This page lists 16 plants that the dataset behind this site records as native to Alaska. A species earns a place here because its range data names Alaska, not because of looks or ease of care. The list spans low plants like self-heal and tall ones like quaking aspen and western redcedar. It also includes berry canes such as salmonberry, thimbleberry, and cloudberry. That mix reflects what the records show, not a ranking of one plant over another. A short note below each name explains why that plant made this list. Those notes use only the entry tied to that species, so they skip care steps and planting dates. For light, water, or toxicity details, open that plant's own page, where sourced facts live. This page groups the species together; it does not teach you how to grow them. Sixteen species is not a full count of all plants native to Alaska. It is only the set that meets this site's criteria for inclusion. Use this list as a starting point for your own research, not as a complete record of the state's native flora.
Native status for Alaska is recorded by USDA PLANTS and cited on each plant's page.
Plant
Hardiness
Light
Note
StickywillyGalium aparine
Not documented
Full sun, part shade and full shade (full sun preferred)
Galium aparine, often called cleavers or catchweed, is listed here because Alaska falls within its recorded native range. It is a sprawling, low-growing plant rather than a shrub or tree.
Grass
Native status for Alaska is recorded by USDA PLANTS and cited on each plant's page.
Poa pratensis, widely known as Kentucky bluegrass, is included because the dataset records Alaska as part of its range. It is the only grass on this particular list of species.
Herbaceous perennial
Native status for Alaska is recorded by USDA PLANTS and cited on each plant's page.
Full sun, part shade and full shade (full sun preferred)
Heracleum maximum, also called cow parsnip, is on this list because its native range in the dataset includes Alaska. It is one of the larger herbaceous plants grouped with the smaller wildflowers here.
Common SelfhealPrunella vulgaris
Zones 3a–9b
Full sun and part shade (full sun preferred)
Prunella vulgaris, commonly called self-heal, is listed here because its recorded range in the dataset includes Alaska. It is one of the smaller, low-growing plants on this list.
Solidago canadensis, or Canada goldenrod, is on this list because the dataset includes Alaska in its native range. It is one of the taller wildflowers here, alongside cow parsnip.
Full sun, part shade and full shade (full sun preferred)
Urtica dioica, commonly called stinging nettle, is on this list because the dataset records Alaska within its native range. It is one of the upright, non-woody plants grouped here with the wildflowers.
Shrub
Native status for Alaska is recorded by USDA PLANTS and cited on each plant's page.
Rubus idaeus, the wild red raspberry, is listed here because its native range in the dataset includes Alaska. It joins the other Rubus species on this list, each with its own fruit and growth habit.
ThimbleberryRubus parviflorus
Not documented
Full sun, part shade and full shade (full sun preferred)
SalmonberryRubus spectabilis
Zones 5a–10a
Full sun, part shade and full shade (full sun preferred)
Rubus spectabilis, known as salmonberry, is listed here because Alaska falls within its recorded native range. It is another of the berry-producing Rubus species grouped on this list.
Full sun, part shade and full shade (full sun preferred)
Populus tremuloides, or quaking aspen, is on this list because the dataset lists Alaska within its native range. It is one of the tallest plants here, alongside western redcedar.
Prunus virginiana, known as chokecherry, appears here because the dataset marks Alaska within its native range. It is grouped with the other fruit-bearing shrubs and small trees on this list.
Full sun, part shade and full shade (full sun preferred)
Thuja plicata, known as western redcedar, is listed here because its native range in the dataset includes Alaska. It is the largest tree on this list, alongside quaking aspen.
Where to find native plants
Local native-plant nurseries and university extension offices are the most reliable places to ask about growing species on this list. Staff there know which of these plants are sold as nursery stock and which are mostly found wild. Alaska's native plant society chapters also keep lists of growers and seed sources near you. If you plan to forage species such as cloudberry, salmonberry, or lingonberry, check state land-use rules first. Permission to pick wild plants varies by where you are standing. A county extension agent can also tell you whether a species spreads aggressively in your area before you plant it. Each plant's own page on this site lists its growing facts in more detail.