Indicator Plant 

 Examples 



Following are names of representative persistent plants listed under the coldest 

 zones in which they normally succeed. Such plants may serve as useful indicators 

 of the cultural possibilities of each zone. 



Zone 



Botanical Name Common Name 



1 



°F Below -50 

 °C Below -45.6 



Betula glandulosa 



Empetrum nigrum 



Populus tremuloides 



Potentilla pensylvanica 



Rhododendron lapponicum 



Salix reticulata 



Dwarf birch 

 Crowberry 

 Quaking aspen 

 Pennsylvania cinquefoil 

 Lapland rhododendron 

 Netleaf willow 



°F -50 to -40 

 °C -45.6 to -40 



Betula papyrifera 



Cornus canadensis 



Elaeagnus commutata 



Larix laricina 



Potentilla fruticosa 



Viburnum trilobum 



Paper birch 

 Bunchberry dogwood 

 Silverberry 

 Eastern larch 

 Bush cinquefoil 

 American cranberry bush 



°F -40 to -30 

 °C -40 to -34.5 



Berberis thunbergii 



Elaeagnus angustifolia 



Junipercus communis 



Lonicera tatarica 



Malus baccata 



Thuja occidentalis 



Japanese bayberry 

 Russian olive 

 Common juniper 

 Tatarian honeysuckle 

 Siberian crabapple 

 American arborvitae 



°F -30 to -20 

 °C -34.5 to -28.9 



Acer saccharum 



Hydrangea paniculata 



Juniperus chinensis 



Ligustrum amurense 



Parthenocissus quinquefolia 



Spiraea x vanhouttei 



Sugar maple 

 Panicle hydrangea 

 Chinese juniper 

 Amur River privet 

 Virginia creeper 

 Vanhoutte spirea 



°F -20 to -10 

 °C -28.9 to -23.3 



Cornus florida 



Deutzia gracilis 



Ligustrum vulgare 



Parthenocissus tricuspidata 



Rosa multiflora 



Taxus cuspidata 



Flowering dogwood 

 Slender deutzia 

 Common privet 

 Boston ivy 

 Japanese rose 

 Japanese yew 



