What are natives? well under a variety of conditions. Many of the recommended About the Native for Conservation, Native species evolved within specific species are well-suited to more than one of these categories. Restoration and Landscaping Project regions and dispersed throughout This project is a collaboration between the Depart- For more information, refer to field guides and publications their range without known human ment of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Native on local natural history for color, shape, height, bloom times involvement. They form the primary Society. VNPS chapters across the state helped to fund and specific wildlife value of the plants that grow in your component of the living landscape the 2011 update to this brochure. region. Visit a nearby park, natural area preserve, forest or and provide food and shelter for wildlife management area to learn about common plant The following partners have provided valuable assistance native animal species. Native associations, spatial groupings and habitat conditions. throughout the life of this project: plants co-evolved with native For specific recommendations and advice about project animals over many thousands The Nature Conservancy – Virginia Chapter • Virginia design, consult a landscape or garden design specialist with to millions of years and have Tech Department of Horticulture • Virginia Department of experience in native plants. Agriculture and Consumer Services • Virginia Department formed complex and interdependent of Environmental Quality, Coastal Zone Management relationships. Our native fauna depend on native flora to Program • Virginia Department of Forestry • Virginia provide food and cover. Many animals require specific plants What are non-native plants? Department of Game and Inland Fisheries • Virginia Native for their survival. Sometimes referred to as “exotic,” “alien,” or “non- Department of Transportation indigenous,” non-native plants are species introduced, intentionally or accidentally, into a new region by humans. Benefits of native plants Over time, many plants and animals have expanded their Using native species in landscaping reduces the expense ranges slowly and without human assistance. As people of maintaining cultivated landscapes and minimizes the began cultivating plants, they brought beneficial and favored likelihood of introducing new invasive species. It may species along when they moved into new regions or traded provide a few unexpected benefits as well. Plants with people in distant lands. Humans thus became a new for Conservation, Native plants often require less water, fertilizer and pathway, enabling many species to move into new locations. Restoration & Landscaping pesticide, thus adding fewer chemicals to the landscape and maintaining water quality in nearby rivers and What are invasive plants? streams. Fewer inputs mean time and money saved for Invasive plants are introduced species that cause health, the gardener. economic or ecological damage in their new range. More Native plants increase the presence of desirable wildlife, than 30,000 species of plants have been introduced to such as birds and butterflies, and provide sanctuaries for the United States since the time of Columbus. Most were these animals as they journey between summer and winter introduced intentionally, and many provide great benefits habitats. The natural habitat you create with native plants to society as agricultural crops and landscape ornamentals. can become an outdoor classroom for children, or a place Some were introduced accidentally, for example, in ship For more information for you to find peace and quiet after a busy day. ballast, in packing material and as contaminants. Of these introduced species, fewer than 3,000 have naturalized Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Native plants evoke a strong sense of place and regional and become established in the United States outside Natural Heritage Program character. For example, live and trees are cultivation. Of the 3,500 plant species in Virginia, more than 804-786-7951 strongly associated with the Deep South. Redwood trees www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/nativeplants.shtml 800 have been introduced since the founding of Jamestown. characterize the Pacific Northwest. cacti call to The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation mind the deserts of the Southwest. currently lists more than 100 of these species as invasive. For a list of nurseries that propagate native species, contact: In the United States, invasive species cause an estimated Buying and growing native plants Virginia Native Plant Society $120 billion in annual economic losses, including costs to More gardeners today are discovering the benefits of 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Unit 2 manage their effects. Annual costs and damages arising native plants and requesting them at Boyce, VA 22620 from invasive plants alone are estimated at $34 billion. 540-837-1600 | [email protected] their local garden centers. Because of www.vnps.org this increased demand, retailers are offering an ever-widening selection of Native plants vs. invasive plants vigorous, nursery-propagated natives. Invasive plants have competitive advantages that allow For a list of nurseries in a particular them to disrupt native plant communities and the wildlife Once you’ve found a good vendor for region of Virginia, contact: dependent on them. For example, kudzu (Pueraria ) native plants, the next step is choosing The Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association grows very rapidly and overtops forest canopy, thus shading appropriate plants for a project. One 383 Coal Hollow Road other plant species from the sunlight necessary for their of the greatest benefits of designing Christiansburg, VA 24073 survival. A tall invasive wetland grass, common reed with native plants is their adaptation to 540-382-0943 | [email protected] (Phragmites australis ssp. australis), invades and dominates To search for species in VNLA member catalogs, visit: local conditions. However, it is important marshes, reducing native plant diversity and sometimes www.vnla.org/search.asp to select plants with growth requirements eliminating virtually all other species. that best match conditions in the area to be planted. Invasive species can marginalize or even cause the loss of Illustrations courtesy of native species. With their natural host plants gone, many The Flora of Virginia Project. If you’re planning a project using insects disappear. And since insects are an essential part of Illustrators: Lara Gastinger, Roy Fuller native plant species, use the list in this the diet of many birds, the effects on the food web become and Michael Terry. To learn more, visit: brochure to learn which plants grow in far reaching. Habitats with a high occurrence of invasive www.floraofvirginia.org your region of Virginia. Next, study the plants become a kind of “green desert.” Although green and minimum light and moisture requirements Virginia Piedmont Region healthy in appearance, far fewer native species of plants and for each species, noting that some plants grow animals are found in such radically altered places.

9/2011 Scientific Name Common Name Uses Light Moisture Scientific Name Common Name Uses Light Moisture W H C D S P F L M H W H C D S P F L M H Herbs Dichanthelium clandestinum deer-tongue • • • • • • • • Virginia Dichanthelium commutatum variable panicgrass • • • • • • • Achillea millefolium common yarrow • • • • Dulichium arundinaceum dwarf bamboo • • • • • • Ageratina altissima white snakeroot • • • • Elymus hystrix bottlebrush grass • • • • • • • Piedmont Amsonia tabernaemontana blue star • • • • • Elymus virginicus Virginia wild rye • • • • • • Anemone quinquefolia wood anemone • • • • • Juncus canadensis Canada rush • • • • • • Anemonella thalictroides rue anemone • • • Juncus effusus soft rush • • • • • • Antennaria neglecta field pussytoes • • • • • • Leersia oryzoides rice cutgrass • • • • • • Region Aquilegia canadensis wild columbine • • • • • • Panicum virgatum switch grass • • • • • • • • Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit • • • Saccharum giganteum giant plumegrass • • • • • • • Aruncus dioicus goatsbeard • • • • Schizachyrium scoparium little bluestem • • • • • • • • Asarum canadense+ wild ginger • • • • Scirpus cyperinus woolgrass bulrush • • • • • • • Rocky falls and rapids incarnata swamp milkweed • • • • • • Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass • • • • • • • • Asclepias syriaca+ common milkweed • • • • • Sparganium americanum American bur-reed • • • • • on the Potomac, Asclepias tuberosa butterfly weed • • • • • Tridens flavus redtop • • • • • • • • Rappahannock and James Baptisia australis* blue wild indigo • • • • • Tripsacum dactyloides gama grass • • • • • • • • Baptisia tinctoria yellow wild-indigo • • • • • Typha latifolia broad-leaved cattail • • • • • rivers mark a transition Bidens cernua+ nodding beggar-ticks • • • • • • • • Chamaecrista fasciculata+ partridge pea • • • • Vines from the softer sediments Chelone glabra white turtlehead • • • • • Bignonia capreolata crossvine • • • • • • Chrysogonum virginianum green and gold • • • • Campsis radicans trumpet creeper • • • • • of the Coastal Plain to Chrysopsis mariana golden aster • • • • • • Celastrus scandens climbing bittersweet • • • • • • Cimicifuga racemosa black cohosh • • • • Clematis virginiana virgin’s bower • • • • the resistant bedrock Clitoria mariana Maryland butterfly pea • • • • • Lonicera sempervirens trumpet honeysuckle • • • • Conoclinium coelestinum blue mistflower • • • • • • Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper • • • • • • underlying the Piedmont. lanceolata longstalk coreopsis • • • Purple passionflower • • • • • • Coreopsis tinctoria golden tickseed • • • • • Moving west, the rolling Coreopsis tripteris tall coreopsis • • • • • & Small Trees hills of Virginia’s Piedmont Coreopsis verticillata threadleaf coreopsis • • • • • Alnus serrulata hazel alder • • • • • • • Delphinium tricorne dwarf larkspur • • • • Aronia arbutifolia red chokeberry • • • • • • Plateau steadily climb Desmodium paniculatum narrow- tick trefoil • • • • Aronia melanocarpa black chokeberry • • • • • • • Dicentra cucullaria Dutchman’s breeches • • • Castanea pumila Allegheny chinkapin • • • • • • • from the fall line to the Dicentra eximia wild bleeding heart • • • • Ceanothus americanus tea • • • • • • Doellingeria umbellata flat-top white aster • • • • • • Cephalanthus occidentalis buttonbush • • • • • foothills of the Blue Ridge Equisetum hyemale horsetail • • • • • • Cornus amomum silky dogwood • • • • • • Eupatoriadelphus fistulosus Joe-pye weed • • • • • • • crus-galli cockspur hawthorn • • • • • • • Mountains, which form Eupatorium perfoliatum common boneset • • • • • Eubotrys racemosa fetterbush • • • • • Eurybia divaricata white wood aster • • • • • • • Euonymus americanus American strawberry-bush • • • • the western boundary Geranium maculatum wild geranium • • • • • Gaultheria procumbens wintergreen • • • • • • of the Piedmont. The Gillenia trifoliata bowman’s root • • • • Gaylussacia baccata black huckleberry • • • • • • • Helenium autumnale sneezeweed • • • • • • Hamamelis virginiana witch hazel • • • • • • hills of the Piedmont Helianthus angustifolius narrow-leaf sunflower • • • • • • • Hydrangea arborescens wild hydrangea • • • • Helianthus decapetalus ten-petaled sunflower • • • • • • Hypericum prolificum shrubby St. Johnswort • • • • • become steeper to the Helianthus divaricatus woodland sunflower • • • • • Ilex decidua deciduous holly • • • • • • Heliopsis helianthoides oxeye sunflower • • • • • • • Ilex verticillata winterberry • • • • • • • west, where monadnocks Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa round-lobed hepatica • • • • mountain laurel • • • • • • Heuchera americana alumroot • • • Lindera benzoin spicebush • • • • • — remnants of ancient Hibiscus moscheutos Eastern rosemallow • • • • • Physocarpus opulifolius ninebark • • • • • • • • cristata dwarf crested iris • • • • catawbiense Catawba rhododendron • • • • • mountains — rise above Iris virginica Virginia blue flag • • • • • Rhododendron maximum great rhododendron • • • • • • • the farms and forests. Lespedeza capitata round-head bush clover • • • • Rhododendron periclymenoidespinxter • • • • • • Liatris pilosa var. pilosa grass-leaf blazing star • • • • • • • Rhododendron viscosum swamp • • • • • • The Piedmont is known Liatris squarrosa plains blazing star • • • • • • Rhus aromatica fragrant sumac • • • • Lilium canadense Canada lily • • • • • Rhus copallinum winged sumac • • • • • • for moderately fertile but Lilium superbum Turk’s cap lily • • • • • Rosa carolina pasture • • • • • • Lobelia cardinalis cardinal flower • • • • • • Rubus allegheniensis Alleghany blackberry • • • • • highly eroded clay soils Lobelia siphilitica great blue lobelia • • • • • • Salix humilis prairie willow • • • • Lupinus perennis lupine • • • • Salix sericea silky willow • • • • • that formed from deeply Maianthemum racemosum false Solomon’s seal • • • • • Sambucus canadensis common elderberry • • • • • • Mertensia virginica Virginia bluebells • • • • • • Staphylea trifolia bladdernut • • • weathered bedrock. Most Mimulus ringens monkeyflower • • • • Vaccinium corymbosum highbush blueberry • • • • • • • • • of this land was converted Monarda fistulosa wild bergamot • • • • • • • Vaccinium stamineum deerberry • • • • Monarda punctata Horse-mint • • • • Viburnum dentatum Southern arrow-wood viburnum • • • • • • • to farmland during Nymphaea odorata American water lily • • • • • Viburnum nudum possum-haw viburnum • • • • • Oenothera fruticosa sundrops • • • • • • Viburnum prunifolium black-haw viburnum • • • • • • European settlement. Opuntia humifusa Eastern prickly-pear • • • • • Packera aurea+ golden ragwort • • • • • • Medium Trees Today, however, mixed Peltandra virginica arrow arum • • • • • • Amelanchier arborea downy serviceberry • • • • • • Penstemon canescens gray beardtongue • • • Amelanchier canadensis Canada serviceberry • • • • • • pine-oak-hickory forests Penstemon digitalis foxglove beardtongue • • • • • • • Aralia spinosa devil’s walkingstick • • • • Penstemon laevigatus smooth beardtongue • • • • • Asimina triloba paw paw • • • • • • arising from abandoned Phlox divaricata woodland phlox • • • • • Carpinus caroliniana American hornbeam • • • • • farmlands are found Phlox paniculata summer phlox • • • • • Cercis canadensis Eastern redbud • • • • • Phlox subulata moss phlox • • • • Chionanthus virginicus fringetree • • • • throughout the region. Physostegia virginiana+ obedient plant • • • • • Cornus alternifolia alternate-leaf dogwood • • • • • • • Podophyllum peltatum+ mayapple • • • • • • Cornus flowering dogwood • • • • • • • Polemonium reptans Jacob’s ladder • • • • Crataegus viridis green hawthorn • • • • • • • Polygonatum biflorum Solomon’s seal • • • • • Ilex opaca American holly • • • • • Pontederia cordata pickerel weed • • • • • Magnolia virginiana sweetbay magnolia • • • • • • incanum hoary mountain mint • • • • Morus rubra red mulberry • • • • • • Pycnanthemum tenuifolium narrow-leaved mountain mint • • • • • • • Ostrya virginiana Eastern hop-hornbeam • • • • Rhexia virginica Virginia meadow-beauty • • • • Prunus americana American wild plum • • • • Rudbeckia fulgida early coneflower • • • • • • Rhus glabra smooth sumac • • • • • • black eyed Susan • • • • • • Rhus typhina staghorn sumac • • • • • Rudbeckia laciniata cut-leaved coneflower • • • • • • black willow • • • • • Rudbeckia triloba three-lobed coneflower • • • • • • Sagittaria latifolia broadleaf arrowhead • • • • • Large Trees Salvia lyrata+ lyre-leaf sage • • • • Acer negundo ash-leaf maple • • • • Sanguinaria canadensis bloodroot • • • Acer rubrum red maple • • • • • Saururus cernuus lizard’s tail • • • • • Acer saccharum sugar maple • • • • • • Saxifraga virginiensis early saxifrage • • • • • • Aesculus flava yellow buckeye • • • Sedum ternatum wild stonecrop • • • • Betula lenta sweet birch • • • • • • Senna marilandica Maryland wild senna • • • • • Betula nigra river birch • • • • • • Silene virginica fire pink • • • • • Carya cordiformis bitternut hickory • • • • • • Silphium perfoliatum cup plant • • • • • • Carya glabra pignut hickory • • • • • • Solidago caesia bluestem goldenrod • • • • • • Carya ovata shagbark hickory • • • • Solidago odora sweet goldenrod • • • • • • mockernut hickory • • • • • Solidago pinetorum+ pineywoods goldenrod • • • • • Diospyros virginiana persimmon • • • • • • • • Solidago puberula downy goldenrod • • • • • Fagus grandifolia American beech • • • • • • Solidago rugosa+ rough-stemmed goldenrod • • • • • Fraxinus americana white ash • • • • • Recommended Uses Symphyotrichum concolor Eastern silvery aster • • • • • Fraxinus pensylvanica green ash • • • • • • Juglans nigra black walnut • • • • • W = Wildlife Symphyotrichum cordifolium heart-leaved aster • • • • • Symphyotrichum pilosum frost aster • • • • • Juniperus virginiana Eastern red cedar • • • • • • H = Horticulture & landscaping Thalictrum dioicum early meadowrue • • • Liquidambar styraciflua sweetgum • • • • • • • C = Conservation & restoration Tiarella cordifolia foamflower • • • Liriodendron tulipifera tulip poplar • • • • • Nyssa sylvatica black gum • • • • • • D = Domestic livestock forage Tradescantia virginiana+ Virginia spiderwort • • • • • • white trillium • • • Oxydendrum arboreum sourwood • • • Verbena hastata blue vervain • • • • • • Pinus echinata shortleaf pine • • • • Pinus rigida pitch pine • • • • Minimum Light Vernonia noveboracensis ironweed • • • • • • cucullata marsh blue violet • • • • • • white pine • • • • • Requirements Viola pedata bird’s foot violet • • • • • Pinus taeda loblolly pine • • • • • • S = Shade Viola pubescens yellow violet • • • • • • Pinus virginiana Virginia pine • • • filamentosa common yucca • • • • Platanus occidentalis sycamore • • • • • P = Partial sun Prunus serotina wild black cherry • • • • • F = Full sun Ferns & Fern Allies Quercus alba white oak • • • • • • Adiantum pedatum maidenhair fern • • • • Quercus bicolor swamp white oak • • • • • Asplenium platyneuron ebony spleenwort • • • • Quercus coccinea scarlet oak • • • • • Moisture Requirements Athyrium asplenioides Southern ladyfern • • • • • Quercus falcata Southern red oak • • • • • • • L = Low moisture Botrychium virginianum rattlesnake fern • • • • • Quercus ilicifolia bear oak • • • • Dennstaedtia punctilobula+ hay-scented fern • • • • • Quercus michauxii swamp chestnut oak • • • • • M = Moderate moisture Dryopteris intermedia evergreen wood-fern • • • • • • • Quercus muehlenbergii chinkapin oak • • • • H = High moisture Dryopteris marginalis marginal shield-fern • • • • • Quercus palustris pin oak • • • • • • • Onoclea sensibilis+ sensitive fern • • • • • • Quercus phellos willow oak • • • • • • • Osmunda cinnamomea cinnamon fern • • • • • • Quercus prinus chestnut oak • • • • • Some species are marked Osmunda regalis royal fern • • • • • Quercus rubra Northern red oak • • • • • • • with the following footnote Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas fern • • • • Quercus stellata post oak • • • • • Thelypteris palustris marsh fern • • • • • Quercus velutina black oak • • • • • symbols: Robinia pseudoacacia black locust • • • • Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Sassafras albidum sassafras • • • • • + May be aggressive in a Agrostis perennans autumn bentgrass • • • • • • • Tilia americana American basswood • • • garden setting Andropogon gerardii big bluestem • • • • • • • • Tsuga canadensis Eastern hemlock • • • • • • Andropogon glomeratus bushy bluestem • • • • • • * Due to the rarity and sensi- Andropogon virginicus broomsedge • • • • • • • Arundinaria tecta switch cane • • • • • • • tivity of habitat in Virginia, Carex crinita long hair sedge • • • • • • • these species are recom- Carex lurida sallow sedge • • • • • • mended for horticultural use Carex pensylvanica sedge • • • • • • • Carex plantaginea plantain-leaved sedge • • • • only. Planting these species Carex stricta tussock sedge • • • • • • in natural areas could be Chasmanthium latifolium+ river oats, spanglegrass • • • • • • Danthonia sericea silky oatgrass • • • • • • detrimental to the survival Danthonia spicata poverty oatgrass • • • • • • • of native populations.