Quick answer: 213 native plants for pollinators are native to Arkansas, 178 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
213 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Bald cypress Taxodium distichum · 16 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black oak Quercus velutina · 30 states
- Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica · 31 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium · 12 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Blue wild indigo Baptisia australis · 23 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis · 7 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum · 20 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 10 states
- Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens · 16 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Crossvine Bignonia capreolata · 16 states
- Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum · 32 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 22 states
- Dense blazing star Liatris spicata · 24 states
- Devil's walking stick Aralia spinosa · 21 states
- Dotted blazing star Liatris punctata · 17 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Dwarf crested iris Iris cristata · 17 states
- Dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne · 15 states
- Early azalea Rhododendron prinophyllum · 17 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 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
- Fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis · 16 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Groundnut Apios americana · 21 states
- Groundsel tree Baccharis halimifolia · 12 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos · 13 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 31 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Large penstemon (shell-leaf beardtongue) Penstemon grandiflorus · 12 states
- Leadplant Amorpha canescens · 16 states
- Leavenworth's eryngo Eryngium leavenworthii · 1 states
- Lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora · 10 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata · 22 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani · 3 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana · 10 states
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense · 16 states
- Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa · 26 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Narrow-leaf coneflower Echinacea angustifolia · 11 states
- Narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium · 21 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 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
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida · 23 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 30 states
- Pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida · 17 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- Pink-scale blazing star Liatris elegans · 9 states
- Plains coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria · 16 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 19 states
- Prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre · 11 states
- Prairie crabapple Malus ioensis · 15 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 19 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie onion Allium stellatum · 12 states
- Prairie redroot Ceanothus herbaceus · 1 states
- Prairie rosinweed (prairie dock) Silphium terebinthinaceum · 4 states
- Prairie tickseed Coreopsis palmata · 10 states
- Purple milkweed Asclepias purpurascens · 20 states
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea · 18 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii · 11 states
- Royal catchfly Silene regia · 1 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 18 states
- Scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa · 22 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens · 23 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum · 17 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum · 15 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa · 11 states
- Sweet crabapple Malus coronaria · 20 states
- Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana · 17 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tall blazing star Liatris aspera · 26 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Umbrella tree magnolia Magnolia tripetala · 17 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana · 24 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica · 19 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White prairie clover Dalea candida · 1 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium · 16 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 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
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
- Yellow (Bush's) coneflower Echinacea paradoxa · 1 states
- Yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea · 21 states
Native plants for pollinators in Arkansas: what to know
213 of the 278 plants native to Arkansas in this directory fit this need: 77% of the state's list, above the 72% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through December, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 138 are also good for birds, 120 are also shade-tolerant, 118 are also drought-tolerant.
147 of them grow in full or partial sun and 120 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American basswood. For wildlife, 213 support pollinators, 138 provide food or cover for birds and 90 are caterpillar host plants.
178 of the 213 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Crimson-eyed rose-mallow: 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun