Quick answer: 55 native plants for shade are native to North Dakota, 53 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
55 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American bittersweet Celastrus scandens · 33 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Bunchberry Cornus canadensis · 18 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis · 29 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 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
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Gray dogwood Cornus racemosa · 19 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Large-flowered bellwort Uvularia grandiflora · 27 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 28 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie onion Allium stellatum · 12 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
Native plants for shade in North Dakota: what to know
55 of the 119 plants native to North Dakota in this directory fit this need: 46% of the state's list, close to the 47% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through October, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 42 are also good for pollinators, 39 are also good for birds, 29 are also drought-tolerant.
39 of them grow in full or partial sun and 55 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bloodroot and Creeping Oregon grape to trees such as American basswood and American bittersweet. For wildlife, 42 support pollinators, 39 provide food or cover for birds and 20 are caterpillar host plants.
53 of the 55 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Eastern hop-hornbeam, Harebell, Indiangrass: 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