Native plants · Alabama

Native plants of Franklin County

238 plant species are recorded as native to Alabama in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Franklin County by USDA PLANTS. 127 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Franklin County, Alabama

Native species: 238 Typical Alabama county: 253 (median of 66 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 127 Typical Alabama county: 146
Share by type (all 238 native species): Percent of the 238 native species in each growth type

Tree 34% (80)
Shrub 9% (22)
Wildflower (forb) 32% (76)
Grass or grass-like 3% (6)
Vine 10% (23)
Fern 13% (31)

Trees make up the largest share of the native list (34%), followed by wildflowers (32%).

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

ZIP codes mainly in this county fall in USDA hardiness zones 7b to 8a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 127

Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.

Garden-ready native plants of Franklin County, Alabama
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
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 chestnut Castanea dentata	Tree	115 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
American hazelnut Corylus americana	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	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 plum Prunus americana	Tree	24 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
bigleaf snowbell Styrax grandifolius	Tree	10 ft	Sun–part shade	—	Zone 4b
bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis	Tree	75 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 2b
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
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
buckthorn bully Sideroxylon lycioides	Tree	9.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
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
butternut Juglans cinerea	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana	Tree	20 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 4b
Carolina rose Rosa carolina	Shrub	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
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
Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea	Fern	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
climbing rose Rosa setigera	Vine	16 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
coastal plain willow Salix caroliniana	Tree	33 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 7b
cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli	Tree	30 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common blue wood aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 2b
common maidenhair Adiantum capillus-veneris	Fern	1.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
common persimmon Diospyros virginiana	Tree	55 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea	Tree	36 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
cucumber tree Magnolia acuminata	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5b
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12a
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 cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis	Tree	105 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea	Wildflower (forb)	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
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
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata	Grass or grass-like	5.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	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
golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12b
graybark grape Vitis cinerea	Vine	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
hazel alder Alnus serrulata	Tree	30 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata	Vine	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6b
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana	Tree	45 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
laurel greenbrier Smilax laurifolia	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6b
laurel oak Quercus laurifolia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens	Wildflower (forb)	3.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
loblolly pine Pinus taeda	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6b
mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa	Tree	85 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
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 silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 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 catalpa Catalpa speciosa	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum	Fern	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
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
pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
possumhaw Ilex decidua	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
post oak Quercus stellata	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
pride of Ohio Dodecatheon meadia	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
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 chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia	Shrub	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5b
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
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
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
shagbark hickory Carya ovata	Tree	75 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
shortleaf pine Pinus echinata	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
shrubby St. Johnswort Hypericum prolificum	Shrub	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
silver maple Acer saccharinum	Tree	90 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 2b
slash pine Pinus elliottii	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Tree	85 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
smooth azalea Rhododendron arborescens	Shrub	18 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
smooth sumac Rhus glabra	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum	Tree	35 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
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
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
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
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens	Vine	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera	Tree	120 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
Virginia pine Pinus virginiana	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
white avens Geum canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
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
yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea	Vine	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a

Other native species recorded here 111

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.

Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa
Alabama supplejack Berchemia scandens
American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
American columbo Frasera caroliniensis
American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
angularfruit milkvine Matelea gonocarpos
Appalachian bristle fern Trichomanes boschianum
Appalachian quillwort Isoetes engelmannii
arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
bigleaf magnolia Magnolia macrophylla
black edge sedge Carex nigromarginata
blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
blue waxweed Cuphea viscosissima
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
brown widelip orchid Liparis liliifolia
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
Carolina wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis
cedarglade St. Johnswort Hypericum frondosum
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
dwarf hawthorn Crataegus uniflora
eastern hayscented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
eastern milkpea Galactia regularis
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
false spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum pseudomaculatum
fire pink Silene virginica
flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
goldenclub Orontium aquaticum
green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
hairy angelica Angelica venenosa
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
harbinger of spring Erigenia bulbosa
harvestbells Gentiana saponaria
heartleaf plantain Plantago cordata
intermediate woodfern Dryopteris intermedia
largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora
largeseed forget-me-not Myosotis macrosperma
limestone adderstongue Ophioglossum engelmannii
lobed spleenwort Asplenium pinnatifidum
maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
Michaux's croton Croton michauxii
mountain spleenwort Asplenium montanum
mountain woodfern Dryopteris campyloptera
mullein foxglove Dasistoma macrophylla
navel cornsalad Valerianella umbilicata
netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
northern selaginella Selaginella rupestris
palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
pinesap Monotropa hypopitys
pitcher's stitchwort Minuartia patula
pleatleaf knotweed Polygonum tenue
purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
redring milkweed Asclepias variegata
rock buttercup Ranunculus micranthus
rock clubmoss Huperzia porophila
rock polypody Polypodium virginianum
rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
roundseed St. Johnswort Hypericum sphaerocarpum
rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
sand hickory Carya pallida
scentless mock orange Philadelphus inodorus
Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
sessileleaf bellwort Uvularia sessilifolia
shining clubmoss Huperzia lucidula
shiny wedgescale Sphenopholis nitida
silver false spleenwort Deparia acrostichoides
singlehead pussytoes Antennaria solitaria
small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
spinulose woodfern Dryopteris carthusiana
spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
spring coralroot Corallorhiza wisteriana
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
star tickseed Coreopsis pubescens
stemless evening primrose Oenothera triloba
striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
tall tickseed Coreopsis tripteris
tinted woodland spurge Euphorbia commutata
tiny bluet Houstonia pusilla
tuberous stoneseed Lithospermum tuberosum
vasevine Clematis viorna
Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
whitehair rosette grass Dichanthelium villosissimum
whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
whorled milkwort Polygala verticillata
whorled rosinweed Silphium trifoliatum
wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
woolly dutchman's pipe Aristolochia tomentosa
yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissima

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.

Native species counts, Franklin County and Alabama
Measure	Franklin County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	238	253	1,758
Garden-ready natives	127	146	605
Tree	80	—	195
Shrub	22	—	81
Wildflower (forb)	76	—	923
Grass or grass-like	6	—	413
Vine	23	—	76
Fern	31	—	70

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Franklin County.

Colbert County, AL 149 garden-ready
Lawrence County, AL 223 garden-ready
Marion County, AL 102 garden-ready
Winston County, AL 135 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: Franklin County (county FIPS 01059), Alabama. 238 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

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