Chelone glabra

White Turtlehead is native to moist prairies, streambanks, and woodlands throughout most of eastern North America. The white penstemon-like flowers are a delight to pollinators when they rise above the dark green bushy foliage in late summer.

Easy to grow in the garden in humus-rich, medium to wet soil in full sun to partial shade. Slowly spreads by rhizome.

Host plant for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly, whose larvae feed on the leaves.

Zones: 3 to 8

Family: Scrophulariaceae

Type: Perennial

Height: 24 to 36 in.

Spread: 18 to 30 in.

Exposure: part-shade

Soil Conditions: moist

Bloom Time: May to June

Bloom Color: White To Light Pink

Native Range: midwest and eastern United States

Image Credits: 

Image 1 (bloom) R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Image 2 (pollinator) U.S. Department of AgricultureLance Cheung/Multimedia PhotoJournalist/USDA/Lance Cheung, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Image 3 (form) Michael Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons