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LuEsther T. Mertz Library
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Massachusetts Native Plant Societies: Home

Grow Native Massachusetts

A native Tall Grass Meadow in Amherst, MA.

Grow Native Massachusetts, is a group that is passionate about their mission of conservation, the reintroduction of native plants, removal of invasive species and educating the public about the importance of native plants. Their website lists opportunities for involvement, resources and information. This native tall grass meadow was planted in Amherst, MA by Hilltown Tree & Garden. They used a variety of native plants to attract the local flora to the area.

The New England Wildflower Society is based at the Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts but its interests and activities cover all of New England. "From this base, 25 staff and more than 700 volunteers work throughout New England to monitor and protect rare and endangered plants, collect and preserve seeds to ensure biological diversity, detect and control invasive species, conduct research, and offer a range of educational programs. The Society also operates a native plant nursery at Nasami Farm in western Massachusetts and has seven sanctuaries in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont that are open to the public." Please see their website for more information.

Society Newsletter

Grow Native Massachusetts has a free E-Newsletter that you can sign up for and an archive of past articles available online.

The New England Native Plant Society offers Native Plant News and the journal New England Wild which are available to members and the public on their website.

More Native Plant Societies of Massachusetts

New England Botanical Club Logo

On their website The New England Botanical Club (NEBC), founded in 1895, states that it is a non-profit organization promoting the study of plants of North America, especially the flora of New England and adjacent areas. The Club publishes the peer-reviewed journal Rhodora, holds monthly meetings during the academic year (usually at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts), maintains an herbarium of more than 253,000 sheets, has a small library, and annually grants research and publication awards.

Early Spring Blooms

The Mayflower (or trailing arbutus), Epigaea repens
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Nancy.

The Mayflower (or trailing arbutus), Epigaea repens, is the state flower of Massachusetts. Named by the Puritans after the ship that brought them to the new world and one of Spring's first bloomers. It has very particular requirements for growth which has placed it on the endangered species list. .

Recommended Reading

The Cranberry Bog

A Cranberry Plant

The cranberry is one of North America’s few native fruits. The Cape Cod region, which is located in the southeastern area of Massachusetts, is one of the places in the United States where they are commercially grown. Contrary to popular belief they do not grow in water. Instead, they grow on vines in impermeable beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. These beds, commonly known as "bogs," were originally made by glacial deposits.