Shrub/Tree Indiana Native Salix humilis [Prairie Willow] Prairie Willow is more drought tolerant than other willows. Rabbits and deer eat the twigs. The nectar is used by bees to provide high quality honey.
Tree Indiana Native Salix nigra [Black Willow] The Black Willow is a fast-growing, wet soils tolerant tree, reaching 30 to 60 feet at maturity. Can sucker profusely, so use sparingly in the landscape. In the wild, you can find Salix nigra near floodplains, streams and rivers, and marshes. The ancient Greeks knew the therapeutic values of willow (Salix) and brewed tea made from willow bark to relieve stiff joints and other bodily aches and pains. A number of insect species attack the…
Tree Indiana Native Sassafras albidum [Common Sassafras] Roots sucker and form thickets, which may or may not be desirable. Sassafras tea contains safrole, a mild carcinogen banned in food products. Iron chlorosis in high pH can turn leaves yellow.
Shrub Indiana Native Staphylea trifolia [American Bladdernut] An upright, heavily branched, suckering shrub; sometimes wide-spreading, as a small tree. Used in naturalizing; best reserved for parks and other low maintenance areas; rather nice for foliage effect.
Tree Indiana Native Taxodium distichum [Common Baldcypress] Nice planted in groupings around water. Develops cypress knees (possibly for gas exchange), but generally only near water.
Tree Indiana Native Ulmus rubra [Slippery Elm] The Slippery Elm has a vase-shaped form, similar to that of the American Elm (Ulmus americana), but with more ascending branchlets. This tree gained its common name from the moist, slippery, red inner bark chewed by Native Americans and pioneers to quench thirst. Not considered very ornamental for the landscape, due to its coarse texture, weedy tendencies, and susceptibility to Dutch Elm Disease (although not as severe as the American Elm).
Shrub Indiana Native Viburnum trilobum 'Bailey Compact' [Bailey's Compact American Cranberrybush Viburnum] Widely tolerant of soils and microclimates. May be troubled by aphids. Drought resistance is not good. Fruits are used in preserves.
