Quick answer: 72 native Oklahoma plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
72 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black oak Quercus velutina · 30 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 10 states
- Crossvine Bignonia capreolata · 16 states
- Dwarf crested iris Iris cristata · 17 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fringed bluestar Amsonia ciliata · 2 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana · 10 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Pincushion daisy (perfumeballs) Gaillardia suavis · 1 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Scarlet sage Salvia coccinea · 3 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Texas bluebonnet (state flower) Lupinus texensis · 2 states
- Three-flower melic grass Melica nitens · 17 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Wild hyacinth (Atlantic camas) Camassia scilloides · 20 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
March in an Oklahoma native garden
March is a quieter month in Oklahoma: 72 of the state's 247 native plants flower in March, compared with 159 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
58 start blooming in March, including Allegheny chinquapin, American holly and American hornbeam. 3 finish in March, including Loblolly pine, River birch and Shortleaf pine, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
40 of them grow in full or partial sun and 49 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Bloodroot to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American elm. For wildlife, 59 support pollinators, 51 provide food or cover for birds and 36 are caterpillar host plants.
56 of the 72 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Crossvine, Eastern bluestar, Mountain azalea: 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.
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-May