Ohio Native Plants of Distinction

In 2022, we started a new initiative to highlight some of the GREAT Native Plants of Ohio, called the Ohio Native Plants of Distinction. We selected 4 amazing plants for 2022: Bur Oak (a large canopy tree), Eastern Redbud (an understory tree), Northern Spicebush (a woody shrub) and Purple Coneflower (a perennial). In 2023 we highlighted 4 more great native plants: Sugar Maple (large canopy tree), Pawpaw (understory tree, Ohio’s Native Fruit), Virginia Bluebells (early blooming spring wildflower), and Swamp Milkweed (a great milkweed for summer pollinators). This year we have added 4 more! More information coming soon on these great new additions.

Bur Oak: A Very Large Canopy Tree (Quercus macrocarpa)

The Bur Oak can grow to be an extremely large tree, up to 90 feet tall and almost as wide. It is best known for its bold, majestic, dark branches, and its acorns with fuzzy caps. Because of the unique acrons, this tree is sometimes called the Mossycup Oak.

The leaves of this tree are very large, and have been described as fiddle-shaped… like a violin.

Of all the native plants, the oaks in the White Oak Family (like the Bur Oak) feed more species of caterpillars than any other (based on work by Dr. Doug Tallamy)… over 500 species!

Their acorns feed lots of wildlife including deer, bear, fox, wood ducks, and turkeys.

We don’t often think of Oaks as great for pollinators, but they are critical!

Fun Bur Oak Facts and Stories:

Bur Oaks typically live more than 300 years: Plant one today for your great, great, grandkids!
In mid-western oak savannas, the thick bark and deep tap roots of Bur Oak trees help them to survive wildfires.
Once a Bur Oak acorn is planted, the tap root can grow as much as 5 feet the first year! This makes these trees harder to grow in containers, and very difficult to transplant.
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, the Bur Oak “is the most western of the eastern oaks, extending all the way to the foothills of the Rockies where it is reduced to a shrub.”
This is a good urban tree, very tolerant of air pollution and car exhaust.
The timber of the Bur Oak is often used for construction, flooring, and barrel-making (cooperage).

Eastern Redbud: A Flowering Understory Tree (Cercis canadensis)

The Eastern Redbud is one of the first trees to bloom in a spring, offering a much-needed burst of color to the landscape. Because of this, it offers an early source of pollen and nectar to early butterflies and bees including bumblebees, mason bees, long-tongued bees, mining bees and honey bees.

The flowers appear as showy clusters along the branches, including on the main trunk and older branches. This plant is a member of the Pea or Legume Family (Fabaceae), with the flowers on this tree resembling those of peas or beans.

According to the Audubon Society, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is one of many songbirds attracted to the bright pink flowers.

Preferring a partially shaded location, this small tree grows 20-30’ tall, and only lives 20-70 years… but plant it for the gorgeous flowers!

As the flowers fade, the smooth, heart-shaped leaves appear.

In the fall, the leaves turn yellow, and flat, brown, seed pods appear providing food for Squirrels, Northern Bobwhite, Chickadees, and other wildlife.

Fun Eastern Redbud Facts and Stories:

The Arbor Day Foundation’s website states that, “Early settlers found the blossoms of the redbud a delicious addition to their salads.” Some people say they taste a bit like cloves.
Many plants have the species name “canadensis,” indicating that the plant was first found in Canada. Some of these plants include the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Bunchberry Dogwood (Cornus canadensis), and the highly invasive but native, Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis).
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, George Washington often wrote in his diary about the beauty of these trees, and planted them around his Mount Vernon home. And Thomas Jefferson included them at Monticello.
This tree would make a great substitute for non-native cherry trees in the landscape.
Though the native straight species (Cercis canadensis) has lavender-pink flowers and hear-shaped green leaves, there are varieties in the trade that have white flowers and green leaves (though still called a Redbud), others with dark burgundy foliage and pink flowers, and varieties with flowers ranging from light clear pink to dark pink. A newer variety, ‘Hearts of Gold’ has leaves that start bright orange-red then turn to a bright chartreuse green. And now there are several different weeping forms of this tree available.

Northern Spicebush: A Woody Shrub (Lindera benzoin)

The Northern Spicebush is a member of the Laurel Family (Lauraceae) along with our native Sassafras tree. The leaves of both plants are a favorite food of the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar.

Bright greenish-yellow flowers appear before the leaves in the spring, providing food for small bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

In the fall, the foliage turns a beautiful warm yellow that brightens the garden and woodlands.

This woody shrub grows 5 to 12 feet tall, in full sun to full shade (but prefers part shade), and is an excellent shrub for naturalizing.

In the late summer, bright red berries (drupes) appear on the female plants providing a high-energy food for migrating birds including vireos, tanagers, robins and thrushes (Va. Coop. Extension Pub.)

To determine if you have a spicebush, crush the leaves or twigs to see if they produce a spicy, pleasant fragrance. The unique oils from the this plant were used in folk medicine and as a substitute for allspice.

Fun Northern Spicebush Facts and Stories:

The name Lindera is in honor of the Swedish botanist, Johann Linder (1676-1723).
Benzoin is old Arabic for a species of Styrax (a plant) from which benzoic acid is obtained. The Spicebush is not a source of benzoin, but when the flowers, fruit, leaves, twigs or bark are crushed, they have the distinctive spicy aroma of benzoin.
During the Revolutionary War, colonists used the dried, powdered fruits for allspice- a spice previously obtained through trade from England. Hence the origin of the name, “Spicebush.”
The Native American Cherokee dried and powdered Spicebush fruits for flavoring in stews, soups and meats. Cherokee taught the settlers about their many uses for Spicebush including steeping the plant parts for a tea. The tea was used as a tonic, a cure for intestinal worms or dysentery, for treating coughs and colds, and as a bath to treat aches and pains (Mich. State Ethnobotany).

Purple Coneflower: A Great Perennial (Echinacea purpurea)

The Coneflower is a very important plant to grow for pollinators, providing pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies and other insects.

Purple Coneflower grows in prairie areas throughout the southwest quarter of Ohio, and occasionally in open woodlands. In home gardens, these plants prefer full sun to partial shade. New plantings may need to be watered until established.

The nectar is a favorite of migrating Monarch butterflies.

Photo: Lorre Kolb, Univ of Wisconsin-Madison

In the fall, the seeds of this plant are a favorite of seed-eating birds including Goldfinches and Chickadees.

The name Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinas meaning “sea urchin” or “hedgehog”

Where can you buy the native Coneflower species?

If you go to your local retailer or garden center and they do not carry the native species Echinaceae purpurea, you could buy the seed from OPN Seed, or check with an Ohio native plant grower.

click here to see the list of native plant growers in Ohio

A few of the Ohio native plant growers that will have native species plants available for sale in 2022 include Natives in Harmony, the Dawes Arboretum, (more listed soon).

OPN Seed is an Ohio seed company that is packaging native Coneflower seed for us.

click here to visit opn seed to buy Native Purple coneflower seed

What Coneflower Varieties are Suggested?

There are LOTS of Coneflower varieties in the trade. If your local retailer or garden center does not grow the native species, they may grow one of several varieties that might appeal to you. If you do buy a variety instead of the straight species, make sure the flower shape is very similar to the original species. Flowers that are “doubles” or have twice as many petals as normal, are apt to make it harder for pollinators to access nectar or pollen.

Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ is a vigorous grower with large, pink flowers, and looks quite a bit like the native species. And Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ is also vigorous grower with large flowers, but the flowers are pure white.

There are a long list of other varieties that are crosses with native species. Echinacea purpurea ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ is a seed-grown variety that displays lots of sunset colors at an economical price!

Echinacea purpurea ‘Pow Wow Wild Berry’ is an easy-to-grow Coneflower with large magenta flowers that bloom from early through late summer. A very popular variety.

Fun Purple Coneflower Facts and Stories:

Native American tribes including the Delaware and Algonquin, used Coneflower as a drug to treat venereal disease, snake bites, headaches, toothaches and upper respiratory ailments (Michigan State Ethnobotany).
Lloyd Brothers Pharmaceutical Company of Cincinnati, reported in 1923 that the Echinacea drug was the most used drug in America since 1885. Even today, Echinacea tea can be purchased from pharmacies and health food stores. Recent research suggests that medical compounds found in Echinacea purpurea may stimulate the body’s immune system against viral and bacterial infections.