Lizard’s-Tail

This week for Flora and Fauna Friday, we’re looking at a common but unique wetland plant. This week were talking about Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus).

Lizard’s Tail belongs to the family Saururaceae. This family only contains 7 species, of which only two are found in the United States. Of those two, Lizard’s tail is the only one found East of the Mississippi. This leaves Lizard’s Tail quite unique in appearance from anything else in our area.

Lizard’s Tail is a perennial wildflower that thrives in shaded freshwater marshes and open swamps. It’s alternate arrowhead-shaped leaves carpet the mud of many a shallow backwater and bottomland in the Lowcountry. The plants grow in dense stands and can reach about 4ft in height. In the spring the plants produce a slender spike of green-white flower buds. These flower buds open from the base of the inflorescence to the tip, creating a white bottle brush at the bottom with an off-green “lizard’s tail” of buds still hanging from the tip. In the winter the plants die back to their roots to start the cycle anew.

Originally Posted 6/2/2018

Tom Austin