FNPS Plant Database

Tiedemannia filiformis subsp. filiformis

water cowbane
  • Photo by: Jeannie Brodhead, Saracennia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

water cowbane

Synonym(s):

Oxipolis filiformis

Genus species:

Tiedemannia filiformis subsp. filiformis

Family:

Apiaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Flower

Size:

To 4 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Blooms late summer and fall

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Bog gardens, rain gardens, restoration areas.

Considerations:

All parts of this plant are poisonous if ingested. Bruised leaves may produce a rash on bare skin.

Availability:

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Usually moist, occasional inundation

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Unknown

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

Slightly acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
Click a county The county name will appear here.
No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars

Host plant for black swallowtail. Attracts generalist pollinators.

Native Habitats:

Marshes, wet flatwoods, wet prairies, seepage slopes, edges of cypress wetlands, ditches

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The range of this species is primarily the coastal plain from Texas to North Carolina. A second subspecies (subsp. Greenmanii) occurs in the Florida Panhandle where it is endemic and state Endangered.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

BONAP Plant Atlas. (2014). ( https://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Tiedemannia ). Accessed 2025. Biota of North America Program, Chapel Hill, NC.


Huegel, Craig N. (2009-2025). Native Florida Wildflowers (blog). ( http://hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com/ ).


Huegel, Craig N. (2012). Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Minno, Marc, and Maria Minno. (1999). Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Minno, M., J. Butler, and D. Hall. (2005). Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

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