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For Your Garden

Native plants provide beauty as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native species are adapted to the Illinois climate. They require little or no watering and are resistant to drought, insects and most diseases. Because they are perennials, you can welcome their presence year after year.

Continue scrolling down to see the alphabetical listing of previously highlighted species or click here to search species by garden type.

These plant species are native to Illinois, and most of them are good sources of nectar and/or pollen for animals that act as pollinators. Some of them provide food for larval stages of pollinators, too, and many of them provide shelter throughout the year. They are readily available for purchase from plant nurseries. These species are best for locations that receive sunshine for most of the day throughout the growing season. Click here for this list.

Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.

Native Plant Information

For more information about native Illinois plants, including where to purchase them and planting guides, view the following publications at our publications page. You can access more information on the Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant page, too.

Click on the species' name to go to the For Your Garden page.

Common Name Scientific Name

Campanulastrum americanum

Lithospermum latifolium

Peltandra virginica

Symphyotrichum oolentangiense

Andropogon gerardii

Rudbeckia hirta

Viburnum prunifolium

Liatris spp.

Sanguinaria canadensis

Caulophyllum thalictroides

Verbena hastata

Mertensia virginica

Collinsia verna

Rudbeckia triloba

Asclepias tuberosa

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Symphyotrichum lateriflorum

Astragalus canadensis

Lobelia cardinalis

Rosa carolina

Stylophorum diphyllum

Polystichum acrostichoides

Gentiana andrewsii

Aquilegia canadensis

Eupatorium perfoliatum

Asclepias syriaca

Pycnanthemum virginianum

Phlox divaricata

Polypodium virginianum

Silphium laciniatum

Baptisia bracteata

Veronicastrum virginicum

Silphium perfoliatum

Actaea pachypoda

Phlox pilosa

Helianthus mollis

Ratibida pinnata

Dicentra cucullaria

Delphinium tricorne

Thalictrum dioicum

Physostegia virginiana

Enemion biternatum

Smilacina racemosa

Solidago nemoralis

Doellingeria umbellata

Cornus florida

Penstemon digitalis

Zizia aurea

Solidago spp.

Hydrastis canadensis

Cornus racemosa

Angelica atropurpurea

Lobelia siphilitica

Arisaema dracontium

Symphyotrichum pilosum

Corylus americana

Symphyotrichum ericoides

Lithospermum canescens

Verbena stricta

​Monarda punctata

Asclepias verticillata

Desmanthus illinoensis

Sorghastrum nutans

Chasmanthium latifolium

Arisaema triphyllum

Polemonium reptans

Helianthus tuberosus

Koeleria macrantha

Trillium grandiflorum

Cypripedium parviflorum

Eupatorium serotinum

Amorpha canescens

Schizachyrium scoparium

Liatris spicata

Ranunculus septentrionalis

Caltha palustris

Podophyllum peltatum

Anemone canadensis

Asclepias spp.

Vernonia sp.

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Ceanothus americanus

Allium cernuum

Elymus canadensis

​Heliopsis helianthoides

Echinacea pallida

Chamaechrista fasciculata

Diospyros virginiana

Pontederia cordata

Quercus palustris

Asclepias exaltata

Geum triflorum

Liatris pycnostachya

Drymocallis arguta

Coreopsis palmata

Silphium terebinthinaceum

Sporobolus heterolepis

Arnoglossum plantagineum

Asclepias sullivantii

Echinacea purpurea

Eutrochium purpureum

Asclepias purpurascens

Dalea purpurea

Helenuim flexuosum

Cardamine douglassii

Trillium recurvatum

Antennaria plantaginifolia

Eryngium yuccifolium

Juniperus virginiana

Cornus sericea

Cercis canadensis

Betula nigra

Silphium integrifolium

Liatris aspera

Round-Headed Bush Clover

Lespedeza capitata

Hepatica americana

Coreopsis lanceolata

Sassafras albidum

Helianthus grosseserratus

Polygala senega

Amelanchier arborea

Mimulus ringens

Hepatica acutiloba

Dodecatheon meadia

Solidago speciosa

Desmodium canadense

Bouteloua curtipendula

Symphyotrichum sericeum

Symplocarpus foetidus

Symphyotrichum laeve

Rhus glabra

Polygonatum commutatum

Lindera benzoin

Tradescantia sp.

Lobelia spicata

Eutrochium maculatum

Impatiens capensis

Claytonia virginica

Cardamine bulbosa

Smilacina stellata

Oligoneuron album

Oligoneuron rigidum

Rhus sp.

Bidens aristosa

Asclepias incarnata

Hibiscus moscheutos

Quercus bicolor

Rudbeckia subtomentosa

Panicum virgatum

Heuchera americana

Eupatorium altissimum

Sedum ternatum

Dentaria laciniata

Liriodendron tulipifera

Liparis liliifolia

Jeffersonia diphylla

Hydrophyllum virginianum

Euonymus atropurpureus

Nelumbo lutea

Helianthus occidentalis

Dalea candida

Erythronium albidum

Chelone glabra

Baptisia alba

Monarda fistulosa

Iris shrevei

Geranium maculatum

Asarum canadense

Camassia scilloides

Lupinus perennis

Ruellia humilissia

Parthenium integrifolium

Senna hebecarpa

Hamamelis virginiana

Uvularia grandiflora

Erythronium americanum

Gentiana alba

Nuphar advena

Lithospermum incisum

Helenium autumnale