Native plants · Alabama

Native plants of Marengo County

234 plant species are recorded as native to Alabama in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Marengo County by USDA PLANTS. 147 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

Marengo County, Alabama

Native species: 234 Typical Alabama county: 253 (median of 66 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 147 Typical Alabama county: 146
Share by type (all 234 native species): Percent of the 234 native species in each growth type

Tree 38% (88)
Shrub 7% (16)
Wildflower (forb) 32% (75)
Grass or grass-like 9% (21)
Vine 11% (25)
Fern 4% (9)

Trees make up the largest share of the native list (38%), 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 zone 8b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 147

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

Garden-ready native plants of Marengo County, Alabama
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 elm Ulmus americana	Tree	120 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
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 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
bald cypress Taxodium distichum	Tree	130 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5b
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 maple Acer nigrum	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
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 broom sedge Carex tribuloides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
buckthorn bully Sideroxylon lycioides	Tree	9.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
bulbous bittercress Cardamine bulbosa	Wildflower (forb)	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus	Tree	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	—
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
butterweed Packera glabella	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
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
cherrybark oak Quercus pagoda	Tree	120 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6b
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
cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli	Tree	30 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
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 selfheal Prunella vulgaris	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea	Tree	36 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
common sweetleaf Symplocos tinctoria	Tree	20 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 5a
crimsoneyed rosemallow Hibiscus moscheutos	Wildflower (forb)	6.6 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6a
cucumber tree Magnolia acuminata	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5b
cypress swamp sedge Carex joorii	Grass or grass-like	4.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
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
dwarf palmetto Sabal minor	Tree	9 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
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 gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
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
eastern swampprivet Forestiera acuminata	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
field horsetail Equisetum arvense	Fern	11 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
Frank's sedge Carex frankii	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
frost grape Vitis vulpina	Vine	83 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea	Shrub	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
giant cutgrass Zizaniopsis miliacea	Grass or grass-like	9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 8b
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	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
Gulf Sebastian-bush Ditrysinia fruticosa	Shrub	12 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5b
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
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium	Grass or grass-like	4.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
laurel oak Quercus laurifolia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
loblolly pine Pinus taeda	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6b
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
mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens	Shrub	14 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
muscadine Vitis rotundifolia	Vine	30 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus	Shrub	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
northern spicebush Lindera benzoin	Tree	12 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
nutmeg hickory Carya myristiciformis	Tree	95 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia	Shrub	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7a
overcup oak Quercus lyrata	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida	Wildflower (forb)	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
parsley hawthorn Crataegus marshallii	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
pawpaw Asimina triloba	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
peppervine Nekemias arborea	Vine	1 in	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
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
purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	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
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
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
shortleaf pine Pinus echinata	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
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 magnolia Magnolia grandiflora	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
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
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides	Vine	—	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 9b
spruce pine Pinus glabra	Tree	90 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
stiff dogwood Cornus foemina	Tree	16 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
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 smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
sweetbay Magnolia virginiana	Tree	60 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 9a
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi	Grass or grass-like	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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
Washington hawthorn Crataegus phaenopyrum	Tree	30 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
water oak Quercus nigra	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
wax myrtle Morella cerifera	Tree	10 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7a
white fringetree Chionanthus virginicus	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
white oak Quercus alba	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
white prairie clover Dalea candida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
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
wingleaf primrose-willow Ludwigia decurrens	Wildflower (forb)	4.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
yaupon Ilex vomitoria	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a

Other native species recorded here 87

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 bluehearts Buchnera americana
American buckwheat vine Brunnichia ovata
American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
aquatic milkweed Asclepias perennis
arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
Baldwin's flatsedge Cyperus croceus
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
beaked panicgrass Panicum anceps
bigleaf magnolia Magnolia macrophylla
bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis
cedarglade St. Johnswort Hypericum frondosum
Cherokee sedge Carex cherokeensis
climbing dogbane Trachelospermum difforme
compassplant Silphium laciniatum
crossvine Bignonia capreolata
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
cylindricfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia glandulosa
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
dwarf hawthorn Crataegus uniflora
eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana
eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens
eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
field pansy Viola bicolor
Great Plains lady's tresses Spiranthes magnicamporum
green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
grooved flax Linum sulcatum
hairy angelica Angelica venenosa
hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
hogwort Croton capitatus
lanceleaf buckthorn Rhamnus lanceolata
leathery rush Juncus coriaceus
lesser duckweed Lemna aequinoctialis
lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
mullein foxglove Dasistoma macrophylla
narrowleaf paleseed Leucospora multifida
narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
pasture heliotrope Heliotropium tenellum
poison sumac Toxicodendron vernix
rosepink Sabatia angularis
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
roundseed St. Johnswort Hypericum sphaerocarpum
sand hickory Carya pallida
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
slender yelloweyed grass Xyris torta
small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
southeastern wildrye Elymus glabriflorus
southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
sparselobe grapefern Botrychium biternatum
spineless hornwort Ceratophyllum echinatum
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
swamp leather flower Clematis crispa
tiny bluet Houstonia pusilla
Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
watershield Brasenia schreberi
white colicroot Aletris farinosa
white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
whorled milkwort Polygala verticillata
wild yam Dioscorea villosa
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
yellow thistle Cirsium horridulum
yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
zigzag spiderwort Tradescantia subaspera

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, Marengo County and Alabama
Measure	Marengo County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	234	253	1,758
Garden-ready natives	147	146	605
Tree	88	—	195
Shrub	16	—	81
Wildflower (forb)	75	—	923
Grass or grass-like	21	—	413
Vine	25	—	76
Fern	9	—	70

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Marengo County.

Clarke County, AL 137 garden-ready
Dallas County, AL 216 garden-ready
Hale County, AL 223 garden-ready
Perry County, AL 157 garden-ready
Wilcox County, AL 224 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: Marengo County (county FIPS 01091), Alabama. 234 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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