American Sweet Flag (Acorus Americanus) – 1 Gallon Pot

An excellent North American native wetland plant for rain gardens or containers where it can be grown outdoors or indoors as a houseplant, American Sweet Flag is a perfect choice for planting around the edges or ponds, small lakes, stream banks and other areas where the soil stays moist to wet. The “sweet” in the name comes from the aromatic leaves. The roots of this plant tie up toxins in the water helping to purify it, which the fish in your garden pond or small lake will appreciate. Sweet Flag forms slow-spreading stands of upright, sword-shaped, bright green leaves that form a colony along the waters edge that looks similar to Iris or Cattails. Mid summer brings chartreuse color flower spikes that give way to fleshy berries which turn a rich brown as they dry in the summer heat. American Sweet Flag provides a bold vertical accent in full sun to partial shade.

Native American use of Sweet Flag probably played a role in determining its distribution, as the plant was highly prized for its medicinal properties, widely traded, and wild-planted along trade routes. The rhizome contains the medicinal properties and is used to treat a variety of conditions from nausea, heartburn, and colds to fatigue and anxiety.