Along the river

Each large flower grows to about 6 in (15 cm) across. The soil along a riverbank is rich in nutrients deposited by flooding, so plants here can grow large and often very fast. They can thrive all summer long, as they never suffer drought. However, when a river floods, the fast-flowing water may carry away anything not firmly rooted in the soil.

Brilliant yellow flowers attract bees in early spring.

Tiny, brown female flowers grow in the form of a dense spike.

These huge leaves have a spiny underside that stops animals from eating them.

Native to riverbanks in Brazil, the giant rhubarb has massive leaves—the largest undivided leaves of any flowering plant. Its flowers, however, are tiny and grow on spiky heads near the ground.

11 ft (3.3 m)

One of the biggest riverside plants, the giant rhubarb, grows 8 ft (2.5 m) tall and 13 ft (4 m) wide. Not much smaller, the white skunk cabbage grows huge cabbagelike leaves. Both plants die away in winter, shedding leaves that might otherwise become caught up in floodwater and uproot them. Plants such as the marsh marigold, purple

The brown, conelike structures at the end of this nonflowering plant’s stems contain spores.

were used by early American pioneers to scour pots and pans.

Tall spikes of delicate mauve flowers blossom in late summer.

A cluster of bright red flowers grows on the side of the stem.

loosestrife, water spearmint, and candelabra primrose lie dormant in winter but grow fast in spring or summer. Cattail, soft rush, and snowberry have a different survival strategy. They are present all year long, and their tough leaves or stems can withstand swift floodwaters, so each year they grow even larger.

In North America, these white berries are food for bighorn sheep and grizzly bears.

These leaves have a minty smell.

Clusters of up to six flowers are borne on tall, sturdy stems.

Large, white leaflike bracts attract flies to the smelly flower heads.