Plants Identified

Aronia arbutifolia “Brilliantissima”

Cultivar of Red Chokeberry

Family: Rosaceae

Native Region: Eastern US and Canada, Southern US

Plant Community: Barrier Beach

Size: 6-8″ tall, 3-4′ wide

Hardiness Zone: 4-9

Habitat: Found in wet and dry thickets, anthropogenic areas, bogs, woodlands, fields, and swamps. Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Wide range of soil tolerance including boggy soils and constant water. Best fruit production usually occurs in full sun.

Leaf: Glossy green on top and grey-green beneath during summer, bright red in the fall.

Flower: White to light pink flowers in April.

Note: It primarily differs from the species by (1) being more compact, (2) producing more lustrous foliage with superior red fall color and (3) producing larger, glossier and more abundant fruit.

Ecosystem services: This is a great choice for floodplain areas with cyclical flooding and standing water because of its high tolerance of water in the soil. It can also be a good choice for sites prone to erosion, areas with clay soil, and rain garden interventions for urban stormwater management.

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=241868&isprofile=0&

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/aronia/arbutifolia/

Ammophila breviligulata

American Beach Grass

Family: Poaceae

Native Region: Northeastern US and Canada, Naturalized: South Virginia, PNW, Western Canada

Plant Community: Barrier Beach

Size: Individual shoots are 1-2′ tall but the entire plant can grow up to 100, growing 6-10′ annually.

Hardiness Zone: 3-8

Habitat: Found in coastal dunes, sandy ocean and lake beaches. Can be grown inland with nitrogen fertilizer. Prefers coarse, salty soils with minimal moisture and full sun.

Leaf: Light green during summer, yellowish orange in the fall.

Flower: White, droopy flowers. Reddish berries turn blue to resemble blueberries. Can be seen March to April.

Ecosystem services: This species is drought tolerant, heat tolerant, and saline tolerant from its coastal evolution. Sub-surface rhizomes make it good for colonizing areas prone to disturbance, erosion, high salinity sites like post-industrial sites.

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/ammophila/breviligulata/

http://hoffmannursery.com/plants/details/ammophila-breviligulata

Amelanchier arborea

Common Serviceberry, Downy Shadbush

Family: Rosaceae

Native Region: Eastern US and Canada

Plant Community: Oak Hickory, Red Maple Swamp, Hardwood Forest

Size: 15-25′ tall and wide

Hardiness Zone: 4-9

Habitat: Found in rocky woods, bluffs, wooded areas, forests, meadows and fields, ridges or ledges, woodlands and anthropogenic areas with medium, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. it is toelrant of a wide range of clay and other soil types.

Leaf: Light green during summer, yellowish orange in the fall.

Flower: White, droopy flowers. Reddish berries turn blue to resemble blueberries. Can be seen March to April.

Ecosystem services: This species suckers so it is good for erosion control. Tolerance to clay soil, other soil types, and air pollution means this can be a good choice for difficult sites.

thttp://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h290

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/amelanchier/arborea/

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=AMAR3

Aesculus parviflora

Bottlebrush Buckeye

Family: Hippocastanaceae, Sapindaceae

Native Region: Southeastern US, Pennsylvania, NY, New Jersey

Plant Community: Red Maple, Oak Hickory, Old Field

Size: 8-12′ tall, 8-15′ wide

Hardiness Zone: 5-8

Habitat: Found in rich woodlands with average to moist soil. This species does well in full sun to partial shade and can tolerate wet soil. Its dense, mounded, suckering root system is good to erosion control and colonizing after disturbance.

Leaf: Green during summer, yellow in the fall.

Flower: White cone flowers from June to July.

Ecosystem services: Good choice for for floodplains because of its preference for moist soil, but also for ridges and areas prone to erosion because of its strong root system. It is also rabbit and deer tolerant, and some uses include butterfly gardens, rain gardens, and areas of wet soil.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=281048

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profilesymbol=AEPA2https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profilesymbol=ACSA2

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/acer/saccharinum/

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275381

Acer saccharinum

Silver Maple

Family: Aceraceae

Native Region: Central and Eastern Canada and US, Naturalized: California, Washington

Plant Community: Urban Growth

Size: 50-80′ tall, 35-70′ wide

Hardiness Zone: 3-9

Habitat: Found in sites with ample moisture and full sun to partial shade, like riverbanks, flood plains, waterlines, swamps, and wetlands. Prefers rich, moist river bottom soils, mineral soil, and forest litter.

Leaf: Green above with silver underneath during summer; pale yellow, soft gold, occasionally crimson in the fall.

Flower: Red buds with greenish or yellowish flowers from March to April.

Ecosystem services: Good choice for for floodplains because of moist preference and ability to be saturated or completed flooded. It is fast colonizer and can be used to reforested mines, bottomland river beds, areas of disturbance, and old fields due to its rapid growth rate and adaptability. However, it is not tolerant of high snow and wind conditions because of brittle wood, and is not tolerant of shade. Tolerance to air pollution and poor soil makes this a good choice for urban interventions as a street tree or in a rain garden.

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ACSA2

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/acer/saccharinum/

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275381

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Stipes, 2010.

Nyssa sylvatica

Black Tupelo

Family:

Family: Nyssaceae

Native Region: Eastern North America

Plant Community: New England Barrier Beach

Size: 30-50’ tall but up to 90’, 20’-30’ wide

Hardiness Zone: 3-9

Habitat: Low wet woods, bottomlands and pond peripheries, but also can be found on dry rocky wooded slopes and ravines, moist woodland gardens, low spots subject to periodic flooding or in boggy areas. Prefers moist, acidic soils with partial to full sun.

Leaf: Dark green on top and pale green on the bottom during summer, scarlet in the fall.

Flower: Greenish white and blooms May-June.

Ecosystem services: Tolerates wet, poorly drained soil and standing water, making it a strong candidate for flood plains, river banks, and systems for storm water management. It also can grow in clay-heavy soil, making it a good choice for clay soil conditions. In urban settings, it is a good choice for a street tree or for rain garden areas. Due to its wide range of soil adaptations and habitats, it can also serve as a re-colonizer for brown fields and other cleared areas.

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/nyssa/sylvatica/

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a670

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Stipes, 2010.

Rhododendron vaseyi

Pinkshell Azalea

Family: Ericaceae

Native Region: Mountains on NC, naturalized to MA

Size: 5-15’ tall

Hardiness Zone:

Habitat: Ravines, bogs, wetlands, forest edges, and streambanks. Prefers moist, well-drained, slight acidic (pH<6.8) soil and shade.

Leaf: Medium green in summer and dark red in fall.

Flower: Pink to pure white with yellow throat, blooming in April

Ecosystem services: Because it prefers moist soils and habitats close to water, this species is a good choice for storm water management corridors and systems. It is also an endangered species, so a good choice to plant in order to support population size.

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/rhododendron/vaseyi/

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHVA

Sambucus canadensis

American Elder

Family: Adoxaceae

Native Region: Central to eastern North America, Northeast Canada, California

Size: 5-12’ tall and wide

Hardiness zone: 3-9

Habitat: It typically occurs on streambanks, wetland margins, moist woodlands, thickets, fence rows, roadsides, alluvial forests, bogs, ditches, and old fields. Prefers medium to wet, well-drained, cirumneutral (pH 6.8-7.2) soil in full sun to part shade.

Leaf: Yellow-green in summer, gold-yellow in fall.

Flower: White, blooms May-July

Ecosystem services: Since its natural environment includes moisture-rich habitats like bogs and streambanks, it can tolerate wet soil, making it a good candidate for stormwater management corridors, wetland zones, rain gardens, and banks of waterways. It is also anthropogenic, meaning it thrives in man-made environments and disturbed areas. It also tolerates clay-heavy soil and serves as a tool to prevent erosion. Potential applications include water corridors, rain gardens, urban interventions, and damaged areas susceptible to erosion.

Note: Branches are susceptible to damage from high winds and heavy snow and ice in the winter.

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/sambucus/nigra/

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f470

Gleditsia triacanthos

Common Honeylocust

Family: Fabaceae

Native region: All US except PNW, lower NE Canada

Size: 30-75’ tall

Hardiness Zone: 3-8

Habitat: Found in moist woods, stream banks, dry sites, upland sites, forest edges, river and lake shores, and shrublands. Prefers organically rich, moist, deep, well-drained soils in partial shade to full sun. While this species can grow in loam and clay, it prefers circumneutral soil (pH 6.8-7.2).

Leaf: Yellow-green in summer, yellow in fall. Exhibits large thorns.

Flowers: Green and yellow, blooming in May and June.

Ecosystem services: This is a very hardy tree which is drought tolerant, heat tolerant, and cold tolerant. Gleditsia triacanthos can withstand soil of high acidity, high saline conditions, clay-heavy soil along with a range of other conditions, this species makes a good candidate for planting conditions that are difficult for other trees, have been disturbed, or for urban areas that have had its soil disturbed. It also makes a good street tree because it is fast growing and tolerant of wind and air pollution. However, the large thorns make it dangerous, so thornless varieties should be considered.

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/gleditsia/triacanthos/

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GLTR

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a871

Dirr, Michael A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Stipes, 2010.

Cornus sanguinea / Swida sanguina

Cultivar of Bloodtwig Dogwood

Family:

Family: Cornaceae

Native region: Northern Region and NW Asia

Naturalized region: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington

Size: 5′-15′ tall and wide

Hardiness Zone: 5-7

Habitat: Found in meadows, fields, and disturbed/man-made areas. Prefers consistently moist, well-drained soil and sun to partial shade. This species if tolerant of a wide range of soils but prefers ones that are organically rich.

Leaf: Dark green in the summer, red-purple and green-purple in fall.

Flowers: White, blooming in May and June.

Ecosystem services: Because this species is so tolerant to moist soil, it serves as a good choice for areas prone to flooding or designed for stormwater management. It also thrives in man-made and disturbed areas, so this makes a good choice for urban interventions like rain gardens. This species is also helpful for areas prone to erosion, making it an extra good option for areas prone to erosion from flooding.