Ottawa Area Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines Database

Welcome to our interactive Ottawa Area-based Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines Database. It provides information that we hope will encourage you to plant native species as they are adapted to local conditions.

On this list, we indicate whether the plant is a tree or shrub (some can be either) and its general shape (round, pyramidal, upright etc.). As it is useful to know how large a tree or shrub will be when mature, we have indicated how tall it will be and how wide and how big the trunk could be (diameter at 100 cm above ground). Other information such as soil type, salt tolerance (sensitivity to road salt), pollution tolerance, usefulness as food or cover for wildlife (or as a guide what not to plant if you don’t want wildlife), ease of transplanting and data on flower and fruit colour and edibility are also given for most plants – accessed by clicking on the plant's English, French or Botanical name within the database.

To navigate within the database:

· Click on one of the three buttons above the table that sort the database according to English, French or Botanical names or click on one of the ‘Sort’ buttons in the columns at the top of the table and the plant names will be listed in ascending or descending order.

· You can also sort the plants by their water or light requirements, salt tolerance or height at maturity.

· Additional information on each tree or shrub can be obtained by clicking on the plant’s English, French or Botanical name.

· To go back to the full database of native trees, shrubs and vines from a particular plant's detailed information, click on one of the three buttons above the table that sort the database according to English, French or Botanical names.

Explanation of the symbols used:

· Light requirement: ☼ means full sun required or desirable; ⛅ means the plant will grow in or requires partial shade; the dark ☁ means the plant will grow in or requires full shade.

· Water requirement: One rain drop indicates a low water requirement or will live in a low water availability environment; three rain drops indicates an average water requirement and five rain drops means the plant requires a high amount of water or will live in a wet environment.

This interactive native trees, shrubs and vines database was developed by Iola Price (a Rockcliffe Park resident) and Sandra Garland of the Fletcher Wildlife Garden as an Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee initiative. Since we first developed this database, some species names have been changed. We are following the terminology of VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. VASCAN also has maps showing the Canadian distribution of each plant in its system.

To go back to the full database of native trees, shrubs and vines from a particular plant's detailed information, click on one of the three buttons below.

 

 

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