NATIVE PLANT LIST for Georgia, Alabama & Mississippi
This
is a "starter" list of native plants
for Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. It is intended
for residential or commercial landscapers who
want to create attractive and varied native landscapes.
Red Maple
Florida Maple
Indigo Bush
Paw Paw
River Birch
Ironwood
Eastern Redbud
Pagoda Dogwood
Swamp Dogwood
Parsley Hawthorne
Mayhaw
Titi
Silverbell
Cassine Holly
Deciduous Holly
American Holly
Yaupon Holly
Sweetgum
Tulip Tree
Southern Magnolia
Sweet Bay Magnolia
Southern Crabapple
Wax Myrtle
Black Gum
Swamp Bay
Spruce Pine
Longleaf Pine
Cherry Laurel
Black Cherry
White Oak
Cherrybark Oak
Swamp Chestnut Oak
Nuttall Oak
Willow Oak
Live Oak
Winged Sumac
Pond Cypress
Bald Cypress
Winged Elm
Cedar Elm
Buds &
young twigs are red; great foll color
Excellent fall color; produces maple syrup
Fragrant compound foliage; 1/2" blue flwrs with orange
Unique fruit resembles & tastes like banana
Modest yellow fall color; seed attracts birds
Good street tree; yellow, orange & scarlet fall color
Clusters of pink flowers line branches in Apr
Clusters of white flowers turn to black berries
White flowers late spring; blue fleshy fruit in summer
White flwr clusters bloom in early spring; scarlet fruits
White flwr clusters (Feb); red fruit (Apr); thorny thicket
White fragrant racemes (May-Jun); brown seeds persist
Small white flowers hang from branches in early spring
Abundant reddish-orange fruit produced in fall
Bright red display of red fruits (on fem.) eaten by birds
To ensure fruit one male is needed per 2-3 females
Fem. plants bear red fruit in fall that persists in winter
Brilliant scarlet-red to red-purple fall color
Large tulip-like flowers are yellow, green, & orange
Large white flwrs (spring) become scarlet seeds (sum.)
White fragrant flwrs (spring) become red seeds (sum.)
Pink blooms (spring) become sm. apples that birds eat
Small blue-grey fruits on females last through winter
Scarlet red autumn color
Wildlife eats fruit; leaves used from seasoning cuisine
Short, twisted yellow-grn needles in pairs, oak-like bark
Long needles; slow, above ground growth when estab.
Small white flwrs (spring) become black fruits (fall)
Messy tree; sm.l edible berries in sumer attracts birds
Brown, red, wine fall color; acorns attract birds/squirrels
Flaky. reddish bark; good street tree
Reliable red fall color contrast with light gray bark
Acorn production heaviest every 4-7 yrs; good shade
Beautiful shade tree; good street tree; high branching
Short thick trunk with picturesque horizontal branching
Pyramidal yellow-green flwr spike with red berries in
fall
Useful for soil stabilization at water edges
Reddish, peeling bark and rusty fall color
Corky wings often appear on its branches
Excellent street tree; late summer flowers, fall fruit
6-24"
spikes of flwrs; yell. fall color; attracts hummers
Sm. white-pink flwrs become berries that attract birds
Interesting red or maroon strawberry scented flowers
Fragrant flower clusters attract hummingbirds
White blooms (spring); fruit for wildlife; yellow fall
color
Ivory white fragrant blooms in summer
Terminal white flwr clusters (winter); persist until spring
White flowers in spring become bird-attracting berries
Showy, fragrant flowers in spring
Small pink flowers become edible fruit; red fall color
Golden yellow flowers in fall; spectactular fall color
Oak-like leaves turn purple in fall; large white flowers
Large black fruit used by wildlife; good border plant
White flowers bloom in spring; berries persist in winter
Maroon starry flowers (spring); heavily scented leaves
White blooms early-sum; red/orange/maroon fall color
Terminal white flower clusters (Apr-May); wine fall color
Small fragrant white flwr clusters late winter-mid spring
Small, nodding bell-shaped white flowers in spring
Small, white lightly fragrant flowers in early spring
Rich yellow or orange blooms for 3 weeks (Apr-May)
Large, fragrant,flwr clusters form white-pink (Mar-Apr)
Extremely fragrant white flowers (Jun-Aug)
Red fall color; green flwr clusters become red fruit
Tropical leaves; round black fruit persists into winter
Numerous small white flowers (Apr-May)
Bell-shaped white flwrs; berries for wildlife, red fall
color
White flwrs (Mar-May); edible black fruit; red fall color
Flowers May-Jun; small blue-black berries in fall
Doll's eyes
Red Baneberry
Columbine
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Goat's Beard
Wild Ginger
Butterfly Weed
Wild Hyacinth
Blue Cohosh
Green n' Gold
Cohosh
Spring Beauty
Bead Lily
Pink Lady Slipper
Yellow Lady Slipper
Shooting Star
Mist Flower
Joe-Pye Weed
Queen of the Prairie
Wild Strawberry
Swamp Hibiscus
Spider Lily
Crested Iris
Red Flag
Blazing Star
Yellow Bell Lily
Turks Cap Lily
Cardinal Flower
Great Blue Lobelia
Coral Honeysuckle
Wild Lily of the Valley
Virginia Bluebells
Forget-me-not
Allegheny Spurge
Woodland Phlox
Jacob's Ladder
Black-eyed Susan
Oconee Bells
Fire Pink
Indian Pink
Celadine Poppy
White Trillium
Blue Violet
American Wisteria
Sm. white flwrs
(Apr-May); poisonous berries (Aug-Sep)
1/2" puffy white flowers become red poisonous berries
Interesting red/yellow flowers attract hummingbirds
Spathe appears Mar-May; red berries late sum-fall
6-10" plumes of small cream-colored flowers
Evergreen groundcover, glossy heart-shaped leaves
Clusters of brilliant orange flowers attract butterflies
Spike of light blue flowers; bulb
Small yellow-green flowers, clusters of blue berries
Large yellow flowers contrast green foliage spring-fall
Long slender clusters of white flowers in sum & fall
5-petaled white flowers with pink veins bloom Feb-May
Oval-shaped basal leaves; white flowers; ground cover
Distinctive red-streaked pink pouch; challenge to grow
Distinctive yellow pouch
Delicate white to pink petals, red & yellow centers
Dense clusters of blue flowers late summer until frost
Large pink flowers attract butterflies in droves Aug-Sep
Showy large pink plumes Jun-Jul
Spring flowers become tasty fruit in early summer
6" wide red flwrs are striking against large bold
leaves
Beautiful unusual white flowers with six protrusions
Pale lavender-blue crested flowers Apr-May
Large copper flwrs in late spring; attracts hummingbirds
Bright pink-purple stalks of interesting flowers
3" yellow-orange flowers with dark spots; beautiful!
Gorgeous orange & yellow flowers; AM sun, PM shade
Terminal clusters of bright red 1.5" flowers in fall
Elongated clusters pale to dark blue flowers; late sum
Coral-red-yellow trumpet-shaped flwrs; berries for birds
White flowers in spring; red berries in late summer
Pink flower buds open to sky blue flowers Mar-Apr
Long flowering period of May-September
Mottled purple leaves; flowers are white with pink tinge
Covered with 1.5" soft pink/lavender flowers in spring
Terminal clusters of light blue, bell-shaped flowers,
spr
2-4" flower heads with 10-20 bright yellow petals
Bell-shaped flower (early spr); evergreen ground cover
Deep red star-like flowers draw hummingbirds Apr-May
Showy red tubular flowers with yellow on the inside
2" wide lemon-yellow flowers
Showy white flower turns pink, has 3 petals; 3 leaves
Excellent ground cover with purple flowers in the spring
Large shrub vine with fragrant blue or pink flwr clusters
Airy fan-shaped
green fronds, delicate black stems
Small evergreen fern; dark green foliage; shiny stem
Delicate lacy arching fronds, red stems when mature
Deciduous ferm retains primitive features; one frond
Fronds small like hay when crushed
Evergreen fern; gray-green, deeply cut leathery fronds
Large, lustrous green arching fronds resemble a palm
Deeply pinnate.leaves; poisonous to livestock
Clusters of arching fronds; fertile fronds are brown
Bi-pinnate blade; pinnea resemble locust tree leaves
Stiff deep green fronds are once-pinnate
Light green foliage; fronds are tapered at both ends
Broadly triangular, deeply cut sterile fronds; striking
1. While
the plants listed above are native to and appropriate
for their indicated regions, please recognize that,
in some instances, human development alters the
characteristics of a site such that it may be advisable
to use plants from a neighboring region. For example,
plantings in urban and suburban areas may receive
reflected heat from streets, sidewalks and/or walls
or be in media that receives less moisture than
normal (e.g., next to a paved area – the pavement
blocks rain from entering soil). Accordingly, using
plants from a neighboring region that support higher
temperatures and/or drier conditions may be more
appropriate.
2. While a plant is native to a region, that does
not mean that it will grow everywhere in that region.
The characteristics of any site will typically vary
from place to place and some plants may do better
than others at various places within a site. In
other words, a little experimentation might be required.
3. The above list is a starter list. Though adequate
for most residential and commercial landscapes,
there are many more native plants and should you
want to consider them, please inquire at a listed
nursery, community
service organization, reference
book or other resources.
CREDITS:
1. Native Trees for Mississippi Landscapes.
By Robert Brzuszek, Mississippi State University
Extension Service in cooperation with US Department
of Agriculture. http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2330.pdf.
2. Native Shrubs for Mississippi Landscapes.
By Robert Brzuszek, Mississippi State University
Extension Service in cooperation with US Department
of Agriculture. http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2334.pdf.
