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.
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
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.
Cephalanthus – Magical Moonlight Buttonbush
Dwarf variety of Missouri Native. Showy flowers beloved by native wildlife.
Cephalanthus Fiber Optics Buttonbush
Dwarf variety of Missouri native. Showy flowers beloved by native wildlife.
Cephalanthus occidentalis – Buttonbush
Cercis canadensis – Eastern Redbud
Showy flowers on this easy native tree.
Chasmanthium latifolium – Northern Sea Oats
Bring beautiful form to your shade garden.
Chelone glabra -Turtle Head
Illinois and Missouri native moisture-loving perennial.
Chelone obliqua – Turtle Head
Popular native Missouri perennial with turtle head shaped flowers.
Chionanthus virginicus – Fringe Tree
Missouri native tree with elaborate blooms.
Coreopsis pubescens – Star Tickseed
Missouri and Illinois native perennial. Easy!
Coreopsis tripteris – Star Tickseed
Choice Missouri native for butterflies.
Cornus alternifolia Pagoda Dogwood
Popular Missouri native tree.
Cornus florida – White Flowering Dogwood Tree
Popular Missouri native tree.
Cornus florida f. rubra Pink Flowering Dogwood Tree
Popular Missouri native tree.
Corylus americana – American Hazelnut
Edible native shrub with showy spring flowers. Grows in sun or shade.
Dalea purpurea – Purple Prairie Clover
Native perennial with fascinating foliage and flowers.
Delphinium exaltatum – Larkspur
Missouri native perennial Larkspur.
Diospyros virginiana – American Persimmon
Pretty bark adds winter interest. Female plants produce sweet fruit.
Echinacea angustifolia – Narrow-Leaf Coneflower
A charming Missouri native perennial.
Echinacea pallida – Pale Purple Coneflower
Missouri Botanical Gardens Plant of Merit Winner.
Echinacea simulata – Glade Coneflower
Tough Missouri native perennial.
Eupatorium purpureum Eutrochium – Joe-Pye Weed
One of the largest Missouri native perennials.
Frangula (Rhamnus) caroliniana – Carolina Buckthorn
Showy foliage and airy flowers on small Mo native tree.
Gentiana andrewsii – Bottle Gentian
Gillenea trifolata – Bowman’s Root
Lacy star-shaped flowers on delightful Missouri and Illinois native perennial.
Gymnocladus dioicus – Kentucky Coffee Tree
Award-winning tree to create shade.
Hamamelis vernalis – Ozark Witch Hazel
Award winning native shrub.
Helenium autumnale – Sneezeweed
Missouri native perennial for sunny spots.
Heuchera richardsonii – Alum Root
Missouri native perennial.
Hibiscus laevis – Halberd Leaved Rose Mallow
Its interesting leaves resemble the 15th-16th century weapon the halberd spear.
Hibiscus moscheutos – Swamp Rose Mallow
Among the largest flowers produced by a native perennial.
Hydrangea – Pinky Pollen Ring Smooth Hydrangea
Pink flowers create a flutter of activity in the garden!
Hydrangea arborescens – Smooth Hydrangea
2024 Native Plant Of The Year
Hypericum prolificum – Shrubby St. John’s Wort
A popular native shrub with sunny yellow puff balls of blossoms.
Iodanthus pinnatifidus – Purple Rocket
A Missouri and Illinois native that brings color to shady spots.
Iris cristata – Crested Iris
A delightful Missouri native Iris for shade.
Iris virginica shrevei – Southern Blue Flag
Missouri and Illinois native Iris for wet spots.
Itea virginica, Virginia Sweetspire
This small Missouri and Illinois native shrubs grows anywhere, sun, shade, wet, dry.
Liatris pycnostachya – Prairie Blazing Star
A favorite of humans and other critters.
Liatris scariosa – Blazing Star
Has the largest flowers of all Missouri native Blazing Stars.
Liatris spicata Blazing Star
Showy Missouri native loved by butterflies.
Lindera benzoin – Spicebush
Illinois and Missouri native host plant to Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly.
Liriodendron tulipifera – Tulip Tree
Stately native tree.
Melanthium virginicum – Bunchflower
One of the showiest Missouri and Illinois native plants.
Oligoneuron ridellii – Riddell’s Goldenrod
An important pollinator food source.
Opuntia humifusa – Prickly Pear Cactus
Missouri and Illinois native perennial cactus.
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum – Cinnamon Fern
Packera aurea – Golden Groundsel
Dream plant for tough dry shade spots.
Penstemon hirsutus – Hairy Beardtongue
Hoards of purple and white dangling bells, U.S. native perennial.
Phlox divaricata – Wild Sweet William
Delightful MO and IL native perennial with a sweet perfume.
Phlox paniculata – Garden Phlox
Missouri native with fragrant flowers for months.
Phlox pilosa – Prairie Phlox
Native perennial, makes a fantastic ground cover in sunny areas.
Physocarpus opulifolius, Ninebark
Showy native shrub. Perfect for borders, erosion control and pollinator gardens.
Platanus occidentalis – American Sycamore
Large tree with beautiful exfoliating bark.
Podophyllum peltatum – Mayapple
Early blooming Missouri native perennial.
Polygonatum biflorum var commutatum – Solomon’s Seal
Dangling flowers appear in spring on this Illinois and Missouri native.
Ptelea trifoliata – Hop Tree
Host plant for Giant Swallowtail Butterfly.
Quercus bicolor – Swamp White Oak Tree
Bring the gift of nature home with this beauty, MO and IL native.
Quercus coccinea – Scarlet Oak
Vibrant red leaves in fall.
Quercus macrocarpa – Bur Oak
Showy acorns and leaves on a statuesque tree.
Quercus rubra – Red Oak Tree
Statuesque MO and IL native tree.
Rhus aromatica – Fragrant Sumac
Rugged native Missouri and Illinois ground cover shrub for tough spots.
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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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