9 Native Plants in West Virginia

Written by Jeremiah Wright
Updated: September 11, 2023
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Today we’re talking about the Mountain State – West Virginia! The state’s territory is located within the Appalachian Region, hence its nickname! Moreover, West Virginia is known to have the highest average elevation of all the eastern states, with the highest point being at 4,863 feet. The state is also known for its rich wildlife and numerous natural areas with abundant flora and fauna!

Today, we’ll discuss some unique native plants in West Virginia. So, if you’re planning to visit this mountainous state, you should check them out! This way, you’ll be able to identify the plants you’ll see on your way through the state!

What Is a Native Plant?

A native plant is a species that has lived naturally in a certain area/region for thousands of years and is now a part of its ecosystem. In time, certain plants evolve and adapt entirely to a region’s climate, soil conditions, temperatures, light, and so on until they are basically part of the area.

Another word that can describe plants and people that have occupied a state’s area for thousands of years is indigenous.

9 Native Plants in West Virginia

1. Shale Barren Rockcress

shale barren rockcress

The shale barren has an upright branching stem with lance-shaped leaves growing along it.

©Paul J Harmon / public domain – License

Shale Barren Rockcress
Scientific nameArabis serotina
Type of plantBiennial herb
DistributionEastern West Virginia, western Virginia

The shale barren rockcress grows only in western Virginia and eastern West Virginia, being endemic to a habitat called shale barren, which features bare shale steep slopes. It’s a rocky, dry, and hot habitat.

Since it’s listed as Imperiled, the shale barren rockcress is very rare, so you can consider yourself lucky if you ever see this plant! A major threat to this species is the declining population of the grizzled skippers, which pollinate the shale barren rockcress.

This herb has an upright branching stem with lance-shaped leaves growing along it. When in bloom, the shale barren rockcress produces racemes consisting of several small white flowers.

2. Black Cherry

Fruit Tree, Abundance, Autumn, Bird, Bizarre

The black cherry plant is a medium-sized tree that can also grow as a shrub.

©iStock.com/TeleMakro Fotografie (Ina Hensel)

Black Cherry
Scientific namePrunus serotina
Other common namesMountain black cherry, rum cherry, wild black cherry
Type of plantDeciduous tree or shrub
DistributionEastern and central United States, Mexico

The Prunus serotina, or the black cherry plant, is a medium-sized tree that can also grow as a shrub. It usually reaches heights of up to 79 feet and features ovate-lanceolate leaves with slightly toothed margins and a shiny appearance. When fall sets in, the leaves turn a beautiful yellow-reddish color.

Young trees have thin, smooth bark, while mature bark is darker and very broken. The black cherry produces small, white flowers with five petals. They appear in racemes of several dozens of flowers. Afterward, berries appear, which are scientifically called drupes. They’re reddish-black and represent a major food source for many birds. 

3. Appalachian Gentian

Appalachian Gentian
Scientific nameGentiana austromontana
Type of plantFlowering plant
DistributionWest Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina

The Appalachian gentian plant population is native to only four states in the U.S. – West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The species is believed to be a hybrid between Gentiana decora and Gentiana clausa since they grow in the same areas as the Appalachian gentian.

The plant is tall and produces lanceolate leaves that grow on unbranched stalks. It blooms from late August to October, enriching its habitat with unique blue or purple flowers. However, the flowers are almost always entirely or nearly closed. 

4. Yellow Buckeye

Aesculus flava

The yellow buckeye blooms in spring, revealing its yellow or yellowish-green flowers that grow in panicles.

©Cora Mueller/Shutterstock.com

Yellow Buckeye
Scientific nameAesculus flava
Other common namesCommon buckeye, sweet buckeye
Type of plantDeciduous tree
DistributionEastern United States

The yellow buckeye is a deciduous tree that grows only in the Ohio Valley and along the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States.

The tree can reach 154 feet in height if it grows in favorable conditions, meaning in acid to circumneutral soils. It produces palmately compound leaves, each equipped with five, sometimes seven leaflets.

The yellow buckeye blooms in spring, revealing its yellow or yellowish-green flowers that grow in panicles, meaning much-branched inflorescences. Unlike other buckeye species, the yellow buckeye blooms flowers with shorter stamens and larger petals. The brown fruit is a smooth capsule whose seeds are toxic to humans unless they go through a leaching process.

5. Mountain Holly

Agriculture, Autumn, Beauty, Berry, Branch - Plant Part

The mountain holly thrives on upland cliffs and slopes found on hills and mountains.

©iStock.com/Nazanin Esfandyarpour

Mountain Holly
Scientific nameIlex mucronata
Other common namesCatberry
Type of plantDeciduous shrub
DistributionEastern North America

The mountain holly, also called the catberry, thrives on upland cliffs and slopes found on hills and mountains. It prefers receiving direct sunlight and enjoys moist or draining wet acid soils. The plant is native to eastern North America.

This deciduous shrub grows only up to 9.8 feet tall and has alternately arranged leaves with elliptic to oblong shapes. When the blooming season comes, the shrub produces small flowers that are usually white but sometimes have greenish-yellow shades. They grow on slender peduncles, and the fruits are called drupes and have a red color. 

6. Lily of the Valley

lily of the valley

Lily-of-the-valley stems grow in spring and feature 12-inch tall stems having one or two long leaves.

©iStock.com/rustamank

Lily of the Valley
Scientific nameConvallaria majalis
Other common namesMay bells, Mary’s tears, glovewort, Apollinaris, Our Lady’s tears
Type of plantFlowering plant
DistributionEastern United States and Canada

The lily of the valley could be the plant with the most pleasant fragrance on our list! It has numerous other names, including May bells or Mary’s tears.

Besides having an attractive scent, the Convallaria majalis is a very popular ornamental plant in gardening and landscaping, with numerous developed cultivars. Moreover, a Dior perfume called Diorissimo has a fragrance similar to that of the plant since the lily-of-the-valley was Christian Dior’s favorite plant. On the other hand, the plant contains around 38 cardiac glycosides, which decrease the heart contraction rate. The plant can be highly toxic if ingested; all plant parts are considered poisonous.

Lily-of-the-valley stems grow in spring and feature 12-inch tall stems having one or two long leaves. Blooming in late spring, the plant produces racemes containing 5 – 15 flowers that usually have white, rarely pink, tepals. The fruit is a small orangish berry with white-brownish seeds.

However, while many sources list this plant as native to North America, some sustain it has been introduced. Still, until the opposite is proven, we can definitely include this beautiful flower on our list of West Virginia native plants!

7. Limestone Wild Petunia

Ruellia strepens

The limestone wild petunia is a flowering plant that grows in shady areas alongside streams and bottomland forests.

©Salicyna / CC BY-SA 4.0 – License

Limestone Wild Petunia
Scientific nameRuellia strepens
Other common namesWild petunia, smooth wild petunia, limestone ruellia
Type of plantFlowering plant
DistributionCentral and eastern United States

The limestone wild petunia is a flowering plant that grows in shady areas alongside streams and bottomland forests. Sometimes the plant can be found in bottomland prairies, pastures, along railroads, and on moist roadsides.

It typically grows up to 3 feet tall and is usually unbranched. It produces green stems, oppositely arranged leaves having a lanceolate or ovate shape, and pointed tips. The leaves usually measure up to 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. Moreover, the flowers have a tubular shape and measure only 2 inches long. On the other hand, they have a gorgeous lavender-bluish color!

8. Shining Clubmoss

Huperzia lucidula, the shining firmoss or shining clubmoss

The shining clubmoss spreads in loose tufts and produces narrow and shiny leaves.

©From Wiki en, by the user Jaknouse / CC BY-SA 3.0 – License

Shining Clubmoss
Scientific nameHuperzia lucidula
Other common namesShining firmoss
Type of plantEvergreen clubmoss
DistributionCentral and eastern North America

This evergreen clubmoss grows from underground rhizomes in a creeping, branching form, and it spreads in loose tufts and produces narrow and shiny leaves. These leaves are lance-shaped and usually measure 0.27 – 0.43 inches long, having irregularly toothed edges.

The shining clubmoss is found only in central and eastern North America, from Canada to the United States, including West Virginia.

A study shows that scientists have tried to bring the plant to gardeners’ attention since the 1700s, as it’s been highly neglected. This is primarily because it grows very slowly, despite perfect conditions. Another thing that stops gardeners from cultivating this plant is that obtaining sterile ex-plants is difficult, as they’re often associated with fungi and bacteria.

9. Kinnikinnik

Cornus amomum flowers

The kinnikinnik shrub produces yellowish-white flowers that grow in cymes.

©User:SB_Johnny / CC BY-SA 3.0 – License

Kinnikinnik
Scientific nameCornus amomum
Other common namesSilky dogwood, squawbush, red willow
Type of plantDeciduous shrub
DistributionEastern United States

Eastern North America is the only region in the world that hosts the Cornus amomum species, which grows in swamps, bogs, and marshes. This deciduous shrub grows up to around 16 feet tall and features oppositely arranged leaves with a rusty brown color.

Between May and June, the kinnikinnik shrub produces yellowish-white flowers that grow in cymes, a type of inflorescence. The flowers have four small petals.

The fruits are blue drupes and represent a major food source for birds, insects, rodents, and other mammals. Moreover, bees, flies, and butterflies are attracted to the shrub for pollination.

Furthermore, silky dogwood is a popular ornamental plant in landscaping and gardening thanks to its rich summer foliage and beautiful spring flowers.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Klymenko Mariia/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

I hold seven years of professional experience in the content world, focusing on nature, and wildlife. Asides from writing, I enjoy surfing the internet and listening to music.

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Sources
  1. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Available here: https://wvdnr.gov/outdoor-recreation/plants-fungi/
  2. Invasive.org, Available here: https://www.invasive.org/browse/subinfo.cfm?sub=5375
  3. American Society for Horticultural Science, Available here: https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/38/4/article-p565.xml