Sinkhole Plant List

Graminoids

  • big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
  • blue-joint (Calamagrostis canadensis)
  • sedges (Carex aurea, C. eburnea, C. flava, C. pensylvanica, C. viridula, and others)
  • twig-rush (Cladium mariscoides)
  • poverty grass (Danthonia spicata)
  • common spike-rush (Eleocharis palustris)
  • fowl manna grass (Glyceria striata)
  • Canadian rush (Juncus canadensis)
  • little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
  • hardstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus)
  • green bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens)
  • cordgrass (Spartina pectinata)

Forbs

  • wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
  • jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
  • wormwood (Artemisia campestris)
  • harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
  • marsh cinquefoil (Comarum palustre)
  • large-leaved aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
  • wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
  • wild blue flag (Iris versicolor)
  • cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
  • Kalm’s lobelia (Lobelia kalmii)
  • common water horehound (Lycopus americanus)
  • northern bugle weed (Lycopus uniflorus)
  • Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense)
  • false spikenard (Maianthemum racemosum)
  • water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia)
  • downy Solomon seal (Polygonatum pubescens)
  • mad-dog skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

Ferns

  • lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
  • rattlesnake fern (Botrypus virginianus)
  • bulblet fern (Cystopteris bulbifera)
  • oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)
  • sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
  • royal fern (Osmunda regalis)
  • bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
  • marsh fern (Thelypteris palustris)

Woody Vines

  • poison-ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)

Shrubs

  • bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
  • sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina)
  • bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
  • gray dogwood (Cornus foemina)
  • round-leaved dogwood (Cornus rugosa)
  • American hazelnut (Corylus americana)
  • alder-leaved buckthorn (Rhamnus alnifolia)
  • soapberry (Shepherdia canadensis)
  • blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium and V. myrtilloides)

Trees

  • balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
  • sugar maple (Acer saccharum)
  • paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
  • American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
  • white ash (Fraxinus americana)
  • pines (Pinus banksiana, P. resinosa, and P. strobus)
  • big-toothed aspen (Populus grandidentata)
  • quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
  • northern pin oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis)
  • red oak (Quercus rubra)
  • northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
  • basswood (Tilia americana)
  • hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

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: March 21, 2026).