Carolina birds-in-a-nest is a federally endangered perennial wildflower in the mint family, native to the sandhills and coastal plain of the southeastern United States. It grows to about 3 feet tall and produces attractive purple flowers in fall, appearing in the wet ditches, savanna edges, and sphagnous seepage areas that represent its narrow and threatened habitat. Its rarity is genuine: the plant is considered imperiled in North Carolina, and removal from the wild is prohibited except under research or rescue permits.

In cultivation, it thrives in full or partial sun with consistently moist to wet soil, conditions that are challenging to replicate in most garden settings but attainable near a rain garden or pond edge. Growing this plant from nursery-propagated stock where available is both the ethical and practical path. Its conservation status makes it more than an ornamental choice, and gardeners who can provide its preferred conditions are contributing in a small but meaningful way to its survival.