Species PlantsBogbean

Bogbean

Menyanthes trifoliata

CommonPlant
Illustration of Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata)

Bogbean is an aquatic or semi-aquatic wildflower of cold bogs and shallow ponds, with striking white flowers fringed with white hairs like a fairy-tale plant. It spreads by floating rhizomes across bog surfaces. The roots were used medicinally and as an emergency food by indigenous peoples, and the flowers attract native bees.

Habitat
Cold sphagnum bogs, shallow ponds, and lake margins across boreal North America
Diet
Flowers attract native bees; foliage browsed by moose
How common
Common

Best time to see a Bogbean

The best time to see a Bogbean is April–June, when about 61% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 4,275 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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