plants Identified at
the Rocky River Nature Park
TREES
Sweet Gum
Tulip Poplar
Willow Oak
White Oak, Quercus alba – Widespread, but not on very wet or dry sites
Northern Red Oak, Quercus rubra – Moist to drier upland forests
Southern Red Oak, Quercus falcata – West and south-facing ridges
Water Oak, Quercus nigra – Moist to drier sites
Willow Oak, Quercus phellos – Moist sites
Post Oak, Quercus stellata – Drier upland forests
Chestnut Oak, Quercus montana – Drier upland sites
Mockernut Hickory, Carya tomentosa – Moist to dry forests
Pignut Hickory, Carya glabra – Moist to dry forests
American Beech, Fagus grandifolia – Moist forests; shade-tolerant
Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis – Moist; understory shade
Tulip Poplar or Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera – Moist and dry sites; shade intolerant
Sweet Gum, Liquidamber styraciflua – Moist woods
Winged Elm, Ulmus alata – Moist to dry woods
Black Willow, Salix nigra – Along rivers, streams and ponds
Red Maple, Acer rubrum – Widespread – wet to dry sites
Loblolly Pine, Pinus taeda – Moist to dry sites; farmed extensively
Shortleaf Pine, Pinus echinate – Drier forests
Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora – Moist, well-drained forests
Tag Alder, Alnus serrulate – Alluvial forests
River Birch, Betula nigra – Alluvial forests
Box Elder, Acer negundo – Alluvial forests; moist habitats
Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana – Tolerates all but deep shade and standing water
Sourwood, Oxydendrum arboretum – Moist to drier understory tree
Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis – Alluvial forests
Cottonwood, Populus heterophylla – Alluvial forests
Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida – Moist to dry woods; understory tree
SHRUBS
Lowbush Blueberry
Horse Sugar
Winged Sumac
Winged Sumac, Rhus copallinum – Dry sites; edge
Painted Buckeye, Aesculus sylvatica
Horse Sugar or Sweetleaf, Symplocos tinctorial
Lowbush Blueberry, Vaccinium pallidum
Poison Oak, Toxicodendron pubescens
HERBS
Hairy Bittercress
Dog Fennel
Wild Violet
Hairy Bittercress, Cardamine hirsuta
Bluets, Houstonia caerulea
Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule
Dead Nettle, Lamium purpureum
Chickweed, Stellaria media
Wild Violet, Viola spp.
Purple Vetch, Vicia americana
Green and Gold, Chrysogonum virginianum
Dog Fennel, Eupatorium capillifolium
Giant or River Cane, Arundinaria gigantea – Aluvial forests
VINES
Cross Vine
Common Greenbrier
Muscadine
Cross Vine, Bignonia capreolata
Muscadine, Vitis rotundifolia
Poison Ivy, Toxicodendron radicans – Mesic to dry forests; edges
Common Greenbrier, Smilax rotundifolia – Moist to dry forests; edges
Smilax spp. – Moist to dry forests; edges
FERNS
Ebony Spleenwort
Christmas Fern
Ebony Spleenwort, Asplenium platyneuron – Moist forests
Christmas Fern – Polystichum acrostichoides – Moist to dry forests
INVASIVES
Silverthorn
Chinese Privet
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica – Woody vine; edges
Russian Olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia – Shrub, edges
Silverthorn, Elaeagnus pungens – Shrub, edges
Nonnative Wisteria (Chinese or Japanese), Wisteria sinensis; floribunda, Woody vine, edges
Privet (Chinese or Japanese), Ligustrum sinense; japonicum – Shrubs, lowland; upland; edges
Callery or Bradford Pear, Pyrus calleryana – Tree, moist and dry forests, fields, edges
AQUATIC PLANTS
Lizard's Tail
Smartweeds
Common Cattail
Coontail, Ceratophyllum demersum – Floating or loosely rooted
Common Cattail, Typha latifolia – Emergent
Arrowhead, Sagittaria spp. – Emergent
Arrow Arum, Peltandra virginica – Emergent
Pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata – Emergent
Lizard’s Tail, Saururus cernuus – Emergent
Smartweeds, Polygonum spp. – Emergent
Pennyworts, Hydrocotyle spp. – Emergent; alluvial soils
Parrot-feather, Myriophyllum aquaticum – Submergent; rooted; invasive introduction
Common Reed, Phragmites australis – Emergent reed
Sedges, Carex spp. – Emergent
Bulrushes, Scirpus spp. – Emergent
Rushes, Juncus spp. - Emergent