Quick answer: 142 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Pennsylvania, 118 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
142 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- 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 bittersweet Celastrus scandens · 33 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American mountain ash Sorbus americana · 18 states
- Appalachian gooseberry Ribes rotundifolium · 11 states
- Arctic brome (Kalm's brome) Bromus kalmii · 15 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Bear oak Quercus ilicifolia · 13 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata · 25 states
- Black locust Robinia pseudoacacia · 12 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Boxelder Acer negundo · 16 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Candle anemone (thimbleweed) Anemone cylindrica · 12 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 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 juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Creeping phlox Phlox subulata · 23 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 22 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens · 13 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 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
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis · 16 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Flame azalea Rhododendron calendulaceum · 14 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Gray birch Betula populifolia · 17 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus · 19 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum · 25 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos · 13 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 31 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium · 22 states
- Lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata · 22 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera · 18 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Northern white cedar Thuja occidentalis · 21 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Pitch pine Pinus rigida · 12 states
- Porcupine grass Hesperostipa spartea · 2 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 19 states
- Purple milkweed Asclepias purpurascens · 20 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata · 30 states
- Sand cherry Prunus pumila · 5 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth rose Rosa blanda · 17 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum · 17 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 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
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Sweet birch Betula lenta · 21 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Table mountain pine Pinus pungens · 9 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia pine Pinus virginiana · 20 states
- Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana · 24 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
Drought-tolerant native plants in Pennsylvania: what to know
142 of the 308 plants native to Pennsylvania in this directory fit this need: 46% of the state's list, well below the 56% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 117 are also good for pollinators, 102 are also good for birds, 88 are also shade-tolerant.
110 of them grow in full or partial sun and 88 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, 117 support pollinators, 102 provide food or cover for birds and 61 are caterpillar host plants.
118 of the 142 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American alumroot, Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow: 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