Quick answer: 47 native plants for wet soil and rain gardens are native to Mississippi, 37 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
47 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
- Canadian serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis · 21 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 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
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet rosemallow Hibiscus coccineus · 9 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern catalpa Catalpa bignonioides · 2 states
- Southern wax myrtle Morella cerifera · 8 states
- Stiff dogwood Cornus foemina · 12 states
- Swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum · 15 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Titi cyrilla Cyrilla racemiflora · 8 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides · 16 states
Native plants for wet soil and rain gardens in Mississippi: what to know
47 of the 252 plants native to Mississippi 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: 37 are also good for birds, 36 are also good for pollinators, 33 are also shade-tolerant.
34 of them grow in full or partial sun and 33 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, 36 support pollinators, 37 provide food or cover for birds and 17 are caterpillar host plants.
37 of the 47 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