White turtlehead
Chelone glabra L.
Also called white turtlehead.
Late-season wetland perennial with hooded white flowers, sometimes pink-tinged, that only strong bumble bees can push open. The main host plant of the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 0.6–0.9 m (2–3 ft) tall and 0.5–0.8 m (18–30 in) wide; medium growth, about 3 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the #1 install size.
Bloom
White flowers, Aug–Oct (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).
| Plant | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White turtlehead : Aug–Oct |
Design notes
- Best in consistently moist to wet soil; leaves scorch in dry sun.
- Pinch stems in early summer for bushier, shorter plants that need no staking.
Regions
Native range: Eastern North America, from Newfoundland to Georgia and west to Minnesota.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
In the guides
White turtlehead comes up in this guide:
Related plants
Try White turtlehead in a plan
Opens your own copy of a finished sample garden in the planner with White turtlehead ready to place; the planner checks it against that garden’s zone, light and moisture.
Plan with White turtlehead
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.