PlantsMap

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15 plants worth knowing

United States

The United States spans almost every vegetation type of the temperate and subtropical zones: the tundra of Alaska, the temperate rainforests of conifers on the north-west coast, the deserts of the south-west with their cacti and yuccas, the grassy prairies of the Great Plains, the broadleaf forests of the east and the subtropical swamps of Florida. Hawaii, meanwhile, has an island flora with a very high degree of endemism.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Giant sequoia 1

    tree · State tree of California (together with the coast redwood)

    Giant sequoia

    Sequoiadendron giganteum

    The world’s largest tree by volume – “General Sherman” stands nearly 84 m tall and contains over 1,400 m³ of wood.
  2. Saguaro 2

    cactus · Saguaro blossom – official state flower of Arizona

    Saguaro

    Carnegiea gigantea

    A columnar cactus with upraised “arms” – a living icon of the Wild West, though it grows only in the Sonoran Desert.
  3. White oak 3

    tree · The oak – national tree of the USA (since 2004); the white oak is the state tree of Illinois, Connecticut and Maryland

    White oak

    Quercus alba

    The most important oak of the eastern US forests – its wood makes the barrels in which bourbon is aged.
  4. Southern magnolia 4

    tree · State flower of Mississippi and Louisiana, state tree of Mississippi

    Southern magnolia

    Magnolia grandiflora

    An evergreen magnolia with flowers the size of a plate – the fragrant symbol of the American South.
  5. Maize 5

    crop

    Maize

    Zea mays

    The USA is the world’s largest producer of maize – the Corn Belt of the Midwest stretches to the horizon.
  6. Coast redwood 6

    tree · State tree of California (together with the giant sequoia)

    Coast redwood

    Sequoia sempervirens

    The world’s tallest tree – “Hyperion” in California measures over 115 m, and the oldest specimens are more than 2,000 years old.
  7. Joshua tree 7

    tree

    Joshua tree

    Yucca brevifolia

    A tree-like yucca with twisted arms, the symbol of the Mojave Desert and namesake of Joshua Tree National Park.
  8. Flowering dogwood 8

    tree · State tree of Virginia and Missouri, state flower of Virginia and North Carolina

    Flowering dogwood

    Cornus florida

    In spring, before the eastern forests turn green, flowering dogwood lights them up with thousands of white “flowers” – which are actually bracts.
  9. California poppy 9

    flower · State flower of California (since 1903)

    California poppy

    Eschscholzia californica

    California’s orange “golden poppy” – in rainy springs it covers entire hillsides in what is known as a superbloom.
  10. American cranberry 10

    dwarf shrub · State berry of Massachusetts, state fruit of Wisconsin

    American cranberry

    Vaccinium macrocarpon

    Tart red berries from flooded bogs – cranberry sauce is the obligatory partner to the Thanksgiving turkey.
  11. Bald cypress 11

    tree · State tree of Louisiana (since 1963)

    Bald cypress

    Taxodium distichum

    A conifer of Southern swamps that sheds its needles for winter and sends up distinctive “knees” from the water around its trunk.
  12. Texas bluebonnet 12

    flower · State flower of Texas (as one of the lupins known as bluebonnets)

    Texas bluebonnet

    Lupinus texensis

    Blue drifts of lupins that carpet Texas roadsides every spring – Texans’ favourite backdrop for family photos.
  13. Red maple 13

    tree · State tree of Rhode Island (since 1964)

    Red maple

    Acer rubrum

    The commonest tree of the eastern US forests – its red flowers herald spring, and its scarlet leaves set New England ablaze in autumn.
  14. Soybean 14

    crop

    Soybean

    Glycine max

    An Asian legume that has become, alongside maize, the second mainstay of Midwestern farming.
  15. Big sagebrush 15

    shrub · State flower of Nevada

    Big sagebrush

    Artemisia tridentata

    A silvery-grey, aromatic shrub that covers the endless plains of the Great Basin – the smell of the Wild West after rain.