Sun Perennials - Pennystone

A listing of sunny-site perennials that are native to Pennyslvania

Perennials for sunny sites, moist soils, 4.0 - 5.5 pH

Note: all listed species are native to Pennsylvania. Plants listed are commonly available; this is not a comprehensive list of moist-ground plants. See a full list of sunny site perennials native to Monroe County, Pennsylvania or wetland perennials native to Monroe County, Pennsylvania.

Latin	Common	Notes	Indic
Aletris farinosa	Colic root	Rare in moist clearings, mostly SE counties	FAC
Andromeda polifolia var glaucophylla	Bog rosemary	Dwarf evergreen shrub for acid, wet areas, northern, esp NE counties; moist, peaty grounds	OBL
Anemone canadensis	Canada Anemone	Mostly light shade to part sun in western counties, scattered east, on sandy, low ground, meadows and thickets.	FACW
Anemone virginiana	Virginia Anemone	Part sun to part shade, common throughout in dry, rocky open woods, slopes and thickets	FACU
Antennaria plantaginifolia	Pussytoes	Sun to part shade, common except north; dry open woods and fields, pastures and rocky banks.	NI
Arctostaphalos uva-ursi	Kinnikinnick, Bearberry	Very rare in dry openings and rocky ledges, possibly extirpated, full to part sun; requires fast drainage; dry sandy sites	FAC
Asclepias tuberosa	Butterfly Weed	Common in dry fields, roadsides, shale barrens, sun to part sun, mostly central to southern counties	NI
Boltonia asteroides	Aster-like Boltonia	Rare on rocky shores and exposed rocky river beds; Dauphin, Lancaster, York Counties, endangered	FACW
Cacalia atriplicifolia	Pale Indian Plantain	Sun to part shade; open woods, fields and moist banks, all but northern counties	N
Camassia scilloides	Wild Hyacinth	Rare in moist woods and clearings, part shade to part sun; endangered	FAC
Chrysopsis mariana	Maryland Golden Aster	Sun to part sun on dry roadside banks, barrens, clearings and sandy woods, SE counties plus Warren	UPL
Delphinium exaltatum	Tall larkspur	Limestone or cherty limestone north and/or west-facing wooded slope; fertile, medium wet, well-drained soils in full sun, SW counties, 6-7 pH; endangered	NI
Epilobium angustifolium	Fireweed	Woods edges and new clearings, sandy open ground, throughout	FAC
Eupatorium coelestinum	Mistflower	Full sun to part shade in fields, meadows, along streams, mostly southern counties, very aggressive spreader via stolons	FAC
Euphorbia corollata	Flowering Spurge	Full sun to part shade; common in fields, sandy waste ground, shale barrens, open dry woods except for northernmost counties	NI
Eurybia spectabilis	Showy Aster	Part sun to part shade in sandy ground and on rock outcrops; Bucks and Philadelphia Counties; endangered	NI
Gentiana clausa	Bottle Gentian	Found throughout in meadows, stream banks, open woods on moist acidic soils, full sun to part shade	FACW
Geranium maculatum	Wild Geranium	Very common in full sun to part shade, fields, roadsides, open woods	FACU
Geum rivale	Water avens	Northern counties; full sun in bogs, calcareous mashes and peaty meadows	OBL
Helenium autumnale	Common sneezeweed	Full sun in moist riverbanks, wet fields, alluvial thickets, swamps; common except for a few central counties	FACW
Helianthus angustifolius	Swamp sunflower	Very rare in swamps and open sandy fields, Bucks County, possibly extirpated.	FACW
Hibiscus laevis	Halberd-leaved rose-mallow	Scattered in a few southern counties in alluvial shorelines, marshes and shallow water, full sun	OBL
Hibiscus moscheutos	Swamp mallow	SE and W counties, full sun in swamps, marshes, ditches in shallow water	OBL
Houstonia caerulea	Bluets	Full sun to part sun in meadows, woods edges, open woods, throughout	FACU
Houstonia purpurea	Longleaf Summer Bluet	Very rare in open woods and roadsides, part sun to part shade; Fayette and Lancaster Counties	NI
Hypoxis hirsuta	Yellow Star Grass	Sun to part shade; dry woods, clearings, barrens, all but northern counties	FAC
Ilex glabra	Inkberry	Rare in sandy moist soils, Lycoming, Bucks, Allegheny Counties, possibly extirpated	FACW-
Ionactis linariifolius	Stiff aster	Part shade to part sun, dry soils in woods or woods edges, eastern counties	NI
Iris prismatica	Slender blue flag iris	Mostly SE counties, rare, sandy or gravel shores and moist meadows, endangered	OBL
Iris verna	Dwarf vernal iris	Sun to part sun on moist, sandy, acid soils, dry to moist, mostly in south central counties. Endangered	NI
Iris versicolor	Northern blue flag	Common in marshes, bogs, wet meadows, throughout	OBL
Leiophyllum buxifolium	Sand myrtle	Very rare in sunny, rocky places; evergreen shrub, Monroe, possibly extirpated	FACU-
Liatris scariosa	Northern Blazingstar	Sun to part shade in dry shale slopes, barrens, and open woods, mostly S Central counties	UPL
Lilium canadensis	Canada lily	Sun to part shade in moist meadows and clearings, open woods; fairly common	FAC+
Lilium philadelphicum	Wood lily	Sun to part shade in clearings, edges, open woods; common except western counties	FACU+
Lilium superbum	Turk's-Cap Lily	Sun to part sun in bottomlands and moist clearings; all but NE counties	FACW
Lobelia cardinalis	Cardinal Flower	Sun to part sun in wet meadows, along brooks and lake shores, throughout.	FACW+
Lonicera sempirvirens	Lonicera sempervirens	Sun to part sun, fence rows, thickets, roadsides; scattered, mostly east	FACU
Luzula multiflora	Common or Field Woodrush	Sun to part shade in swamps and floodplains, some woods, throughout	FACU
Lygodium palmatum	Climbing Fern	Part sun on edges of swampy open woods, barrens, moist thickets in acidic, peaty soil; rare, mostly NE Counties	FACW
Matteuccia struthiopteris	Ostrich Fern	Sun to part shade in moist alluvial flats, floodplains, swamps and rich woods, throughout	FACW
Mimulus ringens	Monkey flower	Sunny pond edges, swamps, meadows, throughout	OBL
Osmunda cinnamomea	Cinnamon Fern	Sun to part shade along stream banks, seeps, vernal ponds, and swamps; throughout	FACW
Pachysandra procumbens	Allegheny Spurge	Part sun to part shade, possibly only naturalized after cultivation in Montgomery and Delaware Counties (occurs in SE states)	NI
Physostegia virginiana	False Dragonhead	Occasional along stream banks and moist shorelines, mostly south and west	FAC
Potentilla arguta	Tall Cinquefoil	Sun to part shade on dry rocky ledges, fields, woods; scattered	UPL
Potentilla canadensis	Cinquefoil	Sun to part shade in fields and dry open woods, throughout	NI
Potentilla simplex	Old-field Cinquefoil	Sun to part shade in dry fields, meadows, woods, roadsides, throughout	FACU-
Potentilla tridentata	Cinquefoil	Rare in the Poconos on dry exposed, rocky balds and mountaintops, endangered	N
Rhexia virginica	Meadow Beauty	Sun to part sun in moist open areas on sandy soils in southeastern counties	OBL
Senecio aureus	Ragwort	Sun to part shade in moist meadows, floodplains, along roadsides and in open woods; throughout	FACW
Senna hebecarpa	Northern Wild Senna	Sun to part sun along wetland edges, stream banks, sandy shores or moist old fields, east and west of Appalachian chain	FAC
Silene caroliniana	Fire Pink, Wild Pink	Sun to part shade on shale barrens, roadsides, rocky slopes and occasionally in dry open woods, central and southern counties	NI
Silene virginica	Fire Pink	Sun to part shade in dry upland woods, slopes, and along stream banks, western counties	NI
Stenanthium gramineum	Featherbells	Sun to part sun in moist clearings, mostly western counties, endangered	FACW
Symphyotrichum laeve	Smooth Aster	Sun to part shade along roadsides, rocky slopes and open woods	UPL
Symphyotrichum novi-anglia	New England Aster	Sunny fields, roadsides, waste ground, throughout	FAC
Symphyotrichum novi-belgii	New York Aster	Sunny meadows, swamps, mostly southeast	FACW+
Thalictrum pubescens	Tall meadow rue	Sun to part shade in wet meadows, thickets, stream banks, rich woods, throughout	FACW+
Thelypteris palustris	Marsh fern	Common in marshes and swamps, throughout	FACW+
Thelypteris simulata	Bog fern	Marshy areas, bogs, swamps; some eastern counties	FACW
Thermopsis caroliniana	Carolina lupine	Rich, well-drained soil; sun; found in dry open woods and along roadsides; aka Thermopsis villosa, possibly not a native	NI
Veronia noveboracensis	New York Ironweed	Sunny meadows, pastures, wet fields, stream banks in all but northernmost counties	FACW+
Veronicastrum virginicum	Culver's Root	Sun to part sun in swamps, thickets, moist meadows, mostly SE and SW counties	FACU
Viola pedata	Birdfoot Violet	Part shade to part sun in dry forested sloes, rocky or sandy barrens, southeast and south central counties	NI
Ziza aptera	Heart-Leaf Alexander	Sun to part shade in clearings, roadsides, open woods, wooded slopes	FAC
Zizia aurea	Golden Alexander	Part shade to part sun in floodplains, moist meadows, open bottomlands, stream banks	FAC