Quick answer: 185 native plants for shade are native to New York, 138 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
185 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- Allegheny serviceberry Amelanchier laevis · 17 states
- American alumroot Heuchera americana · 20 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- American bittersweet Celastrus scandens · 33 states
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia · 28 states
- American cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon · 15 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American mountain ash Sorbus americana · 18 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- American strawberry bush Euonymus americanus · 23 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Appalachian gooseberry Ribes rotundifolium · 11 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bebb willow Salix bebbiana · 6 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 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
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Bluebead Clintonia borealis · 14 states
- Bog Labrador tea Ledum groenlandicum · 11 states
- Bog laurel Kalmia polifolia · 13 states
- Bog rosemary Andromeda polifolia · 9 states
- Box huckleberry Gaylussacia brachycera · 8 states
- Bunchberry Cornus canadensis · 18 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis · 29 states
- Canada yew Taxus canadensis · 18 states
- Canadian serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis · 21 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 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
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Coastal sweetpepperbush Clethra alnifolia · 13 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Creeping snowberry Gaultheria hispidula · 12 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 22 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Early azalea Rhododendron prinophyllum · 17 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 leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Eastern teaberry Gaultheria procumbens · 23 states
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus · 28 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Gray birch Betula populifolia · 17 states
- Gray dogwood Cornus racemosa · 19 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
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Heartleaf foamflower Tiarella cordifolia · 18 states
- Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum · 25 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Hobblebush Viburnum lantanoides · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Inkberry Ilex glabra · 14 states
- Interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana · 29 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 31 states
- King of the meadow Thalictrum pubescens · 21 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Large-flowered bellwort Uvularia grandiflora · 27 states
- Largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora · 25 states
- Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium · 22 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 28 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 bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera · 18 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 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
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Plumleaf azalea Rhododendron prunifolium · 3 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
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Riverbank grape Vitis riparia · 20 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth alder Alnus serrulata · 23 states
- Smooth azalea Rhododendron arborescens · 13 states
- Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens · 23 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina · 28 states
- Starry false Solomon's seal Maianthemum stellatum · 19 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Striped maple Acer pensylvanicum · 18 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum · 15 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 23 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet birch Betula lenta · 21 states
- Sweet crabapple Malus coronaria · 20 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana · 17 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Tamarack Larix laricina · 17 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla · 15 states
- Twoleaf miterwort Mitella diphylla · 25 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana · 24 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 fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White snakeroot Ageratina altissima · 23 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Witherod viburnum Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides · 24 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
- Yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis · 21 states
Native plants for shade in New York: what to know
185 of the 276 plants native to New York in this directory fit this need: 67% 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: 126 are also good for birds, 124 are also good for pollinators, 85 are also drought-tolerant.
94 of them grow in full or partial sun and 185 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like American alumroot and Birdfoot violet to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and Allegheny serviceberry. For wildlife, 124 support pollinators, 126 provide food or cover for birds and 61 are caterpillar host plants.
138 of the 185 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American alumroot, Bog rosemary, Coastal sweetpepperbush: 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