Quick answer: 52 native plants for wet soil and rain gardens are native to Arkansas, 43 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
52 species
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- Bald cypress Taxodium distichum · 16 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata · 19 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 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
- Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum · 25 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata · 25 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie rosinweed (prairie dock) Silphium terebinthinaceum · 4 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet rosemallow Hibiscus coccineus · 9 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth alder Alnus serrulata · 23 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 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
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
Native plants for wet soil and rain gardens in Arkansas: what to know
52 of the 278 plants native to Arkansas in this directory fit this need: 19% of the state's list, above the 15% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through November, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 42 are also good for birds, 38 are also shade-tolerant, 37 are also good for pollinators.
39 of them grow in full or partial sun and 38 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bloodroot and Eastern bluestar to trees such as American holly and Bald cypress. For wildlife, 37 support pollinators, 42 provide food or cover for birds and 19 are caterpillar host plants.
43 of the 52 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Crimson-eyed rose-mallow, 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.
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct