Native Plant Finders

Updated 2024-03-18: Corrected Links. Added LINPI.

A list of native plant finders and databases, focussed on resources for New York City’s ecological regions (ecoregions). These are resources that help you identify plants that might be suitable for your garden or another project. To learn where you can acquire the plants, see Sources for Native Plants

There is no single resource that meets all needs. Here I try to highlight the strengths and drawbacks of each.

Long Island

Plant Database, Long Island Native Plant Initiative (Added 2024-03-18)

Search/Filter Features

  • Sun Tolerance
  • Soil Tolerance: Moist<->Dry, Sandy<->Clay
  • Bloom Season
  • Bloom Season
  • Features: e.g.: deer tolerance, bee friendly
  • Availability: Does LINPI have it available for purchase?

New York State

New York Flora Atlas, New York Flora Association (NYFA)

I use this as my authority on botanical names and native status in New York state and the counties (boroughs) of New York City.

Search/Filter Features

  • Botanical or Common Name, Genus, or Family
  • Accepted Names or Synonyms/Deprecated names
  • By County, e.g.: “Kings” for Brooklyn
  • Nativity or Naturalized Status
  • Wetland Status
  • Listing Status and Rank, e.g.: Endangered, S4
  • Habitat for most species, but not all.
  • Can export results to Excel with selected or all fields

New York Region

Garden Plant Finder, Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wildflower Society)

Search/Filter Features

  • Plant type, e.g.: tree, perennial
  • Maximum height and width, important search criteria for small urban gardens
  • Ecoregion
  • Cultivation status: species, selection (of straight species), cultivar
  • Horticultural attributes: Exposure, Soil, landscape use, Ornamental Interest
  • Tolerance of challenging conditions, including Urban Environment, Soil Compaction, Deer Resistance.
  • Wildlife, e.g.: bees, host plant 

GoBotany, Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wildflower Society)

Provides identification keys, which is helpful for identifying native weeds in the garden, e.g.: Oxalis dillenii. Includes Habitat information for all species, filling in gaps of the New York Flora Atlas.

United States and Canada

Native Plant Finder, National Wildlife Federation

Focuses on host plants for butterflies and moths. You provide your zip code to start the search. There are two searches: Plants, or “Butterflies” (i.e.: all Lepidoptera, including moths and skippers, not just butterflies). Each retuns a prioritized list.

Plant Search returns a list of suitable genera, grouped as Flowers and Grasses, and Trees and Shrubs. In each group, genera are ordered by the number of Lepidotera species. Click a Genus to find a list of species native to your area, accompanied by a top 15 list of species they support.Butterflies Search returns a list of species that feed on suitable plant species in your area. The species are ordered by specialization: species that feed on only one species are listed first.

Native Plant Search, Audubon Society (added 2022-02-26)

You must provide a Zip Code to start the search, e.g.: 10001 is the Zip Code for the West side of mid-town Manhattan:

https://www.audubon.org/native-plants/search?zipcode=10001

  • Plant Type, e.g.: Shrub, Annual
  • Plant Resources, e.g.: Nectar, Fruit
  • Birds Attracted

You can view a recommended list or all results. You can also filter by type of plant, resources they provide, type of birds they attract, keyword, or combinations. You will need to refer to other sources for details about habitat, etc. They also provide links to online and local nurseries, though their listings are out of date.

Pollinator Partnership (Added 2022-02-26)

Find Your Roots Tool, Pollinator Partnership (Updated 2024-03-18)

Search by Zip Code, or the first three letters of a Canadian postal code.

Federal Highway Administration (U.S.) (added 2022-03-03)

Ecoregional Revegetation Application (ERA), Federal Highway Administration (U.S.) (updated 2024-03-18)

Others

eNature Native Plant Finder (Defunct as of 2024-03-18)
Plant Finder, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Updated 2024-03-18)
Native Plant Finder, Mt Cuba Center, Delaware
Native Plant Database, North American Native Plant Society (NANPS) (Updated 2024-03-18)
PLANTS Database Database, USDA
PlantNative
Illinois Wildflowers, Dr. John Hilty
Michigan Native Plant Producers Association (Disbanded in 2019)