NATIVE PLANT LIST for Michigan, Wisconsin, & Eastern
Minnesota
This
is a "starter" list of native plants
for Michigan, Wisconsin, and eastern Minnesota.
It is intended for residential or commercial landscapers
who want to create attractive and varied native
landscapes.
Red Maple
Sugar Maple
Apple Serviceberry
River Birch
American Hornbeam
Pignut Hickory
Shagbark Hickory
Hackberry
Pagoda Dogwood
Flowering Dogwood
Grey Dogwood
Hawthorn
Eastern Red Cedar
Tamarack
Tulip Tree
White Spruce
Sycamore
Quaking Aspen
American Plum
Black Cherry
Common Chokecherry
Swamp White Oak
Bur Oak
Red Oak
Black Willow
Arborvitae
Nannyberry Viburnum
Acer rubrum
Acer saccharum
Amelanchier grandiflora
Betula nigra
Carpinus caroliniana
Carya glabra
Carya ovata
Celtis occidentalis
Cornus alternifolia
Cornus florida
Cornus racemosa
Cratageus spp.
Juniperus virginiana
Larix laricina
Liriodendron tulipifera
Picea glauca
Platanus occidentalis
Populus tremuloides
Prunus americana
Prunus serotina
Prunus virginiana
Quercus bicolor
Quercus macrocarpa
Quercus rubra
Salix nigra
Thuja occidentalis
Viburnum lentago
F
F-P
F-P
F
P-S
P-S
F-P
F-P
P-S
F-S
F-S
F-S
F-P
F
F
F-P
F-P
F-P
F-P
F-P
F-P
P-S
F
F-P
F-P
F
F-P
W-D
A
W-D
A-W
W-A
D
A
W-D
W-D
D-A
W-D
A
A-D
A-W
A
A
A-W
A
W-D
A-W
A
W
W-D
D-A
A-W
A-W
A-D
Buds and young
twigs are red; great fall color
Exellent fall color; beautiful large shade tree
White, star-shaped flwrs (Apr-May); Green-red fall color
Modest yellow fall color; seed attracts birds
Good street tree; yellow, orange and scarlet fall color
Golden yellow fall color; rapid growth rate
Yellow to gold brown fall color; squirrels eat nuts
Mild yellow fall color; warty projections on trunk-winter
White flower clusters to black berries; maroon fall color
White flowers in spring become bird-attracting berries
2" Hemispherical inflorescences for week in May/June
Beautiful pink flowers turn into dusky red berries in
fall
Offers nesting and cover to birds
Decid. conifer; needles yellow before falling, pink flwrs
Tulip-like flowers of yellow, green, orange (May-June)
Evergreen tree; tolerates somewhat wet or dry soil
Leaves drop all summer; white mottled bark
Light-colored undersided leaves shimmer in wind
White flowers in spring; 1" red or yellow fruit in
summer
Prized hardwood; edible fruit; poisonous leaves, twigs
White flowers become baredly edible fruit birds will eat
Yellow to red-purple fall color
Mild yellow-brown fall color
Russet to bright red fall color; grows rapidly
Host plant for butterflies
Evergreen heavily browsed by deer
Creamy, white, flat-topped 5" dia. inflorescences
in May
Yellow-orange-red
fall color; white flowers in April
Narrow 8-20" racemes of deep-purple gold stamen
flwrs
Short spikes of tiny, white flowers in June
Spherical white blossom heads
Flat white flower head mid-spring; not fragrant
Beautiful flowers and fall color; attracts 40+ bird
spec.
Edible nuts; suckering
Fragrant, creamy to bright yellow flowers in fall
Yellow flowers Jul-Sep; doesn't respond well to pruning
Red berries feed birds through cold season; holly-like
Tiny fragrant yellow flowers; berries for birds
White flowers May-June; berries for birds; yellow in
fall
Bright yellow flowers June-August
Showy orange to reddish-purple fall color
Soft pink flowers with yellow centers bloom in July
Attractive glossy-leaved shrub with yellowish stems
Showy white flowers in July; edible fruit in September
White flowers in June, July
Pink blooms July through September
White to pink bell-shaped flwrs May-Jun; white berries
Flowers May-Jun; seeds ripen Sep-Nov; attracts wildlife
Flowers May-Jun; small blue-black berries in fall
White flowers; edible bright-red bird-attracting fruit
P-S
F-P
P-S
P-S
P-S
F-P
F
F
F
F
F-P
F
F-P
F-P
F-P
F-P
F
S
F
F-S
F-P
F-P
F-S
F
F
F
P-S
F-P
F
F
F-P
P-S
F-P
F
F-P
F-P
F-P
F
F
F-P
F-P
F
F
F-P
S
F-P
F
F-S
F-S
A
A
A-D
A
A
A-W
D
A-D
A-D
A
A-D
W
A-D
A
D
D
A-D
A
D
A
D
A-W
A
A-D
A
A
A-D
A
A-D
A
W
W
D
W
A-D
A
A
A-D
A
A-W
A
D
A-D
A-D
A
A-W
D
A
A-W
Sm. white flwrs
Apr-May; Poison white berries Aug-Sep
Strong growing plant produces single white blooms
Unique red and yellow flowers attract hummingbirds
Spathe appears Apr-May; Red berries late summer, fall
Evergreen groundcover with heart-shaped glossy leaves
Clusters of upturned pink flowers draw butterflies
Clusters of brilliant orange flowers June-August
Explodes into profusion of tiny white flowers in fall
Blue flowers appear in unbridled profusion in autumn
Bright lavender flowers with yellow centers late sum-fall
Flowers range from pale blue to lavender to white (fall)
1-1.5" bright yellow flowers in spring and summer
Deep blue bell-shaped flowers June-July
White to pink 1-1.5" flowers summer into fall
Soft yellow daisy-like flowers late spring to mid-summer
Interesting white flowers June-July
Branches with bright pink/purple pea-like flowers (sum)
White and yellow flwrs resembling pantaloons (spring)
Yucca-like foliage; flowers in spherical thistle-like
heads
Purple-tinted foliage; large clusters of fluffy red flowers
Bursts with sm. white flwrs with green-yellow centers
Blue flowers in Aug-Oct with bottle-like appearance
1" lavender-purple flowers in spring and summer
Feathery pink seedheads are beautiful in the spring
Daisy-like flowers with red and yellow petals, late sum.
Sunflower-like flowers bloom on much-branched plant
Attractive light-green foliage with bronzy veining, edges
3-4" blue flowers with yellow and white markings
Bright pink-purple stalks of interesting flwrs (Aug-Sep)
Tall purple spikes bloom after 2-3 years
Terminal clusters of 1.5" bright red flowers in fall
Elongated cluster of pale-dark blue flwrs late sum-fall
Spikes of lavender flowers in early summer
1" violet flowers in summer and fall
Intricate lavender flowers attract butterflies (Jul-Sep)
Long-blooming pure white flowers June into midsummer
1.5" rosy-lavender to soft pale flowers cover in
spring
2-4" flwr heads with 10-20 yellow petals in sum and
fall
Sunflower-like flowers; basal leaves orient north-south
Sunflower-like flowers; pairs of cup-forming leaves
Plumes of white flowers in late spring; bright red berries
Loved by birds, butterflies; Yellow flat-topped flowers
Foot-long wands of blazing yellow in early autumn
Deep-blue flowers bloom late spring and early summer
2-3.5" white-pink flwr on erect stalk with 3 broad
petals
Small blue flwrs crowded into terminal spikes (Jun-Oct)
Green pipe cleaner-like flwr spikes with ring of lav flwrs
White spire-like flwrstalks above green leaves (Jul-Aug)
Bright yellow color can brighten shady spot
Airy, fan-shaped
blue-green fronds on del. black stems
Delicate, lacy arching fronds; dk-red stems at maturity
Deeply pinnate leaves; poisonous to livestock
Circ. clust. of arching fronds; reddish-colored when
fert.
When fertile, middle shrivels for 2-6" (fertile
part)
Bi-pinnate blade; pinnae resemble locust tree leaves
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.
