Native plants are indigenous to the area, meaning that they have been around since pre-Colonial times or have since arrived without the help of humans. These plants have evolved to survive in their unique habitats—the coast being one such habitat with particularly extreme conditions: wind, waves, storm flooding, salt spray, and drought. But there are also non-native plants lurking at the coast—plants that were introduced by humans, either intentionally or accidentally. Sometimes, these species are considered invasive because they out-compete their native counterparts and have the potential to disrupt the natural balance, reduce biodiversity, degrade habitats, alter native genetic diversity, and transmit exotic diseases to native species. To help you sort the natives from the invasives, this tip provides descriptions and photographs of some of the more common coastal plants in Massachusetts.
Common Natives
Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata)![]() |
Black Grass (Juncus gerardii)![]() |
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)![]() |
Sweet Goldenrod (Solidago odora)![]() |
Beach Plum (Prunus maritima)![]() |
Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)![]() |
Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)![]() |
Northern Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica)![]() |
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)![]() |
Invasive Non-Natives
Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)![]() |
Common Reed (Phragmites australis subsp. australis)![]() |
Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)![]() |
Morrow's Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii)![]() |
Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum or Fallopia japonica)![]() |
Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)![]() |
Non-Native and Potentially Invasive
Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa)![]() |
Additional Information
The following links provide additional information on native and non-native invasive plants:
- Coastal Landscaping - This Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) website provides information on the benefits of landscaping coastal property with native, hardy, salt-tolerant plant species and includes plant lists, sample landscape plans, photographs, and detailed plant information.
- American Beauties Native Plants - From the National Wildlife Federation, this website offers information and identifying features of native plants, including trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and wildflowers.
- Go Botany - This website of the Native Plant Trust provides plant identification keys (both simple and advanced) to help identify over 3,000 common native and naturalized New England plants.
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Plant Database - This comprehensive website includes a search engine that links to and describes 7,220 native plants in North America, an image gallery, and recommended species for specific regions.
- PLANTS Database - This database by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides plant descriptions, characteristics and classification, distribution, and images.
- The Vascular Plants of Massachusetts: A County Checklist - This publication, available on CD through the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, lists the specific native status and distribution of the plants found in the various counties of Massachusetts.
- CZM's Marine Invasive Species Program - This website provides information to promote understanding, effective monitoring, and management of marine invasive species.
- The Evaluation of Non-Native Plant Species (PDF, 273 KB) - This online publication by the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Group (MIPAG) is a master list of non-native plant species and their potential for invasiveness in Massachusetts.
- Invasive Species - This Mass Audubon web page provides users with information on invasive plant species and what can be done about them.
- Native Plant Trust's Controlling Invasives - Information on invasive plants, a photo gallery of invasive plants, guidelines for controlling them, links to invasive species removal projects, and links to other invasive plant information are available on this Native Plant Trust website.
- Invasive Plant Atlas of New England - This comprehensive database provides a list of plants considered to be invasive or potentially invasive in New England.
- Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - This website is a compilation of information from many sources—including federal, state, and local government agencies, invasive species councils, and other experts and organizations—about non-native plant species, including detailed descriptions and photographs.
Photo credits
Native Plants - Unless otherwise noted, photographs are courtesy of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Noted sources:
- Dr. Mark H. Brand. 2018. University of Connecticut Plant Database of Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Department of Plant Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. (https://plantdatabase.uconn.edu)
- Salicicola. 2018. Eastern Massachusetts Vascular Plant Gallery. (http://www.salicicola.com)
Invasive Plants - All photos courtesy of Bugwood.org with specific acknowledgements: Common Buckthorn: Chris Evans, University of Illinois; Common Reed and Morrow's Honeysuckle: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut; Japanese Honeysuckle: Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia; Japanese Knotweed: Jan Samanek, State Phytosanitary Administration; Oriental Bittersweet: James R. Allison, Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Potentially Invasive - Rugosa Rose: CZM.