EPA Level III Ecoregion
Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens
1024 native plants for the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens ecoregion (Riverhead area).
The Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens cover the New Jersey Pine Barrens and the pine and oak country of eastern Long Island, from Hammonton and Toms River across to Riverhead and Southampton. Sand is the defining feature here: it drains almost immediately, holds very little, and sits over an acidic water table that supports plants found nowhere else nearby. Natives like sweetbay magnolia, summersweet, and northern bayberry are adapted to that acidic sand, where ordinary topsoil-loving shrubs simply give out.
Conditions: Deep sandy acidic soils with very fast drainage, 42–48 inches of rain, humid summers and moderate winters, ocean influence.
Cities and areas: Riverhead, Toms River, Southampton, Hammonton, Atlantic City, Patchogue.
1024 Native Plants for the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens
HOA-friendly picks listed first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status. Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Wild Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
New Jersey-tea
Ceanothus americanus
Mallow-rose
Hibiscus moscheutos
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Brown-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia triloba
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Smooth Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata
Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Golden Groundsel
Packera aurea
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
American Fox Sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Virginia Mountain-Mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Spotted Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Blunt Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
River Birch
Betula nigra
Black-alder
Ilex verticillata
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Black Chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
White Oak
Quercus alba
Blue-stemmed Goldenrod
Solidago caesia
Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica
Red Chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Lyre Leaf Sage
Salvia lyrata
Showing 48 of 1024. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Pacific yew
Fall is a good time to set up roots and deer protection before winter.
- Mountain spurge
Fall is a good time to clear leaf litter and keep the soil moist before winter.
- Big blue lilyturf
Fall needs just a little tidying, and it is a good time to plant new clumps.
- Dense blazing star
In fall you can let the seed heads stand and tidy up lightly.
- Bigleaf hydrangea
Fall is for getting the plant ready for winter without pruning.
- Alumroot
Fall is a good time to divide or plant, and to keep the crown clear of heavy leaf litter.
- Scarlet strawberry
Cool fall weather brings the plants back, so it is a good time to plant or thin them.
- Spindle
Fall brings color and berries, and it is the time to keep seeds from spreading.
- Purple lovegrass
Fall brings the airy seed heads and rusty color, so enjoy them and leave them be.
- Common boxwood
Fall is for a deep drink before the ground freezes and for cleaning up fallen leaves.
Build a plan for the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens
The Pollinator Patch App turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Riverhead area.