Plant Finder

User Guidelines

The Plant Finder is a multi-faceted tool to assist designers, contractors, maintenance personnel, community groups and the general public in selecting plants that perform well within the public right-of-way. It expands on the lists included in previous versions of the Manual and should be used in conjunction with the guidance provided in the Landscape Chapter.

The Plant Finder database is not comprehensive and there is no guarantee that these plants will survive at a specific site. All plants within the public right-of-way must be selected based on site-specific conditions and approved by the appropriate agency or agencies with jurisdiction. Download the Plant Finder User Guide for instructions on how to use the tool.

The information in this database was generated by DOT, Parks, other agency staff, and local horticulture professionals based on their first-hand knowledge as well as from existing resources. Download the Plant Finder References page for a full list of sources.

Plant Basics

Characteristics

Tolerances

Prunus maritima

Common:

Beach plum

Scientific:

Prunus maritima

Plant type:

Shrub

Height:

3-6 ft

Spread:

4-18 ft

Shape:

Rounded Spreading

Bloom:

Small, five petaled flowers (1/2" diameter) bloom singly, but appear in small umbel-like clusters of 2-3 on the stem

Blooming period:

May - Jun

Fruit:

Blue-purple, cherry like (1/2-1" diameter) fruit forms in drupes

Foliage:

Elliptic, dull green leaves (to 3" long) have serrated leaf margins

Fall:

Foliage turns attractive shades of red to yellow

Bark:

Reddish brown bark, horizontal lenticels

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit, Distinctive Foliage, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Neutral (5.0-7.4)

Soil:

Sand

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

3a - 7a

Other:

Native, Pollinator
Prunus sargentii

Collections:

  • Tree Bed Plants
  • Sidewalk Plants
  • Roadway Plants
  • Plaza Plants

Common:

Sargent Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus sargentii

'Columnaris'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-30 ft

Spread:

15-20 ft

Shape:

Vase-Like

Bloom:

Pink flowers bloom in clusters (sessile umbels)

Blooming period:

Apr - Jun

Fruit:

Glossy dark purple cherries form in drupes (to 1/3” diameter) ripening in early summer

Foliage:

Elliptic, glossy dark green leaves (to 5" long) have acuminate tips and serrate margins emerge with a bronze tint

Fall:

Foliage turns attractive shades of red to yellow

Bark:

Shiny reddish-brown bark, with horizontal lenticels

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit, Distinctive Foliage, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

4a - 7a

'Columnaris' is an upright form with columnar to narrow vase-shaped branching.

Prunus sargentii

Collections:

Common:

Sargent Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus sargentii

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-30 ft

Spread:

20-30 ft

Shape:

Rounded Vase-Like

Bloom:

Pink flowers bloom in clusters (sessile umbels)

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Glossy dark purple cherries form in drupes (to 1/3” diameter) ripening in early summer

Foliage:

Elliptic, glossy dark green leaves (to 5" long) have acuminate tips and serrate margins emerge with a bronze tint

Fall:

Foliage turns attractive shades of red to yellow

Bark:

Shiny reddish-brown bark with horizontal lenticels

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit, Distinctive Foliage, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

4a - 7a
Leaf icon

Common:

Black Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus serotina

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

50-80 ft

Spread:

30-60 ft

Shape:

Columnar

Bloom:

Fragrant, white flowers bloom in narrow, drooping clusters (racemes to 6” long)

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Small red cherries (to 3/8” diameter) ripen in late summer to dark purple-black

Foliage:

Narrow, ovate (to 5" long) glossy green leaves have acuminate tips and serrate margins

Fall:

Foliage turns bright yellow-orange

Bark:

Thin bark makes tree susceptible to girdling. Trunk matures to be fissured and scaly, but remains thin

Special Qualities:

Showy Fruit, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

3a - 9b

Other:

Native
Placeholder Image

Common:

Royal Burgundy Flowering Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus serrulata

'Royal Burgundy'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-25 ft

Spread:

15-20 ft

Shape:

Vase-Like

Bloom:

Large, deep magenta-pink flowers double flowers (to 2.5" in diameter) bloom in profuse clusters

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Ornamentally insignificant/non-fruiting

Foliage:

Simple, dark reddish-purple ovate leaves have lightly serrated margins

Fall:

Foliage turns brilliant orange to flame red

Bark:

Bronze to gray bark with horizontal lenticles

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

5a - 8b

Other:

Fall Dig Safe

'Royal Burgundy' is noted for its magenta double flowers and burgundy foliage. 

This is an image of a flowering Prunus serrulata ('Kanzan' cultivar), with its thick trunk and vibrant pink blossoms, located on a sidewalk.

Collections:

Common:

Japanese Flowering Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus serrulata

'Kanzan'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

25-30 ft

Spread:

25-30 ft

Shape:

Rounded Vase-Like

Bloom:

Large, deep pink double flowers (to 2.5" in diameter) bloom in profuse clusters

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Non-fruiting

Foliage:

Ovate, serrate, dark green leaves (to 5" long) are sometimes tinged with bronze-red as they emerge

Fall:

Foliage turns shades of yellow, orange or bronze

Bark:

Reddish to bronze bark is smooth and glossy with prominent horizontal pores

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

5a - 9b

‘Kanzan’ (synonymous with ‘Kwanzan’ and ‘Sekiyama’) is a double flowered Japanese flowering cherry that is noted for its profuse and showy spring bloom.

Placeholder Image

Common:

Amanogawa Japanese Flowering Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus serrulata

'Amanogawa'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-25 ft

Spread:

4-8 ft

Shape:

Columnar

Bloom:

Pink buds open into large, semi-double pale pink flowers (to 2" across) that fade to white with maturity

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Ornamentally insignificant

Foliage:

Oval leaves (to 4" long) emerge bronzy-green then mature to mid-green

Fall:

Foliage turns to coppery-bronze, orange and red

Bark:

Reddish brown twigs with a smooth brown bark

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

5a - 8b

Other:

Fall Dig Safe

'Amanogawa' is noted for its narrow, columnar form and its abundant blooms of large, semi-double, pale pink flowers. 

This is a medium shot of a Prunus serrulata tree on a grassy area, with the tree being dense with pink blossoms.

Collections:

Common:

Japanese Flowering Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus serrulata

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

15-25 ft

Spread:

15-25 ft

Shape:

Vase-Like

Bloom:

White or pink, single or double flowers bloom in profuse clusters

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Pea-sized blackish fruit, but rarely fruits

Foliage:

Ovate to lanceolate green leaves (to 5” long)

Fall:

Fall color varies from bronze to red to an undistinguished yellow color

Bark:

Reddish-brown to gray bark horizontal lenticles

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Low

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

5a - 8a

Cultivars of P. serrulata are more popular with gardeners than species. 

This is an image of Prunus subhirtella ('Autumnalis' cultivar) with light pink blossoms and a brown trunk, whici is located in front of a white building.

Common:

Autumn Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus subhirtella

'Autumnalis'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-35 ft

Spread:

15-30 ft

Shape:

Rounded Spreading

Bloom:

Small, soft pink single to semi-double flowers (to 1/2" wide) bloom in masses

Blooming period:

Nov - Apr

Fruit:

Peas-sized black fruits are attractive to birds

Foliage:

Alternate, serrate, ovate dark green leaves (to 3" long)

Fall:

Foliage turns to yellow with tinges of orange

Bark:

Reddish brown bark with horizontal lenticels, peeling at times

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

4a - 8b

'Autumnalis' is noted for producing a heavy bloom of semi-double pink flowers in spring with an additional, but sparse, bloom occurring in fall (hence the cultivar name).

This is a full image of Prunus virginiana ('Schubert' cultivar), with its dense, purple and green foliage.

Collections:

Common:

Schubert Chokecherry

Scientific:

Prunus virginiana

'Schubert'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-30 ft

Spread:

15-20 ft

Shape:

Pyramidal

Bloom:

Small, fragrant, white flowers (to 1/2" across) bloom in elongated clusters (to 6" long)

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Blooms give way to clusters of pea-sized berries that ripen and are attractive to birds and animals

Foliage:

Finely toothed, elliptic to obovate leaves (to 5" long) emerge green then turn deep reddish-purple in summer

Fall:

Foliage turns from purple to an outstanding red

Bark:

Gray to reddish brown bark, horizontal lenticels

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

3a - 8b

Other:

Pollinator, Fall Dig Safe

'Schubert' is best known for its purple foliage. Leaves emerge green in spring and gradually turn to dark purple by early summer. 

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