Quick answer: 103 native Louisiana plants have a recorded bloom range that includes April.
103 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia · 28 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American olive Osmanthus americanus · 8 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Bald cypress Taxodium distichum · 16 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black locust Robinia pseudoacacia · 12 states
- Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica · 31 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Boxelder Acer negundo · 16 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Carolina allspice Calycanthus floridus · 17 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis · 7 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 10 states
- Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens · 16 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Crossvine Bignonia capreolata · 16 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata · 22 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana · 10 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Mountain witch-alder Fothergilla major · 8 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa · 9 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Orange azalea Rhododendron austrinum · 5 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- Plains coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria · 16 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii · 11 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 18 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea · 28 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Silky camellia Stewartia malacodendron · 8 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum · 17 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Southern live oak Quercus virginiana · 10 states
- Southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora · 10 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana · 17 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Two-wing silverbell Halesia diptera · 8 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica · 19 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
April in a Louisiana native garden
April is one of Louisiana's busiest bloom months, with 103 of the state's 179 native plants flowering (the peak is May).
43 start blooming in April, including American basswood, American beech and American bladdernut. 9 finish in April, including American elm, American sycamore and Boxelder, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
68 of them grow in full or partial sun and 67 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Buffalograss to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American basswood. For wildlife, 84 support pollinators, 75 provide food or cover for birds and 46 are caterpillar host plants.
87 of the 103 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Common yarrow, Crossvine, Eastern bluestar: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- American basswood Tilia americana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul