PA Native Plants with High Wildlife Value
A compilation from two sources: Douglas Tallamy's "Bringing Nature Home", published by Timber Press, Nov. 2007, cross-referenced with Rhoads and Klein's "The Vascular Flora of Pennsylvania", published by the American Philosophical Society, 1993. See notes for more information.

* indicates this species is relatively unpalatable to white-tailed deer

Perennials for Dry Sites

Latin Name	Common Name	Native to PA	Native to Berks	Distribution in PA
Agrimonia parviflora*	Small agrimony	yes	yes	limited
Amsonia tabernaemontana	Willowleaf bluestar	no
Anemone canadensis	Canada anemone	yes	yes	limited
Aquilegia canadensis*	Wild columbine	yes	yes	moderate
Arisaema triphyllum*	Jack-in-the-pulpit	yes	yes	wide
Asclepias tuberosa*	Butterfly weed	yes	yes	limited
Aster divaricatus	White wood aster	yes	yes	moderate
Aster lateriflorus	Calico aster	yes	yes	moderate
Aster novae-angliae	New England aster	yes	yes	moderate
Aster oblongifolius*	Aromatic aster	yes	no	limited
Aster spectabilis	Seaside aster	yes	no	v. limited, protected
Baptisia australis*	Wild indigo	yes	no	limited
Cardamine concatenata	Cutleaf toothwort	yes	yes	limited
Chrysopsis mariana	Maryland golden aster	yes	no	v. limited, protected
Cimicifuga racemosa	Black cohosh	yes	yes	moderate
Coreopsis lanceolata*	Tickseed	no
Coreopsis verticillata	Whorled coreopsis	no
Eupatorium hyssopifolium	Hyssopleaf thoroughwort	yes	no	limited
Eupatorium perfoliatum	Boneset	yes	yes	wide
Eupatorium rotundifolium	Round-leaved boneset	yes	no	limited
Eupatorium serotinum	Late-blooming thoroughwort	no
Euphorbia corollata*	Flowering spurge	yes	no	limited
Geranium maculatum*	Wild geranium	yes	yes	wide
Heliopsis helianthoides	Ox-eye	yes	yes	moderate
Heuchera americana	Coral bells	yes	yes	limited
Lespedeza virginica	Slender bushclover	yes	yes	limited
Mertensia virginica	Virginia bluebells	yes	yes	limited
Oenothera fruticosa	Sundrops	yes	yes	limited
Packera aurea (Senecio aureus)	Golden ragwort	yes	yes	moderate
Phlox maculata	Meadow phlox	yes	yes	limited
Pycnanthemum muticum	Short-toothed mountain mint	yes	yes	limited
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium	Narrow-leaved mountain mint	yes	yes	limited
Ratibida pinnata	Gray-headed coneflower	yes	no	v. limited, protected
Rudbeckia fulgida	Orange coneflower	yes	yes	limited
Rudbeckia nitida	Shining coneflower	no
Salvia lyrata	Lyre-leaved sage	yes	yes	limited
Sedum ternatum	Mountain stonecrop	yes	yes	limited
Senna hebecarpa	Wild senna	yes	yes	limited
Silene virginica	Fire pink	yes	no	limited
Sisyrinchium angustifolium	Blue-eyed grass	yes	yes	moderate
Solidago caesia	Bluestem goldenrod	yes	yes	moderate
Solidago canadensis	Canada goldenrod	yes	no	limited
Solidago graminifolia (Euthamia graminifolia)	Grass-leaved goldenrod	yes	unclear
Solidago rugosa	Rough-stem goldenrod	yes	yes	moderate
Solidago speciosa	Showy goldenrod	yes	yes	limited
Veronicastrum virginicum	Culver's root	yes	yes	limited

Perennials for Moist Sites

Latin Name	Common Name	Native to PA	Native to Berks	Distribution in PA	Area restrictions
Aconitum uncinatum*	Eastern monkshood	yes	no	v. limited, protected	3 counties in SW PA
Actaea pachypoda*	White baneberry	yes	yes	moderate
Agastache scrophulariifolia*	Giant purple hyssop	yes	yes	limited
Aruncus dioicus*	Goat's beard	yes	no	limited	SW PA only
Asclepias incarnata*	Swamp milkweed	yes	yes	moderate
Aster puniceus	Purple-stem aster	yes	yes	moderate
Astilbe biternata	American astilbe	no
Boltonia asteroides	White boltonia	yes	no	v. limited, protected	2 counties in SE PA
Chelone glabra	White turtlehead	yes	yes	moderate
Coreopsis rosea*	Pink coreopsis	yes	no	v. limited, protected	1 site in SE PA, now extirpated
Dicentra cucullaria	Dutchman's breeches	yes	yes	limited
Dicentra eximia*	Fringed bleeding heart	yes	no	v. limited, protected
Erythronium americanum	Yellow trout lily	yes	yes	moderate
Eupatorium coelestinum	Mistflower	yes	no	limited	mostly S PA
Eupatorium dubium	Common Joe-Pye weed	yes	yes	limited	mostly SE PA
Eupatorium fistulosum	Hollowstem Joe-Pye weed	yes	yes	moderate
Eupatorium rugosum	Snakeroot	yes	yes	moderate
Filipendula rubra	Queen-of-the-prairie	yes	yes	limited, protected
Helenium autumnale*	Helen's flower	yes	yes	limited
Helianthus angustifolius	Swamp sunflower	yes	no	v. limited, protected	1 site in SE PA, now extirpated
Hibiscus moscheutos*	Rose mallow	yes	yes	limited	mostly SE PA
Iris versicolor*	Blue flag iris	yes	yes	limited
Jeffersonia diphylla*	Twinleaf	yes	no	limited
Liatris spicata*	Spiked blazing star	yes	yes	limited
Lobelia cardinalis	Cardinal flower	yes	yes	moderate
Lobelia siphilitica	Great blue lobelia	yes	yes	moderate
Ludwigia alternifolia	Seedbox	yes	yes	limited
Lysimachia ciliata	yellow loosestrife	yes	yes	moderate
Mimulus ringens*	Allegheny monkey flower	yes	yes	moderate
Monarda didyma	Beebalm	yes	yes	limited
Penstemon digitalis*	Foxglove beardtongue	yes	yes	moderate
Phlox paniculata	Summer phlox	yes	yes	moderate
Polemonium reptans	Creeping Jacob's ladder	yes	yes	limited
Polygonatum commutatum	Solomon's seal	yes	yes	moderate
Rudbeckia laciniata	Tall coneflower	yes	yes	moderate
Verbena hastata	Blue vervain	yes	yes	moderate
Vernonia noveboracensis	New York ironweed	yes	yes	limited

 

Perennials for Use as Groundcovers

Latin Name	Common Name	Native to PA	Native to Berks	Distribution in PA	Area restrictions
Antennaria dioica	Pussytoes	no
Arcostaphylos uva-ursi	Bearberry	yes	no	v. limited, protected
Asarum canadense*	Wild ginger	yes	yes	moderate
Carex glaucodea	Blue wood sedge	yes	yes	limited	mostly southern PA
Carex pennsylvanica	Pennsylvania sedge	yes	yes	moderate
Carex plantaginea	Plantainleaf sedge	yes	no	limited	N and W PA only
Carex platyphylla	Silver sedge	yes	yes	limited
Carex stricta	Tussock sedge	yes	yes	limited
Chrysogonum virginianum	Green and gold	yes	no	v. limited, protected	only 2 S PA counties
Fragaria virginiana	Common strawberry	yes	yes	moderate
Gaultheria procumbens	Wintergreen	yes	yes	moderate
Hepatica americana	Round-lobed hepatica	yes	yes	moderate
Maianthemum canadense	Canada mayflower	yes	yes	moderate
Mitchella repens	Partridgeberry	yes	yes	moderate
Pachysandra procumbens	Allegheny spurge	no
Phlox divaricata	Woodland phlox	yes	yes	limited	mostly E PA
Phlox maculata	Meadow phlox	yes	yes	limited
Phlox stolonifera	Creeping phlox	yes	no	limited	mostly W PA
Podophyllum peltatum	Mayapple	yes	yes	moderate
Potentilla canadensis	Dwarf cinquefoil	yes	yes	moderate
Potentilla simplex	Common cinquefoil	yes	yes	moderate
Sedum ternatum	Mountain stonecrop	yes	yes	limited	mostly S PA
Tiarella cordifolia	Eastern foamflower	yes	no	limited	mostly W and N PA
Viola blanda	Sweet white violet	yes	yes	moderate
Viola pallens	Northern white violet	yes	yes	limited
Viola papilionacea	Common blue violet	yes	yes	moderate
Viola pedata	Birdsfoot violet	yes	yes	limited	S Central and SE PA
Viola septentrionalis	Northern blue violet	yes	yes	moderate
Waldsteinia fragaroides	Barren strawberry	yes	yes	moderate

Ferns

Latin Name	Common Name	Native to PA	Native to Berks	Distribution in PA	Area restrictions
Adiantum pedatum	Maidenhair fern	yes	yes	moderate
Athyrium filix-femina	Lady fern	yes	yes	moderate
Dennstaedtia punctilobula	Hayscented fern	yes	yes	wide
Onoclea sensibilis	Sensitive fern	yes	yes	wide
Osmunda cinnamomea	Cinnamon fern	yes	yes	moderate
Osmunda regalis	Royal fern	yes	yes	moderate
Polystichum acrostichoides	Christmas fern	yes	yes	wide
Thelypteris noveboracensis	New York fern	yes	yes	wide

Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes

Latin Name	Common Name	Native to PA	Native to Berks	Distribution in PA	Area restrictions
Carex pennsylvanica	Pennsylvania sedge	yes	yes	moderate
Andropogon gerardii	Big bluestem	yes	yes	limited
Andropogon ternarius	Splitbeard bluestem	no
Andropogon virginicus	Broomsedge	yes	yes	limited
Carex flaccosperma	Sedge	yes	yes	limited	mostly S PA
Carex vulpinoidea	Fox sedge	yes	yes	moderate
Chasmanthium latifolium	River oats	yes	no	v. limited, protected
Elymus canadensis	Canada wild rye	yes	yes	limited
Elymus hystrix	Bottlebrush grass	yes	yes	moderate
Elymus virginicus	Virginia wild rye	yes	yes	moderate
Eragrostis spectabilis	Purple lovegrass	yes	yes	limited
Juncus effusus	Common rush	yes	yes	limited
Panicum virgatum	Switchgrass	yes	yes	limited
Saccharum giganteum (Erianthus giganteus)	Giant plume grass	yes	no	v. limited, protected	2 SE counties, now extirpated
Schizachyrium scoparium	Little bluestem	yes	yes	limited
Sorghastrum nutans	Indiangrass	yes	yes	limited
Tripsacum dactyloides	Eastern gamagrass	yes	yes	v. limited, protected	SE PA only

* indicates this species is relatively unpalatable to white-tailed deer