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Native plants · Georgia

Native plants of Cherokee County

230 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Cherokee County by USDA PLANTS. 98 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Cherokee County, Georgia

Native species
230 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
Garden-ready natives
98 Typical Georgia county: 58
Share by type (all 230 native species)
Percent of the 230 native species in each growth type
Tree 13% (31)
Shrub 6% (14)
Wildflower (forb) 56% (129)
Grass or grass-like 11% (25)
Vine 4% (9)
Fern 10% (22)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (56%), followed by trees (13%).

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 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 98

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

Garden-ready native plants of Cherokee County, Georgia
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
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 hazelnut Corylus americana Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
American water plantain Alisma subcordatum Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun High Zone 4a
beaked agrimony Agrimonia rostellata Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
beaked hazelnut Corylus cornuta Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis Tree 75 ft Sun Medium Zone 2b
black raspberry Rubus occidentalis Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
black walnut Juglans nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 4b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium Tree 16 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
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
broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
buckthorn bully Sideroxylon lycioides Tree 9.8 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
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
butternut Juglans cinerea Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
calico aster Symphyotrichum lateriflorum Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
Canada germander Teucrium canadense Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
Canadian lousewort Pedicularis canadensis Wildflower (forb) 1.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
Carolina elephantsfoot Elephantopus carolinianus Wildflower (forb) 2.7 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
common blue wood aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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 selfheal Prunella vulgaris Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
dense blazing star Liatris spicata Wildflower (forb) 4.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 5a
eastern white pine Pinus strobus Tree 150 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
false daisy Eclipta prostrata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
field paspalum Paspalum laeve Grass or grass-like 2.9 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6a
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata Grass or grass-like 5.7 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea Shrub 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
great laurel Rhododendron maximum Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
greater bladder sedge Carex intumescens Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
harvestlice Agrimonia parviflora Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Wildflower (forb) 9.8 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
jewelweed Impatiens capensis Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
lanceleaf loosestrife Lysimachia lanceolata Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
maleberry Lyonia ligustrina Shrub 9 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 5a
mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
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
narrowleaf silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7a
needlepod rush Juncus scirpoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High 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
northern red oak Quercus rubra Tree 81 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
northern spiderlily Hymenocallis occidentalis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 7a
painted buckeye Aesculus sylvatica Tree 65 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 8a
panicledleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium paniculatum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6a
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
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
prairie willow Salix humilis Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
purplehead sneezeweed Helenium flexuosum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum Fern 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
red maple Acer rubrum Tree 68 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
redtop panicgrass Panicum rigidulum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 4a
sharpwing monkeyflower Mimulus alatus Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
silky dogwood Cornus amomum Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
smallhead rush Juncus brachycephalus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
southern sugar maple Acer floridanum Tree 50 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
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
swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
sweet birch Betula lenta Tree 60 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
tapertip rush Juncus acuminatus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
umbrella-tree Magnolia tripetala Tree 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7a
upland bentgrass Agrostis perennans Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
velvet panicum Dichanthelium scoparium Grass or grass-like 4.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica Shrub 10 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
water oak Quercus nigra Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 5a
white avens Geum canadense Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
willow oak Quercus phellos Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
wingleaf primrose-willow Ludwigia decurrens Wildflower (forb) 4.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
woodland bluegrass Poa sylvestris Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
wreath goldenrod Solidago caesia Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
yellow flatsedge Cyperus flavescens Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 11b

Other native species recorded here 132

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.

  • Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
  • amberique-bean Strophostyles helvola
  • American black nightshade Solanum americanum
  • American climbing fern Lygodium palmatum
  • American columbo Frasera caroliniensis
  • annual ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia
  • Atlantic goldenrod Solidago arguta
  • Atlantic pigeonwings Clitoria mariana
  • beechdrops Epifagus virginiana
  • bigleaf magnolia Magnolia macrophylla
  • blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
  • bride's feathers Aruncus dioicus
  • broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
  • button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • Carolina lily Lilium michauxii
  • chinquapin Castanea pumila
  • Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
  • clustered fescue Festuca paradoxa
  • combleaf yellow false foxglove Aureolaria pectinata
  • common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
  • Copenhagen hawthorn Crataegus intricata
  • cornel-leaf whitetop Doellingeria infirma
  • creeping eryngo Eryngium prostratum
  • crinkleroot Cardamine diphylla
  • crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
  • crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
  • cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
  • cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
  • densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
  • downy goldenrod Solidago puberula
  • downy yellow false foxglove Aureolaria virginica
  • dwarf hawthorn Crataegus uniflora
  • early blue violet Viola ×palmata
  • early saxifrage Saxifraga virginiensis
  • eastern hayscented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
  • eastern prickly gooseberry Ribes cynosbati
  • ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
  • Engelmann's arrowhead Sagittaria engelmanniana
  • fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
  • false flowering spurge Euphorbia pubentissima
  • fan clubmoss Lycopodium digitatum
  • flame azalea Rhododendron calendulaceum
  • flypoison Amianthium muscitoxicum
  • forked bluecurls Trichostema dichotomum
  • fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
  • fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
  • giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
  • glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
  • hairy clustervine Jacquemontia tamnifolia
  • hairy lipfern Cheilanthes lanosa
  • hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
  • hairy sunflower Helianthus hirsutus
  • halberdleaf yellow violet Viola hastata
  • harvestbells Gentiana saponaria
  • hedgehog woodrush Luzula echinata
  • helmet flower Scutellaria integrifolia
  • highland doghobble Leucothoe fontanesiana
  • hoary skullcap Scutellaria incana
  • hornleaf riverweed Podostemum ceratophyllum
  • Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
  • intermediate woodfern Dryopteris intermedia
  • king of the meadow Thalictrum pubescens
  • lace grass Eragrostis capillaris
  • lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
  • leafy bulrush Scirpus polyphyllus
  • lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
  • lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
  • lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
  • maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
  • man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
  • marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
  • Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
  • meadow garlic Allium canadense
  • moccasin flower Cypripedium acaule
  • mountain spleenwort Asplenium montanum
  • narrowleaf pinweed Lechea tenuifolia
  • narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
  • netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
  • northern slender lady's tresses Spiranthes lacera
  • pale beardtongue Penstemon pallidus
  • palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
  • Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
  • pink fuzzybean Strophostyles umbellata
  • queendevil Hieracium gronovii
  • rattlesnakeweed Hieracium venosum
  • Ravenel's rosette grass Dichanthelium ravenelii
  • red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
  • red hickory Carya ovalis
  • rock polypody Polypodium virginianum
  • roundfruit hedgehyssop Gratiola virginiana
  • roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
  • rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
  • Sampson's snakeroot Orbexilum pedunculatum
  • scaldweed Cuscuta gronovii
  • sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
  • sensitive partridge pea Chamaecrista nictitans
  • showy goldenrod Solidago erecta
  • sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
  • slender toothwort Cardamine angustata
  • slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
  • slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
  • small green wood orchid Platanthera clavellata
  • small woodland sunflower Helianthus microcephalus
  • smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
  • southern mountainmint Pycnanthemum pycnanthemoides
  • spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
  • spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
  • star chickweed Stellaria pubera
  • starry rosinweed Silphium asteriscus
  • striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • tall tickseed Coreopsis tripteris
  • thickleaf phlox Phlox carolina
  • thinleaf sunflower Helianthus decapetalus
  • trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
  • trailing lespedeza Lespedeza procumbens
  • twining snoutbean Rhynchosia tomentosa
  • Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
  • Viola ×primulifolia Viola ×primulifolia
  • walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
  • wavyleaf aster Symphyotrichum undulatum
  • white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
  • white wood aster Eurybia divaricata
  • whitestar Ipomoea lacunosa
  • widowsfrill Silene stellata
  • woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
  • woodland flax Linum virginianum
  • woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica
  • yellow crownbeard Verbesina occidentalis
  • yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia

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.

Native species counts, Cherokee County and Georgia
MeasureCherokee CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 230 129 1,750
Garden-ready natives 98 58 608
Tree 31 — 202
Shrub 14 — 91
Wildflower (forb) 129 — 908
Grass or grass-like 25 — 403
Vine 9 — 78
Fern 22 — 68

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Cherokee 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
Cherokee County (county FIPS 13057), Georgia. 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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