Native Trees and Shrubs for Riparian Forest Buffers
New Jersey, Ridge and Valley

Color indicates species is more commonly available.

Trees - Overstory
Sugar maple - Acer saccharum
Yellow birch - Betula alleghaniensis
Sweet or Black birch - Betula lenta
River birch - Betula nigra
Bitternut hickory - Carya cordiformis
Pignut hickory - Carya glabra
Shagbark hickory - Carya ovata
Mockernut hickory - Carya tomentosa
Hackberry - Celtis occidentalis
American beech - Fagus grandifolia
White ash - Fraxinus americana
Green ash - Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Larch or Tamarack - Larix laricina
Tuliptree - Liriodendron tulipifera
Black spruce - Picea mariana
Red spruce - Picea rubens
Mountain pine - Pinus pungens
Red pine - Pinus resinosa
Pitch pine - Pinus rigida
White pine - Pinus strobus
Sycamore - Platanus occidentalis
Swamp white oak - Quercus bicolor
Scarlet oak - Quercus coccinea
Pin oak - Quercus palustris
Chestnut oak - Quercus prinus
Red oak - Quercus rubra
Black oak - Quercus velutina
Black willow - Salix nigra
Linden or Basswood - Tilia americana
Eastern hemlock - Tsuga canadensis
Slippery Elm - Ulmus rubra

Trees - Understory
Striped Maple or Moosewood - Acer pennsylvanicum
Mountain maple - Acer spicatum
Speckled or rough alder - Alnus incana
Smooth alder - Alnus serrulata
Downy juneberry - Amelanchier arborea
Shadbush - Amelanchier canadensis
Smooth juneberry - Amelanchier laevis
Paper birch - Betula papyrifera
Gray birch - Betula populifolia
Alternate-leaf dogwood - Cornus alternifolia
Ironwood - Carpinus caroliniana
Flowering dogwood - Cornus florida
Witch hazel - Hamamelis virginiana
Red cedar - Juniperus virginiana
Black gum - Nyssa sylvatica
Hophornbeam - Ostrya virginiana
Choke cherry - Prunus virginiana
Aromatic sumac - Rhus aromatica
Winged sumac - Rhus coppalina
Nannyberry - Viburnum lentago
Possumhaw - Viburnum nudum
Blackhaw - Viburnum prunifolium

Shrubs
Red chokeberry - Aronia arbutifolia
Black chokeberry - Aronia melanocarpa
Purple chokeberry - Aronia prunifolia
Buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis
Virgin's bower - Clematis virginiana
Sweetfern - Comptonia peregrina
Silky dogwood - Cornus amomum
Gray dogwood - Cornus racemosa
Round-leaved dogwood - Cornus rugosa
Redosier dogwood - Cornus stolonifera
American hazelnut - Corylus americana
Beaked hazelnut - Corylus cornuta
American strawberry-bush - Euonymus americanus
Black huckleberry - Gaylussaccia baccata
Winterberry - Ilex verticillata
Mountain laurel - Kalmia latifolia
Spicebush - Lindera benzoin
Maleberry - Lyonia ligustrina
Northern bayberry - Myrica pennsylvanica
Common ninebark - Physocarpus opulifolius
Rosebay rhododendron - Rhododendron maximum
Pinxterbloom azalea - Rhododendron periclymenoides
Swamp azalea - Rhododendron viscosum
Swamp rose - Rosa palustris
Pussy willow - Salix discolor
Elderberry - Sambucus canadensis
Meadowsweet - Spirea latifolia
Steeplebush - Spirea tomentosa
American bladdernut - Staphylea trifolia
Lowbush blueberry - Vaccinium angustifolium
Highbush blueberry - Vaccinium corymbosum
Maple-leaved viburnum - Viburnum acerifolium
Witherod - Viburnum cassenoides
Arrowwood - Viburnum dentatum