Quick answer: 50 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Illinois, 50 with a live listing as of 16 Sep 2026.
50 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 32 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 16 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 25 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 32 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 42 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 24 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 37 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 8 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 12 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 15 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 22 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 10 states
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum · 11 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 20 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 17 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 34 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 22 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 36 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 30 states
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus · 19 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 21 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 31 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 12 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 32 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 25 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 19 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 28 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 23 states
- Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium · 14 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 23 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 31 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 13 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 17 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 16 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 11 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 24 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 22 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 21 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 25 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 13 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 12 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 25 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 24 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 27 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 10 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 28 states