White Turtlehead
Chelone glabra
Click or tap the section titles below to learn more about this species!
CLASSIFICATION: What’s in a name?
Scientific Name: Chelone glabra. Chelone is a Greek word meaning tortoise, while the species name, glabra, is a Latin word meaning hairless or smooth.1
Common Name: White turtlehead. What do you see when you look at the flowers? Perhaps their shape reminds you of the head of a turtle? The color and the shape of the flowers are what give this plant its common name.2 Unlike so many other plants, this one doesn’t have lots of different common names!
Family: Plantaginaceae (Plantain Family). A family of about 1,800 species, plants in this family are most often found in temperate regions. They vary widely, making it difficult to describe characteristics they all share. The plants are primarily herbaceous with opposite leaves, and the corollas of the flowers are frequently two lipped. Other species in this family include beard-tongues (Penstemon spp.), speedwells (Veronica spp.), foxglove (Digitalis spp.) and plantains (Plantago spp.). Those plantains are not referring to a variety of bananas, but instead a genus of herbaceous plants!34
IDENTIFICATION: What does it look like?
Average Height: 1 ½-3 feet
Description: A perennial plant with a hairless stem (remember the species name glabra means hairless!) with few branches. The leaves are lance-shaped to slightly more ovate, 2–11” long, and up to 2” wide. The hairless, toothed leaves are arranged opposite each other on the stem. The flowers are white with hints of pink or purple, and are arranged on a terminal spike which is 3–6” long. Each individual flower is about 1 ¼” long and two-lipped, with an upper lip that looks like a hood hanging over a lobed lower lip with white to yellow hairs. The fruits are ovoid capsules containing several seeds. Plants may spread by seeds or through horizontal stems which grow roots.1,2,4
Bloom time: Aug – Oct
Notes: There are two other species of turtleheads growing in Virginia: Cuthbert’s turtlehead (Chelone cuthbertii) and red turtlehead (Chelone obliqua). Both grow in southeast VA, and Cuthbert’s is also found in a few places in the southwest mountains. Both of these species are rare in VA and have purplish flowers.4
LOCATION: Where is it at home?
Range: Documented in all but 5 counties in Virginia, this plant is frequent throughout the state. White turtlehead occurs in the entire eastern half of the US and Canada, from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and as far south as Arkansas to Georgia.5,6
Geology/Soil: Favors moist and wet places with rich soils with organic material. It can even grow where there is occasional flooding.1,2
Habitat: Grows in a variety of wetland habitats, including floodplain forests, swamps, bogs, fens, and wet meadows.4
CONNECTIONS: What are its relationships to other plants, animals, and humans?
Flora associations: Found with other species that prefer moist to wet soils. At Greenbrier Park, this includes species such as broad-leaved arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus), arrow-leaf tearthumb (Persicaria sagittata), and sallow sedge (Carex lurida).
Fauna associations: Chelone glabra is the preferred host plant for an uncommon butterfly, the Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton), which lays its eggs on the plant so its larvae (caterpillars) may eat the leaves. In addition, larvae of other insects feed on the leaves, including larvae of two species of sawflies (Tenthredo grandis and Macrophya nigra) and that of a skeletonizing leaf beetle (Dibolia chelones). A few species of moths are associated with Chelone—the pink-patched looper moth (Eosphoropteryx thyatyroides) and the turtle head borer moth (Papaipema nepheleptena) which bores into the stems.2,7
Human associations: Over time, humans have found a variety of medicinal and other uses for Chelone glabra. The Cherokee use infusions of the blooms to treat worms, fevers, and constipation, in addition to eating the plant and using it to treat sores. The Haudenosaunee also use it to treat the liver, while the Malecite and Micmac people use it to prevent pregnancy.8
We want these plants to thrive and for everyone who gets to visit the park to enjoy them, so remember – don’t pick flowers or other parts of the plant!!
Bibliography & Definitions
1 “Chelone Glabra – Plant Finder.” Missouribotanicalgarden.org, 2024, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286965. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
2 “White Turtlehead (Chelone Glabra Linifolia).” Www.illinoiswildflowers.info, www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/wh_turtlehead.htm. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
3 Petruzzello, Melissa. “Plantaginaceae | Plant Family | Britannica.” Www.britannica.com, www.britannica.com/plant/Plantaginaceae. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
4 Weakley, A.S., J.C. Ludwig, and J.F. Townsend. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Bland Crowder, ed. Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, Inc., Richmond. Fort Worth: Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, pp. 778, 781-782.
5 “Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora | Chelone Glabra L.” Vaplantatlas.org, 2024, www.vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=2618&search=Search. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
6 “NatureServe Explorer 2.0.” Natureserve.org, 2024, explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.158903/Chelone_glabra. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
7 “Search – Chelone Glabra.” Bugguide.net, 2024, bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=chelone+glabra&search=Search. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
8 “BRIT – Native American Ethnobotany Database.” Brit.org, 2024, naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=chelone+glabra. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.
Definitions:
Spike: A long, unbranched cluster of flowers where the individual flowers are each attached directly to the central stem with flowers that mature from the bottom of the stem upwards.
Capsule: A dry fruit that opens to release seeds when ripe.
Corolla: All the petals of a flower, when considered as a unit.