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Appalachian Grass-of-Parnassus

Parnassia asarifolia (par-NASS-ee-uh as-air-ee-FOH-lee-uh)

Family: Celastraceae Native Herbaceous

Grass-of-Parnassus is a native perennial wildflower found in the mountains of eastern USA including NC, in bogs, seeps, brookbanks. In general, it is found in more acidic habitats than P. grandifloria . It grows in boggy or swampy areas in full sun to partial shade up to 1 foot tall. The 1 inch wide 5-petaled flowers are a lovely white with green veins and occur late summer into fall. This plant prefers sandy to loam acidic soils in wet sites. It is important not to let it dry out in the summer. Use along streams or ponds and in boggy areas. Site : Bogs, seepage slopes, stream banks

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 39 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Wildflower
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Mountains
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Rosette of 4 inch kidney-shaped long-stalked basal leaves; single clasping leaf on the round stem
Flower color
Green; White
Flower detail
1 in. white flower with five clawed petals; prominent green veins; five stamens alternate with petals. Flowers bloom July-October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit detail
Fruits are available September-November.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Round green stem
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern USA
Distribution
AL , AR , GA , KY , MD , NC , TN , TX , VA , WV
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Native Garden
Garden tags
#native wildflower #Coastal OBL #food source hard mast fruit #NC native #Piedmont Mountains OBL #bird friendly #Audubon #NC Native Pollinator Plant #wildflower
Problems & Resistance
Propagation
Division; Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.