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Native plants · Alabama

Native plants of Limestone County

230 plant species are recorded as native to Alabama in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Limestone County by USDA PLANTS. 140 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

Limestone County, Alabama

Native species
230 Typical Alabama county: 253 (median of 66 counties)
Garden-ready natives
140 Typical Alabama county: 146
Share by type (all 230 native species)
Percent of the 230 native species in each growth type
Tree 28% (65)
Shrub 5% (11)
Wildflower (forb) 34% (78)
Grass or grass-like 19% (43)
Vine 7% (15)
Fern 8% (18)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (34%), followed by trees (28%).

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

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 140

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

Garden-ready native plants of Limestone County, Alabama
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
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 elm Ulmus americana Tree 120 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
American hazelnut Corylus americana Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana Tree 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
American lotus Nelumbo lutea Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
American plum Prunus americana Tree 24 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
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 plantain Alisma subcordatum Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun High Zone 4a
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 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 broom sedge Carex tribuloides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
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
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus Tree 10 ft Shade-tolerant Low —
bursting-heart Euonymus americanus Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
Canadian waterweed Elodea canadensis Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 4a
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis Wildflower (forb) 5.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana Tree 20 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 4b
cat greenbrier Smilax glauca Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
cherrybark oak Quercus pagoda Tree 120 ft Sun Medium Zone 6b
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
common blue violet Viola sororia Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 2b
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea Tree 36 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
crimsoneyed rosemallow Hibiscus moscheutos Wildflower (forb) 6.6 ft Sun High Zone 6a
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum Shrub 16 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a
devil's walkingstick Aralia spinosa Tree 20 ft Sun High Zone 4b
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 5a
eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana Tree 50 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
eastern swampprivet Forestiera acuminata Tree 33 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
false daisy Eclipta prostrata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
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
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
Frank's sedge Carex frankii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea Shrub 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
graybark grape Vitis cinerea Vine 50 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6b
green arrow arum Peltandra virginica Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens Grass or grass-like 5.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 2a
halberdleaf rosemallow Hibiscus laevis Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 6a
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
hop sedge Carex lupulina Grass or grass-like 4.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium Grass or grass-like 4.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
jewelweed Impatiens capensis Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
knotgrass Paspalum distichum Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun High Zone 6a
longhair sedge Carex comosa Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
longleaf woodoats Chasmanthium sessiliflorum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
longspike tridens Tridens strictus Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 2a
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
marsh flatsedge Cyperus pseudovegetus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun High Zone 8a
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
muscadine Vitis rotundifolia Vine 30 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis Fern 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
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
overcup oak Quercus lyrata Tree 80 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
pawpaw Asimina triloba Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
possumhaw Ilex decidua Tree 33 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
post oak Quercus stellata Tree 60 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
poverty rush Juncus tenuis Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
prairie willow Salix humilis Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
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
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
scarlet oak Quercus coccinea Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
September elm Ulmus serotina Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
shagbark hickory Carya ovata Tree 75 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
shallow sedge Carex lurida Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
sharpwing monkeyflower Mimulus alatus Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
shortbristle horned beaksedge Rhynchospora corniculata Grass or grass-like 6.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
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
slender spikerush Eleocharis tenuis Grass or grass-like 2.9 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
slender woodoats Chasmanthium laxum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
slippery elm Ulmus rubra Tree 85 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
smooth hedgenettle Stachys tenuifolia Wildflower (forb) 25 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
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
stalkless yellowcress Rorippa sessiliflora Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
stiff dogwood Cornus foemina Tree 16 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7a
stiff marsh bedstraw Galium tinctorium Wildflower (forb) 10 in Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
summer grape Vitis aestivalis Vine 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
swamp loosestrife Decodon verticillatus Shrub 8 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
swamp tupelo Nyssa biflora Tree 115 ft Sun High Zone 5b
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
taperleaf water horehound Lycopus rubellus Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides Grass or grass-like 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
thinfruit sedge Carex flaccosperma Grass or grass-like 1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 6b
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 iris Iris virginica Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8b
Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica Shrub 10 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
water hickory Carya aquatica Tree 85 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
water tupelo Nyssa aquatica Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
waterpod Hydrolea quadrivalvis Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun High Zone 8b
wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
winged elm Ulmus alata Tree 65 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
winged sumac Rhus copallinum Tree 8 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
wingleaf primrose-willow Ludwigia decurrens Wildflower (forb) 4.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 90

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.

  • Alabama supplejack Berchemia scandens
  • Amazon sprangletop Leptochloa panicoides
  • American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
  • American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
  • blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
  • blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
  • bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
  • bristly locust Robinia hispida
  • broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
  • broadwing sedge Carex alata
  • brome-like sedge Carex bromoides
  • bulblet bladderfern Cystopteris bulbifera
  • Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
  • Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
  • Cherokee sedge Carex cherokeensis
  • Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
  • clammy hedgehyssop Gratiola neglecta
  • Columbian watermeal Wolffia columbiana
  • common bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza
  • common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
  • creeping burhead Echinodorus cordifolius
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
  • dwarf wakerobin Trillium pusillum
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
  • field pansy Viola bicolor
  • glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
  • globe flatsedge Cyperus echinatus
  • gravelweed Verbesina helianthoides
  • greater marsh St. Johnswort Triadenum walteri
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • green fringed orchid Platanthera lacera
  • Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
  • herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
  • hirsute sedge Carex complanata
  • humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
  • Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
  • keeled bulrush Isolepis carinata
  • kidneyleaf mudplantain Heteranthera reniformis
  • lakecress Neobeckia aquatica
  • leathery rush Juncus coriaceus
  • lesser duckweed Lemna aequinoctialis
  • lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
  • longbeak arrowhead Sagittaria australis
  • low spearwort Ranunculus pusillus
  • lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
  • lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
  • maidencane Panicum hemitomon
  • marsh mermaidweed Proserpinaca palustris
  • Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
  • meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
  • narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
  • netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
  • palegreen orchid Platanthera flava
  • purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
  • Reznicek's sedge Carex reznicekii
  • rosy sedge Carex rosea
  • roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
  • seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
  • sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
  • sharpscale sedge Carex oxylepis
  • slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
  • slender looseflower sedge Carex gracilescens
  • slimpod rush Juncus diffusissimus
  • small green wood orchid Platanthera clavellata
  • smallflower baby blue eyes Nemophila aphylla
  • spotted pondweed Potamogeton pulcher
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
  • St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
  • star chickweed Stellaria pubera
  • striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
  • tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
  • Tennessee bladderfern Cystopteris tennesseensis
  • toadshade Trillium sessile
  • twoleaf watermilfoil Myriophyllum heterophyllum
  • Vahl's fimbry Fimbristylis vahlii
  • Virginia bunchflower Veratrum virginicum
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
  • watershield Brasenia schreberi
  • weak rush Juncus debilis
  • widowsfrill Silene stellata
  • wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
  • winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
  • woolly dutchman's pipe Aristolochia tomentosa
  • yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
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.

Native species counts, Limestone County and Alabama
MeasureLimestone CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 230 253 1,758
Garden-ready natives 140 146 605
Tree 65 — 195
Shrub 11 — 81
Wildflower (forb) 78 — 923
Grass or grass-like 43 — 413
Vine 15 — 76
Fern 18 — 70

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Limestone County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

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
Limestone County (county FIPS 01083), Alabama. 230 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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