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Appendix

Native Ontario plant species for wetlands and adjacent habitats

Nurseries which carry native plant species for Ontario.

Additional sources of information on amphibians

Native Ontario plant species for wetlands and adjacent habitats.

To help preserve native plant species, some nurseries will assist wetland restoration programmes by growing plants with seed collected from local genetic stocks.  

When planting vegetation in and around your pond, one should consider using plant species that are native to your area. These species will be best adapted to local climate, moisture, pH and soil conditions. Following is a brief list of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants native to Ontario. For more information consult "The Ontario Naturalized Garden" by Lorraine Johnson.

A. Floating Plants

1. Plants suitable for ponds and wet meadows.

Water lily

Vallisneria: Submergent plants provide cover and add oxygen to the water.

Duckweeds
          (Lemna minor)
          (Lemna trisula)
          (Spirodela polyrhiza)

B. Deep water species (50-150 cm deep)

Bladderwort
          (Utricularia vulgaris)

Bulrush
          (Scirpus validus)

Canada Waterweed
          (Anacharis canadensis)

Coontail
          (Ceratophyllum demersum)

False Loosestrife
          (Ludwigia palustris var. americana)

Pondweeds
          (Potamogeton spp.)

Yellow Spatterdock
          (Nuphar spp.)

Water buttercup
          (Ranunculus spp.)

Water-milfoil
          (Myriophyllum alterniflorum)

Water weed
          (Elodea canadensis)

White water lily
          (Nymphaea odorata)

Wild Celery or Tape grass
          (Vallisneria americana)

C. Shallow Water species (10-15 cm)

Sagittaria

Rushes grow in wet meadows.

Arrowheads
          (Sagittaria latifolia
          (Sagittaria graminea)
          (Sagittaria rigida)
          13 other species

Broad-leaved cattail
          (Typha latifolia)

Buckbean
          (Menyanthes trifoliata)

Burreed
          (Sparganium)

Cranberry
          (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
          (acidic soils only)

Large Blue Flag
          (Iris versicolor)

Marsh Cinquefoil
          (Potentilla palustris)

Pickerel weed
          (Pontederia cordata)

Rush, Soft
          (Juncus effusus)

Spikerush
          (Eleocharis spp.)

Sweetflag
          (Acorus calamus)

Three Square
          (Scirpus americanus)

Water arum
          (Calla palustris)

Water plantain
          (Alisma triviale)

D. Herbaceous Plants for Wet Soil

Most of these are happy with a spring flood time. Many of them will live in or out of water as long as the soil does not dry out for any length of time.

American speedwell
          (Veronica scutellata)
          (Veronica anagallis-aquatica)
          (Veronica americana)

Arrow arum or tuckahoe
          (Peltandra virginica)

Beggar ticks
          (Bidens tripartita)

Boneset
          (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Bur marigolds
          (Bidens laevis)

Canada anemone
          (Anemone canadensis)

Canada holly or winterberry
          (Ilex verticillata)

Canada lily
          (Lilium canadense)

Cardinal flower
          (Lobelia cardinalis)

False dragon head
          (Physostegia virginiana)

Flat topped aster
          (Aster umbellatus)

Fern, Cinnamon
          (Osmunda cinnamonea)

Fern, Royal
          (Osmunda regalis)

Gentian, Bottled or Closed
          (Gentiana andrewsii)

Gentian, Fringed
          (Gentiana crinita)

Grass of Parnassus
          (Parnassia glauca)

Great blue lobelia
          (Lobelia siphilitia)

Green dragon
          (Arisaema dracontium)

Jack-in-the-pulpit
          (Arisaema triphyllum)

Joe Pyeweed
          (Eupatorium maculatum)

Marsh fern
          (Dryopteris thelypteris)

Marsh marigold/Cowslip

Marsh Marigold

Monkey flower
          (Mimulus ringens)
          (Mimulus alatus)

Narrow-leaved meadowsweet
          (Spiraea alba)

Northern bedstraw
          (Galium boreale)

Ostrich fern
          (Matteuccia strathiopteris)

Panicgrass
          (Panicum lanuginosum)

Primrose
          (Primula mistassinica)

Reed Canary grass
          (Phalaris arundinacea)

Sedges
          (Cyperaceae family)

Skunk cabbage
          (Symplocarpus foetidus)

Smartweed
          (Polygonum spp.)

Stargrass
          (Hypoxis hirsuta)

St. Johnswort
          (Hypericum virginicum)
          (Hypericum mutilum)

Swamp milkweed
          (Asclepias incarnata)

Swamp rose mallow
          (Hibiscus palustris)

Meadow-rue, Tall
          (Thalictrum polygamum)

Meadow-rue, Purple
          (Thalictrum dasycarpum)

Turtle head
          (Chelone glabra)

Violet (lance-leaved)
          (Viola lanceolata)

Water stargrass
          (Heteranthera dubia)

Wild calla
          (Calla palustris)

Yellow-eyed grasses
          (Xyris spp.)

Yellow loosestrife
          (Lysimachia terrestris)

Legend

G - Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Valley
D - Deciduous Forest (Carolinian Forest)
B - Boreal Forest

Moisture

A - All (wet, moist, dry)
M - Moist
D - Dry
W - Wet

Soil types

B - Broad range of Tolerance
P - Peat
C - Clay
S - Sand
L - Loam

Wildlife

Plants were only marked if they attracted butterflies, hummingbirds and/or seed eating birds. It should be remembered that all native species provide food/shelter for animals. Anyone of the plants in the list would provide wildlife habitat in your backyard.

B - Attracts butterflies
S - Attracts seed eating birds
H - Attracts hummingbirds

Note: The subsequent highlighted plants are found in or along the shorelines of wetlands.