Good for: Erosion control

Scientific Name Common Name(s) Ground cover? Evergreen? Plant Form(s) Tolerates
Amelanchier arborea Downy serviceberry No No Medium Trees Wet conditions, Dry soils/drought, Salt
Andropogon gerardii Big bluestem, Turkeyfoot No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Air pollution, Allelopathic plants **, Dry soils/drought, Salt, Wet conditions
Aronia melanocarpa Black chokeberry No No Shrubs & Small Trees Salt, Soil compaction, Wet conditions
Asarum canadense Common wild ginger Yes No Herbs Wet conditions
Asclepias incarnata var. pulchra Swamp milkweed, Swamp butterfly weed, Marsh milkweed No No Herbs Clay, Wet conditions
Asclepias quadrifolia Four-leaf milkweed, Whorled milkweed No No Herbs Dry soils/drought
Asclepias syriaca Common milkweed No No Herbs Dry soils/drought, Poor soil (sand/clay)
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly milkweed, Common butterfly weed, Butterfly weed, Common butterfly-weed No No Herbs Dry soils/drought, Salt
Baccharis halimifolia High-tide bush, Groundsel tree No No Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought, Salt, Soil compaction, Wet conditions
Baptisia tinctoria Yellow wild indigo, Horsefly weed No No Herbs Dry soils/drought, Poor soil (sand/clay)
Betula nigra River birch, Red birch No No Large Trees Air pollution, Allelopathic plants **, Dry soils/drought, Salt, Soil compaction, Wet conditions
Bignonia capreolata Cross-vine No No Vines Dry soils/drought, Wet conditions
Campsis radicans Trumpet-creeper, Trumpet creeper, Trumpet vine, Hellvine, Cow-itch, Foxglove vine, Devil's shoestring No No Vines Soil compaction, Dry soils/drought, Poor soil (sand/clay)
Carex appalachica Appalachian sedge No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes
Carex frankii Frank's sedge No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Wet conditions
Carex grayi Gray's sedge No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Salt
Carex lupulina Hop sedge No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Wet conditions
Carex pensylvanica Pennsylvania sedge, Plantainleaf sedge, Plantain-leaved sedge, Seersucker sedge Yes Yes Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Mowing, Some foot traffic, Wet conditions, Dry soils/drought
Carex plantaginea Plantain-leaved sedge No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes
Carex stricta Tussock sedge, Upright sedge No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes
Ceanothus americanus New jersey tea, Redroot, Mountain snowbell No No Shrubs & Small Trees Allelopathic plants **, Dry soils/drought, Poor soil (sand/clay), Urban environments
Celastrus scandens Climbing bittersweet, American bittersweet No No Vines
Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush No No Shrubs & Small Trees Soil compaction, Wet conditions
Chamaecrista fasciculata Partridge pea, Prairie senna, Common partridge-pea No No Herbs Dry soils/drought
Chasmanthium latifolium River oats, Indian wood oats, Inland sea oats, Wild oats, Wood-oat, Northern sea oats No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Dry soils/drought, Allelopathic plants **, Salt, Wet conditions
Chrysogonum virginianum Green and gold, Golden knees Yes No Herbs Dry soils/drought
Clethra alnifolia Coastal white-alder, Sweet pepperbush No No Shrubs & Small Trees Salt, Wet conditions
Comptonia peregrina Sweet-fern No No Shrubs & Small Trees
Cornus amomum Silky dogwood No No Shrubs & Small Trees Allelopathic plants **, Salt, Wet conditions
Crataegus crus-galli Cockspur hawthorn No No Medium Trees, Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought
Elymus hystrix Bottlebrush grass, Bottle-brush grass No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Dry soils/drought, Allelopathic plants **, Air pollution
Eurybia divaricata White wood aster Yes No Herbs Dry soils/drought
Eutrochium dubium Three-nerved joe-pye-weed, Coastal plain joe pye weed , Coastal plain joe-pye weed , Coastal plain joepye weed , Joe pye thoroughwort No No Herbs Wet conditions, Salt
Fragaria virginiana Wild strawberry, Virginia strawberry No No Herbs Dry soils/drought
Gaylussacia baccata Black huckleberry No No Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought
Heliopsis helianthoides Oxeye sunflower, Oxeye No No Herbs Dry soils/drought, Poor soil (sand/clay)
Heuchera americana American alumroot No No Herbs Allelopathic plants **, Dry soils/drought
Heuchera villosa Hairy alumroot Yes No Herbs
Hibiscus moscheutos Swamp rose-mallow, Eastern rose-mallow, Crimson-eyed rose-mallow No No Herbs Salt, Wet conditions
Hydrangea arborescens Wild hydrangea, Smooth hydrangea No No Shrubs & Small Trees Allelopathic plants **, Salt
Hypericum prolificum Shrubby st. john's-wort No No Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought, Salt, Soil compaction
Ilex glabra Inkberry, Gallberry, Appalachian tea No Yes Shrubs & Small Trees Wet conditions, Salt
Ilex verticillata Winterberry No No Shrubs & Small Trees Salt, Wet conditions
Iris virginica Virginia blue flag, Southern blue flag No No Herbs Wet conditions
Itea virginica Virginia-willow, Virginia sweetspire No No Shrubs & Small Trees Wet conditions, Dry soils/drought
Juncus effusus Soft rush, Common rush No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Dry soils/drought, Salt, Wet conditions
Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal flower No No Herbs Wet conditions, Salt
Lobelia siphilitica Great blue lobelia No No Herbs Wet conditions
Maianthemum canadense Canada mayflower, False lily-of-the-valley No Yes Herbs
Monarda didyma Scarlet beebalm, Oswego tea No No Herbs Wet conditions, Allelopathic plants **
Nyssa sylvatica Black gum, Sour gum No No Large Trees, Medium Trees Salt, Soil compaction, Wet conditions, Dry soils/drought, Allelopathic plants **, Air pollution
Pachysandra procumbens Allegheny spurge, Mountain spurge Yes No Herbs
Packera aurea Golden ragwort, Heartleaf ragwort Yes Yes Herbs Wet conditions
Panicum virgatum Switch grass, Switchgrass No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Salt, Some foot traffic, Wet conditions, Allelopathic plants **
Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia-creeper Yes No Vines Dry soils/drought, Wet conditions, Salt, Soil compaction, Allelopathic plants **, Air pollution
Penstemon digitalis Foxglove beardtongue, Beardtongue No No Herbs Dry soils/drought
Phlox subulata Moss phlox, Moss-pink Yes Yes Herbs Salt, Some foot traffic, Air pollution, Dry soils/drought, Poor soil (sand/clay)
Physocarpus opulifolius Ninebark No No Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought
Polemonium reptans Jacob's ladder, Greek valerian, Spreading jacob's ladder Yes No Herbs
Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas fern No No Fern & Fern Allies
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium Narrow-leaf mountain-mint, Slender mountain-mint No No Herbs Dry soils/drought
Quercus velutina Black oak No No Large Trees Dry soils/drought, Salt, Allelopathic plants **
Rhododendron maximum Great laurel, White rosebay, Great rhododendron No Yes Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought
Rhus aromatica Fragrant sumac, Aromatic sumac, Lemon sumac, Polecat bush, Polecat sumac Yes No Shrubs & Small Trees Allelopathic plants **, Dry soils/drought
Rhus copallinum Winged sumac, Shining sumac, Flameleaf sumac No No Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought, Salt, Poor soil (sand/clay)
Rhus typhina Staghorn sumac No No Medium Trees, Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought, Salt, Soil compaction, Urban environments
Rosa palustris Swamp rose No No Shrubs & Small Trees
Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed susan No No Herbs Salt, Some foot traffic, Dry soils/drought
Rudbeckia laciniata Cut-leaved coneflower, Tall coneflower, Green-headed coneflower, Wild goldenglow, Cutleaf coneflower No No Herbs
Salix caroliniana Carolina willow, Coastal plain willow No No Large Trees, Medium Trees Soil compaction, Dry soils/drought, Wet conditions
Salix nigra Black willow No No Medium Trees Salt, Wet conditions, Soil compaction
Sambucus canadensis Common elderberry No No Shrubs & Small Trees Wet conditions
Sassafras albidum Sassafras No No Medium Trees Salt, Dry soils/drought
Schizachyrium scoparium Little bluestem, Prairie beardgrass, Prairie beard ggass No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Dry soils/drought, Salt, Soil compaction, Urban environments, Some foot traffic, Allelopathic plants **, Air pollution
Sedum ternatum Wild stonecrop, Woodland stonecrop Yes Yes Herbs Mowing, Some foot traffic, Dry soils/drought, Poor soil (sand/clay)
Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass, Yellow indian grass No No Grasses, Sedges & Rushes Salt, Dry soils/drought, Allelopathic plants **, Wet conditions
Symphyotrichum cordifolium Heart-leaved aster, Blue wood aster No No Herbs
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Aromatic aster No No Herbs
Taxodium distichum Baldcypress No No Large Trees, Medium Trees Wet conditions
Tiarella cordifolia Heart-leaved foamflower Yes No Herbs
Vaccinium corymbosum Highbush blueberry, Northern highbush blueberry No No Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought, Salt, Wet conditions, Acidic soils, Soil compaction
Viburnum dentatum Arrow-wood No No Shrubs & Small Trees Dry soils/drought, Salt, Wet conditions, Allelopathic plants **
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