Native plants · Alabama

Native plants of Washington County

234 plant species are recorded as native to Alabama in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Washington County by USDA PLANTS. 138 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

Washington County, Alabama

Native species: 234 Typical Alabama county: 253 (median of 66 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 138 Typical Alabama county: 146
Share by type (all 234 native species): Percent of the 234 native species in each growth type

Tree 34% (79)
Shrub 9% (22)
Wildflower (forb) 29% (69)
Grass or grass-like 15% (34)
Vine 8% (19)
Fern 5% (11)

Trees make up the largest share of the native list (34%), followed by wildflowers (29%).

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 138

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

Garden-ready native plants of Washington County, Alabama
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
aloe yucca Yucca aloifolia	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	—	Zone 7a
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 holly Ilex opaca	Tree	40 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
American lotus Nelumbo lutea	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
American wisteria Wisteria frutescens	Vine	50 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
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
bedstraw St. Johnswort Hypericum galioides	Shrub	2.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7a
black cherry Prunus serotina	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
black locust Robinia pseudoacacia	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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
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
Carolina redroot Lachnanthes caroliana	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8b
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
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
coastal sweetpepperbush Clethra alnifolia	Shrub	16 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
comfortroot Hibiscus aculeatus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8b
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 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 sneezeweed Helenium autumnale	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
common sweetleaf Symplocos tinctoria	Tree	20 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 5a
coral greenbrier Smilax walteri	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6b
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
delta arrowhead Sagittaria platyphylla	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6a
devil's walkingstick Aralia spinosa	Tree	20 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
dwarf huckleberry Gaylussacia dumosa	Shrub	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
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 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
eastern swampprivet Forestiera acuminata	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
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
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
fetterbush lyonia Lyonia lucida	Shrub	6.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7b
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
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
Gulf Sebastian-bush Ditrysinia fruticosa	Shrub	12 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5b
halberdleaf rosemallow Hibiscus laevis	Wildflower (forb)	8 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 6a
haspan flatsedge Cyperus haspan	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8a
hazel alder Alnus serrulata	Tree	30 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata	Vine	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana	Tree	45 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
inkberry Ilex glabra	Shrub	8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6a
lanceleaf tickseed Coreopsis lanceolata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6b
large gallberry Ilex coriacea	Tree	12 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
laurel greenbrier Smilax laurifolia	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6b
laurel oak Quercus laurifolia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
lesser creeping rush Juncus repens	Grass or grass-like	6.8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 8b
live oak Quercus virginiana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 8a
loblolly pine Pinus taeda	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6b
longleaf pine Pinus palustris	Tree	120 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7a
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
narrowleaf silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
needleleaf rosette grass Dichanthelium aciculare	Grass or grass-like	1.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 7b
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
nutmeg hickory Carya myristiciformis	Tree	95 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
Nuttall oak Quercus texana	Tree	110 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Nuttall's reedgrass Calamagrostis coarctata	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
overcup oak Quercus lyrata	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
parsley hawthorn Crataegus marshallii	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
peelbark St. Johnswort Hypericum fasciculatum	Shrub	5 ft	Sun	—	Zone 7b
peppervine Nekemias arborea	Vine	1 in	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
planertree Planera aquatica	Tree	50 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
pond cypress Taxodium ascendens	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 8a
possumhaw Ilex decidua	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	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 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
river birch Betula nigra	Tree	70 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
roundpod St. Johnswort Hypericum cistifolium	Shrub	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
sand blackberry Rubus cuneifolius	Shrub	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6a
sarvis holly Ilex amelanchier	Tree	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 8b
saw greenbrier Smilax bona-nox	Vine	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
saw palmetto Serenoa repens	Tree	7 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
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
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
smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
smooth phlox Phlox glaberrima	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
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 waxy sedge Carex glaucescens	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 6a
splitbeard bluestem Andropogon ternarius	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5b
spruce pine Pinus glabra	Tree	90 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
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
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
summer grape Vitis aestivalis	Vine	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
swamp doghobble Eubotrys racemosus	Shrub	13 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
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
trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens	Vine	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
turkey oak Quercus laevis	Tree	40 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7a
valdivia duckweed Lemna valdiviana	Wildflower (forb)	1 in	Sun	High	Zone 4a
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
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
water tupelo Nyssa aquatica	Tree	100 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 oak Quercus alba	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
whitegrass Leersia virginica	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	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
yaupon Ilex vomitoria	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a

Other native species recorded here 96

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 white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
bigleaf magnolia Magnolia macrophylla
bigpod sesbania Sesbania herbacea
birdfoot violet Viola pedata
black highbush blueberry Vaccinium fuscatum
Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
bog yelloweyed grass Xyris difformis
Brazilian watermeal Wolffia brasiliensis
bulltongue arrowhead Sagittaria lancifolia
bunched beaksedge Rhynchospora cephalantha
button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
clustered beaksedge Rhynchospora glomerata
coastal false asphodel Triantha racemosa
Columbian watermeal Wolffia columbiana
cone-cup spikerush Eleocharis tuberculosa
creeping burhead Echinodorus cordifolius
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
downy yellow false foxglove Aureolaria virginica
drumheads Polygala cruciata
dwarf hawthorn Crataegus uniflora
dwarf violet iris Iris verna
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
Eaton's rosette grass Dichanthelium spretum
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
Elliott's fanpetals Sida elliottii
Elliott's rush Juncus elliottii
fewflower milkweed Asclepias lanceolata
flattened pipewort Eriocaulon compressum
Florida mudmidget Wolffiella gladiata
foxtail clubmoss Lycopodiella alopecuroides
giant sedge Carex gigantea
goldenclub Orontium aquaticum
grassy arrowhead Sagittaria graminea
greenvein lady's tresses Spiranthes praecox
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
helmet flower Scutellaria integrifolia
humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
littlehip hawthorn Crataegus spathulata
lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
nodding beaksedge Rhynchospora inexpansa
oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
pineywoods dropseed Sporobolus junceus
poison sumac Toxicodendron vernix
procession flower Polygala incarnata
purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
roundleaf sundew Drosera rotundifolia
roundleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium rotundifolium
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
sand hickory Carya pallida
scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa
seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
slender beaksedge Rhynchospora gracilenta
slender clubmoss Lycopodiella caroliniana
slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
slender rose gentian Sabatia campanulata
smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
southern bladderwort Utricularia juncea
southern bog clubmoss Lycopodiella appressa
southern cutgrass Leersia hexandra
southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
Spanish needles Bidens bipinnata
spoonleaf sundew Drosera intermedia
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
stinking camphorweed Pluchea foetida
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
Vahl's fimbry Fimbristylis vahlii
Viola ×primulifolia Viola ×primulifolia
Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
wand lythrum Lythrum lineare
watershield Brasenia schreberi
white fringed orchid Platanthera blephariglottis
whitehair rosette grass Dichanthelium villosissimum
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
woodland flax Linum virginianum
yellow fringed orchid Platanthera ciliaris
yellow spikerush Eleocharis flavescens
yellow thistle Cirsium horridulum

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, Washington County and Alabama
Measure	Washington County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	234	253	1,758
Garden-ready natives	138	146	605
Tree	79	—	195
Shrub	22	—	81
Wildflower (forb)	69	—	923
Grass or grass-like	34	—	413
Vine	19	—	76
Fern	11	—	70

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Washington County.

Choctaw County, AL 156 garden-ready
Mobile County, AL 344 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: Washington County (county FIPS 01129), 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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