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

This is an image of Prunus virginiana ('Canada Red' cultivar), with its dark red foliage and thin trunk, all located on a sidewalk.

Collections:

Common:

Canada Red Chokecherry

Scientific:

Prunus virginiana

'Canada Red'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-30 ft

Spread:

15-20 ft

Shape:

Oval Rounded

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 emerge green then turn deep reddish-purple in summer

Fall:

Undistinguished fall color

Bark:

Gray to reddish brown bark, horizontal lenticels

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer

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 - 10b

Other:

Pollinator

'Canada Red' is noted for its reddish purple foliage and for being tolerant of heat, cold, wind, and poor soil. 

This is an image of a common Prunus virginiana tree, with its elongated clusters of white flowers.

Collections:

Common:

Common Chokecherry

Scientific:

Prunus virginiana

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-30 ft

Spread:

15-20 ft

Shape:

Oval Rounded

Bloom:

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

Blooming period:

Apr - Jul

Fruit:

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

Foliage:

Sharply toothed, elliptic to obovate, dark green leaves (to 5" long) have gray-green undersides

Fall:

Foliage turns golden yellow to orange

Bark:

Gray to reddish brown bark, horizontal lenticels

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Showy Fruit

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Neutral (5.0-7.4)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

3a - 7b

Other:

Pollinator, Fall Dig Safe
Placeholder Image

Common:

Flowering Plum

Scientific:

Prunus x blireana

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

15-20 ft

Spread:

12-20 ft

Shape:

Rounded Vase-Like

Bloom:

Mildly fragrant, double purplish-pink flowers (to 1" across)

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Ornamentally insignificant-some may be fruitless

Foliage:

Ovate, alternate, simple leaves (to 2" long) emerge purple then fade to green

Fall:

Undistinguished fall color

Bark:

Dark brown, fissured, wart like swellings on the trunk

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:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

6a - 8b

Other:

Pollinator, Fall Dig Safe
Placeholder Image

Common:

Purple-Leaf Sand Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus x cistena

Plant type:

Shrub

Height:

6-10 ft

Spread:

5-8 ft

Shape:

Spreading Upright

Bloom:

Fragrant, white solitary flowers with pink tints

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Small black cherries (3/4" diameter) are attractive to birds

Foliage:

Serrate, elliptic to oval, reddish-purple leaves (to 2" long)

Fall:

Foliage turns bronzy-green

Bark:

Multi-stemmed, grayish-brown, prone to fissures

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

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

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

3a - 8b
Placeholder Image

Common:

Spire Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus x hillieri

'Spire'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

25-30 ft

Spread:

10-12 ft

Shape:

Vase-Like Upright Compact

Bloom:

Small, fragrant, white tinged pink flowers

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Small black cherries (1/2" diameter) are attractive to birds

Foliage:

Broad leaves, hairy at the veins beneath, serrated with a musky fragrance

Fall:

Foliage turns a rich reddish-bronze or orange

Bark:

Slightly furrowed, cinnamon-brown bark

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms

Level of Maintenance:

Medium

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

6a - 8b

Other:

Fall Dig Safe

'Spire' is noted for its columnar form and pink flowers.

Placeholder Image

Collections:

Common:

Akebono Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus x yedoensis

'Akebono'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

25-35 ft

Spread:

25-40 ft

Shape:

Rounded Spreading

Bloom:

Profuse blooms of small, fragrant, double white to pink flowers

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

Small black cherries (1/2" diameter) are attractive to birds

Foliage:

Serrate, elliptic to oval, dark green leaves (to 5" long)

Fall:

Foliage turns yellowish-orange with bronze tints

Bark:

Smooth dark red bark with prominent lenticels

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall, Winter

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

5a - 8b

Other:

Fall Dig Safe

'Akebono' is noted for its masses of large, soft pink, semi-double flowers that bloom along its bare branches in mid spring. 

Placeholder Image

Collections:

Common:

Yoshino Cherry

Scientific:

Prunus x yedoensis

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

20-40 ft

Spread:

30-40 ft

Shape:

Rounded Spreading

Bloom:

Small, fragrant, white tinged pink flowers bloom in clusters of 3-6 (racemes)

Blooming period:

Mar - Apr

Fruit:

Small black cherries (1/2" diameter) are attractive to birds

Foliage:

Serrate, elliptic to oval, dark green leaves (to 5" long)

Fall:

Foliage turns yellowish-orange with bronze tints

Bark:

Dark reddish-brown bark with prominent horizontal lenticels

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

High

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall, Winter

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:

Pollinator, Fall Dig Safe
Placeholder Image

Common:

Silver Ball Pear

Scientific:

Pyrus calleryana

'Silver Ball'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

10-12 ft

Spread:

12-16 ft

Shape:

Rounded Compact Dwarf

Bloom:

Small white flowers form in dense corymbs

Blooming period:

Apr - May

Fruit:

Ornamentally insignificant

Foliage:

Small, fine-textured, silvery-green leaves

Fall:

Yellowish-orange fall color

Bark:

Light brown to gray-fissures with age

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color

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:

5a - 8b

Other:

Fall Dig Safe, Emerging or Reported Invasive (locally)

As the name suggests, 'Silver Ball' is noted for its silvery green leaves and compact, rounded form. 

Not recommended as a street tree due to weak branching. Care must be taken when selecting this plant for the right-of-way to ensure proper site conditions are met.

Reported as invasive in the Bronx.

Placeholder Image

Common:

Chanticleer Pear

Scientific:

Pyrus calleryana

'Chanticleer'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

25-35 ft

Spread:

13-16 ft

Shape:

Pyramidal Columnar Upright

Bloom:

White flowers form in corymbs about 3" in diameter. Blooms are attractive, but have an unpleasant odor

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

Small, pea-sized red-brown fruits, attractive to birds/wildlife

Foliage:

Alternate, ovate, glossy-leathery dark green leaves (to 3" long) have notably wavy margins

Fall:

Foliage turns attractive reddish-purple to bronze-red in fall

Bark:

Light brown to gray-fissures with age

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Fall Color

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Fall

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

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

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

5a - 9b

Other:

Emerging or Reported Invasive (locally)

'Chanticleer' is noted for being less susceptible to limb breakage or splitting than other cultivars. It is also known for its tight, narrow, pyramidal form. 

Not recommended as a street tree due to weak branching. Care must be taken when selecting this plant for the right-of-way to ensure proper site conditions are met.

Reported as invasive in the Bronx.

Placeholder Image

Common:

Callery Pear

Scientific:

Pyrus calleryana

'Aristocrat'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

25-35 ft

Spread:

20-25 ft

Shape:

Oval Pyramidal Spreading

Bloom:

White flowers form in corymbs about 3" in diameter. Blooms are attractive, but have an unpleasant odor

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

Small, pea-sized red-brown fruits, attractive to birds/wildlife

Foliage:

Ovate leaves (to 3" long) emerge reddish-purple before turning glossy green with a red blush and wavy margins

Fall:

Excellent red fall color

Bark:

Light brown to gray-fissures with age

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

Medium

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

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

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

5a - 9b

Other:

Emerging or Reported Invasive (locally)

'Aristocrat' is a thornless, oval-pyramidal, ornamental pear noted for having more horizontal branching than many other cultivars.  

Not recommended as a street tree due to weak branching. Care must be taken when selecting this plant for the right-of-way to ensure proper site conditions are met.

Reported as invasive in the Bronx.

 

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