Quick answer: 63 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Maine, 53 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
63 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American mountain ash Sorbus americana · 18 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata · 25 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping phlox Phlox subulata · 23 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern teaberry Gaultheria procumbens · 23 states
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus · 28 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Gray birch Betula populifolia · 17 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus · 19 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium · 22 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern white cedar Thuja occidentalis · 21 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Starry false Solomon's seal Maianthemum stellatum · 19 states
- Striped maple Acer pensylvanicum · 18 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Sweet birch Betula lenta · 21 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Western bracken fern Pteridium aquilinum · 7 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
Drought-tolerant native plants in Maine: what to know
63 of the 125 plants native to Maine in this directory fit this need: 50% of the state's list, below the 56% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 51 are also good for birds, 47 are also shade-tolerant, 45 are also good for pollinators.
49 of them grow in full or partial sun and 47 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 American basswood and American hazelnut. For wildlife, 45 support pollinators, 51 provide food or cover for birds and 28 are caterpillar host plants.
53 of the 63 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Creeping phlox: 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