Perennial Woodland Plants

White Dogtooth's Violet

• The white dogtooth's violet (Erythronium albidum) has some interesting names, including white trout lily and adder tongue. White dogtooth's violets are herbaceous perennials common to the woodlands from southern sections of Ontario south to East Texas. White dogtooth's violets are early bloomers, flowering in April. The plant grows to 1 foot tall in damp spots in the shade. If you plant the seeds of the white dogtooth's violet, plants will develop, but these will require up to five years before they finally bloom, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Instead, plant the corms from which these violets develop and expect a plant that blossoms within a shorter period. White dogtooth's violet will form colonies in the shaded woodlands, but they are not a species that handles transplanting well.

Indian Cucumber

• Indian cucumbers (Medeola virginiana) may be grown in wet soil, as the plant thrives under damp conditions. Indian cucumber is now somewhat rare in the wild, where it grows in eastern areas of North America. Attaining heights up to 2 feet, this perennial of the woodlands features a single, straight stalk upon which leaves grow in the midsection and again near the top. Flowering in May and June, Indian cucumber produces a green-yellow blossom that changes into a berry. The berries ripen in September but are not edible. Indian cucumber's foliage may change to desirable shades of purple in autumn, but this color is not a reliable feature of the plant every year. The rhizomes from which Indian cucumber grows are edible, with a taste somewhat reminiscent of cucumber, hence the plant's name.

Shooting Star

• The flower colors of the shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia) are unpredictable; some will be white, while others are pink or lavender. The shooting star requires shade to grow, but the ground cannot be too damp or the perennial will perish. Shooting stars have basal leaves, with as many as four separate stalks supporting the flowers rising well above the foliage, to as high as 20 inches. Shooting stars will bloom by May, during which time they will garner interest in your woodland and shade gardens. Shooting stars are a native species from Pennsylvania west to Wisconsin and into the southern states. The flowers droop, with the petals pointing backwards, giving the appearance of a meteor with a trail of flames arcing behind it. Bees are the major pollinator of shooting stars, notes the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.