Alabama Native Plants, State Flowers & State Bird

Hello native plant enthusiasts! In the list below, you will find popular native plants and wildflower seeds, available from American Meadows, that have a native distribution in your state. You’ll also find information about your state bird, state flower, and state wildflower!

• The links will take you to a single plant or seed selection for the plant listed -- but in many cases, we offer multiple cultivars for each plant, and we may offer both seeds and potted plants to grow the plant on your list. This list is a work in progress as we expand our native plant educational resources. 
• The list for your state is a great place for getting started with native plants - but it is by no means a comprehensive listing of the hundreds of native plants growing in each state. 

Grow our Native Southeast Wildflower Seed Mix!

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

Cliff Goldenrod (Solidago drummondii)

Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)

Black Eyed Susan or Gloriosa Daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

Yellow Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)

Gray Headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)

Rose Trillium (Trillium catesbaei)

White Tinged Sedge (Carex albicans)

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)

Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox)

Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)

Red Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)

Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix)

Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)

Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)

Yellow Prairie Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)

Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)

Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Sky Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense)

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Common White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Helenium (Helenium autumnale)

Heliopsis (Heliopsis helianthoides)

Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)

Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum)

Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Yellowhammer ~ Colaptes auratus
The Yellowhammer has so endeared himself to Americans from Florida to Alaska that they have given him 132 local names. Alabama adopted the Yellowhammer as the state bird because her soldiers marched off to the Civil War with feathers of the Yellowhammer in their soft felt hats. More widely known as the Yellow-shafted Flicker, both sexes carry a red crescent on the name. In spring, this colorful drummer sends courting messages on trunks and tin roofs, and soon pairs off to find the ideal nest.

Camellia ~ Camellia japonica
In its wild state the Camellia bears a single red flower with only five petals, but under man's care it has become a double flower with many petals. Alabama's splendid variety is a large, bright crimson flower with deep veined, rounded petals. Camellias have very short stalks which grow almost directly from the branch, like waxen rosettes among the glossy, evergreen leaves. This shrub-like tree sometimes grows as high as forty feet, and, as it is not naive to this country, also grows wild in China, Japan, and North India.

From The Wildflowers of the 50 States U.S. stamps issued July 24, 1992:

• Native plants are essential for healthy ecosystems and habitat. They have evolved over time with local wildlife and climate conditions. Many pollinators have special relationships with native plants that they rely on for survival. For instance, some bees are specialists and require nectar and pollen from specific native plants to survive; and butterflies and moths often have specific host plants needed to nourish their caterpillars. For example, Asclepias (Milkweed or Butterfly Weed) is the host plant required for Monarch caterpillars to survive and grow into Monarch Butterflies!
• It’s OK to grow native plants in your yard that may not be native to your state or region. Remember – just because a plant is not native, does not necessarily mean that it is invasive or harmful. In fact, growing well-behaved introduced plants that are suited to your growing conditions can still provide many benefits to your yard (especially when compared to a traditional turf lawn).  
• Know before you grow – It's always a good idea to learn what plants are native, well-behaved, and invasive or aggressive in your region before digging in.
• Learn More: All About Native Plants

Explore our full selection of native plants and seeds