We list 235 species of native shrubs, subshrubs, and lianas known to occur in New Hampshire. The exact number is tricky to pin down because some shrub species can also occur in tree form. Others are subshrubs, dwarf shrubs or perennial plants that are woody only near the base, where new growth above the base dies back each year. Finally, lianas (woody vine-like plants) are also included in the list. Forty species are rare (state endangered or threatened), 14 are uncommon (state watch), and 19 are listed as indeterminate (see “Category Definitions” below). The following criteria were used to determine inclusion on this list:
- Woody species (subshrubs to shrubs to lianas) native to at least part of New Hampshire.
- Woody species that typically grow no more than 20 feet tall.
- Woody species that commonly grow in a multi-stem form.
The list is split into conifers (gymnosperms) and flowering species (angiosperms). Within these two categories, the list is first arranged alphabetically by the generic common name of groups (i.e., dogwood, elderberry, false heather, etc.), then by the common name of the species. Scientific (Latin) names are also given (family name follow the genus name header). Both common and scientific names follow Arthur Haines’ Tracheophyte Checklist of New England (2016): http://www.arthurhaines.com/tracheophyte-checklist/.
1 Superscript numbers by the name of a species indicate the following: 1 State endangered (N.H. Natural Heritage Bureau 2013).
2 State threatened ((N.H. Natural Heritage Bureau 2013).
3 State watch ((N.H. Natural Heritage Bureau 2013)
4 State indeterminate ((N.H. Natural Heritage Bureau 2013).
5 Exists in the state in both shrub and tree form when mature.
6 Subshrub (dwarf shrub or perennial plant woody near the base). 7 Liana (vine-like woody plant).
The above categories are defined as:
Endangered: Native plant taxa vulnerable to extirpation based on having five or fewer natural occurrences in the state observed within the last 20 years, or taxa with more than five occurrences that are, in the judgment of experts, vulnerable to extirpation due to other important rarity and endangerment factors (population size and trends, area of occupancy, overall viability, geographic distribution, habitat rarity and integrity, and/or degree of protection). A rare native plant taxon that has not been observed in over 20 years is considered endangered unless there is credible evidence that all previously known occurrences of the taxon in the state have been extirpated.
Threatened: Native plant taxa vulnerable to becoming endangered based on having six to 20 natural occurrences in the state observed within the last 20 years, or taxa that are, in the judgment of experts, vulnerable to becoming endangered due to other important rarity and endangerment factors (population size and trends, area of occupancy, overall viability, geographic distribution, habitat rarity and integrity, and/or degree of protection).
Watch: Native plant taxa vulnerable to becoming threatened based on having 21 to 80 natural occurrences in the state observed within the last 20 years, or taxa that are, in the judgment of experts, vulnerable to becoming threatened due to other important rarity and endangerment factors (population size and trends, area of occupancy, overall viability, geographic distribution, habitat rarity and integrity, and/or degree of protection).
Indeterminate: Plant taxa under review for listing as endangered, threatened, or watch, but their rarity, nativity, taxonomy, and/or nomenclature are not clearly understood.
The N.H. Natural Heritage Bureau does not recommend using state endangered or threatened plant species in any plantings. Depending on their original source, rare plants from the horticultural trade that cross-pollinate with native populations can lead to genetic swamping, which is counterproductive to conserving rare species. Introduced plantings of rare native species can complicate our understanding of historical ranges and conservation statuses.
Gymnosperms (conifers)
Juniper: common juniper, creeping juniper1, eastern red cedar5
Juniperus (Cupressaceae): Juniperus communis var. depressa, Juniperus horizontalis1, Juniperus virginiana5
Yew: American yew
Taxus (Taxaceae): Taxus canadensis
Angiosperms (flowering plants)
Alder: green alder, smooth alder, speckled alder
Alnus (Betulaceae): Alnus alnobetula ssp. crispa ,Alnus serrulata, Alnus incana ssp. rugosa
Alpine-bearberry: alpine bearberry1, 6
Arctous (Ericaceae): Arctous alpina1, 6
Azalea: clammy azalea3, early azalea3, giant rhododendron2 ,Labrador-tea, Lapland rosebay1 6, pink azalea1,
rhodora
Rhododendron (Ericaceae): Rhododendron viscosum3, Rhododendron prinophyllum3, Rhododendron maximum2, Rhododendron groenlandicum, Rhododendron lapponicum1 6, Rhododendron periclymenoides1, Rhododendron canadense
Bastard-toadflax: bastard-toadflax6
Bayberry: small bayberry
Bearberry: red bearberry6
Birch: bog birch1, dwarf birch2 6 ,glandular birch2 6
Bittersweet: American bittersweet4 7
Blackberry: arching blackberry7, baked-apple-berry2 6, black raspberry bristly blackberry7, common blackberry, Enslen’s blackberry7, flowering raspberry, leafy-flowered blackberry, northeastern blackberry, northern blackberry7, Pennsylvania blackberry, red raspberry, sand blackberry1, sandy field blackberry7, setose blackberry, showy blackberry, Smith’s blackberry7, smooth blackberry, Vermont blackberry
Bladdernut: American bladdernut2
Blueberry: alpine blueberry3 6, black highbush, blueberry4, dwarf blueberry2 6, highbush blueberry, hillside blueberry6, large cranberry6, lowbush blueberry6, mountain cranberry6, New Jersey highbush blueberry4 northern blueberry6, small cranberry6, velvet-leaved blueberry6
Bog-rosemary: bog rosemary
Buckthorn: alder-leaved buckthorn3
Bunchberry: bunchberry6
Bush-honeysuckle: bush-honeysuckle
Buttonbush: common buttonbush
Camphorweed:1, 6 sweet-scented camphorweed
Cherry: American plum4 5, Appalachian sand plum3, beach plum3, black cherry5, choke cherry5, dwarf sand, plum3 pin cherry5
Comandra (Comandraceae): Comandra umbellata6
Chokeberry: black chokeberry, purple chokeberry
Coneflower: green-headed coneflower
Crowberry: black crowberry3 6, red crowberry3, 6
Cushion-plant: cushion-plant2 6
Dogwood: alternate- leaved dogwood, gray dogwood, red- oiser dogwood, round- leaved dogwood, silky dogwood, silky dogwood
Elderberry: common elderberry, red elderberry
False heather: pine-barren false heather1 6, sand false heather2 6,
Figwort: eastern figwort6
Flowering dogwood: flowering dogwood5
Frostweed: Canada frostweed6, hoary frostweed 6
Glasswort: perennial glasswort1 6
Goat's-rue: wild goat’s-rue1, 6
Gooseberry: bristly swamp currant, eastern black currant, eastern prickly gooseberry, hairy-stemmed gooseberry, skunk currant, swamp red currant
Grape: fox grape7, river grape7, summer grape7
Greenbrier: common greenbrier7
Hackberry: common hackberry5
Hawthorn: 5 Biltmore hawthorn, dotted hawthorn5, entangled hawthorn4 5 , Faxon's hawthorn1 5, fireberry hawthorn5, frosted hawthorn4 5, Gray’s hawthorn4 5 , Gray’s hawthorn5, Holmes’ hawthorn5, Keep’s hawthorn4 5, large-seeded hawthorn5, long-thorned hawthorn5, northern hawthorn5, Oakes’ hawthorn1 5, poplar hawthorn1 5, Pringle’s hawthorn5, Quebec hawthorn5, river hawthorn4 5, royal hawthorn4 5, scabrous hawthorn4 5, yellow hawthorn4, 5
Hazelnut: American hazelnut beaked hazelnut
Holly: common winterberry, evergreen winterberry1, mountain holly, smooth winterberry
Honeysuckle: American honeysuckle, mountain honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle4 7, wild honeysuckle3 7
Hop-hornbeam: hop-hornbeam5
Hornbeam: 5 American hornbeam
Huckleberry: black huckleberry, blue huckleberry dwarf huckleberry1 6
Knotweed: coastal jointed knotweed6
Laurel: alpine- azalea 2 6, bog laurel, mountain laurel, sheep laurel
Leatherleaf: leatherleaf
Leatherwood: eastern leatherwood3
Loosestrife: winged loosestrife4, 6
Lousewort: Canadian lousewort3, 6
Maleberry: maleberry
Maple: mountain maple5, striped maple5
Marsh-elder: maritime marsh-elder2
Meadowsweet: rosy meadowsweet, white meadowsweet
Mistletoe: dwarf mistletoe
Moss-plant: moss-plant1 6
Morella (Myricaceae): Morella caroliniensis
Arctostaphylos (Ericaceae): Arctostaphylos uva-ursi6
Betula (Betulaceae): Betula pumila1, Betula minor2 6, Betula glandulosa2 6
Celastrus (Celastraceae): Celastrus scandens4 7
Rubus(Rosaceae): Rubus recurvicaulis7, Rubus chamaemorus2 6, Rubus occidentalis, Rubus hispidus7, Rubus allegheniensis, Rubus enslenii7, Rubus odoratus, Rubus frondosus, Rubus semisetosus, Rubus flagellaris7, Rubus pensilvanicus, Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus, Rubus cuneifolius1, Rubus arenicola7, Rubus setosus, Rubus elegantulus, Rubus jaysmithii7, Rubus canadensis, Rubus vermontanus
Staphylea (Staphyleaceae): Staphylea trifolia2
Vaccinium (Ericaceae): Vaccinium uliginosum3 6, Vaccinium fuscatum4, Vaccinium cespitosum2 6, Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium pallidum6. Vaccinium macrocarpon6, Vaccinium angustifolium6 ,Vaccinium vitis-idaea ssp. minus6, Vaccinium caesariense4, Vaccinium boreale6, Vaccinium oxycoccos6, Vaccinium myrtilloides6
Andromeda (Ericaceae): Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla
Rhamnus (Rhamnaceae): Rhamnus alnifolia3
Chamaepericlymenum (Cornaceae): Chamaepericlymenum canadense6
Diervilla (Caprifoliaceae): Diervilla lonicera
Cephalanthus (Rubiaceae): Cephalanthus occidentalis
Pluchea (Asteraceae): Pluchea odorata var. succulenta
Prunus (Rosaceae): Prunus americana4 5, Prunus susquehanae3, Prunus maritima3, Prunus serotina5, Prunus virginiana5, Prunus pumila var. depressa3, Prunus pensylvanica5
Aronia (Rosaceae): Aronia melanocarpa, Aronia floribunda
Rudbeckia (Asteraceae): 6 Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata
Empetrum (Ericaceae): Empetrum nigrum3 6 ,Empetrum atropurpureum3 6
Diapensia (Diapensiaceae): Diapensia lapponica2 6
Swida (Cornaceae):Swida alternifolia, Swida racemosa, Swida sericea, Swida rugosa, Swida amomum var. schuetzeana, Swida amomum var. amomum
Sambucus (Adoxaceae): Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis, Sambucus racemosa
Hudsonia (Cistaceae): Hudsonia ericoides1 6, Hudsonia tomentosa2 6
Scrophularia (Scrophulariaceae): Scrophularia marilandica6
Benthamidia (Cornaceae): Benthamidia florida5
Crocanthemum (Cistaceae): Crocanthemum canadense6, Crocanthemum bicknellii6
Salicornia (Amaranthaceae): Salicornia ambigua1 6
Tephrosia (Fabaceae): Tephrosia virginiana1 6
Ribes (Grossulariaceae): Ribes lacustre, Ribes americanum, Ribes cynosbati, Ribes hirtellum, Ribes glandulosum, Ribes triste
Vitis (Vitaceae): Vitis labrusca7, Vitis riparia7, Vitis aestivalis7
Smilax (Smilacaceae): Smilax rotundifolia7
Celtis (Cannabaceae): Celtis occidentalis5
Crataegus (Rosaceae): 5 Crataegus biltmoreana, Crataegus punctata5, Crataegus intricata4, 5 Crataegus faxonii1, 5, Crataegus chrysocarpa5, Crataegus pruinosa4 5, Crataegus flabellata var. grayana4 5, Crataegus flabellata var. flabellata5, Crataegus holmesiana5, Crataegus keepii4 5, Crataegus macrosperma5, Crataegus macracantha5, Crataegus dissona5, Crataegus oakesiana1 5, Crataegus populnea1 5, Crataegus pringlei5, Crataegus submollis5, Crataegus fluviatilis4 5, Crataegus schuettei var. basilica4 5, Crataegus scabrida4 5, Crataegus flavida4 5
Corylus (Betulaceae): Corylus americana, Corylus cornuta
Ilex (Aquifoliaceae): Ilex verticillata, Ilex glabra1, Ilex mucronata, Ilex laevigata
Lonicera (Caprifoliaceae): Lonicera canadensis, Lonicera villosa, Lonicera sempervirens4 7, Lonicera dioica3 7
Ostrya (Betulaceae): Ostrya virginiana5
Carpinus (Betulaceae): 5 Carpinus caroliniana ssp. virginiana
Gaylussacia (Ericaceae): Gaylussacia baccata, Gaylussacia frondosa, Gaylussacia bigeloviana1 6
Polygonum (Polygonaceae): Polygonum articulatum6
Kalmia (Ericaceae): 2, 6 Kalmia procumbens, Kalmia polifolia Kalmia latifolia, Kalmia angustifolia
Chamaedaphne (Ericaceae): Chamaedaphne calyculata
Dirca (Thymelaeaceae): Dirca palustris3
Lythrum (Lythraceae): Lythrum alatum4 6
Pedicularis (Orobanchaceae): Pedicularis canadensis3 6
Lyonia (Ericaceae): Lyonia ligustrina
Acer (Aceraceae): Acer spicatum5, Acer pensylvanicum5
Iva (Asteraceae): Iva frutescens2
Spiraea (Rosaceae): Spiraea tomentosa Spiraea alba var. latifolia
Arceuthobium (Viscaceae): Arceuthobium pusillum
Harrimanella (Ericaceae): Harrimanella hypnoides1 6
Mountain-ash: American mountain-ash 5, showy mountain-ash5
Mountain-heath: purple mountain-heath2 6
Oak: 1 5 burr oak, dwarf chestnut oak3, scrub oak
One-sided-shinleaf: one-sided-shinleaf6
Partridge-berry: partridge-berry6
Pepperbush: coastal sweet-pepperbush
Pinweed: beach pinweed6
Poison-ivy: poison-ivy7, poison-sumac, western poison-ivy
Prickly-ash: 1 common prickly-ash
Prince's-pine: 6 noble prince's-pine spotted prince's-pine6
Redroot: New Jersey redroot, New Jersey tea
Rose: 1 bristly rose, Carolina rose, shining rose, smooth rose, swamp rose, Virginia rose
Rose-mallow: swamp rose-mallow1 6
Sarsaparilla: bristly sarsaparilla6, wild sarsaparilla6
Sorbus (Rosaceae): Sorbus americana5, Sorbus decora5
Phyllodoce (Ericaceae): Phyllodoce caerulea2 6
Quercus (Fagaceae): 1 5 Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus prinoides3 ,Quercus ilicifolia
Orthilia (Ericaceae): Orthilia secunda6
Mitchella (Rubiaceae): Mitchella repens6
Clethra (Clethraceae): Clethra alnifolia
Lechea (Cistaceae): Lechea maritima6
Toxicodendron (Anacardiaceae): Toxicodendron radicans7, Toxicodendron vernix, Toxicodendron rydbergii
Zanthoxylum (Rutaceae): 1 Zanthoxylum americanum
Chimaphila (Ericaceae): 6 Chimaphila umbellata ssp. cisatlantica, Chimaphila maculata6
Ceanothus (Rhamnaceae): Ceanothus americanus
Rosa (Rosaceae): 1 Rosa acicularis ssp. sayi, Rosa carolina, Rosa nitida, Rosa blanda, Rosa palustris, Rosa virginiana
Hibiscus (Malvaceae): Hibiscus moscheutos1 6
Aralia (Apiaceae): Aralia hispida6, Aralia nudicaulis6
Shadbush: downy shadbush5, dwarf shadbush, eastern shadbush5, intermediate shadbush4 5, low shadbush,
mountain shadbush5, Nantucket shadbush4, round-leaved shadbush, smooth shadbush5
Shinleaf: American shinleaf6, elliptic-leaved shinleaf6, green-flowered shinleaf6, little shinleaf3 6, pink shinleaf1 6
Shrubby-cinquefoil: shrubby-cinquefoil
Sibbaldia: Sibbaldia1 6
Spicebush: northern spicebush
Spicy-wintergreen: creeping spicy-wintergreen6, eastern spicy-wintergreen6
Sumac: smooth sumac, staghorn sumac, winged sumac
Swamp-loosestrife: swamp-loosestrife
Sweet-fern: sweet-fern
Sweetgale: sweetgale
Three-toothed-cinquefoil: three-toothed-cinquefoil 6
Amelanchier (Rosaceae): Amelanchier arborea5, Amelanchier spicata, Amelanchier canadensis5, Amelanchier intermedia4 5, Amelanchier humilis, Amelanchier bartramiana5, Amelanchier nantucketensis4, Amelanchier sanguinea, Amelanchier laevis5
Pyrola (Ericaceae): Pyrola americana6, Pyrola elliptica6, Pyrola chlorantha6, Pyrola minor3 6, Pyrola asarifolia1 6
Dasiphora (Rosaceae): Dasiphora floribunda
Sibbaldia (Rosaceae): Sibbaldia procumbens1 6
Lindera (Lauraceae): Lindera benzoin
Gaultheria (Ericaceae): Gaultheria hispidula6, Gaultheria procumbens6
Rhus (Anacardiaceae): Rhus glabra, Rhus hirta, Rhus copallinum var. latifolia
Decodon (Lythraceae): Decodon verticillatus
Comptonia (Myricaceae): Comptonia peregrina
Myrica (Myricaceae): Myrica gale
Sibbaldiopsis (Rosaceae): Sibbaldiopsis tridentata6
Epigaea (Ericaceae): Epigaea repens6
Linnaea (Caprifoliaceae): 6 Linnaea borealis ssp. americana
Trailing-arbutus: trailing-arbutus6
Twinflower: American twinflower 6
Viburnum: 1 downy arrowwood, highbush-cranberry, hobblebush, maple-leaved viburnum, nannyberry, smooth arrowwood, squashberry4 withe-rod
Virginia-creeper: thicket-creeper7, Virginia-creeper 7
Willow: balsam willow, bearberry willow2 6, bog willow, dwarf prairie willow4 6, heart-leaved willow, Labrador willow1 6, long-beaked willow, meadow willow, prairie willow, pussy willow, sandbar willow1, satiny willow1, shining willow, silky willow, snow-bed willow1 6, tea-leaved willow2
Witch-hazel: American witch-hazel
Wood-beauty: tall wood-beauty4
Viburnum (Adoxaceae): 1 Viburnum rafinesquianum, Viburnum opulus ssp. trilobum, Viburnum lantanoides, Viburnum acerifolium, Viburnum lentago, Viburnum dentatum var. lucidum, Viburnum edule4, Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides
Parthenocissus (Vitaceae): Parthenocissus inserta7, Parthenocissus quinquefolia7
Salix (Salicaceae): Salix pyrifolia, Salix uva-ursi2 6, Salix pedicellaris, Salix occidentalis4 6, Salix eriocephala, Salix argyrocarpa1 6, Salix bebbiana, Salix petiolaris, Salix humilis, Salix discolor, Salix exigua ssp. interior1, Salix pellita1, Salix lucida, Salix sericea, Salix herbacea1 6, Salix planifolia2
Hamamelis (Hamamelidaceae): Hamamelis virginiana
Drymocallis (Rosaceae): Drymocallis arguta4
