Fascinating Northern Virginia Native Plants

Northern Virginia Native Plants
Northern Virginia Native Plants Region

Northern Virginia Native Plants

Fascinating Northern Virginia Native Plants species have evolved within specific regions and have been widely dispersed throughout their range without any known human involvement. These plants have formed the primary structure of the living landscape throughout Virginia and provide food and shelter for native animal species living in the region.

Common Names of Northern Virginia Native Plants

Northern Virginia Native Plants

Perennials

Common Yarrow
Common Black Cohosh, Bugbane
White Snakeroot
Tall Anemone, Thimbleweed
Plantain-leaved Pussytoes
Wild or Eastern Red Columbine
Spikenard, American Spikenard
Common Jack-in-the-pulpit
Goatsbeard (Eastern Goat’s-beard)
Common Wild Ginger
Swamp Milkweed
Butterfly Weed
Blue Wild Indigo
Yellow Wild-indigo
Tickseed Sunflower
Nodding Beggar-ticks, Nodding Bur-marigold
Smooth Bur-marigold
Marsh Marigold, Cowslip
Blue Cohosh, Common Blue Cohosh
Common Partridge Pea
White Turtlehead
Spotted or Striped Wintergreen
Umbellate Wintergreen, Pipsissewa
Green and Gold
Maryland Golden-aster
Virginia Spring Beauty
Butterfly Pea, Maryland Butterfly Pea
Mistflower, Ageratum
Whorled or Threadleaf Coreopsis
Dutchman’s Breeches
Wild Bleeding heart
Tall Scouring Rush, Scouring Horsetail
Robin’s Plantain
Hyssop-leaved Thoroughwort
Boneset, Common Boneset
White Wood Aster
Flat-top Goldenrod
Sweet-scented Joe-pye-weed
Wild Strawberry
Bottle or Closed Gentian
Wild or Spotted Geranium
Downy Rattlesnake-plantain
Common Sneezeweed
Narrow-leaved Sunflower
Woodland or Spreading Sunflower
Jerusalem Artichoke
Oxeye, Smooth Oxeye, Oxeye Sunflower
Round-lobed Hepatica
American Alumroot
Wild ginger, Virginia Heartleaf
Swamp or Eastern Rose-mallow
Common Bluets, Azur Bluets, Quaker Ladies
Shrubby St. Johns-wort
Orange or Spotted Jewelweed
Dwarf Crested Iris
Virginia or Southern Blueflag
Twinleaf
Trailing Bush-clover
Slender Lespedeza, Slender Bush-clover
Grass-leaf Blazing Star, Grass-leaf Gayfeather
Large Blazing Star, Eastern Blazing Star
Dense Blazing Star, Gayfeather, Blazing Star
Scaly Blazing Star, Plains Blazing Star
Canada Lily
Turk’s-cap Lily
Cardinal Flower
Great Blue Lobelia
Sundial Lupine, Lupine
Canada Mayflower, False Lily-of-the-valley
Eastern Solomon’s-plume, False Solomon’s-seal
Indian Cucumber-root, Indian Cucumber
Virginia Bluebell, Virginia Cowslip
Early Saxifrage
Square-stemmed or Allegheny Monkeyflower
Partridge-berry
Scarlet Beebalm, Oswego Tea
Wild Bergamot
Blue, Canada or Oldfield Toadflax
Narrow-leaf or Southern Sundrops
Eastern Prickly-pear
Sweet Cicely {or O. longistylis}
Violet Wood-sorrel
Golden or Heartleaf Ragwort
Arrow Arum, Green Arrow Arum, Tuckahoe
Beardtongue, Tall or White Foxglove
Wild Blue or Woodland Phlox
Meadow Phlox, Wild Sweet William
Fall or Garden Phlox
Moss Phlox, Moss Pink
Northern or Fall Obedient-plant
Mayapple
Spreading Jacob’s Ladder, Greek Valerian
Solomon’s seal
Hoary Mountain Mint
Narrow-leaf or Slender Mountain-mint
Virginia Meadow Beauty, Deergrass
Orange Coneflower
Cut-leaf, Common or Green-headed Coneflower
Carolina or Common Wild-petunia
Lyre-leaf Sage
Bloodroot
Lizard’s-tail, Water-dragon
Rough or Hyssop Skullcap, Helmet Flower
Wild or Woodland Stonecrop
Maryland or Southern Wild Senna
Wild or Northern Wild Pink
Narrow-leaved Blue-eyed-grass
Blue-stemmed or Wreath Goldenrod
Zig-zag Goldenrod
Gray, Dwarf, Old Field Goldenrod
Rough-stemmed or Wrinkle-leaf Goldenrod
Tall Goldenrod, Late Goldenrod
Early Goldenrod
Nodding Ladies’ Tresses
Star, Giant or Great Chickweed, Common Starwort
Heart-leaved aster, Blue Wood Aster
Smooth Blue Aster, Smooth Aster
Calico Aster
New England Aster
New York Aster
Early Meadow Rue
Common Tall Meadow Rue Rue, King of
the Meadow
Rue Anemone (Windflower)
Heart-leaved Foamflower, False Miterwort
Virginia Spiderwort
Perfoliate or Mealy Bellwort
Blue, Common or Swamp Verbena
Wingstem, Yellow Ironweed
New York Ironweed
Culver’s-root
Marsh Blue Violet
Dog Violet
Bird’s-foot Violet
Arrow-leaved Violet
Striped Violet, Cream Violet
Common Yucca, Adam’s Needle
Golden-alexanders
Perennials

Grasses

Northern Virginia Native Plants
Perennial Grasses
Broomsedge, Broomstraw, Sedge Grass
Pennsylvania Sedge
Tussock Sedge, Upright Sedge
Deer-Tongue Grass
Bottlebrush Grass
Virginia Wild Rye
Purple Love Grass
Common Rush, Soft Rush
Switchgrass
Giant Plumegrass, Sugarcane Plumegrass
Little Bluestem
Woolgrass Bulrush
Indian Grass
Purpletop, Tall Redtop
Southern Wild Rice
Grasses

Ferns

Ferns
Northern Maidenhair Fern
Ebony Spleenwort
Southern Lady Fern
Spinulose Wood Fern
Evergreen or Intermediate Wood Fern
Marginal Wood Fern, Evergreen Shield Fern
Ostrich Fern
Sensitive Fern, Bead Fern
Interrupted Fern
Royal Fern
Cinnamon Fern
New York Fern
Christmas Fern
Bracken Fern
Marsh Fern
Ferns

Vines

Yellow Jessamine

Cross-vine
Virgin’s Bower
Climbing Hydrangea, Woodvamp
Yellow Jessamine
Trumpet or Coral Honeysuckle
Purple Passionflower, Maypop
Yellow Passionflower
Summer Grape
American Wisteria
Vines

ShrubsNorthern Virginia Native Plants

Smooth or Hazel Alder
False Indigo
Red Chokeberry
Black Chokeberry
High Tide Bush, Groundsel Tree, Mullet Bush
Allegheny Chinquapin
New Jersey Tea, Redroot
Buttonbush
Sweet Pepperbush
Silky Dogwood
Cockspur Hawthorn
Fetterbush, Swamp Doghobble
Strawberry-bush, Heart’s-a-bustin’
Wintergreen, Teaberry
Black Huckleberry
Witch Hazel
Wild Hydrangea, Smooth Hydrangea
Shrubby St. John’s Wort
Deciduous Holly, Possum-haw
Winterberry, Winterberry Holly, Black Alder
Virginia Willow, Virginia Sweetspire
Mountain Laurel
Spicebush
Ninebark
Great Rhododendron
Wild Azalea, Pinxter, or Pinxterbloom Azalea
Swamp or Clammy Azalea
Fragrant sumac
Winged, Shining or Flameleaf Sumac
Smooth Sumac
Carolina Rose, Pasture Rose
Swamp Rose
Silky Willow
Common Elderberry, American Elder
Bladdernut
Highbush or Northern Highbush Blueberry
Early Lowbush or Blue Ridge Blueberry
Maple-leaved Viburnum, Dockmackie
Arrow-wood, Southern Arrow-wood Viburnum
Possum-haw Viburnum, Southern Wild Raisin
Blackhaw Viburnum, Nannyberry
Shrubs

Trees

Northern Virginia Native Plants

Red Maple
Downy Serviceberry
Canada Serviceberry
Devil’s Walking-stick, Hercules club
Pawpaw, Common Pawpaw
River Birch
American Hornbeam, Ironwood
Bitternut Hickory
Pignut Hickory
Mockernut Hickory
Common Hackberry
Eastern Redbud
Fringe Tree, Old Man’s Beard
Flowering Dogwood
Common or American Persimmon
American Beech
American Holly
Eastern Red Cedar
Sweetgum
Tulip-tree, Tulip-poplar, Yellow Poplar
Sweetbay Magnolia, Swamp Magnolia
Wax Myrtle, Southen Bayberry
Sour Gum, Black Gum, Tupelo
Shortleaf Pine
Pitch Pine
Loblolly Pine
Virginia Pine, Scrub Pine
American Wild Plum
Chickasaw Plum
White Oak
Swamp White Oak
Scarlet Oak
Southern Red Oak, Spanish Oak
Blackjack Oak
Swamp Chestnut Oak, Basket Oak
Chestnut Oak, Rock Chestnut Oak
Chinquapin, Chinkapin or Yellow Oak
Pin Oak
Willow Oak
Northern Red Oak
Post Oak
Black Oak
Black Willow
Sassafras
Baldcypress
Trees