in short (like the question)....
vallis, crypts, java fern, ludwigia, bronze bacopa, anubias to name afew.
If you get a plant collection, they usually contain mainly plants that fit your catagory.
most major plant companies and many lfs's offer plant collections. im afraid i cant point you in the right direction other than tropica, as im from the UK. im not sure if plant collections are as widely available where u r, but you should be able to get hold of at least one company that produces them.
i think they usually come wrapped in wet newspaper. when shipping to a colder climate, some will toss in a heat pack or two to prevent everything from freezing up. when i asked questions on aquabotanic about shipping in cold weather one person replied "hot weather kills, cold weather preserves." seeing as you're in illinois, i'm sure this is one of your concerns.
Check on e-bay under a search for aquarium plants. I got a really good beginners package for a good price. They shipped them out and I actually contacted them by e-mail and ordered a few other plants also.