# Nitrogen-Fixing Trees & Shrubs

> Native trees and shrubs that make their own nitrogen, grown from seed.

We grow nineteen trees and shrubs that make their own nitrogen. Seventeen are shrubs, among them [New Jersey tea](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/new-jersey-tea/index.html.md), [leadplant](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/leadplant/index.html.md) and [smooth alder](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/smooth-alder/index.html.md). The tallest is [black locust](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/black-locust/index.html.md). [Organic or synthetic fertilizer](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/organic-or-synthetic-fertilizer/index.html.md) explains what a tree needs, and which natives of lean ground should not be fed at all.

19 of 364 plants. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/shop/nitrogen-fixing/. Each plant links to its own Markdown page with the full facts, description and growing guide.

Columns: Zones are the USDA hardiness zones the plant takes, from the coldest to the warmest it is rated for (zone 2 is the coldest, 10 the warmest); Height is mature height in feet; Sun and Soil list every condition the plant takes; Grown from is what the nursery offers it as (saplings, or acorns, nuts or seed to sow); Price is the lowest current price, or "ask" when the plant is not yet priced online (email captain@bluewhaletrees.com or join the waitlist on the web page).

This table accepts the shop's filters as query parameters on this address: size (shrub, small-tree, medium-tree, large-tree), sun (full, part, shade), moisture (dry, average, wet), zone (2 to 10), native (a state's two-letter code in capitals, such as PA: the plants native to that state by the USDA PLANTS records), want (a trait: flowers, fall-color, wildlife, honey, edible, evergreen, rare, drought, wet-tolerant, shade, early-bearing, screening, nitrogen-fixing, salt, winter-interest, street-tree, erosion-control; rare means uncommon in the wild or in nurseries, honey a nectar source for bees), as (acorns, seed, nuts, saplings) and q (a search word). Several values may be joined with commas.

| Plant | Botanical name | Group | Type | Height (ft) | Zones | Sun | Soil | Grown from | Price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Black Locust](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/black-locust/index.html.md) | *Robinia pseudoacacia* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Large tree | 40–70 | 4–8 | Full | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Smooth Alder (Swamp Alder)](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/smooth-alder/index.html.md) | *Alnus serrulata* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 10–20 | 4–9 | Full, Part | Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Indigobush (False Indigo)](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/indigobush/index.html.md) | *Amorpha fruticosa* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 6–12 | 4–9 | Full, Part | Dry, Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Leadplant](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/leadplant/index.html.md) | *Amorpha canescens* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 1–3 | 2–8 | Full | Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Bristly Locust (Rose Locust)](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/rose-locust/index.html.md) | *Robinia hispida* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 3–8 | 5–8 | Full | Dry, Average | Saplings | ask |
| [New Jersey Tea](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/new-jersey-tea/index.html.md) | *Ceanothus americanus* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 2–3 | 4–8 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Northern Bayberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/northern-bayberry/index.html.md) | *Morella pensylvanica* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 5–10 | 3–7 | Full, Part | Dry, Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Seaside Alder](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/seaside-alder/index.html.md) | *Alnus maritima* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 12–30 | 3–9 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Clammy Locust](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/clammy-locust/index.html.md) | *Robinia viscosa* | Uncommon Yard Trees | Small tree | 30–40 | 3–8 | Full, Part | Average, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Ouachita Indigobush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/ouachita-indigobush/index.html.md) | *Amorpha ouachitensis* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 3–6 | 5–8 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Clusterspike Indigobush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/clusterspike-indigobush/index.html.md) | *Amorpha herbacea* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 2–4 | 7–10 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Mountain Indigobush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/mountain-indigobush/index.html.md) | *Amorpha glabra* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 3–6 | 7–8 | Part, Full | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Shining Indigobush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/shining-indigobush/index.html.md) | *Amorpha nitens* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 3–10 | 7–9 | Part, Full | Average, Wet, Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Odorless Bayberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/odorless-bayberry/index.html.md) | *Morella inodora* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 10–20 | 7–10 | Full, Part | Wet, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Littleleaf Buckbrush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/littleleaf-buckbrush/index.html.md) | *Ceanothus microphyllus* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 1–2 | 8–10 | Full, Part | Dry | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Prairie Redroot](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/prairie-redroot/index.html.md) | *Ceanothus herbaceus* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 2–3 | 4–8 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Canada Buffaloberry](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/canada-buffaloberry/index.html.md) | *Shepherdia canadensis* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 3–8 | 2–8 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Georgia Indigobush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/georgia-indigobush/index.html.md) | *Amorpha georgiana* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 1–3 | 8–9 | Full, Part | Average, Wet | Saplings, Seed | ask |
| [Schwerin's Indigobush](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/schwerin-indigobush/index.html.md) | *Amorpha schwerinii* | Native Shrubs | Shrub | 3–10 | 7–8 | Full, Part | Dry, Average | Saplings, Seed | ask |