Plants & Trees

The American chestnut was once an abundant native tree that could grow 100 feet tall. Now, threatened by disease, the tree rarely makes it to maturity.

The American holly is an evergreen tree with stout, stiff branches and spine-tipped leaves. Female trees have small, bright red berries. It grows in moist areas throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The American persimmon is a native tree that produces bright orange fruits in the fall. The fruits have a long history of use by humans and serves as a critical food source for wildlife at a time when food is scarce.

Also known as longleaf pondweed, American pondweed is a rooted, perennial herb that has both submerged and floating leaves.

Arrow arum is a native perennial plant with large, arrowhead-shaped leaves. It grows in shallow, tidal fresh waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.

The Atlantic white cedar is a tall evergreen tree with scaly, fan-shaped foliage and a cone-like shape. It grows in swamps, marshes and other wet areas near the coast in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. 

The bald cypress is a tall deciduous tree with needle-like leaves and distinctive “knees” that rise up from the soil or water around it. It grows in swamps and forests in parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

The black-eyed Susan is a native plant with golden yellow flowers that bloom throughout the summer.

Blazing star is a native perennial plant with clumps of feathery purple or white flowers that bloom in summer.

Blue flag is a native perennial plant with delicate violet flowers that bloom in spring.

Similar to hydrilla in appearance and growth, Brazilian waterweed is recognizable by its stem and whorls of two to six small leaves. Generally, it can be found drifting or rooted at depths of 20 feet or less.

Butterflyweed, also known as butterfly flower or butterfly milkweed, is a native perennial plant with that blooms in late spring and early summer.

Cardinal flower is a native perennial plant with small, red, tubular flowers that bloom in late summer.

Cattails are a native perennial plant with distinctive brown, sausage-shaped “tails.” They grow in fresh and brackish wetlands throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Common waterweed is a bay grass that grows in slow-moving fresh waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Coontail is a bushy-looking bay grass with whorls of stiff, forked leaves along densely branched stems. It grows mostly in quiet freshwater areas such as the upper Chesapeake Bay and rivers, streams, lakes and ponds throughout the Bay watershed.

Curly pondweed is a bay grass with broad, curly leaves along flat, branched stems. It grows in fresh non-tidal to slightly brackish tidal waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Dutchman’s breeches are native perennials with white flowers that look like tiny pantaloons. They can be found in woodlands throughout the watershed.

Skunk cabbage is an early-blooming plant native to the forests, woodlands and swamps of the eastern United States.

Eelgrass is a bay grass with long, ribbon-like leaves. It grows in the saltier waters of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.

Eurasian watermilfoil is a bay grass with whorls of feathery leaves along long, branching stems. It grows in quiet fresh and slightly brackish waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Horned pondweed is a bay grass with long, thread-like leaves and distinctive horned seeds in spring. It grows in fresh and medium-salinity tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers.

Hydrilla is a nonnative underwater grass that grows in freshwater portions of the Chesapeake Bay and most of its tributaries.

Also known as bog onion or Indian turnip, the jack-in-the-pulpit is a perennial plant in the Arum family, which includes relatives like skunk cabbage and arrow arum. Its hooded flower blooms in the spring and gives the plant its common name.

Joe-Pye weed is a native perennial plant with feathery, pinkish-purple flowers that bloom in mid- to late summer.

The loblolly pine is a tall evergreen tree with long, thin needles and scaly bark. It grows along the edges of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers and wetlands.

Morrow’s honeysuckle is an invasive deciduous shrub with white, tube-shaped flowers and small, bright red and orange berries. It can be found throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Naiads are bay grasses with short, narrow leaves along slender, branching stems. They grow in non-tidal fresh waters and fresh and brackish tidal portions of the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers.

The passifloraceae family includes more than 700 species, most of these are native to the Americas and each one supports a wide variety of wildlife. Passiflora incarnata is native to the southern United States and can be found as far north as Pennsylvania. 

The paw paw is a small, deciduous tree with large, long leaves and distinctive green, mango-like fruits. It grows in rich, moist forested areas throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Phragmites is a non-native, invasive perennial plant that grows in wetlands and along roadsides and shorelines throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Prickly pear is a native perennial cactus with large, showy yellow flowers that bloom in late spring and early summer.

Purple coneflower is a native perennial plant with large, lavender flowers that bloom in early summer.

Purple loosestrife is an invasive perennial plant with spikes of bright purple flowers that bloom in mid- to late summer.

The red maple is a hardy and adaptable deciduous tree common in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and throughout eastern North America.

Redhead grass is a bay grass with flat, oval leaves that wrap around the base of straight, slender stems. It grows in fresh to moderately brackish tidal waters in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

This perennial submerged aquatic grass can be found in slow-flowing waters that are 3 to 7 feet deep. Its buoyant leaves are identifiable by their light-colored center stripe. It produces small, green-brown flowers.

Rose mallow is a native perennial plant with beautiful white or pink flowers that bloom from mid-summer through early autumn.

Sago pondweed is a bay grass with bushy clusters of thread-like leaves that grow alternately along slender, branching stems. It grows in fresh to moderately brackish waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Saltmeadow cordgrass is a native perennial grass with wiry leaves that often form a whorled pattern. It grows in high, irregularly flooded areas of salt and brackish marshes along the Chesapeake Bay.

The sassafras is a medium-sized, deciduous tree with bright green, mitten-like leaves. It grows in moist, open woods throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Seaside goldenrod is a native perennial plant with large, golden yellow flower clusters that bloom in late summer and autumn.

The shadbush is a small, deciduous tree with white flower clusters that bloom in early spring. It grows in wet areas such as swamps and forested wetlands throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, mostly in the coastal plain.

Shoal grass is a perennial submerged aquatic herb that resembles land grass and is usually found in waters up to 40 feet deep. Although it can be found around the world, it grows predominantly throughout the southern United States and South America.

Slender pondweed is a bay grass with long, thin, grass-like leaves along slender, branching stems. It grows in quiet, fresh to slightly brackish creeks, rivers and other tidal tributaries throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Smooth cordgrass is a native perennial grass with flat, blade-like leaves. It grows in low-lying, salt and brackish tidal marshes along the shores of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay.

The sugar maple is a deciduous hardwood tree with pointed lobed leaves. It can be found throughout the Chesapeake watershed.

The sweetbay magnolia is a small, semi-evergreen tree with large, creamy white flowers that bloom in early summer. It grows in forested swamps and wetlands throughout most of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Tree-of-Heaven is a quick-growing, invasive tree that can be found throughout the Chesapeake region.

Trout lily is a native perennial plant with nodding yellow flowers that bloom in early spring.

The Virginia bluebell is a perennial with blue, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in spring. It can be found throughout the Chesapeake watershed.

Water chestnut is an invasive aquatic plant with rosettes of triangular leaves that float on the water’s surface. It grows in the Bird and Sassafras rivers, which are tributaries of the upper Chesapeake Bay.

Water stargrass is a bay grass with long, grass-like leaves and distinctive yellow, star-like flowers along freely branching stems. It grows in the fresh waters of the upper Chesapeake Bay and tributaries throughout the Bay watershed.

Water starwort is a bay grass with bright green, egg-shaped leaves that float on the surface of the water. It grows in quiet fresh waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The white oak is a large shade tree with light gray furrowed bark and lobed green leaves. It is found throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. 

Widgeon grass is a bay grass with delicate, thread-like leaves that grow alternately along slender, branching stems. It ranges from slightly brackish upper and middle Chesapeake Bay rivers to the saltier lower Bay.

Wild celery is a bay grass with long, ribbon-like leaves that have a light green stripe running down the center. It grows in fresh and slightly brackish waters throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Wild columbine is a native perennial plant with nodding, bell-shaped, red and yellow flowers that bloom in spring and early summer.

Wild rice is a native annual grass with feathery flowers on top of a tall, round stem. It grows in freshwater marshes throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.

The winterberry is a deciduous shrub known for its display of bright fruit during winter. It is common in wetlands throughout the east coast of North America.