Native plant enthusiasm reaches new heights: Perceptions, evidence, and the future of green roofs

Abstract

The use of native plants on green roofs has attracted considerable attention in recent years. With this comes the implicit assumptions that native plants are better adapted, provide greater environmental benefit, and are more aesthetically pleasing than non-native plants. We examined papers published in scholarly journals and papers presented at the annual North American green roof conference to identify who is promoting the use of native plants on green roofs, their rationale for doing so, and the scientific evidence to support the assertion that natives are better adapted. Architects, landscape architects, and biologists were the most likely to promote native plants and engineers were the least likely. Many of the reasons for using native plants on green roofs originate from ground-level landscaping and have simply been transplanted to the roof, without regard for the fact that the rooftop is a fundamentally different environment than the ground. Nearly half of all pro-native papers used the term “native” without definition. This review highlights the need for greater rigor and transparency when promoting the use of native plants and further demonstrates how misconceptions can result in sub-optimal green roof design and performance.