Native plants · Georgia
Native plants of Clay County
135 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Clay County by USDA PLANTS. 58 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Clay County, Georgia
- Native species
- 135 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 58 Typical Georgia county: 58
- Share by type (all 135 native species)
-
Percent of the 135 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (41%), followed by trees (23%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 58
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alternateleaf dogwood Cornus alternifolia | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| American beech Fagus grandifolia | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| American chestnut Castanea dentata | Tree | 115 ft | Sun | 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 |
| black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black oak Quercus velutina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| blackjack oak Quercus marilandica | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| brownseed paspalum Paspalum plicatulum | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 8a |
| Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana | Tree | 20 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 4b |
| Carolina foxtail Alopecurus carolinianus | Grass or grass-like | 1.7 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| Carolina rose Rosa carolina | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| coastal doghobble Leucothoe axillaris | Shrub | 6.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 7b |
| common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta | Wildflower (forb) | 10 in | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| common maidenhair Adiantum capillus-veneris | Fern | 1.7 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| common sweetleaf Symplocos tinctoria | Tree | 20 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 5a |
| dahoon Ilex cassine | Tree | 26 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 8b |
| fetterbush lyonia Lyonia lucida | Shrub | 6.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7b |
| Frank's sedge Carex frankii | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| Gulf Sebastian-bush Ditrysinia fruticosa | Shrub | 12 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5b |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| lanceleaf tickseed Coreopsis lanceolata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6b |
| large gallberry Ilex coriacea | Tree | 12 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 8a |
| late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| longleaf woodoats Chasmanthium sessiliflorum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala | Tree | 52 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia | Tree | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5a |
| narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| narrowleaf evening primrose Oenothera fruticosa | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus | Shrub | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum | Fern | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| pawpaw Asimina triloba | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| peelbark St. Johnswort Hypericum fasciculatum | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun | — | Zone 7b |
| pink azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5b |
| post oak Quercus stellata | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| prickly bog sedge Carex atlantica | Grass or grass-like | 1.8 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5b |
| scarlet oak Quercus coccinea | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| southern bayberry Morella caroliniensis | Tree | 7 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| southern sugar maple Acer floridanum | Tree | 50 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| 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 |
| summer grape Vitis aestivalis | Vine | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum | Shrub | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| turkey oak Quercus laevis | Tree | 40 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| water oak Quercus nigra | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| yaupon Ilex vomitoria | Tree | 25 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 8a |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 77
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 ginseng Panax quinquefolius
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- angularfruit milkvine Matelea gonocarpos
- Atlantic goldenrod Solidago arguta
- Baldwin's flatsedge Cyperus croceus
- beechdrops Epifagus virginiana
- bigleaf magnolia Magnolia macrophylla
- Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
- broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
- Carolina lily Lilium michauxii
- Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
- chinquapin Castanea pumila
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- climbing dogbane Trachelospermum difforme
- clustered beaksedge Rhynchospora glomerata
- crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
- cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
- downy danthonia Danthonia sericea
- downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
- downy yellow false foxglove Aureolaria virginica
- dwarf chinquapin oak Quercus prinoides
- early bluegrass Poa cuspidata
- eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana
- eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
- fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
- false flowering spurge Euphorbia pubentissima
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- field pansy Viola bicolor
- giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- grassleaf lettuce Lactuca graminifolia
- green adder's-mouth orchid Malaxis unifolia
- hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
- hairy woodrush Luzula acuminata
- hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
- heartleaf foamflower Tiarella cordifolia
- hedgehog woodrush Luzula echinata
- helmet flower Scutellaria integrifolia
- hyssopleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium hyssopifolium
- littlehead nutrush Scleria oligantha
- low spearwort Ranunculus pusillus
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- prostrate blue violet Viola walteri
- queendevil Hieracium gronovii
- rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
- redring milkweed Asclepias variegata
- reflexed sedge Carex retroflexa
- Reznicek's sedge Carex reznicekii
- rice button aster Symphyotrichum dumosum
- rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
- rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
- sand bittercress Cardamine parviflora
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shortpod draba Draba brachycarpa
- slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
- slender plantain Plantago heterophylla
- Small's blacksnakeroot Sanicula smallii
- Small's ragwort Packera anonyma
- smallflower baby blue eyes Nemophila aphylla
- sparselobe grapefern Botrychium biternatum
- spring coralroot Corallorhiza wisteriana
- Texas toadflax Nuttallanthus texanus
- thickleaf phlox Phlox carolina
- twisted spikerush Eleocharis tortilis
- Viola ×primulifolia Viola ×primulifolia
- Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
- whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
- wild comfrey Cynoglossum virginianum
- wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
- Wood's bunchflower Veratrum woodii
- woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
- woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica
- yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissima
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 | Clay County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 135 | 129 | 1,750 |
| Garden-ready natives | 58 | 58 | 608 |
| Tree | 31 | — | 202 |
| Shrub | 12 | — | 91 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 56 | — | 908 |
| Grass or grass-like | 23 | — | 403 |
| Vine | 6 | — | 78 |
| Fern | 7 | — | 68 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Clay County.
- Calhoun County, GA 58 garden-ready
- Early County, GA 97 garden-ready
- Quitman County, GA 13 garden-ready
- Randolph County, GA 46 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
- Clay County (county FIPS 13061), Georgia. 135 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