How to Identify Tennessee Native Plants

Identifying native Tennessee plants is a fun hobby.

Tennessee has a varied landscape that includes dry land, moist land, ponds and rivers, wetlands and mountains. This creates the ability to host a large number of native plants. It is somewhat difficult to identify native plants because many other plants were introduced to Tennessee over the years. With the help of a field guide, observational skills and a magnifying glass, it is possible to identify some of the hundreds of native plants that grow in Tennessee.

Things You'll Need

• Magnifying glass
• Native plant field guide
• Notepad
• Pen

Instructions

1. Look at the plant's leaves. Many plant look ups allow searches based on leaf color, size or shape. Take a leaf with you when possible to help with identification if you do not have a field guide on hand.

2. Look at the fruit and flowers of the plant. Flower, size, color and shape are large identification factors. Any nuts or fruit that the plants produce are also an identification factor.

3. Check other characteristics of the plant including size, type, shape, growing location and the time of year you saw the plant. Some plants only grow during certain times of the year which can aid in identification. Write down any characteristics that you notice about the plants for later identification. Pay special attention to any features of the plant that make it unusual or different from other plants.

4. Observe the time of year that the plant blooms or grows. Plants that bloom in spring include false Solomon's seal, catawba rosebay, bird-foot violet, mapleleaf viburnum and mountain laurel. Summer blooming plants include American beautyberry, bergamot, creeping spikerush, mist flower, soft rush and river oats. Winter blooming plants include the American witch hazel.

5. Check the growing location of the plant. Native plants that prefer full sun include arrowhead, buttonbush, butterfly weed, hazel alder, lanceleaf coreopsis and the obedient plant. Plants that prefer shade include foamflower, river cane, pawpaw and Virginia bluebells. Plants that love dry conditions include alumroot, purple coneflower, river oats and the strawberry bush. Plants that prefer moist conditions include blue wild indigo, fire pink, phlox, Indian pink and silky dogwood.

6. Identify the type of plant. Trees, shrubs, grass and flowers all grow natively in Tennessee. Some native trees include box elder, redbud tree, cherry birch, river birch, parsley hawthorne, sourwood and honey locust. Some native shrubs include smooth alder, leatherwood, wild hydrangea, swamp privet and male berry. Some native grasses include eastern gammagrass, three-square bulrush, little bluestem, hop sedge, woolgrass and creeping spikerush.

References

• U.S. Department of Transportation: State Plant Listings Tennessee
• Tennessee Valley Authority: Detailed Plant Search