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Native plants · Georgia

Native plants of Effingham County

118 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Effingham County by USDA PLANTS. 63 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Effingham County, Georgia

Native species
118 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
Garden-ready natives
63 Typical Georgia county: 58
Share by type (all 118 native species)
Percent of the 118 native species in each growth type
Tree 28% (33)
Shrub 13% (15)
Wildflower (forb) 44% (52)
Grass or grass-like 2% (2)
Vine 5% (6)
Fern 8% (10)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (44%), followed by trees (28%).

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 zones 8b to 9a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 63

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

Garden-ready native plants of Effingham County, Georgia
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
American pokeweed Phytolacca americana Wildflower (forb) 7.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
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
black walnut Juglans nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 4b
black willow Salix nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 1b
blackjack oak Quercus marilandica Tree 25 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
Carolina silverbell Halesia carolina Tree 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea Fern 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
coastal doghobble Leucothoe axillaris Shrub 6.5 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 7b
coastal plain willow Salix caroliniana Tree 33 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 7b
coastal sweetpepperbush Clethra alnifolia Shrub 16 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
common sweetleaf Symplocos tinctoria Tree 20 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 5a
coppery St. Johnswort Hypericum denticulatum Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7b
coral greenbrier Smilax walteri Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 6b
cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
dwarf azalea Rhododendron atlanticum Shrub 2.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
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
hairy chaffhead Carphephorus paniculatus Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 8a
highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum Shrub 12 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
horseflyweed Baptisia tinctoria Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Low Zone 7b
knotgrass Paspalum distichum Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun High Zone 6a
loblolly bay Gordonia lasianthus Tree 65 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 7a
marsh seedbox Ludwigia palustris Wildflower (forb) 2 in Sun High 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
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus Shrub 3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum Fern 1.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun High Zone 5a
possumhaw Viburnum nudum Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
post oak Quercus stellata Tree 60 ft Sun 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
running oak Quercus pumila Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 8b
saw palmetto Serenoa repens Tree 7 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum Tree 35 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 6a
southern bayberry Morella caroliniensis Tree 7 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
southern sugar maple Acer floridanum Tree 50 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
southern waxy sedge Carex glaucescens Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 6a
summer grape Vitis aestivalis Vine 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum Shrub 16 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
swamp cottonwood Populus heterophylla Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
swamp doghobble Eubotrys racemosus Shrub 13 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
sweetbay Magnolia virginiana Tree 60 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 9a
trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens Vine 16 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
turkey oak Quercus laevis Tree 40 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
umbrella-tree Magnolia tripetala Tree 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7a
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 locust Gleditsia aquatica Tree 40 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 10a
water oak Quercus nigra Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 5a
waterpod Hydrolea quadrivalvis Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun High Zone 8b
wax myrtle Morella cerifera Tree 10 ft Sun High Zone 7a
willow oak Quercus phellos Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a

Other native species recorded here 55

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.

  • American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
  • American cancer-root Conopholis americana
  • American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
  • Appalachian clubmoss Huperzia appalachiana
  • bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
  • Carolina puccoon Lithospermum caroliniense
  • Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
  • Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
  • clubmoss Lycopodiella ×copelandii
  • combleaf mermaidweed Proserpinaca pectinata
  • creeping burhead Echinodorus cordifolius
  • crossvine Bignonia capreolata
  • cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
  • cutleaf watermilfoil Myriophyllum pinnatum
  • cylindricfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia glandulosa
  • dwarf hackberry Celtis pumila
  • eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
  • fire pink Silene virginica
  • foxtail clubmoss Lycopodiella alopecuroides
  • grassy arrowhead Sagittaria graminea
  • handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
  • heartleaf nettle Urtica chamaedryoides
  • herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
  • humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
  • Illinois pondweed Potamogeton illinoensis
  • Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
  • jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
  • juniper leaf Polypremum procumbens
  • marsh blue violet Viola cucullata
  • marsh mermaidweed Proserpinaca palustris
  • Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
  • Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
  • Maryland milkwort Polygala mariana
  • netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
  • Nuttall's lobelia Lobelia nuttallii
  • pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
  • piedmont staggerbush Lyonia mariana
  • prostrate blue violet Viola walteri
  • queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
  • redring milkweed Asclepias variegata
  • roundfruit hedgehyssop Gratiola virginiana
  • sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
  • sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
  • slender clubmoss Lycopodiella caroliniana
  • sticky catchfly Silene caroliniana
  • striped gentian Gentiana villosa
  • striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
  • tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
  • tenlobe false foxglove Agalinis obtusifolia
  • twoleaf watermilfoil Myriophyllum heterophyllum
  • Viola ×primulifolia Viola ×primulifolia
  • Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
  • zigzag bladderwort Utricularia subulata

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, Effingham County and Georgia
MeasureEffingham CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 118 129 1,750
Garden-ready natives 63 58 608
Tree 33 — 202
Shrub 15 — 91
Wildflower (forb) 52 — 908
Grass or grass-like 2 — 403
Vine 6 — 78
Fern 10 — 68

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Effingham 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
Effingham County (county FIPS 13103), Georgia. 118 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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