Hilton Head Island City Zoning Code
Appendix C
- Recommended Native Plants
| RECOMMENDED NATIVE PLANTS FOR BUFFERS AND WETLANDS | ||
|---|---|---|
| This list is meant to be used as a guide, and is not all inclusive. Buffer and wetland plants are intended to supply a year-round filtering and habitat function. Therefore,
using a diverse selection of flora is highly encouraged.
| ||
| COMMON NAME | LATIN NAME | LOCATION |
| NATIVE PLANTS FOR DUNES | ||
| Beach evening primrose | Oenothera drummondii | Primary Dune |
| Beach morning glory | Ipomoea imperati | Primary Dune |
| Bear-grass (yucca) | Yucca filamentosa | Primary Dune |
| Camphor weed | Heterotheca subaxillaris | Primary Dune |
| Climbing Butterfly pea | Centrosema viriginianum | Primary Dune |
| Devil-joint cactus | Opuntia drummondii | Primary Dune |
| Dune sunflower | Helianthus debilis | Primary Dune |
| Dwarf palmetto | Sabal minor | Primary Dune |
| Moundlily yucca | Yucca gloriosa | Primary Dune |
| Prickly pear cactus | Opuntia compressa | Primary Dune |
| Purple passion flower (vine) | Passiflora incarnata | Primary Dune |
| Railroad vine | Ipomea pes-caprae | Primary Dune |
| Salt myrtle | Baccharus halimifolia | Primary Dune |
| Saw palm | Serenoa repens | Primary Dune |
| Sea oats | Uniola paniculata | Primary Dune |
| Seaside panicum | Panicum amarum | Primary Dune |
| Spanish bayonet | Yucca aloifolia | Primary Dune |
| Wax myrtle | Myrica cerifera | Primary Dune |
| Yaupon holly | Ilex vomitoria | Primary Dune |
| Yellow passion flower (vine) | Passiflora lutea | Primary Dune |
| *Dune fields can contain several dune rows that have mostly grasses and other non-woody plants in them. Look at dune areas adjacent to yours to determine which plants are best to use in similar areas. NEVER plant a non-native plant in dune areas; they may become invasive. | ||
| GRASSES, VINES, AND GROUNDCOVER | ||
| Arrow Arum | Peltandra virginica | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Black Needle Rush | Juncus roemerianus | Tidal wetland, Salt marsh buffer |
| Blue Flag Iris | Iris virginica | Freshwater wetland |
| Bur-marigolds | Bidens sp. (yellow flower, blooms in fall) | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Buttonbush | Cephalanthus occidentalis | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Duck potato | Sagittaria latifolia | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Floating hearts | Nymphoides aquatica | Floating Plants |
| Fragrant water lily | Nymphaea odorata | Floating Plants |
| Golden club | Orontium aquaticum | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Hooded pitcher plant | Sarracenia minor | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Jack-in-the-pulpit | Arisaema triphyllum | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Large marsh pink | Sabatia dodecandra | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Lizard's Tail | Saururus cernuus | Freshwater wetland |
| Maidencane | Panicum hemitoman | Freshwater wetland |
| Muhley Grass | Muhlenbegia capillaris | Upland |
| Passsion Flower | Passiflora incarnata | Upland |
| Pickerelweed | Pontederia cordata | Freshwater wetland |
| Rushes | Juncus sp. | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Saltmeadow Cordgrass | Spartina patens | Upland |
| Salthay | Spartina patens | Salt marsh buffer |
| Sand Cordgrass | Spartina bakeri | Upland |
| Sea ox-eye | Borrichia frutescens | Salt marsh buffer |
| Smooth Cordgrass | Spartina alterniflora | Tidal wetland |
| Soft Rush | Juncus effuses | Tidal wetland |
| Spikerushes | Eleocharis sp. | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Swamp rose mallow | Hibiscus moscheutos | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Watershield | Brasenia schreberi | Floating Plants |
| Wild Rice | Zizania aquatica | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Wild Ginger | Asarum canadense | Upland |
| Woolgrass bulrush | Scirpus cyperinus | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Yellow canna | Canna flaccida | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| Yellow Jassamine | Gelsemium sempervirens | Upland |
| Yellow fringed orchid | Habenaria ciliaris | Lower Bank/Shallow Water |
| SHRUBS AND SMALL TREES | ||
| American holly | Ilex opaca | Upland |
| Beautyberry | Callicarpa Americana | Upland |
| Cabbage palmetto | Sabal palmetto | Upland, salt marsh buffer |
| Carolina cherry laurel | Prunus caroliniana | Upland |
| Chickasaw plum | Prunus angustifolia | Upland |
| Cinnamon fern | Osmunda cinnamomea | Upland |
| Common persimmon | Diospyros virginiana | Upland |
| Coral Bean | Erythrina herbacea | Upland |
| Coral honeysuckle | Lonicera sempervirens | Upland |
| Cross vine | Anisostichus capreolata | Upland |
| Dahoon Holly | Ilex cassine | Upland |
| Fetterbush | Lyonia lucida | Freshwater wetland/Upland |
| Hercules' Club | Zanthoxylum clava-herculis | Upland, salt marsh buffer |
| Horse sugar | Symplocus tinctoria | Upland |
| Inkberry | Ilex glabra | Freshwater wetland/Upland |
| Loblolly Bay | Gordonia lasianthus | Upland |
| Redbay | Persea borbonia | Upland |
| Salt Myrtle | Baccharis halimifolia | Upland |
| Sassafras | Sassafras albidum | Upland |
| Saw Palmetto | Serona repens | Upland |
| Southern Red Cedar | Juniperus silicicola | Upland, salt marsh buffer |
| Sparkleberry | Vaccinium arboreum | Upland |
| Star Anise | Illicium floridanum | Upland |
| Sugarberry | Celtis laevigata | Upland |
| Tough bumelia | Bumelia tenax | Upland, salt marsh buffer |
| Trumpet vine | Campsis radicans | Upland |
| Wax Myrtle | Myrica ceriflora | Upland |
| Winged sumac | Rhus copallina | Upland |
| Witch Hazel | Hamamelis viginiana | Upland |
| Yaupon Holly | Ilex vomitoria | Upland |
| MEDIUM AND LARGE TREES | ||
| American Holly | Ilex opaca | Upland |
| Bald Cypress | Taxodium distichum | Freshwater wetland/Upland |
| Black Gum | Nyssa sylvatica | Freshwater wetland/Upland |
| Florida Maple | Acer barbatum | Upland |
| Hickories, various species | Carya spp. | Upland |
| Laurel Oak | Quercus laurifolia | Upland |
| Little Gem Magnolia | Magnolia grandiflora "Little Gem" | Upland |
| Live Oak | Quercus virginiana | Upland |
| Loblolly pine | Pinus taeda | Upland |
| Long leaf pine | Pinus Palustris | Upland |
| Red Maple | Acer rubrum | Freshwater wetland/Upland |
| Sabal palmetto | Sabal palmetto | Upland |
| Slash pine | Pinus elliottii | Upland |
| Southern Magnolia | Magnolia arandiflora | Upland |
| Southern Red Cedar | Juniperis silicicola | Upland |
| Southern Red Oak | Quercus falcata | Upland |
| Sweet Gum | Liquidamber styraciflua | Freshwater wetland/Upland |
| Water Oak | Quercus nigra | Upland |
| RECOMMENDED INVASIVE TREES AND PLANTS FOR REMOVAL |
|---|
| The following is a list of common Invasive Trees and Plants in the Lowcountry. The list contains plants and trees that negatively impact native plants and trees and are recommended for removal. Therefore, using a recommended native plant list is encouraged. |
| • Autumn-Olive Tree |
| • Bamboo |
| • Beach Vitex ground cover Bradford Pear Tree |
| • Chinese Privet Shrub |
| • Chinese Silvergrass grass Chinese Tallow Tree |
| • Chinese Wisteria vine Cogongrass grass |
| • Common Reed (Phragmites) grass English Ivy vine |
| • Japanese Honelysuckle shrub |
| • Japanese Stiltgrass grass |
| • Kudzu Vine |
| • Multiflora Rose Shrub |
| • Non-Native Milkweed |
(Revised 8-19-2025 - Ordinance 2025-13)