Bur Oak Plains Plant List
Graminoids
- big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
- blue-joint (Calamagrostis canadensis)
- Bicknell’s sedge (Carex bicknellii)
- Leiberg’s panic grass (Dichanthelium leibergii)
- panic grass (Dichanthelium oligosanthes)
- porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea)
- switch grass (Panicum virgatum)
- little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
- Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
- cordgrass (Spartina pectinata)
- prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
Forbs
- hog-peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata)
- milkweeds (Asclepias purpurascens, A. syriaca, A. tuberosa, and A. verticillata)
- white false indigo (Baptisia lactea)
- false boneset (Brickellia eupatorioides)
- prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata)
- tall coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris)
- showy tick-trefoil (Desmodium canadense)
- prairie tick-trefoil (Desmodium illinoense)
- rattlesnake-master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
- flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata)
- wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
- American columbo (Frasera caroliniensis)
- northern bedstraw (Galium boreale)
- wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
- white gentian (Gentiana alba)
- woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)
- western sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis)
- pale-leaved sunflower (Helianthus strumosus)
- alum root (Heuchera americana)
- tall lettuce (Lactuca canadensis)
- veiny pea (Lathyrus venosus)
- round-headed bush-clover (Lespedeza capitata)
- hairy bush-clover (Lespedeza hirta)
- hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens)
- false spikenard (Maianthemum racemosum)
- wild-bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- prairie phlox (Phlox pilosa)
- common mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)
- early buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis)
- yellow coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
- black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- starry campion (Silene stellata)
- rosin weed (Silphium integrifolium)
- prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum)
- goldenrods (Solidago caesia, S. juncea, S. nemoralis, S. rigida, and S. speciosa)
- asters (Symphyotrichum laeve, S. oolentangiense, and S. pilosum)
- yellow pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima)
- purple meadow-rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum)
- common spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
- horse-gentian (Triosteum aurantiacum)
- feverwort (Triosteum perfoliatum)
- Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
- American vetch (Vicia americana)
- pale vetch (Vicia caroliniana)
- golden alexanders (Zizia aurea)
- prairie violet (Viola pedatifida)
Woody Vines
- Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
- bristly greenbrier (Smilax hispida)
- poison-ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)
- summer grape (Vitis aestivalis)
- riverbank grape (Vitis riparia)
Shrubs
- leadplant (Amorpha canescens)
- New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
- gray dogwood (Cornus foemina)
- American hazelnut (Corylus americana)
- American plum (Prunus americana)
- sumacs (Rhus copallina, R. glabra, and R. typhina)
- pasture rose (Rosa carolina)
- prairie willow (Salix humilis)
Trees
- pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
- shagbark hickory (Carya ovata)
- white oak (Quercus alba)
- bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
- black oak (Quercus velutina)
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).