The Greenbelt Native Plant Center (GNPC), a facility of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, is a 13–acre greenhouse, nursery, and seed bank complex located on Staten Island, NY.

Full Shade Tolerant Species

The following species are tolerant to very tolerant of full shade. These natives do require dappled sun but will thrive in the cooler habitat a fully shaded garden area will provide.

Download the Full Shade Tolerant Species List (PDF, 43 KB)

Trees

  • Acer rubrum– Red maple
  • Acer saccharum– Sugar maple
  • Carpinus caroliniana– hornbeam
  • Cornus florida– Flowering dogwood
  • Corylus americana– Hazelnut
  • Fagus grandiflora– American beech
  • Ostrya virginiana– Hop hornbeam
  • Quercus rubra– Red oak
  • Tilia americana– Basswood

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Shrubs

  • Amelanchier canadensis– Canadian serviceberry
  • Aronia arbutifolia– Red chokeberry
  • Aronia melanocarpa– Black chokeberry
  • Clethra alnifolia– Sweet pepperbush
  • Cornus alternifolia– Pagoda dogwood
  • Cornus racemosa– Gray dogwood
  • Hamamelis virginiana– Witchhazel
  • Ilex glabra– Inkberry
  • Lindera benzoin– Spicebush
  • Rhododendron periclymenoides– Pinkster azalea
  • Staphylea trifolia– Bladdernut
  • Vaccinium pallidum– Blue Ridge blueberry
  • Vibernum acerfolium– Mapleleaf vibernun

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Vines

  • Lonicera sempervirens– Trumpet honeysuckle
  • Parthenocissus quinquefolia– Virginia creeper

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Herbs

  • Actea pachypoda– Doll’s eyes
  • Allium tricoccum– Wild leek
  • Aquilegia candensis– Wild columbine
  • Aralia nudicaulis– Wild sarsaparilla
  • Asarum canadense– Wild ginger
  • Eupatorium purpureum– Sweet–scented joe–pye–weed
  • Eupatorium rugosum– White snakeroot
  • Eurybia divaricata– White wood aster
  • Geranium maculatum– Wild geranium
  • Helianthus angustifolius– Narrow–leafed sunflower
  • Helianthus giganteus– Swamp sunflower
  • Heuchera americana– Alum root
  • Lysimachia cilliata– Fringed loosestrife
  • Maianthemum canadense– Wild lily–of–the–valley
  • Podophyllum peltatum– May apple
  • Polygonatum biflorum– Small Solomon’s seal
  • Polygonatum pubescens– Solomon’s seal
  • Smilacina racemosa– False Solomon’s seal
  • Solidago caesia– Bluestem goldenrod
  • Solidago odora– Anise–scented goldenrod
  • Symphyotrichum cordifolium– Bluewood aster
  • Symplocarpus foetidus– Skunk cabbage
  • Tiarella cordifolia– Foam flower
  • Uvularia sessilifolia– Bellwort

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Graminoids

  • Carex appalachica– Appalachian sedge
  • Carex folliculata– Northern Long sedge
  • Carex intumescens– Great Bladder sedge
  • Carex rosea– Rosy sedge
  • Carex swanii– Swan’s sedge
  • Cinna arundinacea– Wood reedgrass
  • Deschampsia fleuxosa– Common hairgrass
  • Elymus hystrix– Bottlebrush
  • Leersia virginica– Cutgrass
  • Luzula multiflora– Common woodrush

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Ferns

  • Athyrium filix–femina– Lady fern
  • Dennstaedtia punctilobula– Hay–scented fern
  • Onoclea sensibilis– Sensitive fern
  • Osmunda cinnamomea– Cinnamon fern
  • Osmunda claytoniana– Interrupted fern
  • Osmunda regalis– Royal fern
  • Polystichum acrostichoides– Christmas fern
  • Woodwardia areolata– Narrowleaf Chain fern

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