Quick answer: 95 native plants for shade are native to Maine, 68 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
95 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American mountain ash Sorbus americana · 18 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Balsam fir Abies balsamea · 6 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black ash Fraxinus nigra · 19 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata · 25 states
- Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica · 31 states
- Bog Labrador tea Ledum groenlandicum · 11 states
- Bog laurel Kalmia polifolia · 13 states
- Bog rosemary Andromeda polifolia · 9 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis · 29 states
- Canada plum Prunus nigra · 3 states
- Canada yew Taxus canadensis · 18 states
- Canadian serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis · 21 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina springbeauty Claytonia caroliniana · 20 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 34 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Creeping snowberry Gaultheria hispidula · 12 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hay-scented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula · 25 states
- Eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis · 25 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
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Gray birch Betula populifolia · 17 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Great laurel Rhododendron maximum · 20 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus · 19 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Hobblebush Viburnum lantanoides · 17 states
- Interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana · 29 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium · 22 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- Mountain maple Acer spicatum · 18 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Northern white cedar Thuja occidentalis · 21 states
- Ostrich fern Matteuccia struthiopteris · 13 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 30 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Purple clematis Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis · 15 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red spruce Picea rubens · 15 states
- Riverbank grape Vitis riparia · 20 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 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
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet birch Betula lenta · 21 states
- Tamarack Larix laricina · 17 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Twoleaf miterwort Mitella diphylla · 25 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- Western bracken fern Pteridium aquilinum · 7 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Witherod viburnum Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides · 24 states
- Yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis · 21 states
Native plants for shade in Maine: what to know
95 of the 125 plants native to Maine in this directory fit this need: 76% 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: 66 are also good for birds, 56 are also good for pollinators, 47 are also drought-tolerant.
54 of them grow in full or partial sun and 95 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Bog laurel to trees such as American basswood and American beech. For wildlife, 56 support pollinators, 66 provide food or cover for birds and 29 are caterpillar host plants.
68 of the 95 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Bog rosemary, Eastern hop-hornbeam, Hairy beardtongue: 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