Quick answer: 71 drought-tolerant native plants are native to North Carolina, 62 with a live listing as of 16 Sep 2026.
71 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 9 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 32 states
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana · 10 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 24 states
- American mountain ash Sorbus americana · 18 states
- Appalachian gooseberry Ribes rotundifolium · 6 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 32 states
- Black locust Robinia pseudoacacia · 12 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 42 states
- Boxelder Acer negundo · 14 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 6 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 37 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 35 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 16 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 12 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 22 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 17 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 31 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 6 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 20 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 21 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 10 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 34 states
- Eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens · 6 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 22 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 36 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 30 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 21 states
- Flame azalea Rhododendron calendulaceum · 12 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 22 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 14 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 32 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 14 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 18 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 17 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 28 states
- Lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora · 15 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 14 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 6 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 13 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 17 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 31 states
- Northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa · 9 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 24 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 16 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 21 states
- Pitch pine Pinus rigida · 12 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 16 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 12 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 12 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 34 states
- Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum · 14 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 13 states
- Southern live oak Quercus virginiana · 13 states
- Southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora · 10 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 14 states
- Striped maple Acer pensylvanicum · 11 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 28 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 25 states
- Sweet birch Betula lenta · 18 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 10 states
- Table mountain pine Pinus pungens · 7 states
- Threadleaf coreopsis Coreopsis verticillata · 7 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 24 states
- Virginia pine Pinus virginiana · 13 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 31 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 28 states