Native plants · Georgia
Native plants of Chattooga County
130 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Chattooga County by USDA PLANTS. 57 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Chattooga County, Georgia
- Native species
- 130 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 57 Typical Georgia county: 58
- Share by type (all 130 native species)
-
Percent of the 130 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (53%), followed by trees (19%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 57
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American holly Ilex opaca | Tree | 40 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| American water plantain Alisma subcordatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| beaked hazelnut Corylus cornuta | Tree | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| blackjack oak Quercus marilandica | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| bushy St. Johnswort Hypericum densiflorum | Shrub | 6.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 8a |
| Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12b |
| Canadian lousewort Pedicularis canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis | Tree | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| deerberry Vaccinium stamineum | Shrub | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5a |
| dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| dwarf St. Johnswort Hypericum mutilum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| hazel alder Alnus serrulata | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum | Shrub | 12 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| longleaf pine Pinus palustris | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| maleberry Lyonia ligustrina | Shrub | 9 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| 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 evening primrose Oenothera fruticosa | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| narrowleaf silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| 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 |
| orangegrass Hypericum gentianoides | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 12a |
| pawpaw Asimina triloba | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| possumhaw Viburnum nudum | Tree | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| purpleleaf willowherb Epilobium coloratum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | 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 |
| shagbark hickory Carya ovata | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| shrubby St. Johnswort Hypericum prolificum | Shrub | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| smooth azalea Rhododendron arborescens | Shrub | 18 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum | Tree | 8 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 5a |
| southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| sweet birch Betula lenta | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| trumpetweed Eutrochium fistulosum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| umbrella-tree Magnolia tripetala | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| Virginia dayflower Commelina virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| Virginia pine Pinus virginiana | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| water oak Quercus nigra | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| willow oak Quercus phellos | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 73
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.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- American alumroot Heuchera americana
- American ipecac Gillenia stipulata
- American spikenard Aralia racemosa
- Appalachian stitchwort Minuartia glabra
- beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
- birdfoot violet Viola pedata
- black baneberry Actaea racemosa
- blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
- Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
- broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
- camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
- Carolina wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis
- Cherokee sedge Carex cherokeensis
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- Curtiss' milkwort Polygala curtissii
- dwarf violet iris Iris verna
- eastern hayscented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
- ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
- fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
- fan clubmoss Lycopodium digitatum
- giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
- greater tickseed Coreopsis major
- greenvein lady's tresses Spiranthes praecox
- grooved flax Linum sulcatum
- hairy bedstraw Galium pilosum
- hairyjoint meadowparsnip Thaspium barbinode
- helmet flower Scutellaria integrifolia
- hyssopleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium hyssopifolium
- intermediate woodfern Dryopteris intermedia
- lesser snakeroot Ageratina aromatica
- longspur violet Viola rostrata
- low spearwort Ranunculus pusillus
- lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
- maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
- marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
- Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
- mountain spleenwort Asplenium montanum
- nakedflower ticktrefoil Desmodium nudiflorum
- narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
- northern dewberry Rubus flagellaris
- northern selaginella Selaginella rupestris
- pinesap Monotropa hypopitys
- purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
- queendevil Hieracium gronovii
- roundleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium rotundifolium
- Sampson's snakeroot Orbexilum pedunculatum
- scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa
- seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
- shiny wedgescale Sphenopholis nitida
- sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
- small woodland sunflower Helianthus microcephalus
- St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
- starry rosinweed Silphium asteriscus
- sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- threadleaf false foxglove Agalinis setacea
- trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
- white thoroughwort Eupatorium album
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
- wild quinine Parthenium integrifolium
- woodland flax Linum virginianum
- woodland stonecrop Sedum ternatum
- woolly lipfern Cheilanthes tomentosa
- yellow fringed orchid Platanthera ciliaris
- yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
- yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissima
- zigzag spiderwort Tradescantia subaspera
Compared with Georgia
The typical county is the median of the 159 Georgia 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.
| Measure | Chattooga County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 130 | 129 | 1,750 |
| Garden-ready natives | 57 | 58 | 608 |
| Tree | 25 | — | 202 |
| Shrub | 13 | — | 91 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 69 | — | 908 |
| Grass or grass-like | 5 | — | 403 |
| Vine | 1 | — | 78 |
| Fern | 17 | — | 68 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Chattooga County.
- Dade County, GA 127 garden-ready
- Floyd County, GA 168 garden-ready
- Walker County, GA 180 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
- Chattooga County (county FIPS 13055), Georgia. 130 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