What Are Native Plants?

What are native plants?

According to the US Forest Service, “native plants are the indigenous terrestrial and aquatic species that have evolved and occur naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, and habitat. Species native to North America are generally recognized as those occurring on the continent prior to European settlement” (source).

Why are native plants important?

Native plants support biodiversity by forming the base of our local food webs. Because of native plants’ long history in our region, they have coevolved with local wildlife, particularly insects. Around 25% of our native bee species are pollen specialists, only using pollen from a limited number of related plants (source). Around 76% percent of plant-eating insects are specialists, including butterfly and moth larvae (source). These insects primarily depend on native plants to survive, reproduce, and feed wildlife higher on the food chain.

How do I know if a plant is native?

A number of resources report the native ranges of plant species based on the best available historical information, such as the Biota of North America Project (BONAP) and bplant.org. (Tip: refer to the map color key if using BONAP.)

We have created a spreadsheet to help verify the native status of your inventory here. This list of Ohio native plants is based on the Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI) for Vascular Plants and Mosses for the State of Ohio, which can be found on the Ohio EPA’s website here.