Quick answer: 128 native plants for shade are native to Rhode Island, 97 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
128 species
- 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 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
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 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
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Bluebead Clintonia borealis · 14 states
- Bog laurel Kalmia polifolia · 13 states
- Bog rosemary Andromeda polifolia · 9 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
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Creeping snowberry Gaultheria hispidula · 12 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 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 red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 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
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Gray birch Betula populifolia · 17 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
- Hobblebush Viburnum lantanoides · 17 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
- 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 bayberry Morella pensylvanica · 2 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
- 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-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 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
- 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
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 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 rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet birch Betula lenta · 21 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Tamarack Larix laricina · 17 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Twoleaf miterwort Mitella diphylla · 25 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 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 oak Quercus alba · 33 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 Rhode Island: what to know
128 of the 181 plants native to Rhode Island in this directory fit this need: 71% 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: 88 are also good for birds, 82 are also good for pollinators, 61 are also drought-tolerant.
69 of them grow in full or partial sun and 128 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 American basswood and American beech. For wildlife, 82 support pollinators, 88 provide food or cover for birds and 41 are caterpillar host plants.
97 of the 128 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Bog rosemary, Eastern hop-hornbeam, Hairy beardtongue: 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