Native plants · Alabama
Native plants of Chambers County
179 plant species are recorded as native to Alabama in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Chambers County by USDA PLANTS. 111 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 1 more species is listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Chambers County, Alabama
- Native species
- 179 Typical Alabama county: 253 (median of 66 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 111 Typical Alabama county: 146
- Share by type (all 179 native species)
-
Percent of the 179 native species in each growth type
Trees make up the largest share of the native list (37%), followed by wildflowers (27%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 111
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alternateleaf dogwood Cornus alternifolia | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| American basswood Tilia americana | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| American beech Fagus grandifolia | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| American bur-reed Sparganium americanum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| American holly Ilex opaca | Tree | 40 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American snowbell Styrax americanus | Tree | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 5b |
| American sycamore Platanus occidentalis | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| American water-willow Justicia americana | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| bald cypress Taxodium distichum | Tree | 130 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5b |
| black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black locust Robinia pseudoacacia | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| black oak Quercus velutina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black walnut Juglans nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| blackgum Nyssa sylvatica | Tree | 95 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| blackjack oak Quercus marilandica | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| blunt spikerush Eleocharis obtusa | Grass or grass-like | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11a |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| bursting-heart Euonymus americanus | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| cat greenbrier Smilax glauca | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| chestnut oak Quercus montana | Tree | 73 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea | Fern | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| coastal doghobble Leucothoe axillaris | Shrub | 6.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 7b |
| common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta | Wildflower (forb) | 10 in | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| common hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata | Tree | 25 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| common rush Juncus effusus | Grass or grass-like | 6.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea | Tree | 36 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| common winterberry Ilex verticillata | Tree | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| coral greenbrier Smilax walteri | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 6b |
| devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana | Vine | 15 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| devil's walkingstick Aralia spinosa | Tree | 20 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| eastern baccharis Baccharis halimifolia | Tree | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 7a |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| eastern redbud Cercis canadensis | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana | Tree | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| Elliott's blueberry Vaccinium elliottii | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa | Shrub | 15 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum | Tree | 28 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| flowering dogwood Cornus florida | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| frost grape Vitis vulpina | Vine | 83 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| giant cane Arundinaria gigantea | Shrub | 25 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| green arrow arum Peltandra virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 2.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| hazel alder Alnus serrulata | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| lanceleaf greenbrier Smilax smallii | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6b |
| loblolly pine Pinus taeda | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 6b |
| longleaf pine Pinus palustris | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| marsh seedbox Ludwigia palustris | Wildflower (forb) | 2 in | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa | Tree | 85 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens | Shrub | 14 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia | Tree | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5a |
| muscadine Vitis rotundifolia | Vine | 30 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5b |
| narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus | Shrub | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis | Fern | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| northern red oak Quercus rubra | Tree | 81 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| northern spicebush Lindera benzoin | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| painted buckeye Aesculus sylvatica | Tree | 65 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 8a |
| pawpaw Asimina triloba | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| pink azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5b |
| post oak Quercus stellata | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum | Fern | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| red buckeye Aesculus pavia | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| red maple Acer rubrum | Tree | 68 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| red mulberry Morus rubra | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| river birch Betula nigra | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| roundhead rush Juncus validus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 7a |
| roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| sand blackberry Rubus cuneifolius | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6a |
| sassafras Sassafras albidum | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| saw greenbrier Smilax bona-nox | Vine | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| sawtooth blackberry Rubus argutus | Shrub | 8.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| scarlet oak Quercus coccinea | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| shallow sedge Carex lurida | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| shortleaf pine Pinus echinata | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| silky dogwood Cornus amomum | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum | Tree | 35 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 6a |
| southern catalpa Catalpa bignonioides | Tree | 66 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 5b |
| southern red oak Quercus falcata | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6a |
| southern sugar maple Acer floridanum | Tree | 50 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| splitbeard bluestem Andropogon ternarius | Grass or grass-like | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5b |
| summer grape Vitis aestivalis | Vine | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| sweetbay Magnolia virginiana | Tree | 60 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 9a |
| sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| tapertip rush Juncus acuminatus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| trumpet creeper Campsis radicans | Vine | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| umbrella-tree Magnolia tripetala | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| Virginia dayflower Commelina virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| water hickory Carya aquatica | Tree | 85 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5b |
| water oak Quercus nigra | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| white oak Quercus alba | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| willow oak Quercus phellos | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| winged elm Ulmus alata | Tree | 65 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| winged sumac Rhus copallinum | Tree | 8 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 68
PLANTS has no growing records for these, so light, moisture, height and zone filters cannot include them. Many are wild species seldom sold by nurseries.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa
- Alabama supplejack Berchemia scandens
- arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
- Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
- bluejacket Tradescantia ohiensis
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
- chinquapin Castanea pumila
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- clasping milkweed Asclepias amplexicaulis
- crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
- cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
- dogfennel Eupatorium capillifolium
- dwarf hawthorn Crataegus uniflora
- eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana
- eastern milkpea Galactia regularis
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus
- ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
- Elliott's rush Juncus elliottii
- false flowering spurge Euphorbia pubentissima
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- field pansy Viola bicolor
- fire pink Silene virginica
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- gaping grass Steinchisma hians
- Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
- hairy angelica Angelica venenosa
- hairy bedstraw Galium pilosum
- hairy lipfern Cheilanthes lanosa
- hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
- hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
- herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
- lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
- littlehip hawthorn Crataegus spathulata
- lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
- man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
- mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
- Michaux's croton Croton michauxii
- netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
- northern dewberry Rubus flagellaris
- northern selaginella Selaginella rupestris
- oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
- perfoliate bellwort Uvularia perfoliata
- redring milkweed Asclepias variegata
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- sessileleaf bellwort Uvularia sessilifolia
- silvery everlasting Gamochaeta argyrinea
- slender waternymph Najas gracillima
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
- starry rosinweed Silphium asteriscus
- striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
- thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
- tuberous stoneseed Lithospermum tuberosum
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- watershield Brasenia schreberi
- weakstalk bulrush Schoenoplectiella purshiana
- whitestar Ipomoea lacunosa
- whorled marshpennywort Hydrocotyle verticillata
- wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
- wild yam Dioscorea villosa
- woolly dutchman's pipe Aristolochia tomentosa
- yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissima
Also listed as native and introduced here 1
PLANTS labels these species both native and introduced in this state: some forms are native and others were brought in from elsewhere. Most gardeners should choose plants from the main list.
- annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
Compared with Alabama
The typical county is the median of the 66 Alabama counties with PLANTS county records; the statewide figure counts every species native anywhere in the state. More species is not better or worse: counties differ in size, habitat and how thoroughly they have been surveyed.
| Measure | Chambers County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 179 | 253 | 1,758 |
| Garden-ready natives | 111 | 146 | 605 |
| Tree | 67 | — | 195 |
| Shrub | 20 | — | 81 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 49 | — | 923 |
| Grass or grass-like | 12 | — | 413 |
| Vine | 21 | — | 76 |
| Fern | 10 | — | 70 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Chambers County.
- Lee County, AL 266 garden-ready
- Randolph County, AL 110 garden-ready
- Tallapoosa County, AL 137 garden-ready
- Troup County, GA 33 garden-ready
Source & data date
- Source
- USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).
- Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.
- USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
- Citation
- USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.
- Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
- Data date
- Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
- Zones
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) ZIP table: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed November 3, 2026. Plant zones on this site are our estimate, not the official map.
- Scope
- Chambers County (county FIPS 01017), Alabama. 179 native species from PLANTS county distribution records; garden-ready = species with a PLANTS characteristics record.
- Method
- A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources