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.

Partial Shade Tolerant Species

The following native species have adapted to moderate levels of shade, only needing an average of three hours direct sunlight a day. Partial shade is usually provided by the canopy of other species, buildings, or structures. Most of these species would prefer the morning sun and afternoon shade, if available within your planting site.

Download the Partial Shade Tolerant Species List (PDF, 54 KB)

Trees

  • Acer saccharinum– Silver maple
  • Betula lenta– Black birch
  • Carya cordiformus– Bitternut
  • Carya glabra– Pignut
  • Celtis occidentalis– Hackberry
  • Cornus alternifolia– Pagoda dogwood
  • Fraxinus americana– American ash
  • Ilex opaca– American holly
  • Liriodendron tulipifera– Tulip poplar
  • Magnolia virginana– Sweet bay magnolia
  • Nyssa slyvatica– Black tupelo
  • Pinus strobus– White pine
  • Platanus occidentalis– American sycamore
  • Prunus serotina– Black cherry
  • Quercus alba– White oak
  • Quercus bicolor– Swamp White oak
  • Quercus prinus– Chesnut oak
  • Quercus velutina– Black oak

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Shrubs

  • Amelanchier arborea– Common serviceberry
  • Cornus sericea– Red osier
  • Corylus americana– Hazelnut
  • Gaylussacia baccata– Black huckleberry
  • Ilex glabra– Inkberry
  • Ilex verticillata– Winterberry
  • Kalmia angustifolia– Dwarf laurel
  • Kalmia latifolia– Mountain laurel
  • Lyonia ligustrina– Maleberry
  • Lyonia mariana– Staggerbush
  • Rhododendron viscosum– Swamp Azalea
  • Rubus allegheniensis– Allegheny blackberry
  • Rubus occidentalis– Black raspberry
  • Rubus odoratus– Purple flowering raspberry
  • Sambucus canadensis– Black elderberry
  • Vaccinium angustifolium– Lowbush blueberry
  • Vaccinium corymbosum– Highbush blueberry
  • Vibernum dentatum– Southern arrowwood
  • Vibernum lentago– Nannyberry
  • Viburnum nudum– Possumhaw
  • Vibernum prunifolium– Blackhaw

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Vines

  • Apios americana– Groundnut
  • Clematis virginiana– Virgin’s bower
  • Lathyrus palustris– Marsh pea
  • Vitis aestivalis– Summer grape

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Herbs

  • Aster linariifolius– Stiff aster
  • Chamaecrista fasciculata– Partridge pea
  • Chelone glabra– Turtlehead
  • Desmodium canadense– Canadian tick–trefoil
  • Desmodium glabellum– Dillenius’ tick–trefoil
  • Desmodium paniculatum– Beggar tick–trefoil
  • Eupatorium fistulosum– Hollow–stemmed joe–pye–weed
  • Eupatorium maculatum– Spotted joe–pye–weed
  • Eupatorium perfoliatum– Common boneset
  • Gaultheria procumbens– Eastern teaberry
  • Geum canadense– White avens
  • Geum laciniatum– Rough avens
  • Helenium autumnale– Sneezeweed
  • Helianthus decapetalus– Thin–leaf sunflower
  • Helianthus divaricatus– Woodland sunflower
  • Hibiscus moscheutos– Marsh mallow
  • Iris prismatica– Yellow iris
  • Lespedeza capitata– Bush clover
  • Lobelia cardinalis– Cardinal flower
  • Lysimachia quadrifolia– Whorled yellow loosestrife
  • Maianthemum canadense– Canada mayflower
  • Mimulus ringens– Allegheny monkeyflower
  • Monarda didyma– Oswago tea
  • Monarda fistulosa– Wild bergamot
  • Penstemon digitalis– Tall white beard tongue
  • Pycnanthemum tenuifolium– Mountainmint
  • Pycnanthemum virginianum– Virginia mountainmint
  • Rudbeckia hirta– Black–eyed susan
  • Solidago bicolor– White goldenrod
  • Solidago flexicaulis– Zig–zag goldenrod
  • Solidago juncea– Early goldenrod
  • Solidago rugosa– Tall Hairy goldenrod
  • Solidago speciosa– Showy goldenrod
  • Symphyotrichum laeve– Smooth Blue aster

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Graminoids

  • Carex appalachica– Appalachian sedge
  • Carex pensylvanica– Pennsylvania sedge
  • Carex rosea– Rosy sedge
  • Carex swanii– Swan’s sedge
  • Chasmanthium laxum– Slender spikegrass
  • Danthonia compressa– Northern oat grass
  • Danthonia spicata– Junegrass
  • Elymus canadensis– Canada wildrye
  • Elymus hystrix– Eastern bottlebrush grass
  • Elymus virginicus– Virginia wildrye
  • Eragrostis spectabilis– Purple lovegrass
  • Glyceria canadensis– Rattlesnake mannagrass
  • Glyceria obtusa– Coastal mannagrass
  • Juncus acuminatus– Tapertip rush
  • Juncus tenuis– Path rush
  • Leersia virginica– Cutgrass
  • Schizachyrium scoparium– Little bluestem
  • Scirpus atrovirens– Bulrush
  • Scirpus robustus– Salt marsh bulrush
  • Sorghastrum nutans– Indian grass
  • Sparganium americanum– American bur–reed
  • Sparganium eurycarpum– Broadfruit bur–reed
  • Tridens flavus– Tall redtop

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Ferns

  • Dennstaedtia punctilobula– Hay–scented fern
  • Dryopteris marginalis– Marginal wood fern
  • Onoclea sensibilis– Sensitive fern
  • Osmunda cinnamomea– Cinnamon fern
  • Osmunda claytoniana– Interrupted fern
  • Osmunda regalis– Royal fern
  • Polystichum acrostichoides– Christmas fern
  • Pteridium aquilinum– Western brackenfern
  • Thelypteris novaboracensis– New York fern
  • Thelypteris palustris– Marsh fern
  • Woodwardia areolata– Narrowleaf chain fern

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