Illinois Native Plants
Here you will find Illinois native plants for the St Louis metro area.
Making Illinois native plant selections can be daunting. We’ve done your homework for you, we specialize in Illinois native plants here at our St Louis nursery. From these you will find Illinois native plants for the St. Louis metro area that will possess the qualities you need for your own unique garden.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All the Illinois native plants listed here are offered in the nursery, subject to availability. Some of these Illinois native plants may be ordered online for pickup at the nursery.
We do not ship.
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Plant Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirements
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Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirement
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistance
Zizia aurea – Golden Alexander
2025 Native Plant of the Year - gorgeous, easy, and, most importantly, supports pollinators and wildlife.
Achillea millefolium – Yarrow
Ideal native plant for hot sunny spots.
Asclepias incarnata – Swamp Milkweed
Missouri and Illinois native with clouds of pink blossoms.
Asclepias syriaca – Common Milkweed
Essential host plant for Monarch caterpillars. Mo Bot Garden's Plant of Merit winner.
Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Milkweed
#1 best selling Missouri native perennial.
Aster laevis – Bluebird Smooth Blue Aster
Few plants can top the intense robin's egg blue exuberant display. Ranked #1 Best Aster in top study.
Aster novae angliae – New England Aster
A butterfly favorite and Missouri and Illinois native perennial.
Callirhoe involucrata – Purple Poppy Mallow
2019 Native of the Year. Long-blooming native Illinois and Missouri ground cover.
Carex eburnea – Bristle Leaf Sedge
Looks like grass but no mowing required, shade lover.
Coreopsis lanceolata – Lance Leaf Coreopsis
Named 2021 Missouri Native Plant Of The Year for its outstanding qualities.
Echinacea paradoxa – Ozark Coneflower
A rare Missouri native perennial.
Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower
Gorgeous Missouri native perennial for natural and formal settings.
Eryngium yuccifolium – Rattlesnake Master
Tough and unique Missouri and Illinois native for hot, dry areas.
Heliopsis helianthoides – Oxeye Sunflower
Popular Missouri native with people and pollinators.
Hydrangea – Haas’ Halo Smooth Hydrangea
Highly sought after, rare and limited.
Liatris aspera – Rough Blazing Star
An important food source for pollinators, Missouri and Illinois native perennial.
Lobelia cardinalis – Cardinal Flower
Choice Missouri and Illinois native perennial with brilliant cardinal red blossoms.
Lobelia siphilitica – Blue Cardinal Flower
Majestic Missouri native perennial.
Lonicera sempervirens – Coral Honeysuckle
Easy to grow Missouri native vine.
Monarda bradburiana – Bee Balm
Important Missouri native pollinator plant.
Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot
An important Missouri and Illinois native pollinator food source.
Oenothera macrocarpa – Missouri Evening Primrose
Top Missouri native perennial highly recommended.
Packera obovata – Squaw Weed
Fantastic MO native evergreen ground cover for sun or shade.
Penstemon digitalis – Smooth White Beardtongue
An important food source for pollinators.
Polemonium reptans – Jacob’s Ladder
Top Missouri native ground cover for shady areas.
Pycnanthemum muticum – Blunt Mountain Mint
Top choice to attract butterflies and more, multiple award winner. Missouri Botanical Garden Plant of Merit, Perennial Plant Association 2025 Perennial of the Year.
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium – Slender Mountain Mint
2020 Native of the Year.
Sedum ternatum – Three-Leaved Stonecrop
Hard working Missouri and Illinois native ground cover for hot areas.
Senecio aureus – Golden Groundsel
Dream plant for tough dry shade spots.
Spigelia marilandica – Little Red Head Indian Pink
Superior selection of our Missouri native Indian Pink with vibrant crimson trumpets.
Amelanchier arborea Downy Serviceberry
Colorful year round with flowers, berries, foliage and bark.
Amelanchier laevis, Allegheny Serviceberry
Native plant with showy multi-seasonal interest.
Amsonia tabermontana – Willowleaf Blue Star
Top award-winning native with starry blue flowers.
Antennaria plantaginifolia – Pussytoes
Missouri and Illinois native with fun flowers shaped like a cat's paw.
Apios americana – Groundnut Vine
Missouri native vine for shade.
Aquilegia canadensis – Columbine
Charming, dangling blossoms of red and yellow.
Aristolochia tomentosa – Dutchman’s Pipe
Pipe shaped blossoms on rapidly growing native vine.
Aronia melanocarpa – Chokeberry
Showy Missouri native shrub. Tolerates wet soils.
Asclepias perennis – Aquatic Millkweed
An important food source for Monarch butterflies and other flying gems.
Asclepias sullivantii – Prairie Milkweed
Important food source for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
Asclepias verticillata – Whorled Milkweed
Important food source for Monarch butterflies.
Asclepias viridis – Green Milkweed
A Missouri and Illinois fascinating native perennial.
Asimina triloba – Pawpaw Tree
2022 Tree Of the Year, Missouri's Official State Fruit Tree
Aster cordifolius – Blue Wood Aster
Shade loving Missouri native with clouds of rich blue flowers.
Aster laevis – Smooth Aster
Billowing panicles of soft blue flowers in autumn.
Baptisia australis – Blue Indigo
A Missouri native adored for its indigo blossoms.
Bignonia capreolata – Cross Vine
2" trumpet shaped blossoms, Missouri and Illinois native vine.
Callicarpa americana – American Beautyberry
Missouri and Illinois native shrub with showy purple berries.
Calycanthus – Aphrodite Carolina Allspice
Beautiful fragrant flowers.
Calycanthus floridus – Carolina Allspice
Award winning Missouri native shrub with highly scented flowers.
Calycanthus Simply Scentsational – Carolina Allspice
Highly fragrant flowers with fruity fragrance.
Carex pensylvanica Pennsylvania Sedge or Oak Sedge
Native Sedge ideal for shade to deep shade where nothing else will grow.
Carpinus caroliniana – American Hornbeam
Award-winning native tree for understory plantings.
Carya illinonensis, Pecan Tree
Large Missouri and Illinois native tree that produces delicious edible nuts.
Carya laciniosa – Shellbark Hickory
Showy bark, edible nuts on this pretty native tree.
Ceanothus americanus – New Jersey Tea
Fragrant flowers on small native shrub, butterflies and more adore it.
Cephalanthus – Crimson Comets Buttonbush
A selection of our Missouri native with excellent fall color.
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FILTER THE ITEMS ON THIS PAGE BY:
Plant Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirements
Bloom Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistances
Type
Genus
Common Name
Light Requirement
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Height
Uses
Resistance
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