Xerophyllum asphodeloides (Turkeybeard)

Turkeybeard, Eastern turkeybeard, beartongue, glass-leaved helonias, mountain asphodel

Leaves: Leaves form a basal rosette. Each leaf is narrow—threadlike to linear, and has serrated edges. Leaves are 12–20 ⨉ 1/16–⅛″ (30–50 cm ⨉ 2–3 mm).

Flowers: Flowers form a long spikelike raceme, with white flowers. Each flower is ⅜–⅝″ (1–1.6 cm) around, and has 6 tepals. Flowers open from the bottom of the raceme upward. Flowers late May to early July.

Habitats: Low, sandy ground, such as pine barrens and mountain woods, in acid soil.

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 9″ (21 × 22 cm)

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 6″ (16 × 16 cm)

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 9″ (20 × 22 cm)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Liliopsida	Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass	Liliidae	Includes lilies, orchids, and many others
Order	Liliales	Includes lilies, tulips, trilliums, greenbriars, and others
Family	Melanthiaceae	Trillium family
Genus	Xerophyllum	With dry leaves, alluding to the tough, persistent leaves
Species	asphodeloides	A loanword from the Greek ἀσφόδελος. In Greek legend the asphodel is one of the most famous of the plants connected with the dead and the underworld

About plant names...