Welcome to bplant.org!

bplant.org is a website to help you learn about plants and their ecology and distribution, with an eye towards preserving, protecting, and restoring biodiversity.

↑Recently Updated Plant Articles

White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)

Updated September 23rd, 2026

A perennial native to rich deciduous forests of Eastern North America.

View Full Article

Sweet Wood Reed (Cinna arundinacea)

Updated August 22nd, 2026

A tall perennial grass native to Eastern North America, usually found in wet to moist wooded areas.

View Full Article

Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata)

Updated August 19th, 2026

An atypical Rudbeckia, a tall rhizomatous perennial with large yellow flowers, found in moist, partly sunny habitats.

View Full Article

↑Recently Updated Ecoregion Articles

North America » Eastern Temperate Forests » Southeastern USA Plains » Piedmont »

Talladega Upland

Updated August 11th, 2026

A small, rugged, forested region crossing the border of Alabama and Georgia, sparsely populated and with much public land.

View Full Article

North America » Eastern Temperate Forests » Ozark, Oauchita-Appalachian Forests »

Central Appalachians

Updated July 3rd, 2026

An interior region of the Appalachians reaching to higher elevations than areas to the east and west; mostly forested.

View Full Article

North America » Eastern Temperate Forests » Ozark, Oauchita-Appalachian Forests » Blue Ridge »

Sauratown Mountains

Updated June 9th, 2026

A mountain range in North Carolina, geologically part of the Blue Ridge, yet isolated within the piedmont.

View Full Article

↑Recently Updated ID / Comparison Guides (See All)

White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) vs. Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra)

Updated September 23rd, 2026

These species are frequently confused, especially in the rare cases when A. rubra has white fruit or A. pachypoda has red fruit, or when fruit is not present. They can be easily distinguished by fruit pedicels, and they also have average differences in pubescence on leaf undersides, pistil dimensions, petal shape, and inflorescence shape. Where their ranges overlap, A. pachypoda ranges much farther south, is more limited to deciduous forests, and prefers near-neutral loamy soil. A. rubra ranges much farther west and into mixed (conifer-deciduous) forest, prefers slightly more acidic soil, and is more tolerant of sand or clay in the soil.

View Full Guide

Tall Rattlesnakeroot (Nabalus altissimus) vs. Three-leaved Rattlesnake Root (Nabalus trifoliolatus)

Updated August 27th, 2026

These two species are visually similar and frequently confused. They can be distinguished by flowers, lower leaf shape, and with some effort, by seeds. N. altissimus ranges much farther west, farther north, and slightly farther south, and prefers richer, shadier habitats. N. trifoliatus extends farther east (closer to the coast) in the central portions of its range, prefers sunnier habitats and tolerates more soil acidity and some salinity.

View Full Guide

Tall Blue Lettuce (Lactuca biennis) vs. Woodland Lettuce (Lactuca floridana)

Updated August 3rd, 2026

These species are easily confused in the limited zone in which their ranges overlap. They can usually be distinguished by differences in flower size and seeds. They have differences in leaf shape and bloom time, but with some overlap in both characteristics. Both tend to grow in partly-shaded, moist, disturbed habitats in rich soils, and for the most part, L. biennis is the more northerly species occupying a similar niche as L. floridana, the more southerly species, but L. floridana ranges farther north in the central US, and L. biennis is also found in the West. Where they overlap, L. floridana tends to prefer shadier, moister, and slightly less disturbed habitats than L. biennis.

View Full Guide

Want to get involved? Sign up for our interest list!