State Plant Listings
Delaware
Vegetation References
(Dominant plant species present in each vegetation type are listed in Appendix C)
95 Appalachian Oak Forest (Quercus)
101 Oak-Hickory-Pine Forest (Quercus-Carya-Pinus)
Botanical Experts
Bill McAvoy, Botanist
Delaware Natural Heritage Program
Division of Fish and Wildlife
4876 Hay Point Landing
Smyrna, DE 19977
(302) 653-2880
(302) 653-3431 (fax)
Recommended Flora
McAvoy, W.A. Annotated checklist of the flora of Delaware (in preparation).
Native Plants for Landscape Use in Delaware
Cactus
Opuntia humifusa (prickly pear)
Ferns
Adiantum pedatum (northern maidenhair fern)
Asplenium platyneuron (ebony spleenwort)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Botrychium virginianum (rattlesnake fern)
Dennstaedtia punctilobula (hay-scented fern)
Dryopteris carthusiana (shield fern, toothed wood fern, spinulose shield fern)
Dryopteris cristata (crested wood fern, buckler fern)
Dryopteris marginalis (marginal wood fern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern, bead fern)
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)
Osmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern)
Osmunda regalis (royal fern)
Phegopteris hexagonoptera (broad beech fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Thelypteris novaboracensis (New York fern, tapering fern)
Woodwardia areolata (netted chain fern)
Woodwardia virginica (Virginia chain fern)
Forbs (annuals/biennials)
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)
Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan)
Forbs (perennials)
Acorus calamus (sweet flag, calamus)
Allium canadense (wild garlic)
Anemone virginiana (thimbleweed, tall anemone)
Antennaria spp. (pussytoes, everlasting)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian turnip)
Asarum canadense (wild ginger)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
Aster divaricatus (white wood aster)
Aster novae-angliae (New England aster)
Aster pilosus (frost aster)
Aster puniceus (red-stem aster, swamp aster)
Chelone glabra (turtlehead)
Chrysopsis mariana (Maryland golden aster)
Claytonia virginica (narrow-leaved spring beauty)
Collinsonia canadensis (stoneroot, citronella horsebalm)
Desmodium canadense (Canada tick-trefoil, Canada tickclover)
Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman's breeches)
Epilobium angustifolium (fireweed, willow herb)
Erythronium americanum (eastern trout lily, yellow trout lily)
Eupatorium coelestinum (mist flower)
Eupatorium fistulosum (Joe-pye weed)
Eupatorium perfoliatum (boneset)
Euphorbia corollata (flowering spurge)
Euthamia graminifolia var. graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod)
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium, cranesbill)
Heuchera americana var. hirsuticaulis (alumroot)
Hibiscus moscheutos (swamp rose mallow, marshmallow hibiscus)
Houstonia caerulea (bluets)
Hydrophyllum virginianum (Virginia waterleaf)
Hypoxis hirsuta (yellow star grass)
Lespedeza capitata (roundheaded bush clover)
Lilium superbum (Turk's cap lily)
Linum virginianum (woodland flax)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower)
Lobelia siphilitica (great blue lobelia)
Lysimachia ciliata (fringed loosestrife)
Maianthemum canadense (wild lily-of-the-valley, Canada mayflower)
Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum (false Solomon's seal, false spikenard)
Mitchella repens (partridge berry)
Nuphar lutea (yellow pond lily, cow lily, spatter dock)
Oenothera fruticosa (sundrops)
Orontium aquaticum (golden club)
Osmorhiza claytoni (sweet cicely, sweet jarvil)
Peltandra virginica (arrow arum)
Penstemon digitalis (beardtongue)
Penstemon hirsutus (hairy beardtongue)
Podophyllum peltatum (May apple)
Polemonium reptans (Jacob's ladder, Greek valerian)
Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon's seal)
Potentilla simplex (common cinquefoil)
Rhexia virginica (meadow beauty)
Rudbeckia laciniata (cut-leaf coneflower)
Salvia lyrata (cancer weed, lyre-leaf sage)
Sanguinaria candensis (bloodroot)
Senecio aureus (golden ragwort)
Silene stellata (starry campion)
Sisyrinchium angustifolium (narrow-leaved blue-eyed grass)
Solidago caesia (blue-stemmed goldenrod, wreath goldenrod)
Solidago canadensis (meadow goldenrod)
Solidago juncea (early goldenrod, plume goldenrod)
Solidago odora (sweet goldenrod)
Solidago rugosa (rough-leaved goldenrod)
Solidago sempervirens (seaside goldenrod)
Tephrosia virginiana (goat's rue)
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadow rue)
Thalictrum thalictroides (rue anemone)
Uvularia sessilifolia (wildoats, merrybells)
Verbena hastata (blue verbena, blue vervain)
Vernonia noveboracensis (New York ironweed)
Viola soraria (common blue violet, meadow violet)
Grasses/Grass-like plants
Andropogon glomeratus (bushy bluestem)
Andropogon ternarius (splitbeard bluestem)
Andropogon virginicus (broom sedge)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Carex stipata (awl-fruited sedge)
Carex stricta (tussock sedge)
Danthonia spicata (poverty grass)
Distichlis spicata (seashore saltgrass)
Eleocharis palustris (creeping spikesedge, spike rush)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple lovegrass, tumblegrass)
Juncus effusus.(soft rush)
Leersia oryzoides (rice cut grass)
Muhlenbergia capillaris (gulf muhly, hair grass)
Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)
Saccharum giganteum (sugarcane plume grass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Scirpus Georgianus (Georgia bulrush)
Scirpus cyperinus (wool grass)
Scirpus tabernaemontani (great bulrush)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass)
Spartina patens (marsh hay cordgrass, salt meadow cordgrass)
Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gama grass)
Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail)
Typha latifolia (cattail)
Shrubs (deciduous)
Alnus serrulata (smooth alder)
Amelanchier arborea (downy serviceberry, shadbush, Juneberry)
Baccharis halimifolia (sea myrtle, groundsel bush)
Castanea pumila (chinquapin)
Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush)
Clethra alnifolia (summer sweet)
Cornus alternifolia (pogoda dogwood, alternate-leaved dogwood)
Cornus sericea (red-twig dogwood, red-osier dogwood)
Corylus americana (American hazelnut or filbert)
Euonymus americana (strawberry bush, brook euonymus, hearts-a-bustin')
Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides (St. Andrew's cross)
Ilex verticillata (winterberry, black alder)
Itea virginica (Virginia willow, sweetspire, tassel-white)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lyonia ligustrina (male-berry, male-blueberry)
Rhododendron atlanticum (dwarf, or coastal azalea)
Rhododendron periclymenoides (pinxterbloom azalea)
Rhododendron viscosum (swamp azalea)
Rhus copallinum (dwarf or winged sumac)
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Rhus hirta (staghorn sumac)
Rosa carolina (Carolina rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry, thimbleberry)
Salix discolor (pussy willow)
Sambucus canadensis (elderberry, common elder)
Spiraea tomentosa (steeplebush, hardhack)
Vaccinium corymbosom (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum acerifolium (maple leaf viburnum)
Viburnum dentatum (southern arrowwood)
Viburnum nudum (possumhaw viburnum)
Viburnum prunifolium (black haw, nanny berry)
Shrubs (evergreen)
Epigaea repens (trailing arbutus)
Ilex glabra (inkberry, bitter gallberry)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle, southern bayberry, candleberry)
Trees (deciduous)
Acer negundo (box elder)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Amelanchier canadensis (shadblow serviceberry, Juneberry)
Betula lenta (cherry birch)
Betula nigra (river birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (blue beech, hornbeam, musclewood)
Carya alba (mockernut hickory)
Carya cordiformis (bitternut, swamp hickory)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Celtis occidentalis (hackberry, sugarberry)
Chionanthus virginicus (fringe tree, old man's beard)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Crataegus crus-galli (cockspur hawthorn)
Crataegus phaenopyrum (Washington hawthorn)
Diospyros virginiana (persimmon)
Fagus grandifolia var. grandifolia (beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Fraxinus pensylvanica (green ash)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Magnolia virginiana (sweetbay, swampbay)
Nyssa sylvatica (black gum, tupelo)
Platanus occidentalis (sycamore, plane-tree)
Populus grandidentata (large-toothed aspen)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak)
Quercus coccinea (scarlet oak)
Quercus falcata (southern red oak, Spanish oak)
Quercus lyrata (overcup oak)
Quercus marilandica (blackjack oak)
Quercus nigra (black oak)
Quercus phellos (willow oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus stellata (post oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Salix nigra (black willow)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Ulmus americana (American elm)
Ulmus rubra (red elm, slippery elm)
Trees (evergreen)
Chamaecyparis thyoides (white cedar)
Ilex opaca (American holly, Christmas holly)
Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar)
Pinus echinata (shortleaf pine)
Pinus rigida (pitch pine)
Pinus taeda (loblolly pine)
Pinus virginiana (Virginia pine)
Vines (deciduous)
Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper, trumpet vine)
Clematis virginiana (virgin's bower)
Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Vitis rotundifolia (muscadine grape)
Federally Listed Endangered Species
Canby's dropwort (Oxypolis canbyi)
Knieskern's beaked-rush (Rhynchospora knieskernii)
Small whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides)
Swamp pink (Helonias bullata)
Delaware Noxious Species
Because the noxious weed lists have continually changed since we gathered them in 1994, we are not including them at this time. Not all States have noxious weed lists. Those that do, do not use the same standards of importance and are not comparable. States typically have included plants that interfere with agriculture (Canada thistle), or cause human health problem's (poison ivy). Some States are now including a category of plants that invade anal degrade the environment (purple loosestrife). Check with your State's Agriculture Department or Weed Scientist listed below. The noxious weed list can be used two ways on roadsides: 1) check to not inadvertently plant these invasive plants, and 2) note the plants you are legally responsible to control. Many States now check adjacent State lists to avoid planting their neighbors' problem plants. Because weeds do not respect political boundaries, and because by their very nature weeds continue to adapt and expand, monitoring and controlling invasives at State borders is a wise part of vegetation management.
(Weed Law)
Department of Agriculture
Plant Industry Section
2320 South Dupont Highway
Dover, DE 19901
Mark Van Goessol
University of Delaware
RD 6 Box 48
Delaware Resources
Department of Natural Resources
89 Kings Highway
PO Box 1401
Dover, DE 19903
College of Agricultural Sciences
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19717
(302) 831-2526
The Nature Conservancy - Field Office
260 Chapman Road #201 D
Newark, DE 19702
(302) 369-4144
Mount Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora
PO Box 3570
Greenville, DE 19807
Winterthur
Winterthur, DE 1'9735
(302) 656-8591
