Plants are the structural foundation of wetlands, and particular species and growth forms are indicative of different wetland types because of their sensitivity to hydroperiod, hydrodynamics, nutrient availability, and other environmental conditions. The identification of wetland plant genera and species is therefore critically important to research, management, and conservation efforts, and is a fundamental part of wetland delineation for regulatory purposes.

Learning plants as part of a wetland ecology course in the spring semester is challenging, because field trips typically don’t occur until the last few weeks of the semester, and even then not too many plants have emerged from their winter slumber. So in wetland ecology at Lehigh University, students examine, draw, and learn some important wetland plant species and genera from herbarium specimens and other materials, so that they are already experts by the time we go into the field. The act of drawing the specimens forces the students to focus and develop their observation skills, a critical (and often under emphasized) part of the scientific process.

But what plants should a student know? The list below, what I like to call the “top 75,” is certainly a work in progress. It is composed of mostly of taxa that are typically encountered in eastern North America, and many of the species were selected because we can observe them locally; however, many of the same genera occur in wetlands throughout the world. The plants on the list range from facultative (i.e., found in both uplands and wetlands) to obligate (i.e., virtually always found in wetlands) taxa. I’d love to hear suggestions for additions, deletions, or substitutions.

Plants that every self-respecting* wetland ecologist should know.

I. Salt-to-brackish marsh plants

Spartina alterniflora (Saltmarsh cordgrass) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Spartina patens (Saltmeadow cordgrass) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Distichlis spicata (Spike grass) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Juncus gerardi (Black grass) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Limonium carolinianum (Sea lavender) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Salicornia spp. (Glasswort) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Iva frutescens (Marsh elder) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Phragmites australis (Common reed) (also common in freshwater) (USDA, Wikipedia)

II. Freshwater marshes and swamps

Submerged aquatics

Elodea canadensis (Water-weed) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Myriophyllum spp. (Water-milfoil) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Najas spp. (Waternymph) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Potamogeton epihydrous (Ribbon-leaved Pondweed) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Potamogeton crispus (Curly Pondweed) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Floating-leaved plants and floating plants

Azolla caroliniana (Mosquito fern) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Mosquito fern) (USDA, Wikipedia) Brasenia schreberi (Water-Shield) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Water-Shield) (USDA, Wikipedia) Lemna minor (Lesser Duckweed) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Lesser Duckweed) (USDA, Wikipedia) Nuphar advena (Yellow water-lily, spadderdock) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Yellow water-lily, spadderdock) (USDA, Wikipedia) Nymphaea odorata (Fragrant Water-Lily) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Fragrant Water-Lily) (USDA, Wikipedia) Nymphoides aquatica (Big floating heart, banana plant) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Big floating heart, banana plant) (USDA, Wikipedia) Salvinia spp. (Salvinia) (USDA, Wikipedia)

spp. (Salvinia) (USDA, Wikipedia) Utricularia spp. (Bladderwort) (USDA, Wikipedia)

spp. (Bladderwort) (USDA, Wikipedia) Wolffia spp. (Watermeal) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Emergents and plants of wet ground

Acorus calamus (Sweet flag) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Sweet flag) (USDA, Wikipedia) Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Jack-in-the-pulpit) (USDA, Wikipedia) Boehemeria cylindrica (smallspike false nettle) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(smallspike false nettle) (USDA, Wikipedia) Carex stricta (Tussock sedge, many species of Carex occur in wetlands) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Tussock sedge, many species of Carex occur in wetlands) (USDA, Wikipedia) Eleocharis palustris (Common spike-rush) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Common spike-rush) (USDA, Wikipedia) Equisetum fluviatile (Water horsetail) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Water horsetail) (USDA, Wikipedia) Impatiens capensis (Jewelweed) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Jewelweed) (USDA, Wikipedia) Iris versicolor (Blue flag) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Blue flag) (USDA, Wikipedia) Juncus effusus (Common rush, many species of Juncus occur in wetlands) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Common rush, many species of Juncus occur in wetlands) (USDA, Wikipedia) Lythrum salicaria (Purple loosestrife) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Purple loosestrife) (USDA, Wikipedia) Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive fern) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Sensitive fern) (USDA, Wikipedia) Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon fern, now Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Cinnamon fern, now Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) (USDA, Wikipedia) Osmunda claytonia (Interrupted fern) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Interrupted fern) (USDA, Wikipedia) Osmunda regalis (Regal fern) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Regal fern) (USDA, Wikipedia) Peltandra virginica (Arrow-arum) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Arrow-arum) (USDA, Wikipedia) Polygonum spp. (Smartweed) (USDA, Wikipedia)

spp. (Smartweed) (USDA, Wikipedia) Pontederia cordata (Pickerel-weed) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Pickerel-weed) (USDA, Wikipedia) Sagittaria latifolia (Common arrow-head) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Common arrow-head) (USDA, Wikipedia) Saururus cernus (Lizard’s tail) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Lizard’s tail) (USDA, Wikipedia) Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (was Scirpus validus) (Softstem Bulrush) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(was Scirpus validus) (Softstem Bulrush) (USDA, Wikipedia) Sparganium eurycarpum (Common bur-reed) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Common bur-reed) (USDA, Wikipedia) Symplocarpus foetidus (Skunk cabbage ) ( USDA, Wikipedia )



(Skunk cabbage USDA, Wikipedia Typha angustifolia (Narrow-leaved cattail) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Narrow-leaved cattail) (USDA, Wikipedia) Typha latifolia (Common cattail) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Common cattail) (USDA, Wikipedia) Viola cucullata (Blue marsh violet) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Swamp (and peatland) trees (several of these are more common in uplands, but are not infrequent in wetlands of the region)



Acer rubrum (Red maple) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Red maple) (USDA, Wikipedia) Larix laricina (Tamarack) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Tamarack) (USDA, Wikipedia) Nyssa sylvatica (Blackgum) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Blackgum) (USDA, Wikipedia) Picea mariana (Black spruce) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Black spruce) (USDA, Wikipedia) Pinus strobus (white pine) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(white pine) (USDA, Wikipedia) Taxodium distichum (Bald cypress) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Bald cypress) (USDA, Wikipedia) Taxodium ascendens (or Taxodium distichum var. nutans) (Pond Cypress) (USDA, Wikipedia)

var. (Pond Cypress) (USDA, Wikipedia) Thuja occidentalis (Northern white cedar, arborvitae) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Northern white cedar, arborvitae) (USDA, Wikipedia) Tsuga canadensis (Eastern hemlock) (USDA, Wikipedia)

Swamp shrubs

Alnus spp. (Alder) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Alder) (USDA, Wikipedia) Cephalanthus occidentalis (Buttonbush) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Buttonbush) (USDA, Wikipedia) Decodon verticillatus (Swamp loosestrife) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Swamp loosestrife) (USDA, Wikipedia) Ilex mucronata (Catberry) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Catberry) (USDA, Wikipedia) Lindera benzoin (Spicebush) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Spicebush) (USDA, Wikipedia) Rosa palustris (Swamp rose) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Swamp rose) (USDA, Wikipedia) Salix spp. (Willow) (USDA, Wikipedia)

III. Peatland plants

Andromeda polifolia (Bog rosemary) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Bog rosemary) (USDA, Wikipedia) Betula pumila (Bog birch) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Bog birch) (USDA, Wikipedia) Chamaedaphne calyculata (Leatherleaf) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Leatherleaf) (USDA, Wikipedia) Drosera spp. (Sundew) (USDA, Wikipedia)

spp. (Sundew) (USDA, Wikipedia) Eriophorum virginicum (Cottongrass) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Cottongrass) (USDA, Wikipedia) Ledum groenlandicum (Labrador tea, now Rhododendron groenlandicum) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Labrador tea, now Rhododendron groenlandicum) (USDA, Wikipedia) Menyanthes trifoliata (Bogbean) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Bogbean) (USDA, Wikipedia) Rhynchospora alba (White beaksedge) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(White beaksedge) (USDA, Wikipedia) Sarracenia purpurea (Purple pitcher plant) (USDA, Wikipedia)

(Purple pitcher plant) (USDA, Wikipedia) Sphagnum spp. (Sphagnum moss) (USDA, Wikipedia)

spp. (Sphagnum moss) (USDA, Wikipedia) Vaccinium oxycoccus (Cranberry) (USDA, Wikipedia)

*Obviously meant in fun. Seems unlikely that less botanically inclined wetland ecologists really have less self-respect…