Native For Landscapes

There are 30 species native to because of leaf anthracnose (a fungal Mississippi that can be successfully used disease), but the is not injured. Red in home landscapes. The following buckeye has handsome palmate (broad, descriptions of each species include: flat, and lobed) compound leaves that turn • Native habitats yellow in the fall. For a natural look, plant the buckeye in shrub masses underneath • Flowering, fruit, leaf, and form trees that form a canopy. characteristics • Wildlife values Sunlight: Part sun to shade Soil type: Dry to moist Each listing also contains cultural tips Shrub type: Deciduous and effective landscape uses. While many Wildlife value: Medium of these tolerate conditions not Flowering: Spring flowers found in their native environments, it is always preferable to choose plants that are Tag Alder best suited to the site. Wholesale nurseries Alnus serrulata (Ait.) Willd. in your area may produce some of these Family: Betulaceae plants; ask the manager about availability. This tall, deciduous shrub can reach 15 Red Buckeye feet in height. Aesculus pavia L. Tag alder is Family: Hippocastanaceae commonly found in wet, Although red buckeye forms a tree in acidic soils of more northern regions, it grows as a small, branch bottoms deciduous and flatwoods. (seasonal Leaves are round in shape and have fine- shedding of toothed edges. This alder produces long, leaves) shrub thin “catkin” (resembles a cat’s tail) in most of the flowers in late fall. (The flowers are South. Rarely conspicuously showy.) This shrub has a exceeding 10 twisting, crooked trunk and makes an feet in height, red buckeye is found on excellent specimen shrub. Several species well-drained slopes of creek banks and of birds eat the seeds while deer and rivers. Flower spikes that are large, showy, beaver feed on stems and leaves. red, and a favorite food source for hummingbirds appear on the ends of Sunlight: Sun to shade branches in March and April. Buckeye Soil type: Wet or moist forms a broad, mounding shrub and will Shrub type: Deciduous develop large colonies from root suckers. Wildlife value: Medium It often loses leaves in midsummer Flowering: Spring flowers Groundsel Bush Sunlight: Sun to part shade Baccharis halimifolia L. Soil type: Dry to moist Family: Asteraceae Shrub type: Deciduous Wildlife value: Low Groundsel bush is a finely branched, semi-evergreen Flowering: Spring flowers shrub that reaches 12 feet in height and is about 6 feet wide. It multiplies in wet marshes, fields, and swamp Buttonbush areas. This shrub has a loose, irregular form similar to Cephalanthus occidentalis Linneaus wax myrtle. It blooms in early fall with numerous Family: Rubiaceae billowy, white flowers that cover the plant. These flowers are a favorite nectar source for many butterfly Buttonbush is a deciduous shrub that grows to 10 feet species. Tolerant of both salt and freshwater areas, this in height. It is found in wet soils near swamps, ponds, shrub readily adapts to any sunny site. and lakes. This shrub has an interesting open, sprawling form and can occur in colonies. An unusual Sunlight: Sun to part sun white, globe-shaped flower, which is visited by bees Soil type: Wet or dry and butterflies, is produced throughout the summer. Shrub type: Semi-evergreen In the fall, the flower forms a round seed head that is Wildlife value: High eaten by several bird species. This shrub is suitable for Flowering: Fall flowers shallow water areas at the edges of ponds. American Beautyberry Sunlight: Sun to part sun Callicarpa americana L. Soil type: Wet or dry Family: Verbenaceae Shrub type: Deciduous Wildlife value: High This fast-growing, deciduous shrub can reach up to 8 Flowering: Summer flowers feet in height and almost 6 feet in width. Beautyberry has a broad, coarse leaf texture and turns bright Fringe Tree yellow in fall. Commonly found at woodland edges Chionanthus virginicus Linnaeus and along fencerows, it is tolerant of poor soils. Small, Family: Oleaceae rosy flowers appear along the branches in May and form showy, bright-purple fruits in late summer. These Fringe tree is a large, fruits are eaten by many species of birds and deciduous shrub or small mammals. Beautyberry has a broad, mounding form tree that grows 20 feet high in full sunlight and is effective in shrub masses or as a and 12 feet wide. It is found specimen plant. in upland forests in well-drained soil. It has a Sunlight: Sun to part shade rounded, “shrubby” form Soil type: Dry to moist and often has multiple Shrub type: Deciduous trunks. Fringe tree blooms in Wildlife value: High spring, with white, fringe- Flowering: Showy fall fruit like petals that have a slight fragrance. Small, blue Sweetshrub fruits are produced in late summer and consumed by Calycanthus floridus L. numerous birds and wildlife. The large, oval leaves Family: Calycanthaceae have a yellow autumn color. Fringe tree is an excellent specimen tree for the home landscape. Sweetshrub is a medium-sized, upright, deciduous Sunlight: Sun to part sun shrub that can reach 8 feet in height and 4 feet in Soil type: Dry to moist width. It is occasionally found on drier soil types in Shrub type: Deciduous fertile woodlands and along sandy streams and Wildlife value: High hillsides. This shrub has an attractive oval leaf with Flowering: Spring flowers very prominent veins. In the fall, it turns bright yellow. Sweetshrub has a sweetly fragrant, reddish- brown flower in late spring. Few insects or diseases are found on this shrub species. It is effective in masses and in hedgerows in natural settings. Summersweet shrub in natural settings. The large-toothed leaves Clethra alnifolia Linnaeus have a red or orange fall color. Creamy-white Family: Clethraceae bottlebrush flowers have a sweet fragrance and appear in early spring. Summersweet is a deciduous shrub that averages 6 feet in Sunlight: Part shade to shade height and 4 feet in width. It Soil type: Dry to moist is found in moist, acidic soils Shrub type: Deciduous of wet pine savannas, bogs, Wildlife value: Low and swamps. The attractive, Flowering: Spring flowers dark-green leaves are toothed and turn yellow in Dwarf Huckleberry the fall. Fragrant, white Gaylussacia dumosa (Andrz.) T & G bloom-spikes appear in early Family: summer for several weeks. Summersweet has an Dwarf huckleberry is a upright form with medium-textured foliage and is deciduous shrub that excellent for use in natural settings. averages 4 feet in height Sunlight: Sun to part sun and 4 feet in width. It is Soil type: Wet or dry found in a variety of Shrub type: Deciduous woodlands with acidic Wildlife value: Medium soils, including pine Flowering: Summer flowers savannas and bogs. This huckleberry has an upright- to-mounding form and is often sculptural. The small, Buckwheat Tree fine-textured leaves turn a brilliant red in autumn. Cliftonia monophylla Gaertner Small, pink flowers bloom in spring and produce Family: Cyrillaceae small, edible huckleberry fruits in early summer. These fruits are eaten by a variety of birds and other wildlife. Buckwheat tree is a large, evergreen shrub Sunlight: Sun to part sun that can reach 20 feet Soil type: Dry to wet tall and 20 feet wide. It Shrub type: Deciduous is found in the moist, Wildlife value: High acidic soils of swamps, Fruit: Summer fruits bogs, and wet pinelands. Buckwheat Witch Hazel has an upright, oval form with multiple trunks. White Hamamelis virginiana L. flower clusters appear at the ends of branches in Family: Hamamelidaceae winter and persist well into spring. Yellow Witch hazel is a large, deciduous shrub or a small tree “buckwheat” fruits appear in summer and are that may reach 15 feet tall. It is found in a variety of somewhat prominent. rich woodlands and along stream banks. The large, scalloped leaves are attractive in summer and produce Sunlight: Sun to part sun a yellow autumn color. The shrub has strap-like, Soil type: Wet or dry yellow flower petals that are fragrant and bloom from Shrub type: Evergreen fall into winter. Witch hazel has a spreading, Wildlife value: Medium sculptural form and is effective in the landscape as an Flowering: Winter flowers understory specimen plant. Witch Alder Sunlight: Sun or shade Fothergilla major (Sims) Lodd. Soil type: Dry to moist Family: Hamamelidaceae Shrub type: Deciduous Wildlife value: Low Witch alder is a deciduous shrub that reaches 8 feet in Flowering: Winter flowers height and 5 feet in width. It is occasionally found in well-drained, acidic soils of dry woods. Witch alder has an upright form and is an effective understory Oakleaf Hydrangea that persist well through cold weather. Nearby male Hydrangea quercifolia Bartram plants are required for fruit set. It is an excellent Family: Hydrangeaceae specimen plant for courtyards and gardens. An excellent deciduous shrub with many ornamental Sunlight: Sun to part sun qualities, oakleaf hydrangea grows to 6 feet tall and 4 Soil type: Wet or dry feet wide. This species is found in fertile, well-drained Shrub type: Deciduous woodlands of the state. The leaves are large and - Wildlife value: High like, turning a rich purple in the fall. Oakleaf Fruit: Winter fruits hydrangea produces large, creamy-white flower heads in late spring. It is an excellent specimen plant for Star Anise shady areas under trees in well-drained soil conditions. Illicium floridanum Ell. Family: Illicaceae Sunlight: Part shade to shade Soil type: Well-drained, fertile Star anise is an evergreen shrub that can grow 8 feet Shrub type: Deciduous high and 6 feet wide. It usually grows in dense Wildlife value: Low thickets along stream banks and moist woods. Star Flowering: Spring flowers anise has an upright, oval form with deep-green leaves of coarse texture. The leaves are heavily scented and Bigleaf Gallberry Holly noticeable when encountered. Deep-maroon, starry Ilex coriacea (Pursh) Chapman flowers cover the plant in early spring. Star anise is a Family: Aquifoliaceae good landscape plant for soils that are shaded, have good drainage, or maintain moisture. A large, evergreen shrub that can reach 15 feet in height, bigleaf gallberry holly is native to wetland soils Sunlight: Shade to part shade of pine flatwoods, swamp edges, and bogs. This holly Soil type: Dry to moist tends to be upright in form with multiple stems. It Shrub type: Evergreen makes an excellent Wildlife value: Low hedge or barrier plant. Flowering: Spring flowers Large, shiny, black fruits are produced in Sweetspire fall and winter. These Itea virginica L. holly fruits are eaten by Family: Iteaceae a number of birds and A deciduous shrub that grows 5 feet high and 3 feet small mammals. It is a good, tough holly that is wide, sweetspire is found along stream edges and tolerant of many extreme environments. swamps. It has an upright-to-spreading form with Sunlight: Sun to part sun multiple stems. The Soil type: Wet or dry medium-textured leaves Shrub type: Evergreen turn a deep wine-red in Wildlife value: High autumn. Fragrant, white Fruit: Winter fruits flower clusters appear at the ends of branches in Winterberry Holly April and May. This Ilex verticillata (L.) Gray shrub is tolerant of many different garden conditions. Family: Aquifoliaceae Several cultivars are available. Winterberry holly is a deciduous shrub that can grow Sunlight: Sun to part sun 10 feet high and 6 feet wide. It has an open, wide- Soil type: Dry or wet spreading form with Shrub type: Deciduous upright branches. This Wildlife value: Medium holly is found in wet Flowering: Spring flowers woods, bogs, and along the sides of streams. Female plants produce large, red fruit in winter Mountain Laurel branches. Caterpillars are associated with but Kalmia latifolia L. do not cause major injury. This shrub performs at its Family: Ericaceae best in the coastal areas of the state. Mountain laurel is an Sunlight: Part sun to shade evergreen shrub that Soil type: Dry or moist often reaches 10 feet in Shrub type: Evergreen height and width. It Wildlife value: Low grows on the slopes of Flowering: Spring flowers rivers and creek banks across the eastern American Sweet Olive United States. Mountain laurel has an open, broad- Osmanthus americanus (L.) Gray spreading form with multiple branches. The foliage is Family: Oleaceae dark-green, medium-textured, and slow-growing. An evergreen shrub that reaches up to 20 feet in height Exquisite white or pink, wheel-shaped flowers cover and 10 feet in width, the plant in spring. Mature plants exhibit an attractive, American sweet olive is the reddish-brown, peeling bark. native version of the more Sunlight: Shade to part shade common Asian species. Soil type: Dry to moist Found in dry, acidic soils of Shrub type: Evergreen pinelands, this shrub has Wildlife value: Low an oval, open form. Rather Flowering: Spring flowers than blooming in winter as the Chinese sweet olive does, this native plant blooms in early spring. Small, white flowers occur on new wood and are not as Leucothoe axillaris (Lam.) D. Don heavily fragrant as the common ornamental. This Family: Ericaceae shrub has few problems or pests and is particularly useful as a hedge or screen. Leucothoe is a small, evergreen shrub that grows to 3 feet in height and width. It is a low-spreading shrub Sunlight: Sun to part shade with arching and loosely formed stems. It grows in Soil type: Dry or moist wet, acidic soils near swamps, bogs, and creek beds. Shrub type: Evergreen Small, white, fragrant blooms cluster along the flower Wildlife value: Low stem from late winter to mid-spring. This evergreen Flowering: Spring flowers shrub can get leaf spot. It is best suited to coastal areas. Yellow Native Azalea Sunlight: Part sun to shade Rhododendron austrinum (Sm.) Rehd. Soil type: Dry or wet Family: Ericaceae Shrub type: Evergreen Wildlife value: Low This magnificent deciduous shrub grows 12 feet tall Flowering: Spring flowers and 8 feet wide. Native to rich, well-drained Lyonia woodlands along Lyonia lucida (Lam.) Koch streams and rivers, it Family: Ericaceae performs best in morning sun or filtered This evergreen shrub averages 3 feet in height and light. Rich yellow or spread. Found growing orange, fragrant along well-drained, blossoms appear for three weeks in April and May. sandy woodlands and Yellow native azalea is sensitive to wet or poorly streams, it is widely drained soil types, but it has few other problems. tolerant of many Many cultivars are available that exhibit different growing conditions. flower forms and colors. Small, nodding, bell- shaped, white flowers cluster along the stems in late spring. Lyonia has a low, mounding form with arching Sunlight: Part sun to shade bright-orange or red in autumn. Flower clusters are Soil type: Dry to moist soils green when they appear on the plant in early summer Shrub type: Deciduous and mature to rich-red fruits before fall. These fruits Wildlife value: Low often persist through winter. This is a tough and Flowering: Spring flowers versatile shrub for difficult soil types. It often forms broad colonies through root suckering. Honeysuckle Azalea Sunlight: Sun to part sun Rhododendron canescens (Michx.) Sweet Soil type: Dry to moist Family: Ericaceae Shrub type: Deciduous Honeysuckle azalea is a beautiful deciduous shrub Wildlife value: High that grows 12 feet high and 8 feet wide. This azalea is Fruit: Late summer fruits widely found along stream banks and rivers of the state. It performs best in filtered light; the foliage tends Dwarf Palmetto to burn in full sun. Large, fragrant flower clusters Sabal minor (Jacq.) Pers. range from pure-white to dark-pink and bloom from Family: Arecaceae late March to early April. This azalea is more adaptive This versatile evergreen of soil types than the yellow native azalea, and there shrub grows 6 feet high and 4 are many cultivar types available. feet wide. Found primarily in Sunlight: Part sun to shade river flood plains, this shrub Soil type: Dry to moist soils can grow in a wide variety of Shrub type: Deciduous wet or dry soil types. Dwarf Wildlife value: Low palmetto has a tropical leaf Flowering: Spring flowers and is an excellent understory shrub, ground cover, or focal Summer Azalea plant. Round, black fruits appear on long stems in late Rhododendron serrulatum (Sm.) Mill. summer and persist through winter. Few insects or Family: Ericaceae diseases are associated with this species. Summer azalea is a deciduous shrub that grows to 15 Sunlight: Sun to shade feet in height and about 10 feet in width. Native to Soil type: Dry or wet flood plains along streams, this azalea is tolerant of Shrub type: Evergreen wet soils. Rather than blooming in spring as other Wildlife value: Medium azaleas, this species blooms from June through August Fruit: Late summer fruits with extremely fragrant, white flowers. It tolerates and blooms well in heavily shaded locations. Snowbell Sunlight: Part shade to shade Styrax americanus Lam. Soil type: Moist to wet soils Family: Styracaceae Shrub type: Deciduous A little-known deciduous shrub, snowbell grows to 10 Wildlife value: Low feet high and 6 feet wide. It is found in wet soils of Flowering: Summer flowers bottomland hardwood forests and along stream Staghorn Sumac edges. It has numerous Rhus typhina L. small, white flowers that Family: Anacardiaceae bloom from April Staghorn sumac is a tall, through May. It typically deciduous shrub that reaches has an upright, oval form. 20 feet in height and width. Sunlight: Sun to part sun It grows in dry soil types Soil type: Wet or moist along roadsides and in fields Shrub type: Deciduous and pastures. The long, Wildlife value: Medium pinnate (feather-shaped) Flowering: Spring flowers leaves are attractive and turn True Huckleberry Arrow-Wood Viburnum Vaccinium arboreum Marshall Viburnum dentatum L. Family: Ericaceae Family: Caprifoliaceae This large, semi-evergreen shrub reaches 20 feet in Arrow-wood viburnum height and 15 feet in width. It is found in a wide range is a large, deciduous of woodland types from dry, sandy soils to moist shrub that reaches 20 stream edges. Small, bell-shaped, white flowers appear feet in height and 10 on the plant from April through May and are followed feet in width. It is by small, black fruits in early fall. The fruits are highly found mainly in used by song and game birds, deer, and many small acidic soils and moist mammals. Because of this plant’s upright form, it can soils of swamp be used as a small ornamental tree. It has attractive forests and floodplains, but also adapts well to many red bark. Leaves of huckleberries and blueberries turn soil types. Arrow-wood has an attractively toothed leaf a vibrant, strong red in the fall. that turns yellow and red in late fall. White flower Sunlight: Sun to part sun clusters appear in March through May, and are Soil type: Dry to moist followed by numerous blue fruits in late summer. Shrub type: Semi-evergreen Many birds and mammals use these fruits. The Wildlife value: High narrow, upright form of long, thin branches makes this Flowering: Spring flowers variety of viburnum a useful shrub for narrow beds Fruit: Summer fruits and courtyard plantings. Sunlight: Sun to part sun Elliott’s Blueberry Soil type: Dry to wet Vaccinium elliottii Chapm. Shrub type: Deciduous Family: Ericaceae Wildlife value: High This wild blueberry is a Flowering: Spring deciduous shrub that grows Fruit: Summer fruits 12 feet high and 12 feet wide. It thrives in open pinelands, marshy edges, and along streams and roadsides. Small, white blueberry flowers bloom from March through May and are followed by small, edible, black fruits in early summer. The shrub has a loose, round form and often exhibits bright-green stems. The green leaves are small and turn bright-red in the fall. It has few insect or disease problems. Sunlight: Sun to part sun Soil type: Moist to wet Shrub type: Deciduous Wildlife value: High Flowering: Spring flowers Fruit: Summer fruits By Robert Brzuszek, assistant Extension professor, Department of Landscape Architecture.

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Publication 2334 Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. VANCE H. WATSON, Interim Director (POD-05-07)