There are some incredibly unique plants starting with V and they have some fascinating features and appearances.
Read on for 26 interesting plants that start with the letter “V”. For more botanical inspiration we recommend also checking out our list of 25 Vibrant Flowers That Start With The Letter V once you have checked out the below.
Plants Starting with V – Quick Look
- Venus Flytrap
- Violet Trumpetvine
- Voodoo Lily
- Verbena
- Variegated Indian Holly Fern
- Velvet Plant
- Valerian
- Voss’s Laburnum
- Virginia Sweetspire
- Viburnum
- Violet
- Veltheimia Bracteata
- Varnish Tree
- Vestia
- Venetian Sumach
- Victoria Christmas Bush
- Variegated Kiwi Vine
- Vietnamese Golden Cypress
- Vriesea Splendens
- Vaccinium parvifolium
- Violet Willow
- Variable-Leaved Sea Holly
- Vitex
- Virgin’s Bower
- Violet Churcu
- Virginia Pine
1. Venus Flytrap
- Common Name(s): Venus flytrap
- Scientific Name: Dionaea muscipula
- Native to: Subtropical wetlands in North Carolina and South Carolina
Venus Flytraps have fascinated people for years with their unusual way of gathering food. Their trap will close after detecting two movements within a short space of time, trapping the insect that has landed on it.
Although they only grow naturally in North and South Carolina, they are cultivated around the world today.
2. Violet Trumpetvine
- Common Name(s): Violet trumpet vine, Bengal clockvine, Bengal trumpet, Blue skyflower, Blue thunbergia, Blue trumpetvine, Clockvine, Skyflower
- Scientific Name: Thunbergia grandiflora
- Native to: Asia
These long, scrambling vines have deep tap root systems well into the earth. These roots can make it difficult to remove from places where it is considered invasive.
3. Voodoo Lily
- Common Name(s): Voodoo lily, Dracunculus, Dragon lily, Dragon arum, Black arum, Vampire lily
- Scientific Name: Dracunculus vulgaris
- Native to: The Balkans
This plant attracts insects using two unusual methods. Firstly, it has a strong, unpleasant smell reminiscent of rotting meat. Secondly, it can heat itself to a temperature of 64 °F (18°C) to comfort those pollinating insects.
4. Verbena
- Common Name(s): Verbena, Vervain, Verveine
- Scientific Name: Verbena
- Native to: The Americas and Asia
These plants are cultivated ornamentally and are also valued in butterfly gardening. They attract a range of butterflies and hummingbirds to the area.
5. Variegated Indian Holly Fern
- Common Name(s): Variegated Indian Holly Fern
- Scientific Name: Arachniodes simplicior ‘Variegata'
- Native to: China and Japan
This plant can be found in woodland streambanks, the crevices of cliffs, thick woodlands, and wet rocks. They have been introduced to South Carolina where they have formed a stable population.
6. Velvet Plant
- Common Name(s): Velvet plant, Purple passion
- Scientific Name: Gynura aurantiaca
- Native to: Southeast Asia
These plants produce beautiful, unique leaves with velvety purple hairs and a reddish-purple underside. Unfortunately, they are also characterized by a powerful, unpleasant smell!
7. Valerian
- Common Name(s): Valerian
- Scientific Name: Valeriana officinalis
- Native to: Europe and western Asia
Valerian has been used as a medicinal herb at least as far back as Ancient Greece. It can be used to relieve mild anxiety and aid sleep. It also has an effect on cats similar to catnip.
8. Voss’s Laburnum
- Common Name(s): Voss’s Laburnum, Golden chain tree
- Scientific Name: Laburnum watereri
- Native to: Central Europe
This stunning tree produces a spectacular display of hanging golden blossoms. It can be formed into arches and espaliers and is a popular garden choice for its beauty.
9. Virginia Sweetspire
- Common Name(s): Virginia sweetspire, Virginia willow
- Scientific Name: Itea virginica
- Native to: Southeast United States
This shrub is popular in landscaping as it is highly adaptable. It is resistant to drought, and deers. It is generally low-maintenance.
10. Viburnum
- Common Name(s): Viburnum
- Scientific Name: Viburnum
- Native to: The temperate Northern Hemisphere
These plants have become popular garden choices because they have beautiful flowers, a lovely scent, and good autumn colors.
11. Violet
- Common Name(s): Violet, Viola
- Scientific Name: Viola
- Native to: The temperate Northern Hemisphere
This flower is widely used for culinary purposes. It is most often a flavor added to sweeter dishes. In France, you can still purchase a “candied violet,” with the flower coated in hardened sugar syrup.
12. Veltheimia Bracteata
- Common Name(s): Forest lily, Sand onion, Red hot poker
- Scientific Name: Veltheimia Bracteata
- Native to: The Cape Provinces of South Africa
These pendant-shaped flowers range from pink to yellow. They handle shade and cold well and don’t need much water. This makes them a popular garden choice as they are low-maintenance to add color in the winter.
13. Varnish Tree
- Common Name(s): Varnish Tree, Chinese lacquer tree, Japanese lacquer tree, Japanese sumac
- Scientific Name: Toxicodendron vernicifluum
- Native to: Asia
The sap from this tree is used to produce lacquer. Lines are cut across the trunk to collect the sap, which can then be applied to a base material. It hardens into a clear, hard, and waterproof surface.
14. Vestia
- Common Name(s): Vestia
- Scientific Name: Vestia
- Native to: Chile
This is a member of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, and like others in this group, it is toxic. It needs to be kept away from cattle and has possible use as an insecticide.
15. Venetian Sumach
- Common Name(s): Venetian sumach, European smoketree, Eurasian smoketree, Smoke tree, Smoke bush, Dyer's sumach
- Scientific Name: Cotinus coggygria
- Native to: From southern Europe, east across central Asia and the Himalayas to northern China
This bush turns from green to a brilliant red or yellow in the fall, making it an excellent plant for bright fall foliage colors.
16. Victoria Christmas Bush
- Common Name(s): Victorian Christmas bush, Coranderrk
- Scientific Name: Prostanthera lasianthos
- Native to: Australia
This plant blooms in late spring or summer, and is most common in the state of Victoria, Australia around Christmastime, leading to the name.
17. Variegated Kiwi Vine
- Common Name(s): Variegated Kiwi vine
- Scientific Name: Actinidia kolomikta
- Native to: Eastern Asiatic Region
This plant is known for its beautiful foliage of large green leaves splashed with red, as well as delicious fruit and fragrant flowers.
18. Vietnamese Golden Cypress
- Common Name(s): Vietnamese golden cypress. The
- Scientific Name: Xanthocyparis vietnamensis
- Native to: Vietnam
This tree was discovered upon a high mountain ridge in Vietnam in 1999. Its limited range in such a place kept it hidden until then.
19. Vriesea Splendens
- Common Name(s): Vriesea splendens, Flaming sword
- Scientific Name: Vriesea
- Native to: Central and South America
These tropical plants look wonderful, with a feathery bright red flower sticking straight up from vividly colored striped leaves. They have a tank in the center to catch and store water.
20. Vaccinium parvifolium
- Common Name(s): Huckleberry
- Scientific Name: Vaccinium parvifolium
- Native to: North America
The name Huckleberry is a term given to a range of plants in the genus Vaccinium. You’’ find them in nearly every national park in the northwest United States.
21. Violet Willow
- Common Name(s): Violet Willow
- Scientific Name: Salix daphnoides
- Native to: Europe
You can find this planted ornamentally along roads and in parks, but it can also be used to reinforce coastal and continental sand dunes.
22. Variable-Leaved Sea Holly
- Common Name(s): Variable-Leaved sea holly, Moroccan sea holly
- Scientific Name: Eryngium variifolium
- Native to: North Africa
These lovely light purple flowers are great at attracting butterflies and bees to a garden. The flowers last well when cut to use in arrangements.
23. Vitex
- Common Name(s): Vitex, Chaste tree, Chasteberry, Abraham's balm, Lilac chastetree, Monk's pepper
- Scientific Name: Vitex agnus-castus,
- Native to: The Mediterranean region.
This plant has long been believed to be an anaphrodisiac, with effects opposite to that of an aphrodisiac, leading to its other common name the “chaste tree.”
24. Virgin’s Bower
- Common Name(s): Virgin's bower, Virginia virgin's bower, Devil's darning needles, Devil's hair, Love vine, Traveler's joy, Wild hops, Woodbine
- Scientific Name: Clematis virginiana
- Native to: North and Central America
These vines grow aggressively and can easily reach 20 feet. It is less popularly sold than other, similar plants due to its smaller, duller flowers.
25. Violet Churcu
- Common Name(s): Violet Churcu
- Scientific Name: Lochroma cyaneum
- Native to: Ecuador
Planting a bunch of these along a garden boundary is a lovely choice to create a natural screen full of striking violet flowers.
26. Virginia Pine
- Common Name(s): Virginia pine, Scrub pine, Jersey pine
- Scientific Name: Pinus virginiana
- Native to: North America
This tree is useful for reforesting and is a great source of food for wildlife. It's also common to find it on Christmas tree farms.