Menyanthes is so odd, that it resides in its own family, Menyanthaceae, which also includes the waterlily genus, Nymphoides. This is a ancient circumboreal species, meaning it occurs around the world in cold climates, with seed from the Middle Miocene (11-15 million years ago) found in European ice cores.
This deciduous, stoloniferous perennial makes its home in bogs and mucky soils, growing in both sun and part sun. The clumps are topped by stalks of pink buds that open into frilly white flowers in spring. While it spreads from aggressive rhizomes, we expect our climate to reduce its spread.
