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. . , Dense Blazing Star ,

COMMON NAME Dense blazing star , BOTANICAL NAME: Liatris spicata , HEIGHT/WIDTH: 2 to 4 feet / 8 inches to 15 feet , HABITATS: Full sun on moist prairies with a variety of soil types, , in prairie swales, and along the edges of wet meadows , FLOWERING PERIOD: July through August , BLOOM COLOR: Red-purple , WILDLIFE VALUE: Its grasslike foliage and tall blooming spikes , attract butterflies, birds, and bees , HISTORY/LORE: Various parts of the plant can be used in , potpourri and as an herbal insect repellent. Historically, the roots , were used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes. ,

Switchgrass ,

COMMON NAME: Switchgrass , BOTANICAL NAME: Panicum virgatum , HEIGHT/WIDTH: 3 to 6 feet / 2 to 3 feet , HABITATS: Full sun to part shade on prairies, savannas , open woodlands, rocky bluffs, sand dunes, and marsh edges , FLOWERING PERIOD: July through February , BLOOM COLOR: Pink-tinged , WILDLIFE VALUE: Switchgrass attracts binds and butterflies. The , seeds are eaten by ground-feeding songbirds and game birds also , provides cover and nesting material for wildlife. , HISTORY/LORE: Switchgrass was important to native people , in the Americas. They ground the seeds to make flour, mixed its , roots with soapweed for washing hair, stuffed the grass into , moccasins for padding and made concoctions of the leaves for fevers. , Today, it is used as a landscape plant, as livestock forage, and for biofuel. ,

Winterberry ,

COMMON NAME: Winterberry , BOTANICAL NAME: Ilex verticillata , HEIGHT/WIDTH: 3 to 12 feet / 3 to 12 feet , HABITATS: Full sun to part shade in mesic woods, bottomlands, , swamps, along pond margins, and in damp thickets , FLOWERING PERIOD: June through July , BLOOM COLOR: Greenish white , WILDLIFE VALUE: This plant offers berries that are a winter , food source for many species of birds and other small mammals, , especially thrushes, waxwings, woodpeckers, and white-footed mice. , Its flowers are favored by bees for pollen and nectar during the warm weather season. , HISTORY/LORE: These plants can absorb toxic substances, such as , herbicides, pesticides, and pollutants from the water, air and soil. , The berries are poisonous to humans.

Dense Blazing Star

COMMON NAME Dense blazing star
BOTANICAL NAME: Liatris spicata
HEIGHT/WIDTH: 2 to 4 feet / 8 inches to 15 feet
HABITATS: Full sun on moist prairies with a variety of soil types,
in prairie swales, and along the edges of wet meadows
FLOWERING PERIOD: July through August
BLOOM COLOR: Red-purple
WILDLIFE VALUE: Its grasslike foliage and tall blooming spikes
attract butterflies, birds, and bees
HISTORY/LORE: Various parts of the plant can be used in
potpourri and as an herbal insect repellent. Historically, the roots
were used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes.

Switchgrass

COMMON NAME: Switchgrass
BOTANICAL NAME: Panicum virgatum
HEIGHT/WIDTH: 3 to 6 feet / 2 to 3 feet
HABITATS: Full sun to part shade on prairies, savannas
open woodlands, rocky bluffs, sand dunes, and marsh edges
FLOWERING PERIOD: July through February
BLOOM COLOR: Pink-tinged
WILDLIFE VALUE: Switchgrass attracts binds and butterflies. The
seeds are eaten by ground-feeding songbirds and game birds also
provides cover and nesting material for wildlife.
HISTORY/LORE: Switchgrass was important to native people
in
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the Americas. They ground the seeds to make flour, mixed its
roots with soapweed for washing hair, stuffed the grass into
moccasins for padding and made concoctions of the leaves for fevers.
Today, it is used as a landscape plant, as livestock forage, and for biofuel.

Winterberry

COMMON NAME: Winterberry
BOTANICAL NAME: Ilex verticillata
HEIGHT/WIDTH: 3 to 12 feet / 3 to 12 feet
HABITATS: Full sun to part shade in mesic woods, bottomlands,
swamps, along pond margins, and in damp thickets
FLOWERING PERIOD: June through July
BLOOM COLOR: Greenish white
WILDLIFE VALUE: This plant offers berries that are a winter
food source for many species of birds and other small mammals,
especially thrushes, waxwings, woodpeckers, and white-footed mice.
Its flowers are favored by bees for pollen and nectar during the warm weather season.
HISTORY/LORE: These plants can absorb toxic substances, such as
herbicides, pesticides, and pollutants from the water, air and soil.
The berries are poisonous to humans.

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° 38.214′ N, 83° 34.415′ 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: Ohio Buckeye Tree (a few steps from this marker); Garmhausen Roadside Rest Area (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Ohio Native Plants

Dense Blazing Star and Coneflowers, Ohio Native Plants image. Click for full size.

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

3. Dense Blazing Star and Coneflowers, Ohio Native Plants

(within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Ohio Native Plants (within shouting distance of this marker); Ohio's Physiographic Regions (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Ohio Native Plants (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, 3. submitted on June 17, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.