Louisiana Ecosystems: Species List Sorted by Wetland Indicator Category

Plant List By
Wetland Indicator Category

Wetland Indicator Categories estimate the probablity of a plant being found on a site classified as a wetland. A (+) or (-) sign is used to fine-tune each category. The reported categories for each species are for the southeastern United States.

(NOTE: The 1996 National Wetland Plant List, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is currently "under review," but is again available for download from the FWS site. However, we have also made the 1996 List available as a PDF, which you can download here.

OBL	obligate wetland — almost always occures in wetlands, > 99%
FACW	facultative wetland — usually found in wetlands, 67-99%
FAC	facultative — equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands, 34-66%
FACU	facultative upland — occasionally found in wetlands, 1-33%
UPL	upland — may occur in wetlands in another region, but in the specified region, found in wetlands < 1%
--	undefined wetland designation for the southeast US and/or exotic* species

Obligate Wetland Species
Acer rubrum var. drummondii	OBL	Aceraceae	Drummond red maple
Carya aquatica	OBL	Juglandaceae	water hickory
Carya x lecontei	OBL	Juglandaceae	bitter pecan
Cephalanthus occidentalis	OBL	Rubiaceae	buttonbush
Chamaecyparis thyoides	OBL	Cupressaceae	Atlantic white cedar
Cliftonia monophylla	OBL	Cyrillaceae	buckwheat tree
Crataegus opaca	OBL	Rosaceae	mayhaw
Eichornia crassipes	OBL	Pontederiaceae	water hyacinth
Forestiera acuminata	OBL	Oleaceae	swamp privet
Fraxinus profunda	OBL	Oleaceae	pumpkin ash
Nyssa aquatica	OBL	Nyssaceae	water tupelo
Nyssa biflora	OBL	Nyssaceae	swamp tupelo
Planera aquatica	OBL	Ulmaceae	planertree
Quercus lyrata	OBL	Fagaceae	overcup oak
Quercus texana	OBL	Fagaceae	Nuttall oak
Salix exigua	OBL	Salicaceae	sandbar willow
Salix nigra	OBL	Salicaceae	black willow
Saururus cernuus	OBL	Saurucaceae	lizard's-tail
Taxodium distichum	OBL	Taxodiaceae	baldcypress
Toxicodendron vernix	OBL	Anacardiaceae	poison sumac
Taxodium ascendens	OBL	Taxodiaceae	pondcypress

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Facultative Wetland Species
Acer negundo	FACW	Aceraceae	boxelder
Acer rubrum var. rubrum	FACW	Aceraceae	red maple
Acer saccharinum	FACW	Aceraceae	silver maple
Alnus serrulata	FACW	Betulaceae	hazel alder
Amorpha fruticosa	FACW	Fabaceae	false indigo
Aronia arbutifolia	FACW	Rosaceae	red chokeberry
Arundinaria gigantea	FACW	Poaceae	switchcane
Berchemia scandens	FACW	Rhamnaceae	rattan
Betula nigra	FACW	Betulaceae	river birch
Brunnichia ovata	FACW	Polygonaceae	ladies’-eardrops
Celtis laevigata	FACW	Ulmaceae	sugarberry
Clethera alnifolia	FACW	Clethraceae	pepperbush
Cyperus sp.	FACW	Cyperaceae	sedge
Cyrilla racemiflora	FACW	Cyrillaceae	white titi
Fraxinus pennsylvanica	FACW	Oleaceae	green ash
Gordonia lasianthus	FACW	Theaceae	loblolly bay
Ilex cassine	FACW	Aquifoliaceae	dahoon holly
Ilex coriacea	FACW	Aquifoliaceae	sweet gallberry
Ilex glabra	FACW	Aquifoliaceae	gallberry
Illicium floridanum	FACW	Magnoliaceae	starbush
Juncus sp.	FACW	Juncaceae	rush
Leucothoe axillaris	FACW	Ericaceae	downy leucothoe
Lindera benzoin	FACW	Lauraceae	spicebush
Lyonia lucida	FACW	Ericaceae	fetterbush
Morella caroliniensis	FACW	Myricaceae	southern bayberry
Persea borbonia	FACW	Lauraceae	red bay
Pinus elliottii	FACW	Pinaceae	slash pine
Pinus glabra	FACW	Pinaceae	spruce pine
Quercus laurifolia	FACW	Fagaceae	diamond leaf oak
Quercus similis	FACW	Fagaceae	delta post oak
Rhapidophyllum hystrix	FACW	Arecaceae	needle palm
Sabal minor	FACW	Arecaceae	palmetto
Sesbania drummondii	FACW	Fabaceae	rattlebox
Trachelospermum difforme	FACW	Apocynaceae	climbing dogbane
Ulmus americana	FACW	Ulmaceae	American elm

Ilex decidua	FACW-	Aquifoliaceae	deciduous holly
Liriodendron tulipifera	FACW-	Magnoliaceae	yellow-poplar
Platanus occidentalis	FACW-	Platanaceae	American sycamore
Quercus michauxii	FACW-	Fagaceae	swamp chestnut oak
Quercus phellos	FACW-	Fagaceae	willow oak
Quercus shumardii	FACW-	Fagaceae	Shumard oak
Rhododendron canescens	FACW-	Ericaceae	wild azalea
Sambucus canadensis	FACW-	Caprifoliaceae	elderberry
Sesbania herbacea	FACW-	Fabaceae	coffeeweed

Itea virginica	FACW+	Saxifragaceae	Virginiawillow
Magnolia virginiana	FACW+	Magnoliaceae	sweetbay
Smilax laurifolia	FACW+	Smilacaceae	laurel greenbrier
Viburnum nudum	FACW+	Caprifoliaceae	possumhaw

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Facultative Species
Aesculus pavia	FAC	Hippocastanaceae	red buckeye
Ambrosia sp.	FAC	Asteraceae	ragweed
Aralia spinosa	FAC	Araliaceae	devil’s-walkingstick
Ardisia crenata	FAC	Myrsinaceae	coral ardisia
Asimina triloba	FAC	Annonaceae	pawpaw
Baccharis halimifolia	FAC	Asteraceae	eastern baccharis
Bignonia capreolata	FAC	Bignoniaceae	crossvine
Campsis radicans	FAC	Bignoniaceae	trumpet creeper
Carpinus caroliniana	FAC	Betulaceae	hornbeam
Carya cordiformis	FAC	Juglandaceae	bitternut hickory
Cocculus carolinus	FAC	Menispermaceae	red-berried moonseed
Cornus drummondii	FAC	Cornaceae	roughleaf dogwood
Crataegus marshallii	FAC	Rosaceae	parsley hawthorn
Diospyros virginiana	FAC	Ebenaceae	persimmon
Gelsemium sempervirens	FAC	Loganiaceae	yellow jessamine
Gleditsia triacanthos	FAC	Fabaceae	honeylocust
Halesia diptera	FAC	Styracaceae	two-wing silverbell
Hypericum hypericoides	FAC	Hypericaceae	St. Andrew’s cross
Ilex vomitoria	FAC	Aquifoliaceae	yaupon
Ligustrum sinense	FAC	Oleaceae	Chinese privet*
Lonicera sempervirens	FAC	Caprifoliaceae	coral honeysuckle
Lygodium japonicum	FAC	Schizaeaceae	Japanese climbing fern*
Morus rubra	FAC	Moraceae	red mulberry
Nyssa sylvatica	FAC	Nyssaceae	hill blackgum
Osmanthus americanus	FAC	Oleaceae	devilwood
Parthenocissus quinquefolia	FAC	Vitaceae	Virginia creeper
Pinus taeda	FAC	Pinaceae	loblolly pine
Quercus nigra	FAC	Fagaceae	water oak
Smilax bona-nox	FAC	Smilacaceae	saw greenbrier
Smilax glauca	FAC	Smilacaceae	cat greenbrier
Smilax rotundifolia	FAC	Smilacaceae	common greenbrier
Symplocos tinctoria	FAC	Symplocaceae	sweetleaf
Toxicodendron radicans	FAC	Anacardiaceae	poison ivy
Triadica sebifera	FAC	Euphorbiaceae	tallowtree*
Ulmus rubra	FAC	Ulmaceae	slippery elm
Viburnum dentatum	FAC	Caprifoliaceae	arrow-wood
Vitis rotundifolia	FAC	Vitaceae	muscadine
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis	FAC	Rutaceae	Hercules club

Catalpa bignonioides	FAC-	Bignoniaceae	southern catalpa
Ilex opaca	FAC-	Aquifoliaceae	American holly
Lonicera japonica	FAC-	Caprifoliaceae	Japanese honeysuckle*

Ampelopsis arborea	FAC+	Vitaceae	peppervine
Ampelopsis cordata	FAC+	Vitaceae	heartleaf peppervine
Carya illinoinensis	FAC+	Juglandaceae	sweet pecan
Liquidambar styraciflua	FAC+	Hamamelidaceae	sweetgum
Magnolia grandiflora	FAC+	Magnoliaceae	southern magnolia
Morella cerifera	FAC+	Myricaceae	waxmyrtle
Populus deltoides	FAC+	Salicaceae	eastern cottonwood
Quercus pagoda	FAC+	Fagaceae	cherrybark oak
Sabal palmetto	FAC+	Arecaceae	cabbage palm
Tilia americana var. caroliniana	FAC+	Tiliaceae	Carolina basswood
Vaccinium elliottii	FAC+	Ericaceae	Elliott’s huckleberry

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Upland Species
Quercus velutina	UPL	Fagaceae	black oak
Robinia pseudoacacia	UPL	Fabaceae	black locust
Smilax pumila	UPL	Smilacaceae	dwarf greenbrier

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No Wetland Designation (Undefined, or Exotic Species*)
Acer barbatum	---	Aceraceae	Florida maple
Albizia julibrissin	---	Fabaceae	mimosa*
Aleurites fordii	---	Euphorbiaceae	tung-oil tree*
Andropogon sp.	---	Poaceae	bluestem
Asclepias tuberose	---	Asclepiadaceae	butterfly milkweed
Asclepias variegata	---	Asclepiadaceae	while milkweed
Broussonetia papyrifera	---	Moraceae	paper mulberry*
Carya tomentosa	---	Juglandaceae	mockernut hickory
Castanea pumila	---	Fagaceae	chinkapin
Cayratia japonica	---	Vitaceae	bushkiller*
Ceanothus americanus	---	Rhamnaceae	New Jersey tea
Cedrus deodara	---	Pinaceae	deodar cedar*
Centrosema virginianum	---	Fabaceae	spurred butterfly pea
Clitoria mariana	---	Fabaceae	butterfly pea
Crataegus sp.	---	Rosaceae	hawthorn
Croton capitatus	---	Euphorbiaceae	woolly croton
Cycas revoluta	---	Cycadaceae	sago palm*
Desmodium sp.	---	Fabaceae	beggar lice
Dichanthelium sp.	---	Fabaceae	panic grass
Elaeagnus pungens	---	Elaeagnaceae	Russian olive*
Erythrina herbacea	---	Fabaceae	coral bean
Euonymus americanus	---	Celastraceae	strawberry bush
Eupatorium album	---	Asteraceae	dog fennel
Eupatorium sp.	---	Asteraceae	joe-pye weed
Firmiana simplex	---	Sterculiaceae	Chinese parasoltree*
Frangula caroliniana	---	Rhamnaceae	Carolina buckthorn
Ginkgo biloba	---	Ginkgoaceae	ginkgo*
Koelreuteria bipinnata	---	Sapindaceae	goldenrain tree*
Lagerstroemia indica	---	Lythraceae	crapemyrtle*
Lespedeza bicolor	---	Fabaceae	bicolor lespedeza
Lespedeza sp.	---	Fabaceae	lespedeza
Ligustrum sp.	---	Oleaceae	tree ligustrum*
Magnolia macrophylla	---	Magnoliaceae	bigleaf magnolia
Malus angustifolia	---	Rosaceae	southern crab apple
Melia azedarach	---	Meliaceae	Chinaberry*
Mimosa microphylla	---	Fabaceae	sensitivebriar
Nerium oleander	---	Apocynaceae	oleander*
Paulownia tomentosa	---	Scrophulariaceae	empress tree*
Phoradendron serotinum	---	Loranthaceae	American mistletoe
Pinus echinata	---	Pinaceae	shortleaf pine
Pinus palustris X P. taeda	---	Pinaceae	Sonderegger pine
Pinus virginiana	---	Pinaceae	Virginia pine
Podocarpus macrophylla	---	Podocarpaceae	Japanese yew*
Pleopeltis polypodioides	---	Polypodiaceae	resurrection fern
Poncirus trifoliata	---	Rutaceae	trifoliate orange*
Prunus caroliniana	---	Rosaceae	cherrylaurel
Pueraria lobata	---	Fabaceae	kudzu*
Pyrus calleryana	---	Rosaceae	Bradford pear*
Quercus acutissima	---	Fagaceae	sawtooth oak*
Quercus incana	---	Fagaceae	bluejack oak
Quercus laevis	---	Fagaceae	turkey oak
Quercus marilandica	---	Fgacaeae	blackjack oak
Rhus glabra	---	Anacardiaceae	smooth sumac
Rhynchosia reniformis	---	Fabaceae	dollarleaf rhynchosia
Rhynchosia tomentosa	---	Fabaceae	velvetleaf rhynchosia
Rosa sp.	---	Rosaceae	rose*
Rubus sp.	---	Rosaceae	dewberry
Sebastiana ligustrina	---	Euphorbiaceae	candleberry
Smilax lanceolata	---	Liliaceae	lanceleaf greenbrier
Solidago sp.	---	Asteraceae	goldenrod
Stylosanthes biflora	---	Fabaceae	pencilflower
Tephrosia virginiana	---	Fabaceae	goat's rue
Tephrosia spicata	---	Fabaceae	brownhair tephrosia
Tillandsia recurvata	---	Bromeliaceae	ball moss
Tillandsia usneoides	---	Bromeliaceae	Spanish moss
Ulmus parvifolia	---	Ulmaceae	Chinese elm*
Verbena sp.	---	Asteraceae	ironweed
Vicia sp.	---	Fabaceae	vetch
Vitis sp.	---	Vitaceae	wild grape
Wisteria sp.	---	Fabaceae	wisteria
xCupressocyparis leylandii	---	Cupressaceae	Leyland cypress
Yucca filamentosa	---	Liliaceae	bear grass

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