Native Mississippi Plants

Mississippi

Commercially available native plant species suitable for planned landscapes in Mississippi.

Thumb Species Characteristics

Acer negundo
Ash-leaf maple, Ash-leaved maple, Box elder, Boxelder, Fresno de guajuco

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun
Water: Moist

Acer rubrum var. drummondii
Drummond's maple, Drummond red maple, Swamp maple

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist

Achillea millefolium
Common yarrow, Yarrow, Milfoil, Western yarrow

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Aesculus pavia
Scarlet Buckeye, Red buckeye, Firecracker plant

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub, Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Amelanchier arborea
Common serviceberry, Downy serviceberry, Shadbush, Juneberry

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Amsonia tabernaemontana
Eastern bluestar, Blue dogbane, Willow amsonia, Woodland bluestar

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Andropogon gerardii
Big bluestem, Turkeyfoot

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Aquilegia canadensis
Eastern red columbine, Wild red columbine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Aralia spinosa
Devil's walkingstick, Devil’s walking-stick, Prickly Ash, Hercules club, Angelica tree

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Asclepias lanceolata
Fewflower milkweed, Few-flower milkweed, Red milkweed

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Wet

Asclepias tuberosa
Butterflyweed, Butterfly milkweed, Orange milkweed, Pleurisy root

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Asimina parviflora
Smallflower pawpaw, Small-flower pawpaw, Dwarf pawpaw

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water:

Asimina triloba
Pawpaw, Common paw paw, Indian banana

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Asplenium platyneuron
Ebony spleenwort

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Fern
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Athyrium filix-femina
Common ladyfern, Lady fern, Ladyfern, Subarctic lady fern

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb, Fern
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist

Betula nigra
River birch, Red birch

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Bignonia capreolata
Crossvine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Vine
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Bouteloua curtipendula
Sideoats grama

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Callicarpa americana
American beautyberry, French mulberry

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Callirhoe papaver
Woodland Poppy-mallow, Woodland poppymallow

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light:
Water:

Calycanthus floridus
Eastern sweetshrub, Carolina allspice, Sweet shrub

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Campsis radicans
Trumpet creeper, Trumpet vine, Common trumpet creeper, Cow vine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Vine
Light: Sun
Water: Moist, Dry

Carpinus caroliniana
American hornbeam, Blue beech, Musclewood, Ironwood

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Carya glabra
Pignut hickory

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Carya illinoinensis
Pecan

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun
Water: Moist

Catalpa bignonioides
Southern catalpa, Cigar tree, Indian bean

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Cercis canadensis
Eastern redbud, Redbud

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Chionanthus virginicus
White fringetree, Fringe tree, Grancy Graybeard

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Cliftonia monophylla
Buckwheat tree, Buckwheat bush

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Sun
Water: Wet

Commelina erecta
Whitemouth dayflower, Widow's tears, Day flower, White-mouth dayflower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Conoclinium coelestinum
Blue mistflower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Coreopsis lanceolata
Lanceleaf coreopsis, Lanceleaf tickseed, Lance-leaved coreopsis, Sand coreopsis

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Coreopsis tinctoria
Plains coreopsis, Golden tickseed, Goldenwave, Calliopsis

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Cornus drummondii
Roughleaf dogwood, Drummond's dogwood, Rough-leaf dogwood

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Cornus florida
Flowering dogwood, Virginia dogwood

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Crataegus opaca
Mayhaw, Riverflat hawthorn, Western mayhaw

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Crinum americanum
Crinum lily, Seven sisters, Swamp lily, Southern swamp lily, String lily

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Cyrilla racemiflora
Swamp titi, Titi, Leatherwood, Swamp cyrilla, Palo colorado

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Delphinium carolinianum
Carolina larkspur, Blue larkspur, Prairie larkspur, Espuela del caballero

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Diospyros virginiana
Common persimmon, Eastern persimmon

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Dracopis amplexicaulis
Clasping coneflower, Clasping-leaf coneflower

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Echinacea pallida
Pale purple coneflower, Pale coneflower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Moist, Dry

Echinacea purpurea
Eastern purple coneflower, Purple coneflower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Eupatoriadelphus fistulosus
Trumpetweed, Queen of the meadow, Hollow Joe-pye weed, Joe-pye weed

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Wet, Moist

Fagus grandifolia
American beech

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Forestiera acuminata
Eastern swamp-privet, Eastern swampprivet

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Fothergilla major
Mountain witchalder, Mountain witch-alder, Large fothergilla

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water:

Frangula caroliniana
Carolina buckthorn, Carolina false buckthorn, Indian cherry

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Green ash, Red ash

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist, Dry

Gaillardia pulchella
Firewheel, Indian Blanket

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Gaylussacia dumosa
Dwarf huckleberry

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water:

Gelsemium sempervirens
Carolina jessamine, Yellow jessamine, Evening trumpetflower, Poor man's rope

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Vine
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Gentiana saponaria
Harvestbells, Soapwort gentian

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water:

Glandularia canadensis
Rose vervain, Sweet william, Rose mock vervain

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Gleditsia triacanthos
Honey locust, Common Honey-locust, Honey-locust, Thornless common honey-locust, Honey shucks

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Gordonia lasianthus
Gordonia, Loblolly bay

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Sun
Water: Moist

Halesia diptera
Two-wing silverbell, Silver bell, Two-winged silverbell, Snowdrop tree, American snowdrop tree

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub, Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Hamamelis virginiana
Witch hazel, American witch hazel

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Helianthus angustifolius
Swamp sunflower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Hibiscus coccineus
Scarlet rose-mallow, Scarlet rosemallow, Texas star hibiscus, Wild red mallow

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Wet

Hydrangea arborescens
Wild hydrangea, Sevenbark

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Hydrangea quercifolia
Oakleaf hydrangea, Oak-leaf hydrangea

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Shade
Water: Moist

Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides
St. Andrew's cross

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water:

Ilex decidua
Possumhaw, Possumhaw Holly, Deciduous Holly, Winterberry, Deciduous yaupon

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Ilex opaca
American holly, Christmas holly

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Dry

Ilex vomitoria
Yaupon, Yaupon holly, Cassina

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub, Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Ipomopsis rubra
Standing cypress, Texas plume, Red Texas star, Red gilia

Duration: Biennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Iris brevicaulis
Zigzag iris

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist

Iris fulva
Copper iris, Red iris

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist

Iris giganticaerulea
Blue flag, Giant blue iris

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Iris virginica
Virginia iris, Great Blue Flag

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Wet

Itea virginica
Virginia sweetspire, Tassel-white

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Juglans nigra
Black walnut, Eastern black walnut

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Juniperus virginiana
Eastern red cedar, Eastern redcedar, Virginia juniper

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Kosteletzkya virginica
Virginia saltmarsh mallow, Virginia fen-rose, Seashore mallow, Salt Marsh-mallow

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Subshrub
Light: Sun
Water: Moist

Leucothoe axillaris
Coastal doghobble, Coast leucothoe

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Liatris elegans
Blazing star, Gay feather, Pink-scale gayfeather, Pinkscale blazing star

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Dry

Liatris pycnostachya
Prairie Blazing Star, Kansas Gayfeather, Cat-tail Gayfeather, Hairy Button-snakeroot

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Moist, Dry

Liatris squarrosa
Blazing star, Scaly blazing star, Scaly gayfeather

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Dry

Lilium michauxii
Carolina lily

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Lindera benzoin
Northern spicebush, Spicebush

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist, Dry

Liquidambar styraciflua
Sweetgum, American sweetgum

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Lobelia cardinalis
Cardinal flower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist

Lobelia siphilitica
Great blue lobelia

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist

Lonicera sempervirens
Coral honeysuckle, Trumpet honeysuckle, Woodbine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Vine
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Malus angustifolia
Southern crabapple, Wild crabapple

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Monarda citriodora
Lemon beebalm, Horsemint, Purple horsemint, Lemon mint, Plains horsemint, Lemon horsemint

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Monarda fistulosa
Wild bergamot, Beebalm

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Monarda punctata
Spotted beebalm, Spotted horsemint, Horsemint

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Dry

Morella cerifera
Wax myrtle, Southern bayberry, Candleberry

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist

Oenothera speciosa
Pink evening primrose, Showy evening primrose, Mexican evening primrose, Showy primrose, Pink ladies, Buttercups, Pink buttercups

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Moist, Dry

Osmanthus americanus
Devilwood, Wild olive

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Osmunda regalis
Royal fern

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb, Fern
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist

Ostrya virginiana
Eastern hop-hornbeam, Hophornbeam, Ironwood

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Oxydendrum arboreum
Sourwood, Sorrel tree

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water:

Panicum virgatum
Switchgrass, Wand panic grass

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Virginia creeper

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Vine
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Penstemon digitalis
Mississippi penstemon, Smooth white beardtongue, Talus slope penstemon, Foxglove beardtongue

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Wet, Moist, Dry

Phlox divaricata
Wild blue phlox, Louisiana phlox, Blue woodland phlox, Sweet william, Wild sweet william

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Phlox pilosa
Downy phlox, Prairie phlox, Fragrant phlox

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Photinia pyrifolia
Red chokeberry, Red chokecherry

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Sun
Water: Moist

Pinus echinata
Shortleaf pine, Yellow pine, Spruce pine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Pinus elliottii
Slash pine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Pinus glabra
Spruce pine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Pinus palustris
Longleaf pine, Georgia pine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun
Water: Dry

Pinus taeda
Loblolly pine, Old field pine, Bull pine, Rosemary pine

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Platanus occidentalis
American sycamore, Buttonwood, Plane-tree, Sycamore

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Polystichum acrostichoides
Christmas fern

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Fern
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Prunus angustifolia
Chickasaw plum, Sandhill plum

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Prunus mexicana
Mexican plum, Bigtree plum

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Prunus serotina
Black cherry, Rum cherry

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Quercus alba
White oak, Northern white oak, Stave Oak, Ridge White Oak, Forked-leaf White Oak

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Quercus falcata
Southern red oak, Spanish oak

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Quercus nigra
Water oak

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Quercus phellos
Willow oak

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Quercus shumardii
Shumard oak, Shumard's oak, Shumard red oak, Southern red oak

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Quercus stellata
Post oak

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Quercus virginiana
Coastal live oak, Southern live oak, Live oak

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Ratibida columnifera
Mexican hat, Prairie coneflower, Upright prairie coneflower, Red-spike mexican-hat, Long-headed coneflower, Thimbleflower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Moist, Dry

Rhododendron austrinum
Orange azalea, Florida azalea, Yellow azalea

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Rhododendron canescens
Mountain azalea, Wild azalea, Honeysuckle azalea, Piedmont azalea, Sweet azalea, Hoary azalea, Southern pinxterflower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Rhus glabra
Smooth sumac

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Robinia pseudoacacia
Black locust, Honey locust

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun
Water: Moist, Dry

Rudbeckia hirta
Black-eyed Susan, Common black-eyed Susan, Brown-eyed Susan

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Rudbeckia laciniata
Cutleaf coneflower, Green-head coneflower, Cut-leaf coneflower

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Salvia azurea
Pitcher sage, Big blue sage, Azure sage, Giant blue sage, Blue sage

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis
Common elderberry, Black elder, Mexican elderberry, Common elder, Elderberry, Tapiro, Sauco

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Part-shade
Water: Wet

Sassafras albidum
Sassafras

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Spartina patens
Marsh-hay cord grass, Salt-meadow cord grass, Saltmeadow cordgrass

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Light: Sun
Water: Wet

Spigelia marilandica
Woodland pinkroot, Pinkroot, Indian pink, Spigelia

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Stewartia malacodendron
Silky camellia, Virginia stewartia

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Shade
Water:

Stokesia laevis
Stokes aster

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
Coralberry, Indian currant, Buckbrush

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Shrub
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Taxodium distichum
Bald cypress, Baldcypress, Common bald cypress, Southern bald cypress, Deciduous cypress

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Tilia americana
American basswood, American linden, Lime tree, Bee tree

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist, Dry

Trifolium reflexum
Buffalo clover

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Light: Sun
Water: Dry

Ulmus alata
Winged elm, Wahoo

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Ulmus americana
American elm, White elm

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Sun, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Ulmus crassifolia
Cedar elm, Fall elm, Olmo

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Moist

Vaccinium arboreum
Farkleberry, Tree sparkleberry, Sparkleberry

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Tree
Light: Part-shade
Water: Dry

Viola pedata
Birdfoot violet, Bird’s-foot violet, Bird-foot violet

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Light: Shade, Part-shade
Water: Dry

Wisteria frutescens
American wisteria, Texas wisteria, Kentucky wisteria

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Vine
Light: Sun, Shade, Part-shade
Water: Moist

Yucca aloifolia
Aloe yucca, Spanish dagger

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Cactus/Succulent
Light: Sun
Water: Dry

Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center