Part Of The American Meadows Meadowscaping Learning Center
Oklahoma Native Plants, State Flowers & State Bird
Native plants are adaptable, low-maintenance, and beautiful. They are the best choice for habitat-friendly gardens and thriving ecosystems. Find top picks for native plants in your state - and learn about your state bird and state flowers!
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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!
About Our Native Plant Lists For Each State
- 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.
Oklahoma Native Plants
Grow our Native Southwest Wildflower Seed Mix
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)
Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)
Black Eyed Susan or Gloriosa Daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)
Giant Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia maxima)
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 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)
Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)
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)
Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata)
Common White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Heliopsis (Heliopsis helianthoides)
Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)
Oklahoma State Bird, State Flower & State Wildflower
Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher ~ Muscivora forficata
The courtship ballet of the male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is unparalleled in the bird kingdom. He climbs to about a hundred feet, plunges down a fourth of the way, zigs up and zags down, all the while sounding a rolling chatter. Finally, he rockets straight up and then falls into two or three spectacular somersaults. For all the painstaking fervor of the courtship rites, Scissor-tails care little for a tidy nest. Frail and sloppily built, their nests are a shallow cup of twigs and grass.
Mistletoe ~ Phoradendron flavescens
Mistletoe is a unique choice among state flowers for two reasons. First, its interest and charm lie in its thick yellowish green leaves and waxy white berries, rather than in its tiny inconspicuous flowers. Second, it is not a garden or cultivated flower but, like its five hundred or more relatives, a parasite, living on the branches of various kinds of trees from which it steals its sustenance. Its name comes from a very old Saxon word meaning “different twig.” It was considered a twig of mysterious power because it remained green in winter, when all the leaves of the tree had fallen. The custom of kissing under a branch of Mistletoe apparently originated among the Druids.
From The Wildflowers of the 50 States U.S. stamps issued July 24, 1992:
About Native Plants
- 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
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