Jefferson Township near Jeffersonville in Fayette County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Ohio Native Plants

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 13, 2026

1. Ohio Native Plants Marker

Inscription.

Ohio Native Plants. . , Arkansas Blue Star ,

COMMON NAME: Arkansas Blue star , BOTANICAL NAME: Amsonia hubrichtii , HEIGHT/WIDTH: 4 to 5 feet / 2 to 3 feet , HABITATS: Full sun to part shade in rocky open woodlands, and along rocky creek banks , FLOWERING PERIOD: May through June , BLOOM COLOR: Blue , WILDLIFE VALUE: The flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators. It is also a larval host plant for the snowberry clearwing. A slightly toxic latex sap cause this plant to be unpalatable to insect pests and foraging herbivores like deer and rabbits. , HISTORY/LORE: The plant was originally discovered in western Arkansas growing on a day rocky slope in the Ouachita Mountain.

, Ninebark ,

COMMON NAME: Ninebark , BOTANICAL NAME: Physocarpus opulifolius , HEIGHT/WIDTH: 5 to 8 feet / 4 to 6 feet , HABITATS: Full sun to part shade on rocky hillsides and banks of streams as well as in moist thickets , FLOWERING PERIOD: May through June , BLOOM COLOR: White or Pink , WILDLIFE VALUE The flowers are a good source of nectar for flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, bees, and wasps. The foliage provides food for several species of aphids, beetles, plant bugs, and caterpillars of various moths It is occasionally browsed by deer. , HISTORY/LORE: Native Americans made extracts from the inner-bark of the ninebark. These extracts were used as pain relievers, analgesics, emetics, laxatives, and cathartics.

, Little Bluestem ,

COMMON NAME: Little bluestem , BOTANICAL NAME: Schizachyrium scoparium , HEIGHT/WIDTH: 2 to 4 feet / 1.5 to 2 feet , HABITATS: Full sun in dry open areas, such as rocky and sandy prairies and savannas, in fields, and along roadsides. , FLOWERING PERIOD: Late July through February , BLOOM COLOR: Purplish bronze , WILDLIFE VALUE: The little bluestem gives food, shelter, and nesting material to wildlife and attracts birds and pollinators. The seeds, fuzzy white at maturity, are of particular value to small birds in winter. , HISTORY/LORE: When little bluestem blanketed the prairies, Native Americans used it for insulation in moccasins. Bundles of little bluestem stalks lashed together formed switches to use in the sweat lodge.

Arkansas Blue Star

COMMON NAME: Arkansas Blue star
BOTANICAL NAME: Amsonia hubrichtii
HEIGHT/WIDTH: 4 to 5 feet / 2 to 3 feet
HABITATS: Full sun to part shade in rocky open woodlands, and along rocky creek banks
FLOWERING PERIOD: May through June
BLOOM COLOR: Blue
WILDLIFE VALUE: The flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators. It is also a larval host plant for the snowberry clearwing. A slightly toxic latex sap cause this plant to be unpalatable to insect pests and foraging herbivores like deer and rabbits.
HISTORY/LORE: The plant was originally discovered in western Arkansas growing on a day rocky slope in the Ouachita Mountain.

Ninebark

COMMON NAME: Ninebark
BOTANICAL NAME: Physocarpus opulifolius
HEIGHT/WIDTH: 5 to 8 feet / 4 to 6 feet
HABITATS: Full sun to part shade on rocky hillsides and banks of streams as well as in moist thickets
FLOWERING PERIOD: May through June
BLOOM COLOR: White or Pink
WILDLIFE VALUE The flowers are a good source of nectar for flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, bees, and wasps. The foliage provides food for several species of aphids,
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beetles, plant bugs, and caterpillars of various moths It is occasionally browsed by deer.
HISTORY/LORE: Native Americans made extracts from the inner-bark of the ninebark. These extracts were used as pain relievers, analgesics, emetics, laxatives, and cathartics.

Little Bluestem

COMMON NAME: Little bluestem
BOTANICAL NAME: Schizachyrium scoparium
HEIGHT/WIDTH: 2 to 4 feet / 1.5 to 2 feet
HABITATS: Full sun in dry open areas, such as rocky and sandy prairies and savannas, in fields, and along roadsides.
FLOWERING PERIOD: Late July through February
BLOOM COLOR: Purplish bronze
WILDLIFE VALUE: The little bluestem gives food, shelter, and nesting material to wildlife and attracts birds and pollinators. The seeds, fuzzy white at maturity, are of particular value to small birds in winter.
HISTORY/LORE: When little bluestem blanketed the prairies, Native Americans used it for insulation in moccasins. Bundles of little bluestem stalks lashed together formed switches to use in the sweat lodge.

Erected 2025 by Ohio Department of Transportation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 13, 2026

2. Ohio Native Plants Marker

• Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 39° 38.204′ N, 83° 34.454′ W. Marker is near Jeffersonville, Ohio, in Fayette County. It is in Jefferson Township. It is on Interstate 71 at milepost 68, on the right when traveling south. Marker is on the Fayette County (Garmhausen) Southbound Rest Area grounds. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jeffersonville OH 43128, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Ohio Hill Country.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Ohio Native Plants (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Ohio Native Plants (a few steps from this marker); Ohio's Physiographic Regions

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(a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Ohio Native Plants (within shouting distance of this marker); Garmhausen Roadside Rest Area (within shouting distance of this marker); Ohio Buckeye Tree (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Ohio Native Plants (within shouting distance of this marker); Jeffersonville Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jeffersonville.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 17, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 17, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.