Pennsylvania

Native plants in Philadelphia

299 plants native to this area with Sow catalog pages.

164 of them need no watering beyond Philadelphia’s own rainfall

Showing 299 plants

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Trees71

Canopy and structure

Red Maple

Acer rubrum

Photo: caymanmatt · CC BY 4.0

Carolina Sweetheart Redbud

Cercis canadensis 'Carolina Sweetheart'

No watering needed

River Birch

Betula nigra

No watering needed Photo: wcmorton · CC0 1.0

Tulip Poplar

Liriodendron tulipifera

No watering needed Photo: Daniel Atha · CC0 1.0

Worplesdon Sweetgum

Liquidambar styraciflua 'Worplesdon'

Pink Flowering Dogwood

Cornus florida 'Rubra'

No watering needed

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Photo: kedmunds11 · CC0 1.0

Red Oak

Quercus rubra

Photo: Peter · CC BY 4.0

Eastern Redcedar

Juniperus virginiana 'Idyllwild'

No watering needed

Freeman Maple

Acer freemanii 'Bailston'

No watering needed

Black Tupelo

Nyssa sylvatica

Photo: Navin Sasikumar · CC BY 4.0

Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis

Photo: geosesarma · CC BY 4.0

Common Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana

No watering needed Photo: Indio Brown · CC BY 4.0

Prairie Gold Quaking Aspen

Populus tremuloides 'Prairie Gold'

No watering needed

Pagoda Dogwood

Cornus alternifolia

Photo: Robert Stegmann · CC BY 4.0

Sweetbay Magnolia

Magnolia virginiana

Photo: Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0

White Fringetree

Chionanthus virginicus

No watering needed Photo: Sydney Olsen · CC BY 4.0

Common Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

No watering needed Photo: Ian Wolfe · CC0 1.0

Wax Myrtle

Morella cerifera

No watering needed Photo: Lauren McLaurin · CC BY 4.0

Timm Success Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea 'Timm Success'

No watering needed

Thornless Honeylocust

Gleditsia triacanthos

Photo: Liviu Chiriac · CC0 1.0

Pin Oak

Quercus palustris

Photo: Amelia Tauber · CC BY 4.0

Eastern White Pine

Pinus strobus

Photo: TEAMVALOR786 Succulents and cacti, The future of nature is in your hands · CC BY 4.0

Golden Swedish Juniper

Juniperus communis 'Suecica Aurea'

No watering needed

Bur Oak

Quercus macrocarpa

No watering needed Photo: Reuven Martin · CC0 1.0

Swamp White Oak

Quercus bicolor

Photo: Steven Joyner · CC BY 4.0

White Oak

Quercus alba

Photo: sblumen · CC BY 4.0

Sensation Boxelder

Acer negundo 'Sensation'

No watering needed

Curley Canadian Hemlock

Tsuga canadensis 'Curley'

Pawpaw

Asimina triloba

No watering needed Photo: Farren Dell Rossman · CC BY 4.0

Common Hackberry

Celtis occidentalis

No watering needed Photo: Dávid Horváth · CC BY 4.0

Scarlet Oak

Quercus coccinea

Photo: Andrew Conboy · CC BY 4.0

Shrubs66

Backbone planting

Smooth Hydrangea

Hydrangea arborescens

No watering needed Photo: Emily Summerbell · CC BY 4.0

Ninebark

Physocarpus opulifolius

Photo: jyoung2399 · CC BY 4.0

Brilliant Black Chokeberry

Aronia melanocarpa 'Brilliantissima'

Little Henry Sweetspire

Itea virginica 'Sprich'

Hardy Hibiscus

Hibiscus moscheutos

Photo: botanygirl · CC BY 4.0

Summersweet

Clethra alnifolia

Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0

Sugar Shack Buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis 'Sugar Shack'

Glitters and Glows Arrowwood Viburnum

Viburnum dentatum 'Glitters Glows Arrowwood'

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata

Photo: Adam Kranz · CC0 1.0

American Elderberry

Sambucus canadensis

No watering needed Photo: Melanie Gaddy · CC0 1.0

Serviceberry

Amelanchier canadensis

Photo: geosesarma · CC BY 4.0

Squeeze Box Inkberry Holly

Ilex glabra 'Squeeze Box'

Common Chokecherry

Prunus virginiana

No watering needed Photo: Indio Brown · CC BY 4.0

Pagoda Dogwood

Cornus alternifolia

Photo: Robert Stegmann · CC BY 4.0

Sweetbay Magnolia

Magnolia virginiana

Photo: Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0

White Fringetree

Chionanthus virginicus

No watering needed Photo: Sydney Olsen · CC BY 4.0

Cutleaf Coneflower

Rudbeckia laciniata

Photo: Ian Wolfe · CC0 1.0

Common Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

No watering needed Photo: Ian Wolfe · CC0 1.0

Wax Myrtle

Morella cerifera

No watering needed Photo: Lauren McLaurin · CC BY 4.0

Timm Success Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea 'Timm Success'

No watering needed

Smooth Witherod

Viburnum nudum

Photo: Scott Ward · CC BY 4.0

Red Twig Dogwood

Cornus sericea 'Red Twig'

No watering needed

Golden Swedish Juniper

Juniperus communis 'Suecica Aurea'

No watering needed

Elf Mountain Laurel

Kalmia latifolia 'Elf'

Highbush Blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum

Photo: Daniel Atha · CC0 1.0

Red Chokeberry

Aronia arbutifolia

Photo: Jeff Clark · CC BY 4.0

Pawpaw

Asimina triloba

No watering needed Photo: Farren Dell Rossman · CC BY 4.0

Gray Dogwood

Cornus racemosa

No watering needed Photo: nathanstrem · CC BY 4.0

Spicebush

Lindera benzoin

Photo: Ryan F. Mandelbaum · CC BY 4.0

Lowbush Blueberry

Vaccinium angustifolium

Photo: Carrie Seltzer · CC BY 4.0

Nannyberry

Viburnum lentago

Photo: Loïc Mathieu · CC BY 4.0

New Jersey Tea

Ceanothus americanus

No watering needed Photo: Dan Wilder · CC0 1.0

Grasses31

Movement and texture

Little Bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium

No watering needed Photo: Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0

'Rain Dance' Big Bluestem

Andropogon gerardii 'Rain Dance'

No watering needed

Northern Sea Oats

Chasmanthium latifolium

No watering needed Photo: Gold eagle Kroll · CC BY 4.0

Pink Muhly Grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris

No watering needed Photo: Brandon Corder · CC BY 4.0

Golden Sunset Yellow Indiangrass

Sorghastrum nutans 'Golden Sunset Yellow'

No watering needed

Pennsylvania Sedge

Carex pensylvanica

No watering needed Photo: Frog The Kermit · CC BY 4.0

Purple Love Grass

Eragrostis spectabilis

No watering needed Photo: Reuven Martin · CC0 1.0

Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

No watering needed Photo: Erin Snyder · CC BY 4.0

Sideoats Grama

Bouteloua curtipendula

No watering needed Photo: Andrea Grover · CC BY 4.0

Gray Sedge

Carex grayi

No watering needed Photo: A. G. · CC0 1.0

Canada Wild Rye

Elymus canadensis

No watering needed Photo: tzeducation · CC BY 4.0

Blue Wood Sedge

Carex flaccosperma

Photo: Will McFarland · CC BY 4.0

Blue Arrows Soft Rush

Juncus effusus 'Blue Arrows'

Bottlebrush Grass

Elymus hystrix

No watering needed Photo: Skyler Principe · CC BY 4.0

Path Rush

Juncus tenuis

Photo: Stephen James McWilliam · CC0 1.0

Tussock Sedge

Carex stricta

Photo: Frog The Kermit · CC BY 4.0

Virginia Wild Rye

Elymus virginicus

No watering needed Photo: Jason Leduc · CC0 1.0

Eastern Gamagrass

Tripsacum dactyloides

No watering needed Photo: Rich Sommer · CC BY 4.0

Blue Joint Grass

Calamagrostis canadensis

Photo: mullerecology · CC BY 4.0

Fringed Sedge

Carex crinita

Photo: Trix Niernberger · CC0 1.0

Rosy Sedge

Carex rosea

Photo: Jeremy Atherton · CC BY 4.0

Whitetinge Sedge

Carex albicans

Photo: hr_dragonfly · CC BY 4.0

Fox Sedge

Carex vulpinoidea

Photo: Brandon Corder · CC BY 4.0

Variegated Reed Canary Grass

Phalaris arundinacea 'Luteo Picta'

No watering needed

Creek Sedge

Carex amphibola

No watering needed Photo: Bonnie Semmling · CC BY 4.0

Bushy Bluestem

Andropogon glomeratus

No watering needed

Eastern Woodland Sedge

Carex blanda

No watering needed Photo: Matt Felperin · CC BY 4.0

Broomsedge Bluestem

Andropogon virginicus

No watering needed Photo: Annika Lindqvist · CC BY 4.0

Woolgrass

Scirpus cyperinus

Photo: Alan Weakley · CC0 1.0

Comosa Sedge

Carex comosa

Photo: infiniteuniverse · CC0 1.0

Bottlebrush Sedge

Carex lurida

Photo: Steven Lamonde · CC BY 4.0

Perennials137

Seasonal colour

Orange Coneflower

Rudbeckia fulgida

No watering needed Photo: Kristály Cravens-Liszak · CC BY 4.0

Blazing Star Gayfeather

Liatris spicata

No watering needed Photo: worldbird · CC BY 4.0

Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa

No watering needed Photo: k2018lena · CC0 1.0

Garden Phlox

Phlox paniculata

No watering needed Photo: Andy Wilson · CC0 1.0

Cinderella Milkweed

Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella'

Foxglove Beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

No watering needed Photo: Bob Schwartz · CC BY 4.0

Bee Balm Oswego Tea

Monarda didyma

Photo: LJ Moore-McClelland · CC BY 4.0

Obedient Plant Miss Manners

Physostegia virginiana 'Miss Manners'

No watering needed

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

No watering needed Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0

Hardy Hibiscus

Hibiscus moscheutos

Photo: botanygirl · CC BY 4.0

New England Aster Harringtons Pink

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Harringtons Pink'

Wild Bergamot

Monarda fistulosa

No watering needed Photo: Tom Pollard · CC BY 4.0

Culver's root

Veronicastrum virginicum

No watering needed Photo: Cazody · CC0 1.0

Eastern Red Columbine

Aquilegia canadensis

Photo: Craig Hensley · CC BY 4.0

False Sunflower

Heliopsis helianthoides

No watering needed Photo: W Rao · CC BY 4.0

Common Sneezeweed

Helenium autumnale

Photo: Thomas Koffel · CC BY 4.0

Great Blue Lobelia

Lobelia siphilitica

No watering needed Photo: Andrew Conboy · CC BY 4.0

Foamflower

Tiarella cordifolia

Photo: Paul Bade · CC BY 4.0

Improved Rugen Strawberry

Fragaria vesca 'Improved Rugen'

No watering needed

Woodland Phlox

Phlox divaricata

No watering needed Photo: Jacqueline Raiford · CC BY 4.0

Blue Flag Iris

Iris versicolor

Photo: Hungry-Sarracenia Photo · CC BY 4.0

Cutleaf Coneflower

Rudbeckia laciniata

Photo: Ian Wolfe · CC0 1.0

Wild Geranium

Geranium maculatum

No watering needed Photo: sophia_herrmeyer · CC BY 4.0

Virginia Iris

Iris virginica 'Carl Amason'

No watering needed

Bugbane 'Brunette'

Actaea racemosa 'Brunnette Black'

No watering needed

Common Milkweed

Asclepias syriaca

No watering needed Photo: Dilrukshan Priyantha Wijesinghe · CC BY 4.0

Green Spice Coral Bells

Heuchera americana 'Green Spice'

No watering needed

Brown-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia triloba

No watering needed Photo: Alexis Williams · CC BY 4.0

Virginia Bluebell

Mertensia virginica

No watering needed Photo: Melinda Soltys · CC0 1.0

Sweet Joe-Pye Weed

Eutrochium purpureum

No watering needed Photo: Jason Swanson · CC0 1.0

Snow Flurry Heath Aster

Symphyotrichum ericoides 'Snow Flurry'

No watering needed

Golden Alexanders

Zizia aurea

No watering needed Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0

Vines5

Verticals and screens

Trumpet Honeysuckle

Lonicera sempervirens

No watering needed Photo: Carrie Seltzer · CC BY 4.0

Clematis Candida

Clematis virginiana 'Candida'

Trumpet Creeper

Campsis radicans

No watering needed Photo: Bryant Brumbill-Corral · CC BY 4.0

Virginia Creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

No watering needed Photo: Tyler Cannon · CC BY 4.0

American Bittersweet

Celastrus scandens 'Mix'

No watering needed

Ferns18

Shade and damp

Ostrich Fern

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Photo: tkr421 · CC BY 4.0

Northern Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum pedatum

Photo: Jason Hill · CC BY 4.0

Christmas Fern

Polystichum acrostichoides

No watering needed Photo: John Brew · CC BY 4.0

Hart's Tongue Fern

Asplenium scolopendrium

No watering needed Photo: Kian Hayles-Cotton · CC0 1.0

Marginal Wood Fern

Dryopteris marginalis

Photo: Lynn Harper · CC0 1.0

Lady Fern

Athyrium filix-femina

Photo: Jon Mortin · CC BY 4.0

Cinnamon Fern

Osmundastrum cinnamomeum

Photo: Erik · CC BY 4.0

Sensitive Fern

Onoclea sensibilis

Photo: laurawies · CC BY 4.0

Maidenhair Spleenwort

Asplenium trichomanes

No watering needed Photo: Piermario Maculan · CC0 1.0

Hay-scented Fern

Dennstaedtia punctilobula

No watering needed Photo: Natalie Waddell-Rutter · CC BY 4.0

Interrupted Fern

Osmunda claytoniana

Photo: Richard Littauer · CC BY 4.0

Spinulose Wood Fern

Dryopteris carthusiana

Photo: Марина Давлетшина · CC BY 4.0

Brunswick Giant Ebony Spleenwort

Asplenium platyneuron 'Brunswick Giant'

No watering needed

Broad Beech Fern

Phegopteris hexagonoptera

Photo: Alan Weakley · CC0 1.0

Clinton's Wood Fern

Dryopteris x clintoniana

Photo: Jenn (McPhee) Dyson · CC BY 4.0

New York Fern

Parathelypteris noveboracensis

Photo: Carol Ann McCormick · CC BY 4.0

Meadow Spikemoss

Selaginella apoda

Photo: orionid · CC0 1.0

Cinnamon Fern

Osmunda cinnamomea

Photo: Alan Weakley · CC0 1.0

Succulents2

Dry and architectural

Prickly Pear Cactus

Opuntia humifusa

No watering needed Photo: Lexi Destria · CC BY 4.0

Whorled Stonecrop

Sedum ternatum

No watering needed Photo: botanygirl · CC BY 4.0

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