American Ipecac is a native herbaceous perennial in the rose family. It is found naturally in dry forests growing over acidic to circumneutral soils derived from rocks such as diabase or greenstone. It spreads by rhizomes. American Ipecac will grow in well-drained clay-loam to rocky soils in full sun to partial shade. In hot summer areas, it will appreciate some afternoon shade. Once established, it is drought-tolerant. The star-shaped white flowers are rarely pink-tinged and appear above the foliage May-June. The fall color is yellow to red. In NC it is rare in the Piedmont and considered threatened. This is an appropriate plant for the home garden. Use in the pollinator/ native garden border, edge of a woodland area or in a rock garden. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Mounding
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear; Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Dentate; Lobed
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Early spring leaves are trifoliate-pinnatifid and sessile (stemless). There are 3 leaflets with irregularly lobed margins. The later leaves are trifoliate and sessile with 3 leafless that are linear-lanceolate with toothed margins and 2-3.5 inches long. Each leaf has two unusually large stipules at the leaf base giving the impression of five rather than three leaflets. Yellow to red fall color.
Fall color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Cyme; Solitary
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
1" star-shaped white flowers appear either solitary or in small cymes of 2-5 blooms. They have 5 pointed petals and 10-20 stamens with dark brown anthers in the center. Blooms in May-June
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Follicle
Fruit detail
1/2 inch 3-angled oval follicles with slender beaks in July-October. Eventually split to expel seeds
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Stems are light green to brownish red, terete, and hairless to hairy
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central and eastern U.S.A.
Distribution
AL , AR , GA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NY , OH , OK , PA , TN , TX , VA , WV
Wildlife value
Attracts native bees and butterflies
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Follicle
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Naturalized Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#native perennial #NC native #fall color bronze #flowers late spring #flowers early summer #naturalizes #low maintenance #fall interest #fall color red #food source hard mast fruit #food source nectar #food source pollen #bird friendly #Audubon #white flowers #naturalized area #partial shade tolerant #butterfly friendly #pollinator plant #woodland