Native Plants
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Most of the native plants in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) are forest species. Others are water-loving plants that thrive near or in the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Learn more about how different plants are suited for different habitats.
Get to know the native plants of Harpers Ferry NHP with this interactive species list and photo album.
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Interactive List of Some Native Plants at Harpers Ferry NHP
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|
| Allegheny monkeyflower | Mimulus ringens |
| American basswood | Tilia americana |
| American beech | Fagus grandifolia |
| American bladdernut | Staphylea trifolia |
| American burnweed | Erechtites hieraciifolius |
| American elm | Ulmus americana |
| American hog-peanut | Amphicarpaea bracteata |
| American hornbeam | Carpinus caroliniana |
| American pennyroyal | Hedeoma pulegioides |
| American sycamore | Platanus occidentalis |
| American water-horehound | Lycopus americanus |
| American water-willow | Justicia americana |
| American witch-hazel | Hamamelis virginiana |
| Appalachian bleedinghearts | Dicentra eximia |
| beaked panicgrass | Panicum anceps |
| bearded flatsedge | Cyperus squarrosus |
| bear's-foot | Smallanthus uvedalius |
| biennial bee-blossom | Gaura biennis |
| big bluestem | Andropogon gerardii |
| bitternut hickory | Carya cordiformis |
| black cherry | Prunus serotina |
| black cohosh | Actaea racemosa |
| black huckleberry | Gaylussacia baccata |
| black locust | Robinia pseudoacacia |
| black maple | Acer nigrum |
| black oak | Quercus velutina |
| black raspberry | Rubus occidentalis |
| black walnut | Juglans nigra |
| black willow | Salix nigra |
| blackgum | Nyssa sylvatica |
| blackhaw | Viburnum prunifolium |
| bladder campion | Silene latifolia |
| blue cohosh | Caulophyllum thalictroides |
| blue mistflower | Conoclinium coelestinum |
| blue wild indigo | Baptisia australis |
| blueberries | Vaccinium spp. |
| blunt broom sedge | Carex tribuloides |
| boneset see common boneset | |
| Bosc's witchgrass | Dichanthelium boscii |
| box-elder | Acer negundo |
| broadleaf cattail | Typha latifolia |
| broadleaf enchanter's-nightshade | Circaea lutetiana ssp. canadensis |
| broomsedge bluestem | Andropogon virginicus |
| calico aster | Symphyotrichum lateriflorum |
| Canadian black-snakeroot | Sanicula canadensis |
| Canadian clearweed | Pilea pumila |
| Canadian germander | Teucrium canadense |
| Canadian goldenrod | Solidago canadensis |
| Canadian honewort | Cryptotaenia canadensis |
| Canadian waterleaf | Hydrophyllum canadense |
| Canadian white violet | Viola canadensis var. canadensis |
| Canadian wild ginger | Asarum canadense |
| Canadian wildrye | Elymus canadensis |
| Canadian wood-nettle | Laportea canadensis |
| carpenter's square | Scrophularia marilandica |
| cat greenbrier | Smilax glauca |
| chestnut oak | Quercus montana |
| chinquapin oak | Quercus muehlenbergii |
| Christmas fern | Polystichum acrostichoides |
| clasping Venus'-looking-glass | Triodanis perfoliata |
| cleavers | Galium aparine |
| clustered black-snakeroot | Sanicula odorata |
| coastal plain willow | Salix caroliniana |
| common blue violet | Viola sororia |
| common blue wood aster | Symphyotrichum cordifolium |
| common boneset | Eupatorium perfoliatum |
| common buttonbush | Cephalanthus occidentalis |
| common dittany | Cunila origanoides |
| common hackberry | Celtis occidentalis |
| common milkweed | Asclepias syriaca |
| common ninebark | Physocarpus opulifolius |
| common serviceberry | Amelanchier arborea |
| common sneezeweed | Helenium autumnale |
| common three-seed-mercury | Acalypha rhomboidea |
| common yellow woodsorrel | Oxalis stricta |
| coralberry | Symphoricarpos orbiculatus |
| creeping yellowcress | Rorippa sylvestris |
| Culberson's black-parmelia | Melanelia culbersonii |
| curlytop knotweed | Polygonum lapathifolium |
| cutleaf coneflower | Rudbeckia laciniata |
| cutleaf toothwort | Cardamine concatenata |
| cypress panicgrass | Dichanthelium dichotomum |
| deerberry | Vaccinium stamineum |
| deertongue | Dichanthelium clandestinum |
| ditch stonecrop | Penthorum sedoides |
| dotted smartweed | Polygonum punctatum |
| downy milkpea | Galactia volubilis |
| downy yellow violet | Viola pubescens |
| Dutchman’s breeches | Dicentra cucullaria |
| dwarf cinquefoil | Potentilla canadensis |
| dwarf hackberry | Celtis tenuifolia |
| eastern black nightshade | Solanum ptycanthum |
| eastern bottlebrush grass | Elymus hystrix |
| eastern cottonwood | Populus deltoides |
| eastern gamagrass | Tripsacum dactyloides |
| eastern hay-scented fern | Dennstaedtia punctilobula |
| eastern hemlock | Tsuga canadensis |
| eastern poison-ivy | Toxicodendron radicans |
| eastern redbud | Cercis canadensis |
| eastern red-cedar | Juniperus virginiana |
| eastern waterleaf | Hydrophyllum virginianum |
| elmleaf goldenrod | Solidago ulmifolia |
| Emory's sedge | Carex emoryi |
| eyebane sandmat | Chamaesyce nutans |
| false boneset | Brickellia eupatorioides var. eupatorioides |
| false daisy | Eclipta prostrata |
| false Indian-plantain | Hasteola suaveolens |
| false mermaidweed | Floerkea proserpinacoides |
| Fernald's yellowcress | Rorippa palustris ssp. fernaldiana |
| flowering dogwood | Cornus florida |
| flowering spurge | Euphorbia corollata |
| fourleaf yam | Dioscorea quaternata |
| fragrant flatsedge | Cyperus odoratus |
| fragrant sumac | Rhus aromatica |
| frost grape | Vitis vulpina |
| giant goldenrod | Solidago gigantea |
| goat's-rue | Tephrosia virginiana |
| golden moonglow lichen | Dimelaena oreina |
| grapes | Vitis spp. |
| grassleaf mud-plantain | Heteranthera dubia |
| gray goldenrod | Solidago nemoralis |
| great blue lobelia | Lobelia siphilitica |
| green ash | Fraxinus pennsylvanica |
| green bulrush | Scirpus atrovirens |
| groundnut | Apios americana |
| hackberry | Celtis spp. |
| hairy bedstraw | Galium pilosum |
| hairy sweet-cicely | Osmorhiza claytonii |
| halberd-leaf rosemallow | Hibiscus laevis |
| harbinger-of-spring | Erigenia bulbosa |
| heartleaf skullcap | Scutellaria ovata |
| hedge false bindweed | Calystegia sepium |
| hickories | Carya spp. |
| hillside blueberry | Vaccinium pallidum |
| hoary mountainmint | Pycnanthemum incanum |
| hollow-stem joe-pye-weed | Eutrochium fistulosum |
| hop sedge | Carex lupulina |
| hop-hornbeam | Ostrya virginiana |
| Howell's pussytoes | Antennaria howellii ssp. neodioica |
| Indian cucumber | Medeola virginiana |
| Indiangrass | Sorghastrum nutans |
| Indian-hemp | Apocynum cannabinum |
| Jack-in-the-pulpit | Arisaema triphyllum |
| jumpseed | Polygonum virginianum |
| King Solomon's seal | Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum |
| lace grass | Eragrostis capillaris |
| lanceleaf fogfruit | Phyla lanceolata |
| late-flowering thoroughwort | Eupatorium serotinum |
| lichens | |
| little bluestem | Schizachyrium scoparium |
| lizard's-tail | Saururus cernuus |
| longleaf summer bluet | Houstonia longifolia |
| lowland bladderfern | Cystopteris protrusa |
| lowland toothcup | Rotala ramosior |
| lyreleaf sage | Salvia lyrata |
| mapleleaf viburnum | Viburnum acerifolium |
| marginal woodfern | Dryopteris marginalis |
| marsh seedbox | Ludwigia palustris |
| mayapple | Podophyllum peltatum |
| mockernut hickory | Carya tomentosa |
| mosses | |
| mountain laurel | Kalmia latifolia |
| naked-flower tick-trefoil | Desmodium nudiflorum |
| narrowleaf tick-trefoil | Desmodium paniculatum |
| nodding beggarticks | Bidens cernua |
| northern dewberry | Rubus flagellaris |
| northern maidenhair | Adiatum pedatum |
| northern red oak | Quercus rubra |
| northern spicebush | Lindera benzoin |
| orange jewelweed | Impatiens capensis |
| oval-leaf sedge | Carex cephalophora |
| pale dock | Rumex altissimus |
| pale jewelweed | Impatiens pallida |
| parasol sedge | Carex umbellata |
| partridge pea | Chamaecrista fasciculata |
| partridgeberry | Mitchella repens |
| pawpaw | Asimina triloba |
| Pennsylvania blackberry | Rubus pensilvanicus |
| Pennsylvania sedge | Carex pensylvanica |
| Pennsylvania smartweed | Polygonum pensylvanicum |
| Pennsylvania toadskin lichen | Lasallia pensylvanica |
| pignut hickory | Carya glabra |
| pink azalea | Rhododendron periclymenoides |
| post oak | Quercus stellata |
| poverty oatgrass | Danthonia spicata |
| ramp | Allium tricoccum |
| rattlesnake-weed | Hieracium venosum |
| red columbine | Aquilegia canadensis |
| red elderberry | Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa |
| red hickory | Carya ovalis |
| red maple | Acer rubrum |
| reed canarygrass | Phalaris arundinacea |
| reindeer lichen | Cladonia arbuscula |
| river birch | Betula nigra |
| riverbank grape | Vitis riparia |
| riverbank wildrye | Elymus riparius |
| rock muhly | Muhlenbergia sobolifera |
| rock polypody | Polypodium virginianum |
| rough dropseed | Sporobolus clandestinus |
| roundleaf greenbrier | Smilax rotundifolia |
| sandbar lovegrass | Eragrostis frankii |
| sassafras | Sassafras albidum |
| sawtooth blackberry | Rubus argutus |
| scaldweed | Cuscuta gronovii |
| scarlet oak | Quercus coccinea |
| shagbark hickory | Carya ovata |
| sharp-wing monkeyflower | Mimulus alatus |
| shrubby St. John's-wort | Hypericum prolificum |
| Shumard oak | Quercus shumardii |
| sideoats grama | Bouteloua curtipendula |
| silky dogwood | Cornus amomum |
| silver maple | Acer saccharinum |
| slender woodland sedge | Carex digitalis |
| slippery elm | Ulmus rubra |
| small-spike false nettle | Boehmeria cylindrica |
| smooth forked nailwort | Paronychia canadensis |
| smooth rock skullcap | Scutellaria saxatilis |
| smooth rockcress | Arabis laevigata |
| smooth sumac | Rhus glabra |
| Solomon's plume | Maianthemum racemosum |
| spotted St. John's-wort | Hypericum punctatum |
| spreading sandmat | Chamaesyce humistrata |
| squirrel-corn | Dicentra canadensis |
| starved witchgrass | Dichanthelium depauperatum |
| straw-colored flatsedge | Cyperus strigosus |
| striped cream violet | Viola striata |
| striped prince's-pine | Chimaphila maculata |
| sugar maple | Acer saccharum |
| sugarberry | Celtis laevigata |
| summer grape | Vitis aestivalis |
| swamp milkweed | Asclepias incarnata |
| swamp smartweed | Polygonum hydropiperoides |
| swamp vervain | Verbena hastata |
| sweet birch | Betula lenta |
| sweet wood-reed | Cinna arundinacea |
| switchgrass | Panicum virgatum |
| tall goldenrod | Solidago altissima |
| tall rattlesnake-root | Prenanthes altissima |
| tall redtop | Tridens flavus |
| teal lovegrass | Eragrostis hypnoides |
| thinleaf sunflower | Helianthus decapetalus |
| threelobe beggarticks | Bidens tripartita |
| toadshade | Trillium sessile |
| toadskin lichen | Lasallia papulosa |
| trailing arbutus | Epigaea repens |
| trumpet creeper | Campsis radicans |
| tuliptree | Liriodendron tulipifera |
| twinleaf | Jeffersonia diphylla |
| variable panicgrass | Dichanthelium commutatum |
| Virginia bluebells | Mertensia virginica |
| Virginia creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia |
| Virginia pine | Pinus virginiana |
| Virginia springbeauty | Claytonia virginica |
| Virginia stickseed | Hackelia virginiana |
| Virginia water-horehound | Lycopus virginicus |
| wavyleaf aster | Symphyotrichum undulatum |
| waxyleaf meadowrue | Thalictrum revolutum |
| white ash | Fraxinus americana |
| white basswood | Tilia americana var. heterophylla |
| white fawnlily | Erythronium albidum |
| white morning-glory | Ipomoea lacunosa |
| white oak | Quercus alba |
| white snakeroot | Ageratina altissima |
| white vervain | Verbena urticifolia |
| white wood-aster | Eurybia divaricata |
| white-flower leafcup | Polymnia canadensis |
| whitegrass | Leersia virginica |
| whorled yellow loosestrife | Lysimachia quadrifolia |
| wild blue phlox | Phlox divaricata |
| wild hydrangea | Hydrangea arborescens |
| wild sarsaparilla | Aralia nudicaulis |
| wildrye | Elymus |
| winged elm | Ulmus alata |
| wingstem | Verbesina alternifolia |
| woman's tobacco | Antennaria plantaginifolia |
| woodland stonecrop | Sedum ternatum |
| woodland sunflower | Helianthus divaricatus |
| wreath goldenrod | Solidago caesia |
| yellow fumewort | Corydalis flavula |
| yellow nailwort | Paronychia virginica |
| yellow trout-lily | Erythronium americanum |
| yellowseed false pimpernel | Lindernia dubia |
| zigzag goldenrod | Solidago flexicaulis |