Native Plants
Plant Database
Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.
Smith, R.W.
Menyanthes trifoliata
Menyanthes trifoliata L.
Buckbean, Buck-bean
Menyanthaceae (Buckbean Family)
Synonym(s): Menyanthes trifoliata var. minor
USDA Symbol: METR3
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N), GL (N), SPM (N)
This low perennial, 6-12 in., has three, shiny, oval leaflets, clumped at ground level. Large, long-stalked leaves and racemes or narrow clusters of white or purple-tinged, star-like flowers atop stout stalks, about as high as leaves. The white, five-petaled flowers are in an elongate cluster at the top of a single flowering stalk. The upper surface of the flower petals are covered with curved, white hairs.
This easily recognized species also occurs in Eurasia. In at least some localities, its flowers are of two kinds: those with short styles and long stamens and those with long styles and short stamens. The common name Bogbean alludes to the plant's habitat and to its small, bean-like seeds; these durable seeds have been found deeply buried in bogs. The leaves were sometimes used in Europe as a substitute for hops in beer brewing, and various medicinal applications of this species have been recorded. Deer Cabbage (Fauria crista-galli), a species traditionally placed in the genus Nephrophyllidium, has similar flowers but undivided, kidney-shaped leaves; it grows in wet places on the Olympic Peninsula and around the northern Pacific Coast.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Herb
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 1 foot tall.
Leaf: Green
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: WhiteBloom Time: Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug
Distribution
USA: AK , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DE , IA , ID , IL , IN , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NV , NY , OH , OR , PA , RI , SD , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WYCanada: NB , NL , NS , ON , PE
Native Distribution: Transcontinental Canada, s. to DE, n.w. NC, OH, NE, CO Rockies & n. CA
Native Habitat: Cool bogs, pond margins & wet woods
Growing Conditions
Water Use: HighLight Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Wet
CaCO3 Tolerance: Low
Soil Description: Wet, sometimes acidic, soils.
Benefit
Use Food: In Europe, powdered buckbean roots were mixed with flour as a nutritious but bitter-tasting bread additive. More commonly, the bitter leaves were used as a substitute for hops in flavouring beer and were also boiled in honey to make mead. Through the years, buckbean has been used to treat many ailments, including jaundice, indigestion, skin diseases, scurvy, intestinal worms and rheumatism. (Kershaw)Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Propagation
Commercially Avail: yesFind Seed or Plants
View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.
National Wetland Indicator Status
| Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
| Status: | OBL | OBL | OBL | OBL | OBL | OBL | OBL | OBL |
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:Delaware Nature Society - Hockessin, DE
Web Reference
Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) CalfloraWebref 36 - Jepson eFlora (2019) The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
Additional resources
USDA: Find Menyanthes trifoliata in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Menyanthes trifoliata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Menyanthes trifoliata
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-02-20Research By: TWC Staff