Quick answer: 131 native plants for shade are native to Oklahoma, 104 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
131 species
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana · 13 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 hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- American strawberry bush Euonymus americanus · 23 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 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
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 34 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis · 7 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 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
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata · 19 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 22 states
- Devil's walking stick Aralia spinosa · 21 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Dwarf crested iris Iris cristata · 17 states
- Early azalea Rhododendron prinophyllum · 17 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 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
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos · 13 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 31 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Large-flowered bellwort Uvularia grandiflora · 27 states
- Largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora · 25 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense · 16 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Pincushion daisy (perfumeballs) Gaillardia suavis · 1 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie onion Allium stellatum · 12 states
- Prairie tickseed Coreopsis palmata · 10 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii · 11 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 18 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet sage Salvia coccinea · 3 states
- Seaside alder Alnus maritima · 3 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 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 hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens · 23 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa · 11 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Texas star (prairie rose-gentian) Sabatia campestris · 1 states
- Three-flower melic grass Melica nitens · 17 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica · 19 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White snakeroot Ageratina altissima · 23 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Wild hyacinth (Atlantic camas) Camassia scilloides · 20 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
- Yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea · 21 states
Native plants for shade in Oklahoma: what to know
131 of the 247 plants native to Oklahoma in this directory fit this need: 53% of the state's list, 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: 100 are also good for pollinators, 86 are also good for birds, 64 are also drought-tolerant.
54 of them grow in full or partial sun and 131 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Bloodroot to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American basswood. For wildlife, 100 support pollinators, 86 provide food or cover for birds and 42 are caterpillar host plants.
104 of the 131 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Eastern bluestar, Eastern hop-hornbeam: 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