Carolina fanwort
Cabomba caroliniana · Cabombaceae
Carolina fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Cabombaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 4 and warmer, down to about -23°F.
⚠ Invasive or noxious status. USDA lists this plant with an invasive or noxious weed status somewhere in its range. Check your state's noxious weed list before planting it — in some states it is illegal to sell or plant.
Both flags are quoted from USDA PLANTS, not inferred.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Water need | high USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 5.7–9.2 USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 4 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. USDA rates it as having needs consistently moist ground. Its drought tolerance is rated none — it needs reliable moisture. It tolerates saturated, poorly drained ground well (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance high). It is recorded on soils from pH 5.7 to 9.2 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 4.
Size and growth
It grows quickly.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is gray-green, fine in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is summer. USDA rates its lifespan as moderate.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 40 to 60 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 140 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Seed is the only propagation method USDA lists. Division and cuttings are not listed as options. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a rapid rate. It spreads vegetatively at a rapid rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it moderately palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- common oat Avena sativa
- Caucasian bluestem Bothriochloa bladhii
- black grama Bouteloua eriopoda
- cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus
- Frank's sedge Carex frankii
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol CACA, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Invasive status, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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