Recommended Species for Michigan List Provided By: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center 4801 LaCrosse Ave., Austin, TX 78739 512-292-4100 NOTE: It is an important responsibility as gardeners & conservationists to seek out nurseries who propagate their own plants or purchase nursery-propagated plant materials. As consumers we need to be informed & avoid purchasing wild-collected plants. With native plants diminishing in number, it is ecologically detrimental to dig up wild plants unless the area is to be developed. It is best to either collect seeds from wild plants or to purchase seeds (or plants grown from wild seeds) from commercial nurseries. Botanical name Common Name Site Preference WILDFLOWERS Upper and Lower Michigan Anemone canadensis Canada Anemone Open, sunny to light shade Anemone cylindrica Thimbleweed Dry, open woods & prairie Antennaria neglecta Ever-lasting Dry, open place, full sun Aquilegia canadensis Columbine Dry woods & cliffs, full sun to full shade Arocynum androcaemifolium Dogbane Open wood, roadsides Asclepias incarnata Marsh Milkweed Swamps, wet prairie Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed Fields, meadows Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed Sunny, sandy prairie & woods Asclepias verticillata Whorled Milkweed Dry, open prairies Aster ericoides Heath Aster Dry, open areas Aster laevis Smooth Aster Open wooded,dry prairies Aster novae-angliae New England Aster Sun to partial shade, moisture Aster ptarmicoides White Aster Prairies, cliffs, clearings Aster puniceus Red Stem Aster Open, brushy, wet places Aster sagittifolius Arrow Aster Stream banks, woodlands Aster simplex Marsh Aster Drier, open marshes Aster umbellatus Flat-topped Aster Swamps, marshes Campanula rotundifolia Harebell Dry prairie, open woods Chelone glabra Turtlehead Grassy, brushy marshes Coreopsis lanceolata Lance-leaved coreopsis Prairies, open fields Eupatorium maculatum Joe Pye Weed Swamps, moist places Eupatorium perfoliatum Boneset Swamp, damp pastures Fragaria virginiana Wild Strawberry Dry, upland woods Galium boreale Northern Bedstraw Sandy, open prairie & brushy places Gentiana Andrewsii Closed Gentian Moist, open, shaded areas Helenium autumnale Common Sneeze-weed Moist, open areas along streams Helianthus giganteus Giant Sunflower Wet places Hieracium canadense Canada Hawkweed Open, sandy fields & woods Hypericum ascyron Great St. John's Wort Moist places, stream banks Iris virginica Wild Iris Swamps, meadows & marshes Iris versicolor Blue Flag Wet meadows, stream banks & marshes Lilium philadelphicum Turk's Cap Lily Wet meadows & low grounds Lithospermum canescens Hoary Puccoon Open woods & hillsides Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower Wet soil, sunny to part shade Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia Swamps, along streams & ditches Lobelia spicata Pale Lobelia Dry prairie & meadows Mimulus ringens Monkey Flower Wet, open or brushy places Monarda fistulosa Wild Horsemint Upland woods, thickets & prairies Oenothera biennis Evening Primrose Fields & waste places Physostegia virginiana False Dragonhead Marshes, moist open woods Pycnanthemum virginianum Mountain Mint Upland woods, moist prairies Ranunculus fascicularis Early Buttercup Sun, open woods & prairie Rosa palustris Swamp Wild Rose Open, brushy areas Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan Meadows, sun to partial shade Senecio Pauperculus Balsam Ragwort Meadows, prairies Solidago graminifolia Grassleaved Goldenrod Open, moist areas Solidago nemoralis Gray Goldenrod Dry, open areas Taenidia integerrima Yellow Pimpernel Dry woods, rocky hillsides Thalictrum dasycarpum Tall Meadow Rue Wet meadows or stream banks Tradescantia ohiensis Spiderwort Moist meadows & prairies Verbena hastata Blue Verbena Moist fields & meadows Southern Half of Lower Peninsula Aster azureus Sky Blue Aster Prairies, dry open woods Aster pilosus Frost Aster Open sandy, moist or dry sites Ceanothus americanus Red Root/New Jersey Tea Woods, prairie Cirsium discolor Field Thistle Dry fields, roadsides Desmodium canadense Canada Tick-trefoil Moderately moist, open brushy sites Euphorbia corollata Flowering Spurge Plains or prairies Geranium maculatum Wild Geranium Dry or moist woods & roadsides Helianthus occidentalis Western Sunflower Dry, sunny Helianthus strumosus Woodland Sunflower Woodlands Helianthus tuberosus Jerusalem Artichoke Uplands soils & moist places Heliopsis helianthoides Ox-Eye Sunflower Dry woodlands, prairies Heuchera Richardsonii Alum Root Dry woods, prairies Houstonia longifolia Long-leaved Bluets Open, sandy or rocky places Krigia biflora Dwarf Dandelion Woods & fields Lespedeza capitata Bushclover Open dry woods, sand dunes, prairies Liatris aspera Rough Blazing Star Dry, open sandy places Liatris cylindracea Dwarf Blazing Star Dry, open places Lupinus perennis Wild Lupine Dry or moist, sandy soil Monarda didyma Oswego Tea/Beebalm Sun to partial shade, moist Parthenium integrifolium Wild Quinine Prairies & dry woods Penstemon digitalis Foxglove Penstemon Moist open woods & prairies Penstemon grandiflora Large Penstemon Dry prairies Phlox pilosa Sweet William Open woods, moist meadows, prairies Podophyllum peltatum May Apple Open woodland, moist Potentilla arguta White Cinquefoil Dry prairies, open woods Ratibida pinnata Grey-headed/Yellow Coneflower Prairies & dry woods Sisyninchium albidum Blue-eyed Grass Prairies & meadows Solidago rigida Stiff Goldenrod Prairies, sandy soil Solidago speciosa Showy Goldenrod Open woods, fields Solidago ulmifolia Elm-leaved Goldenrod Woodlands Tephrosia virginiana Goat's Rue Open woods, sandy fields Verbena stricta Hoary Verbena Prairies Veronia fasciculata Ironweed Wet prairies, marshes Veronicastrum virginicum Culver's Root Full sun to partial shade, moist Zizia aurea Meadows Parsnip/Golden Alexander Moist fields & meadows SHRUBS Alnus crispa Green Alder Northern shores & banks Alnus rugosa Speckled Alder Wet sites Amelanchier spp. Serviceberry Well-drained slopes; open areas Amorpha canescens Leadplant Well-drained prairies, open woods, pastures Amorpha fruticosa False Indigo Stream beds & lakes Aronia melanocarpa Chokeberry Lowland soils Ceanothus americanus Red Root/New Jersey Tea Woods, prairies Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush Moist soil Comptonia peregrina Sweet Fern Acid, sandy soil Cornus alternifolia Pagoda Dogwood Semi-shade, tolerates moist soil Cornus sericea Redtwig/Redosier Dogwood Tolerates moist growing conditions Cornus racemosa Gray Dogwood Full sun, semi-shade Corylus americana Hazelnut Thickets, pastures & hillsides Corylus cornuta Beaked Hazelnut Moist, rich soil, semi-shade Dirca palustris Leatherwood Moist, rich soil, tolerates shade Diervilla lonicera Dwarfbush Honeysuckle Dry or moist woods, rocky places Euonymus atropupurea Wahoo Fertile, moist soil Ilex verticillata Winterberry Moist soils with low pH Juniperus communis depressa Oldfield Juniper Well-drained soil Juniperus horizontalis Creeping Juniper Well-drained soil Physocarpus opulifolius Ninebark Shores, rocky banks & thickets Potentilla fruticosa Potentilla Full sun, tolerates dry sites Prunus pensylvanica Pincherry Woods, thickets & clearings Prunus pumila Sandcherry Sandy lakeshores, dunes, jack pine barrens Prunus virginiana Chokecherry Rich soils, thickets, wood edges Ptelea trifoliata Hoptree Thickets, rocky slopes Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac Tolerates dry soils Rhus spp. Raspberries Open woods & sunny areas Rhus typhina Staghorn Sumac Dry, rocky soils Ribes spp. Currants Moist soils of woods & thickets Sambucus canadensis Common Elderberry Moist, sunny location Sambucus pubens Scarlet Elderberry Moist, sunny location Shepherdia argentea Buffaloberry Well-drained soil, full sun Staphylea trifolia Bladdernut Upland soils Symphoricarpos occidentalis Wolfberry Dry, rocky hillsides, sandy flats, open woods Taxus canadensis American Yew Moist, coniferous forests Viburnum lentago Nannyberry Full sun & drier soils Viburnum rafinesquianum Downy Arrowwood Dry slopes & open woods Viburnum trilobum Highbush Cranberry Damp sites & upland soils Zanthoxylum americanum Prickly Ash Dry, sunny, margins of woods TREES Abies balsamea Balsam Fir Fertile, moist soil Acer rubrum Red Maple Acid, moist soil Acer saccharinum Silver Maple Low, moist, rich woods Acer saccharum Sugar Maple Heavy, moist, drained soil Acer saccharum nigrum Black Maple Heavy, moist, drained soil Amelanchier laevis Allegheny Juneberry Hillsides, ravines Betula alleghaniensis Yellow Birch Cool, moist sites Betula nigra River Birch Wide range soil conditions, moist Betula papyrifera Paper Birch Moist, fertile, cool sites Carpinus caroliniana Blue Beech Fertile, moist soil Carya cordiformis Bitternut Hickory Rich bottomlands or rocky hillsides Carya ovata Shagbark Hickory Fertile, moist soil Fraxinus americana White Ash Fertile upland soils Fraxinus nigra Black Ash Moist to dry sites Fraxinus pennsylvanica Green Ash Moist to dry sites Gymnocladus dioica Kentucky Coffeetree Rich bottomlands or rocky hillsides Juglans cinera Butternut Rich woods, riverbanks Juglans nigra Black Walnut Rich bottomlands, good upland soils Larix laricina Tamarack Moist or dry soils Ostrya virginiana Ironwood/Hophornbeam Wide range, some shade Picea glauca White Spruce Moist to upland soils Picea mariana Black Spruce Moist to upland soils Pinus banksiana Jack Pine Tolerates infertile, dry soil Pinus resinosa Red Pine Infertile, poor dry soils Pinus strobus White Pine Fertile, moist soils Populus balsamifera Balsam Poplar Moist soils Populus deltoides Cottonwood Moist areas, riverbanks, bottomlands Populus grandidentata Big toothed Aspen Mixed woods Populus tremuloides Quaking Aspen Various habitats, open woods Prunus americana Wild Plum Well-drained soil Prunus pennsylvanica Pincherry Dry or rocky soils Prunus serotina Black Cherry Fertile soils Prunus virginiana Chokecherry Wide range of soils Quercus bicolor Swamp White Oak Moist soils, bottomlands Quercus alba White Oak Open areas, well-drained soils Quercus ellipsoidalis Northern Pin Oak Dry soil Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak Rich bottomlands or rocky open hillsides Quercus rubra Red Oak Moist forests, well-drained soils Sorbus americana American Mountain Ash Moist, fertile soil Sorbus decora Showy Mountain Ash Moist, fertile soil Thuja occidentalis White Cedar Moist, upland, alkaline soil Tilia americana Basswood Open areas VINES Celastrus scandens American Bittersweet Well-drained soil, full sun Lonicera dioica Honeysuckle Vine Bluffs & rocky banks Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia Creeper Rich, open woods Vitis riparia Riverbank Grape Rich woods & thickets GRASSES Andropogon gerardi Big Bluestem Prairies, sandy or loamy soil Bouteloua curtipendula Side-oats Grama Plains, prairies, rocky hills Elymus canadensis Canade Wild Rye Riverbanks, open areas, sandy soil Koeleria cristata Junegrass Prairies, open woods, sandy soils Panicum virgatum Switchgrass Prairies, open areas Schizachyrium scoparius Little Bluestem Prairies, open woods, rocky slopes Sorghastrum nutans Indiangrass Prairies, open woods Sporobolus cryptandrus Sand Dropseed Sandy or rocky soils Stipa spartea Needlegrass Prairies, roadsides, rocky slopes Use your "Back" button to return to home.