Quick answer: 100 native plants for shade are native to Louisiana, 79 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
100 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana · 13 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia · 28 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 strawberry bush Euonymus americanus · 23 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- American wisteria Wisteria frutescens · 14 states
- Bigleaf magnolia Magnolia macrophylla · 13 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica · 31 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina allspice Calycanthus floridus · 17 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 34 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis · 7 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata · 19 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 22 states
- Devil's walking stick Aralia spinosa · 21 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 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
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos · 13 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora · 25 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa · 9 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia · 9 states
- Orange azalea Rhododendron austrinum · 5 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 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
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Silky camellia Stewartia malacodendron · 8 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens · 23 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
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana · 17 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Titi cyrilla Cyrilla racemiflora · 8 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Two-wing silverbell Halesia diptera · 8 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 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
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
- Yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea · 21 states
Native plants for shade in Louisiana: what to know
100 of the 179 plants native to Louisiana in this directory fit this need: 56% of the state's list, well above the 47% 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: 76 are also good for pollinators, 74 are also good for birds, 51 are also drought-tolerant.
42 of them grow in full or partial sun and 100 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Christmas fern to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American basswood. For wildlife, 76 support pollinators, 74 provide food or cover for birds and 38 are caterpillar host plants.
79 of the 100 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American wisteria, Eastern bluestar, Eastern hop-hornbeam: 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.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr