Native plants · Alabama

Native plants of Monroe County

253 plant species are recorded as native to Alabama in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Monroe County by USDA PLANTS. 136 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

Monroe County, Alabama

Native species: 253 Typical Alabama county: 253 (median of 66 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 136 Typical Alabama county: 146
Share by type (all 253 native species): Percent of the 253 native species in each growth type

Tree 30% (75)
Shrub 9% (23)
Wildflower (forb) 32% (81)
Grass or grass-like 15% (39)
Vine 9% (23)
Fern 5% (12)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (32%), followed by trees (30%).

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 136

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

Garden-ready native plants of Monroe 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 holly Ilex opaca	Tree	40 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
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
bighead rush Juncus megacephalus	Grass or grass-like	3.1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8b
black cherry Prunus serotina	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
black walnut Juglans nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
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
broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
bursting-heart Euonymus americanus	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
butterweed Packera glabella	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana	Tree	20 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 4b
cat greenbrier Smilax glauca	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
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 hempvine Mikania scandens	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
coastal doghobble Leucothoe axillaris	Shrub	6.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 7b
coastal sweetpepperbush Clethra alnifolia	Shrub	16 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
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 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 rush Juncus effusus	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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
cupseed Calycocarpum lyonii	Vine	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
dahoon Ilex cassine	Tree	26 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8b
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
delta arrowhead Sagittaria platyphylla	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6a
devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana	Vine	15 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
dwarf huckleberry Gaylussacia dumosa	Shrub	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
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 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 daisy Eclipta prostrata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
fetterbush lyonia Lyonia lucida	Shrub	6.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7b
field paspalum Paspalum laeve	Grass or grass-like	2.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea	Shrub	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
greater bladder sedge Carex intumescens	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
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
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium	Grass or grass-like	4.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
inkberry Ilex glabra	Shrub	8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6a
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
jewelweed Impatiens capensis	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 10b
Kentucky yellowwood Cladrastis kentukea	Tree	40 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
lanceleaf greenbrier Smilax smallii	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6b
laurel greenbrier Smilax laurifolia	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6b
laurel oak Quercus laurifolia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
loblolly pine Pinus taeda	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6b
longleaf pine Pinus palustris	Tree	120 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7a
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
Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala	Tree	52 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
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
needlepod rush Juncus scirpoides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
northern red oak Quercus rubra	Tree	81 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia	Shrub	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7a
overcup oak Quercus lyrata	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
pink azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5b
possumhaw Ilex decidua	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
post oak Quercus stellata	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
quill sedge Carex tenera	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
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
redbay Persea borbonia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
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
silver maple Acer saccharinum	Tree	90 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 2b
slash pine Pinus elliottii	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
smooth sumac Rhus glabra	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum	Tree	35 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
southern bayberry Morella caroliniensis	Tree	7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
southern catalpa Catalpa bignonioides	Tree	66 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5b
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
Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides	Vine	—	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 9b
spruce pine Pinus glabra	Tree	90 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
squarrose sedge Carex squarrosa	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
St. Peterswort Hypericum crux-andreae	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
stiff dogwood Cornus foemina	Tree	16 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
sugar maple Acer saccharum	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
swamp titi Cyrilla racemiflora	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 6b
swamp tupelo Nyssa biflora	Tree	115 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5b
sweetbay Magnolia virginiana	Tree	60 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 9a
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
tenangle pipewort Eriocaulon decangulare	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6b
thicket sedge Carex abscondita	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera	Tree	120 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
twoheaded water-starwort Callitriche heterophylla	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 4a
valdivia duckweed Lemna valdiviana	Wildflower (forb)	1 in	Sun	High	Zone 4a
variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum	Grass or grass-like	4.9 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 oak Quercus nigra	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
wax myrtle Morella cerifera	Tree	10 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7a
white edge sedge Carex debilis	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6a
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
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 117

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 buckwheat vine Brunnichia ovata
American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
annual fimbry Fimbristylis annua
arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
awl-leaf arrowhead Sagittaria subulata
beechdrops Epifagus virginiana
bigleaf magnolia Magnolia macrophylla
black edge sedge Carex nigromarginata
blackseed speargrass Piptochaetium avenaceum
blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
Brazilian watermeal Wolffia brasiliensis
bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
Carolina lily Lilium michauxii
Carolina wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis
cedarglade St. Johnswort Hypericum frondosum
Cherokee sedge Carex cherokeensis
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
clustered beaksedge Rhynchospora glomerata
coastal plain sedge Carex crebriflora
Columbian watermeal Wolffia columbiana
creeping burhead Echinodorus cordifolius
crossvine Bignonia capreolata
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
cutleaf grapefern Botrychium dissectum
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
downy danthonia Danthonia sericea
downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana
eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
eastern marsh fern Thelypteris palustris
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
eastern sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
flypoison Amianthium muscitoxicum
fringed yelloweyed grass Xyris fimbriata
goldenclub Orontium aquaticum
grassy arrowhead Sagittaria graminea
greater marsh St. Johnswort Triadenum walteri
greater tickseed Coreopsis major
green adder's-mouth orchid Malaxis unifolia
green dragon Arisaema dracontium
hairy angelica Angelica venenosa
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
hairy lettuce Lactuca hirsuta
hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
hairy woodrush Luzula acuminata
handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
hirsute sedge Carex complanata
hogwort Croton capitatus
Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
largeseed forget-me-not Myosotis macrosperma
leathery rush Juncus coriaceus
Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
lesser duckweed Lemna aequinoctialis
lined sedge Carex striatula
lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
log fern Dryopteris celsa
lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
manyflower marshpennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
meadow zizia Zizia aptera
netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
nodding beaksedge Rhynchospora inexpansa
obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
openflower rosette grass Dichanthelium laxiflorum
purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
reflexed sedge Carex retroflexa
rosy sedge Carex rosea
scentless mock orange Philadelphus inodorus
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
shiny wedgescale Sphenopholis nitida
slender toothwort Cardamine angustata
slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
Small's blacksnakeroot Sanicula smallii
smallflower baby blue eyes Nemophila aphylla
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
southern crab apple Malus angustifolia
southern cutgrass Leersia hexandra
southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
southern twayblade Listera australis
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
star chickweed Stellaria pubera
starry rosinweed Silphium asteriscus
tinted woodland spurge Euphorbia commutata
tiny bluet Houstonia pusilla
trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
tuberous stoneseed Lithospermum tuberosum
Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
watershield Brasenia schreberi
white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
white colicroot Aletris farinosa
whorled marshpennywort Hydrocotyle verticillata
wild comfrey Cynoglossum virginianum
wild yam Dioscorea villosa
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
yellow fringed orchid Platanthera ciliaris
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, Monroe County and Alabama
Measure	Monroe County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	253	253	1,758
Garden-ready natives	136	146	605
Tree	75	—	195
Shrub	23	—	81
Wildflower (forb)	81	—	923
Grass or grass-like	39	—	413
Vine	23	—	76
Fern	12	—	70

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Monroe County.

Butler County, AL 136 garden-ready
Clarke County, AL 137 garden-ready
Conecuh County, AL 177 garden-ready
Escambia County, AL 151 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: Monroe County (county FIPS 01099), Alabama. 253 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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