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Friday - May 06, 2011

From: Chesapeake, VA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Invasive Plants
Title: Looking for lunaria in VA
Answered by: Anne Bossart

QUESTION:

Where in the state of Virginia or North Carolina can I purchase the Lunaria annual plant? (the purple leaf lunaria annual plant)

ANSWER:

I suspect you are looking for what is commonly called the Honesty or Silver dollar plant, Lunaria annua.  This is a biennial wildflower, native to the Balkans and southwest Asia that has naturalized pretty well everywhere else in the world.

Since the mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes, we cannot give you more information about the plant or where to find the plant or seeds (other than in your neighbor's yard!)

The only plant native to the US with the word lunaria in it's name is Botrychium lunaria (Common moonwort), a tiny woodland fern that is not native to the Chesapeake area and likely not the plant you are looking for.

 

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