Native Plants for Dry, Shallow, Rocky Soil - Ozark Wild Ones

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1	NATIVE PLANTS FOR SHALLOW, ROCKY, POOR SOIL List created by Lissa Morrison
2	Type	Botanical name	Common name	Image	Photo Credit	Avg. Height	Sun	Moisture	Notes

3	GRASSES	Bouteloua curtipendula	Sideoats Grama		15	1.5 - 2.5'	Sun	Dry to medium	Clump-forming with interesting seed heads.
4	GRASSES	Schizachyrium scoparium	Little Bluestem		4	2 - 4'	Sun	Dry to medium	Host to 19 species of butterflies & moths. Winter protection for beneficial insects.
5	GRASSES	Sporobolus heterolepis	Prairie Dropseed			2 - 3'	Sun	Dry to medium	Clumping grass for birds & butterflies. Tolerates clay. 'Tara' is a dwarf variety. 2'
6	PERENNIALS	Achillea millefolium	Yarrow		1	2 - 3'	Sun	Dry to medium	Feathery leaves make this an attractive plant even when not in bloom. White flowers are a food source for many species of butterflies and moths.
7	PERENNIALS	Allium cernuum A. stellatum	Nodding Wild Onion Glade Onion		4	12 - 16"	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	A. cernuum has distinctive nodding flowers that are white, pink, or maroon. A. stellatum has pink or purple umbels. Bulbs and leaves of both species are edible (cooked and in small amounts).
8	PERENNIALS	Anemone virginiana	Thimbleweed		23	1 - 2'	Sun to shade	Dry to medium	White flowers in spring followed by a seed head that resembles a thimble. Will grow in poor soil.
9	PERENNIALS	Antennaria plantaginifolia	Pussytoes		13	6 - 12"	Sun	Dry to medium	Small, white flowers bloom in early spring. Spreads through stolons to form an attractive ground cover.
10	PERENNIALS	Asclepias tuberosa A. purpurascens A. syriaca	Orange Milkweed Purple Milkweed Common Milkweed			18 - 24" 2 - 4' 2 - 4'	Sun	Dry to medium	All milkweeds are the host plant for monarch butterflies. Many other butterflies and moths and bees use the flowers for nectar. Purple milkweed grows best in PM or part shade.
11	PERENNIALS	Baptisia australis	Wild Blue Indigo		27	3 - 4'	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	Long-lived perennial. Host to 19 butterflies and moths. Important to bees and other pollinators. Interesting seed pods after flowers.
12	PERENNIALS	Callirhoe bushii C. involucrata	Bush's Poppymallow Purple Poppymallow		19	12-18" 6 - 12"	Sun	Dry to medium	Wine-colored blooms in late spring. Cut back after blooms for tidy new foliage.
13	PERENNIALS	Coreopsis grandiflora C .lanceolata C. palmata C. pubescens C. tinctoria C. verticillata	Large Flower Tickseed Lanceleaf Coreopsis Prairie Tickseed Star Tickseed Annual Tickseed Threadleaf Coreop.			18 - 30" 12 - 24" 18 - 30" 12 - 48" 30 - 36"	Sun	Dry to medium	Yellow flowers early summer. Deadhead spent flowers for re-blooming and to prevent self-seeding. Well-drained soil a must.
14	PERENNIALS	Cunila origanoides	Dittany		9	10 - 15"	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	A small tidy pollinator plant with lavender flowers late summer into fall. Tolerates dry, shallow soil.
15	PERENNIALS	Dalea purpurea	Purple Prairie Clover		2	18 - 24"	Sun	Dry to average, well-drained	Provides mid-summer nectar to many bees, butterflies, and pollinators. A good plant for drier prairie-type soil.
16	PERENNIALS	Desmanthus illinoensis	Prairie Bundleflower		4	2 - 3'	Sun	Dry to medium	Flowers resemble buttonbush flowers and leaves resemble mimosa leaves and fold up with strong sunlight or touch. Interesting seedpod. Flowers attract butterflies. Birds, including quail, eat the seeds.
17	PERENNIALS	Echinacea angustifolia E. pallida E. paradoxa E. purpurea E. simulata	Narrow Leaf Conefl. Pale Purple Conefl. Yellow Coneflower Purple Coneflower Glade Coneflower			1 - 2' 2 - 3' 2 - 3' 2.5 - 3.5' 2 - 3'	Sun Sun - pt shade Sun Sun - pt shade Sun - pt shade	Dry to average	Coneflower seed heads are loved by birds. All are pollinator magnets.
18	PERENNIALS	Eryngium yuccifolium	Rattlesnake Master			4'	Sun	Dry to medium	Tall cream flower above yucca-like basal leaves. Supports bees, butterflies and beneficial insects.
19	PERENNIALS	Glandularia canadensis	Rose Verbena			6 - 12"	Sun	Dry to medium	Excellent aggressive groundcover for bees & butterflies. Cut back after first bloom to encourage repeat.
20	PERENNIALS	Helianthus H. divaricatus H. hirsutus H. maximiliani H. mollis H. silphioides H. tuberosa	Woodland Sunflower Hairy Sunflower Maximillian Sunfl. Ashy Sunflower Ozark Sunflower Jerusalem Artichoke			2 - 5' 2.5 - 5' 3 - 10' 2 - 4' 3 - 10'	Full sun	Dry to medium	Very late summer flowers very valuable to bees and 67 butterflies and moths. Cut in half late spring to control height. Ashy can be very aggressive. Woodland blooms mid-summer in part shade. Blooms about 2 months from mid sum. to early fall.
21	PERENNIALS	Heliopsis helianthoides	False Sunflower			3 - 4'	Sun	Dry to medium	Good well-behaved substitute for giant sunflowers. Prefers well-drained soil.
22	PERENNIALS	Liatris aspera L. mucronata L. scariosa	Rough Blazingstar Bottlebrush Blazingstar			2 - 3' 2 - 2.5' 2 - 4'	Sun	Dry to medium	Purple blooms in mid to late summer. Liatris are loved by bumble bees and pollinators.
23	PERENNIALS	Monarda bradburiana M. fistulosa	Bradbury's Beebalm Wild Bergamot		1	1 - 2' 2 - 4'	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	Bradburiana not as aggressive as most. All bee balm attract hummers, bees, and 9 species of butterflies. M. fistulosa can be aggressive.
24	PERENNIALS	Oenothera macrocarpa	Missouri Primrose		4	9 - 12"	Sun	Dry to medium	Large, showy yellow flowers open in the late afternoon and close the next day.
25	PERENNIALS	Parthenium integrifolium	Wild Quinine		27	2 - 4'	Sun	Dry to medium	Attractive leaves and long blooming season. White flowers.
26	PERENNIALS	Penstemon cobaea	Prairie Beardtongue		17	1 - 2'	Sun	Dry to medium	Flowers in summer for bees, butterflies & hummingbirds. Typically grows in limestone glades, therefore a limestone substrate is needed.
27	PERENNIALS	Phemeranthus calycinus	Fame Flower or Rock Pink			6 - 9"	Sun	Dry to medium	Succulent type leaves. Handles shallow rocky soil. Showy quarter-sized rose-pink flowers several weeks in summer.
28	PERENNIALS	Phlox bifida	Sand Phlox		13	4 - 6"	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	Showy, fragrant flowers attract butterflies.
29	PERENNIALS	Pityopsis graminifolia	Narrowleaf Silkgrass		18	1 - 2'	Sun to part shade	Medium	Daisy-like yellow flowers and leaves similar to grass. Can form colonies.
30	PERENNIALS	Polystichum acrostichoides	Christmas Fern			12 - 18"	Shade	Dry to medium	Evergreen fern that stays attractive even during a drought.
31	PERENNIALS	Pycnanthemum tenuifolium	Slender Mt. Mint			2 - 3'	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	Magnet for bees & butterflies. Spreads but not over-aggressively, unless in rich soil. Clustered can have a powdered, silvery look.
32	PERENNIALS	Ratibida columnifera	Mexican Hat			1 - 3'	Sun	Dry to medium	Colorful flowerheads, either yellow or yellow and reddish brown.
33	PERENNIALS	Rudbeckia fulgida R. missouriensis	Orange Coneflower Missouri Coneflower			2 - 3' 2 -3'	Sun	Dry to medium	Both coneflowers have 2-3 month long bloom period. Both attract many butterflies, moths, and bees.
34	PERENNIALS	Ruellia humilis	Wild Petunia			1.5 - 2'	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	Long blooming lavender blue, bell-shaped flowers. Reseeds readily.
35	PERENNIALS	Salvia azurea S. lyrata	Blue Sage Lyre-leaf Sage		15	3 - 5' 1 -2'	Sun Sun to part shade	Medium to dry	S.azurea has blue flowers in late summer for bees, butterflies & hummingbirds. S.lyrata blooms spring into summer, and spreads aggressively.
36	PERENNIALS	Scutellaria incana S.ovata	Downy Skullcap Heart-leaved Skullcap		18	2 - 3' 1 - 2'	Sun to part shade Sun	Dry to medium	Blue flowers mid-summer support bumblebees, hummers & butterflies.
37	PERENNIALS	Sedum pulchellum	Widow's Cross		20	6 - 12"	Sun	Dry to medium	White flowers provide spr.nectar for bees & bflys. Reseeding annual, dies in summer.
38	PERENNIALS	Silene caroliniana S. regia S. stellata S. virginica	Wild Pink Royal Catchfly Starry Campion Fire Pink		13	9 - 12" 3 - 4' 2 - 3' 12 - 18"	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	S. caroliniana, S. virginica, and S. regia have showy red flowers loved by hummers. S. stellata has white flowers.
39	PERENNIALS	Silphium integrifolium S. laciniatum	Rosinweed Compass Plant			2 - 5' 5 - 9'	Sun	Medium	Yellow flowers that resemble small sunflowers. Best in naturalized areas.
40	PERENNIALS	Solidago drummondii S. nemoralis	Cliff Goldenrod Gray Goldenrod			1.5 - 3' 1 - 2'	Sun	Dry to medium	All goldenrods are important for late season food for pollinators. S.drummondii is well-behaved and excellent for more manicured gardens. S.nemoralis will aggressively self-seed.
41	PERENNIALS	Symphyotrichum ericoides S. laeve S. oblongifolium S. oolentangiense	White Heath Aster Smooth Aster Aromatic Aster Skyblue Aster			1 - 3' 2 - 4' 1 - 3' 1 - 3'	Sun	Dry to medium	Cut in half late spring to control height. Masses of blue flowers in late fall very important for late nectar for all pollinators. Host for 8 butterflies & moths.
42	PERENNIALS	Tephrosia virginiana	Goat's Rue		13	12 - 18"	Sun to light shade	Dry to medium	Gray-green foliage with interesting bi-color yellow pink flowers in early summer followed by interesting seeds.
43	PERENNIALS	Tradescantia ohiensis	Ohio Spiderwort			2 - 3'	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	Shades of rose to purple. Cut back in early summer to renew foliage & encourage a repeat bloom in the fall.
44	PERENNIALS	Verbena stricta	Hoary Vervain		26	2 - 4'	Sun	Dry to medium	Purple flower spikes attract butterflies. Birds and small mammals eat the seeds.
45	PERENNIALS	Verbesina helianthoides	Yellow Crownbeard			2 - 3'	Sun	Dry to medium	Yellow daisy-like flowers in late spring. Best in naturalized settings.
46	PERENNIALS	Vernonia baldwinii	Western Ironweed			3 - 5'	Sun	Dry to medium	A large perennial that blooms with purple flowers in mid-summer. Cutting back to 12" in late spring will reduce the height.
47	PERENNIALS	Viola pedata	Bird's Foot Violet			4 - 6"	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	Very early spring bi-color blooms, usually purples and lavender. Well-drained soil a must. Does not do well in crowded conditions.
48	SHRUBS	Ceanothus americanus	New Jersey Tea		6	3 - 4'	Sun to part shade	Well-drained soil	Fragrant white flowers in early spring on new stems. Attracts bees, hummers, and 27 butterflies. Prune in early spring for good shape.
49	SHRUBS	Hydrangea arborescens	Wild Hydrangea		18	3-5'	Part shade	Medium	Excellent pollinator shrub that aggressively spreads. White flowers in spring. Handles drought.
50	SHRUBS	Physocarpus opulifolius	Ninebark		9	5 - 8'	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	*Cultivars wtih colored leaves are hybrids and will not be used as host plants. The native species is green. Prune after flowering if shaping is needed.
51	SHRUBS	Ptelea trifoliata	Wafer Ash		19	15 - 20'	Shade to sun	Dry to medium	Attractive shrub or small tree with thin, wafer-like 1" seeds that provide interest all winter.
52	SHRUBS	Rhus aromatica R.copallinum R. glabra	Fragrant Sumac Winged Sumac Smooth Sumac		17	4 - 6' 7 - 12' 9 - 15'	Sun to part shade	Dry to medium	A sprawling med.sized shrub with fragrant leaves. Red berries feed the birds. Beautiful fall color.
53	SHRUBS	Staphylea trifolia	American Bladdernut			10 - 15'	Part shade to shade	Dry to medium	Large attractive shrub that forms colonies. White flowers that give way to interesting seed pods.
54	VINES	Clematis pitcheri C. versicolor	Purple Leatherflower Pale Leatherflower		17	10 - 13' 6 - 16'	Sun to part shade	Medium	Vine with purple to lavender bell-shaped flowers that bloom on new growth.
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56						Photo Credits
57					1	Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.
58					2	Photo by USFWS
59					4	Photo by Patrick Alexander polyploid.net
60					5	National Park Service		18	Photo by Eleanor Dietrich
61					6	Photo by Dan Keck		19	Photo by Ali Eminov
62					9	Photo by USGS		20	Photo by Doug McGrady
63					13	Photo by Kerry Woods		23	Photo by F.D. Richards
64					15	Photo by John Winder		26	Photo by Joshua Mayer
65					17	Photo by Sonnia Hill		27	Photo by Dan Mullen
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