Dry Northern Forest Plant List
Graminoids
- wavy hair grass (Avenella flexuosa)
- long-awned wood grass (Brachyelytrum aristosum)
- sedges (Carex foenea, C. pensylvanica, C. siccata, and others)
- poverty grass (Danthonia spicata)
- rough-leaved rice grass (Oryzopsis asperifolia)
- rice grass (Piptatherum pungens)
Forbs
- spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)
- wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
- bluebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
- fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)
- pink lady-slipper (Cypripedium acaule)
- large-leaved aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
- rattlesnake weed (Hieracium venosum)
- twinflower (Linnaea borealis)
- Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense)
- cow-wheat (Melampyrum lineare)
- partridge berry (Mitchella repens)
- hairy goldenrod (Solidago hispida)
- starflower (Trientalis borealis)
Ferns
- bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
Lichens
- reindeer lichens (Cladina mitis and C. rangiferina)
Mosses
- fork mosses (Dicranum spp.)
- Hypnum mosses (Hypnum spp.)
- big red stem moss (Pleurozium schreberi)
Shrubs
- running serviceberry (Amelanchier spicata)
- bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
- pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata)
- sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina)
- bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
- bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)
- trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens)
- wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
- huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata)
- sand cherry (Prunus pumila)
- northern dewberry (Rubus flagellaris)
- prairie willow (Salix humilis)
- low sweet blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
- Canada blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides)
Trees
- balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
- red maple (Acer rubrum)
- paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
- white spruce (Picea glauca)
- black spruce (Picea mariana)
- jack pine (Pinus banksiana)
- red pine (Pinus resinosa)
- white pine (Pinus strobus)
- big-toothed aspen (Populus grandidentata)
- trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)
- black cherry (Prunus serotina)
- northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)
Citation
Cohen, J.G., M.A. Kost, B.S. Slaughter, D.A. Albert, J.M. Lincoln, A.P. Kortenhoven, C.M. Wilton, H.D. Enander, M.E. Anderson, M.R. Parr, T.J. Bassett, and K.M. Korroch. 2025. Michigan Natural Community Classification [web application]. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Michigan State University Extension, Lansing, MI. Available https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/communities/classification. (Accessed: April 18, 2026).