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Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Landscaping for Wildlife
Native Alaskan and Exotic Plants Used by Wildlife

photo of a hummingbird Use these tables to select plants for landscaping. In addition to their values to wildlife, these plants will add natural beauty to an area. Trees also provide shade in summer, and protection from winter winds, which can mean energy savings in heating and cooling your home. Real estate records show that landscaping with trees and shrubs often increases property values 10–20%.

Local Alaskan greenhouses carry seeds and seedlings of many species; other species can be obtained from mail-order greenhouses. The University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service publishes a list of plant sources for Alaska.

Plant species with low shade tolerance in sunny areas.
Do not apply lime to soil near plants with low or moderate acid tolerance.

Coniferous
Deciduous
Tall Shrubs
Low Shrubs
Forbs
Grasses & Sedges
Aquatic

Coniferous Trees

CONIFEROUS TREES	Height	Alaska Distribution						Tolerance		Soil Moisture
CONIFEROUS TREES	Height	No	We	Sw	Sc	Ce	Se	Acid	Shade	Soil Moisture
White Spruce Picea glauca*	40-115'		P	P		x		high	mod	dry
Black Spruce Picea mariana*	15-60'		P	P		x		high	mod	wet
Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis	160-225'				x		x	high	mod	moist
Mountain Hemlock Tsuga mertensia	50-100'				x	P	x	mod	high	moist
Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophyla	100-150'				x	P	x	mod	high	moist
Alaska Redcedar Chamaecyparis nootkatensis	40-80'				P		x	high	mod	wet
Tamarack (Larch) Larix laricina*	30-60'					x		high	mod	dry or wet
Siberian Larch Larix laricina*	30-60'					E		high	mod	dry or wet

Deciduous Trees

DECIDUOUS TREES	Height	Alaska Distribution						Tolerance		Soil Moisture
DECIDUOUS TREES	Height	No	We	Sw	Sc	Ce	Se	Acid	Shade	Soil Moisture
Balsam Poplar Populus balsamifera	30-50'	P	P	x	P	x	P	mod	low	moist
Black Cottonwood Populus trichocarpa*	80-100'				x	P	x	mod	low	moist
Quaking Aspen Populus tremuloides*	20-80'				P	x	P	mod	low	dry
Birch Betula papyrifera*	20-80'		P	x	x	x	x	high	low	moist

Tall Shrubs

TALL SHRUBS	Height	Alaska Distribution						Tolerance		Soil Moisture
TALL SHRUBS	Height	No	We	Sw	Sc	Ce	Se	Acid	Shade	Soil Moisture
Feltleaf Willow Salix alaxensis	20-30'	x	x	x	x	x	x	mod	low	moist to wet
Douglas Maple Acer glabrum	20-30'					E	x	mod	mod	moist
Sitka Alder Alnus sinuata	5-30'		P	x	x	P	x	mod	low	dry to moist
Red Alder Alnus rubra	20-40'						x	mod	mod	moist
Thinleaf Alder Alnus tenuifolia	15-30'			P	x	x	P	high	low	moist
American Green Alder Alnus crispus	3-13'	P	x	P		x		high	low	dry to wet
Oregon Crabapple Malus diversifolia	25'				x		x	mod	mod	wet
*Saskatoon Serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia*	16'				P	P	P	mod	low	dry
*Pacific Serviceberry Amelanchier florida*	16'			P	P		P	mod	low	dry to moist
Red-osier Dogwood Cornus stolonifera	3-12'					P	x	mod	mod	well- drained to wet
Pacific Red Elder Sambucus callicarpa	6-12'			x	x		x	mod	mod	well- drained to wet
*High Bush Cranberry Viburnum edule	2-12'	P	P	P	x	x	x	mod	mod	dry
Early Blueberry Vaccinium ovalifolium	5'			x	x	P	x	high	high	wet or dry
Siberian crabapple Malus* spp.	20'				E	E	E	mod	mod	wet
Chokecherry Prunus virginiana*	20'			E	E	E	E	mod	mod	moist
Lilac Syringa* spp.	6'				E	E	E	mod	mod	moist

Low Shrubs

LOW SHRUBS	Height	Alaska Distribution						Tolerance		Soil Moisture
LOW SHRUBS	Height	No	We	Sw	Sc	Ce	Se	Acid	Shade	Soil Moisture
Willow Salix spp.	prostrate to 10'	varies by species						mod	low	moist to wet
Willow Salix spp.	prostrate to 10'	x	x	x	x	x	x	mod	low	moist to wet
Dwarf Birch Betula nana Betula glandulosa	1-3' 1-5'	P P	x P	x	P	x x	P P	high high	low low	well- drained to wet
*Northern Black Current Ribes hudsonianum*	3-6'			P	P	x		mod	mod	well- drained
*Wild Current Ribes triste*	2-3'	P	P	P	x	x	P	mod	mod	moist or well- drained
*Raspberry Rubus idaeus*	2-4'			P	P	x	P	mod	low	dry
Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis	2-7'			x	x	x		mod	low	dry
Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus	2-5'						x	mod	low	moist
Wild Rose Rosa acicularis	1-4'	P	P	P	x	x		high	mod	moist
Buffaloberry Shepherdia canadensis	2-6'	P	P			x	P	mod	low	dry
Silverberry Eleagnus commutata*	3-12'					P		mod	low	dry
Common Juniper Juniperus communis*	1-2'	P	P	P	P	x	x	high	low	dry
Salal Gaultheria shallon	2-3'						P	low	low	moist
Labrador Tea Ledum spp.	1-3'	x	x	x	x	x	x	high	high	moist
*Bush Cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa	1-5'	P	x	P		x	P	mod	high	dry or moist
Lapland Rosebay Rhododendron lapponicum	1-2'	P	P			x		mod	low	dry or wet
Sweetgale Myrica gale*	1-4'		P	P	x	P	x	high	low	wet

Ground Covers and Herbaceous Plants

GROUND COVERS & HERBACEOUS PLANTS	Alaska Distribution						Tolerance		Soil Moisture
GROUND COVERS & HERBACEOUS PLANTS	No	We	Sw	Sc	Ce	Se	Acid	Shade	Soil Moisture
Dwarf Dogwood Cornus canadensis		P	x	x	x	x	mod	high	dry to moist
Cloudberry Rubus chamaemorus	x	x	x	x	x	x	mod	mod	moist to wet
Nagoonberry Rubus arcticus		x			x		mod	mod	moist to wet
Bearberry (Kinnikinnik) Arctostaphylos uva-ursi*	P		x		x	P	mod	low	dry
Alpine Bearberry Arctostaphylos alpina	x	x	x	x	x		mod	low	dry
Mountain Cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea	x	x	x	x	x	x	mod	high	dry to moist
Blueberry Vaccinium spp.	varies by species						mod	high	moist to wet
Crowberry Empetrum nigrum	P	x	x	x	x	x	high	high	moist to wet
Jacob's Ladder Polemonium acutiflorum	x	x	x	x	x	x	mod	low	moist to wet
Buttercup Ranunculus spp.	varies by species							low	moist to wet
Goldenrod Solidago multiradiata	x	x	x	x	x	x		low	dry
Aster Aster sibiricus*	x	x	x	x	x	x		low	dry
Mountain Avens Dryas octopetala*	P	x	x		x	P	high	mod	well-drained or wet
Arnica Arnica frigida	P	x	P	x	x			low	dry
Cinquefoil Potentilla spp.			x	x	x	x		varies	dry to moist
Geranium Geranium erianthum*			P	x	P	x	mod	high	moist
Lupine Lupinus nootkatensis Lupinus arcticus	x	x	x	x	x	x		low	dry to moist
Larkspur Delphinium* spp.	P	x	x		x		mod	low	wet
*Columbine Aquilegia brevistyla Aquilegia formosa				x	P	x		mod mod	dry to moist
Dock (Sorrel) Rumex spp.	x	x	x	x	x	x	mod	low	moist to wet
American Bistort Polygonum bistorta	x	x	P		x			mod	moist to wet
Buckwheat Polygonum viviparum	x	x	x	x	x	x		low	dry
Artemisia Artemisia tilesii	x	x	x	P	x			low	dry to moist

Grasses and Sedges

GRASSES & SEDGES	Height	Alaska Distribution						Tolerance		Soil Moisture
GRASSES & SEDGES	Height	No	We	Sw	Sc	Ce	Se	Acid	Shade	Soil Moisture
Bluejoint Reedgrass Calamagrostis canadensis	3-6'	P	x	x	x	x	x	mod	mod	moist
Alyeska Polargrass Arctagrostis latifolia*	3-5'	x	x	x	P	x		mod	mod	moist
Arctared Red Fescue Festuca rubra*		x	x	x	x	x	x	mod	low	moist
Bluegrass Poa spp.*		varies by species						mod	low	moist
Sedges Carex spp.	2-10"	varies by species						high	low	dry to wet

Aquatic Plants

AQUATIC PLANTS	Height	Alaska Distribution
AQUATIC PLANTS	Height	No	We	Sw	Sc	Ce	Se
Duckweed Lemna spp.	floating		P				x
Spikerush Eleocharis spp.	2-7"			P	x	x	x
Pondweed Potamogeton* spp.	submerged or floating	P	x	x	x	x	x
Wigeongrass Ruppia spiralis	submerged			x	x		x
Water Milfoil Myriophyllum sibericum	submerged		P			x	P
Smartweed Polygonum amphibium	submerged or floating				x	P
Buckbean Menyanthes trifoliata	floating	P	P	x	x	x	x
Cattail Typha latifolia	2-6'					P
Bulrush Scirpus spp.	12-40"					P	x
Burreed Sparganium* spp.	1-3'	P	x	x	x	x	x
Arrowgrass Triglochin spp.	30"		P	x	x	P	x
Pendant Grass Arctophia fulva	1-3'	x	x	P	x	x	P
Pond lily Nuphar polysepalum	floating		P	x	x	x	x