Native Plant List

Hopewell Township Approved Native Plant List

The following native plants are approved for use in Hopewell Township.  These plants are commonly found at native plant garden centers and this list is referenced from the Biota of North America Program as 1/29/2025.

Definitions

1.    Scientific name: Binomial nomenclature the taxonomic name of an organism that consists of the genus and species.

2.    Common Name: The familiar, non‐scientific name for a species of plant or animal, which is widely used.

3.    Straight species:  A plant that is found in the wild and has not been modified by any means to produce specific ornamental traits.

4.    Cultivar: a subspecies classification of a plant that has been produced in cultivation by selective breeding, including subspecies designated as “nativars”. Cultivars must be indicated with a modifier term encapsulated in single quotes appearing after the scientific name of the straight species.  For example, “Acer negundo ‘Flamingo’” is a cultivar of the straight species “Acer negundo”.

5.    Variety: Varieties often occur in nature and most varieties are true to type. That means the seedlings grown from a variety will also have the same unique characteristic of the parent plant.

6.    Hybrid: The offspring of two different species or varieties.

7.    Native plant: the indigenous terrestrial and aquatic species that have evolved and occur naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, and habitat.

8.    Non-Native Plant: species that have not existed historically in one area but have been introduced due to human activities.  This includes genetically modified species or subspecies.

9.    Invasive Plant: Non-native to the ecosystem under consideration (i.e., New Jersey), and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause harm to the local economy, environment, or human health.

Approved native plant list referenced from the Biota of North America Program (BONAP) as of 1/29/2025

Following is a list of prohibited invasive plants, as referenced from NJ Invasive Species Strike Team, as of October 25, 2024: