Native plants · Georgia

Native plants of Habersham County

162 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Habersham County by USDA PLANTS. 68 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Habersham County, Georgia

Native species: 162 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 68 Typical Georgia county: 58
Share by type (all 162 native species): Percent of the 162 native species in each growth type

Tree 21% (34)
Shrub 9% (15)
Wildflower (forb) 44% (71)
Grass or grass-like 9% (15)
Vine 6% (10)
Fern 10% (17)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (44%), followed by trees (21%).

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

Garden-ready natives 68

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

Garden-ready native plants of Habersham County, Georgia
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alternateleaf dogwood Cornus alternifolia	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
American basswood Tilia americana	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
American bur-reed Sparganium americanum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
American hazelnut Corylus americana	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
American holly Ilex opaca	Tree	40 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
bigleaf snowbell Styrax grandifolius	Tree	10 ft	Sun–part shade	—	Zone 4b
black huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata	Shrub	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
blackjack oak Quercus marilandica	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
Canadian lousewort Pedicularis canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
Carolina hemlock Tsuga caroliniana	Tree	65 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7b
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
Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea	Fern	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
common evening primrose Oenothera biennis	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
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 persimmon Diospyros virginiana	Tree	55 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
common sweetleaf Symplocos tinctoria	Tree	20 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 5a
cucumber tree Magnolia acuminata	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5b
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea	Shrub	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
graybark grape Vitis cinerea	Vine	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
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
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
hairy lespedeza Lespedeza hirta	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
hazel alder Alnus serrulata	Tree	30 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
lanceleaf loosestrife Lysimachia lanceolata	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
maleberry Lyonia ligustrina	Shrub	9 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 5a
mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens	Shrub	14 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia	Tree	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
mountain magnolia Magnolia fraseri	Tree	75 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 6a
muscadine Vitis rotundifolia	Vine	30 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b
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
New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis	Wildflower (forb)	6.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
painted buckeye Aesculus sylvatica	Tree	65 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 8a
pink azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5b
possumhaw Viburnum nudum	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
prairie willow Salix humilis	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
purpleleaf willowherb Epilobium coloratum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
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
ridged yellow flax Linum striatum	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
silky willow Salix sericea	Tree	12 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
smooth azalea Rhododendron arborescens	Shrub	18 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum	Tree	35 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
sweet birch Betula lenta	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
Table Mountain pine Pinus pungens	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5b
tapertip rush Juncus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
three-way sedge Dulichium arundinaceum	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
trumpetweed Eutrochium fistulosum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera	Tree	120 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
Virginia pine Pinus virginiana	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
water oak Quercus nigra	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
wavy hairgrass Deschampsia flexuosa	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
white avens Geum canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
winged sumac Rhus copallinum	Tree	8 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b

Other native species recorded here 94

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.

Aaron's rod Thermopsis villosa
Allegheny hawkweed Hieracium paniculatum
alpine violet Viola labradorica
American climbing fern Lygodium palmatum
American columbo Frasera caroliniensis
American spikenard Aralia racemosa
anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
Atlantic goldenrod Solidago arguta
Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
chinquapin Castanea pumila
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
crinkleroot Cardamine diphylla
crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
crossvine Bignonia capreolata
Curtiss' milkwort Polygala curtissii
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
cutleaf grapefern Botrychium dissectum
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
deeproot clubmoss Lycopodium tristachyum
devil's grandmother Elephantopus tomentosus
downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
downy yellow false foxglove Aureolaria virginica
dwarf crested iris Iris cristata
dwarf hackberry Celtis pumila
eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana
eastern featherbells Stenanthium gramineum
eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
eastern hayscented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
eastern silver aster Symphyotrichum concolor
eastern sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
fan clubmoss Lycopodium digitatum
fernleaf yellow false foxglove Aureolaria pedicularia
Florida paspalum Paspalum floridanum
fox grape Vitis labrusca
gaywings Polygala paucifolia
glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
greater tickseed Coreopsis major
hairy angelica Angelica venenosa
hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
hairy woodland brome Bromus pubescens
highland doghobble Leucothoe fontanesiana
Illinois pinweed Lechea racemulosa
lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
nakedflower ticktrefoil Desmodium nudiflorum
pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
plantainleaf sedge Carex plantaginea
poison sumac Toxicodendron vernix
queendevil Hieracium gronovii
rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
rattlesnakeweed Hieracium venosum
redring milkweed Asclepias variegata
rock polypody Polypodium virginianum
rosepink Sabatia angularis
roundleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium rotundifolium
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
shining clubmoss Huperzia lucidula
showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
silver plumegrass Saccharum alopecuroides
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
slender lespedeza Lespedeza virginica
smooth yellow false foxglove Aureolaria flava
spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
star tickseed Coreopsis pubescens
stiff cowbane Oxypolis rigidior
sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
Viola ×primulifolia Viola ×primulifolia
Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
wavyleaf aster Symphyotrichum undulatum
weakstalk bulrush Schoenoplectiella purshiana
white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
white wood aster Eurybia divaricata
wild comfrey Cynoglossum virginianum
wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
wild quinine Parthenium integrifolium
wild yam Dioscorea villosa
woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
woolly lipfern Cheilanthes tomentosa
yellow fringed orchid Platanthera ciliaris
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.

Native species counts, Habersham County and Georgia
Measure	Habersham County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	162	129	1,750
Garden-ready natives	68	58	608
Tree	34	—	202
Shrub	15	—	91
Wildflower (forb)	71	—	908
Grass or grass-like	15	—	403
Vine	10	—	78
Fern	17	—	68

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Habersham County.

Banks County, GA 25 garden-ready
Hall County, GA 143 garden-ready
Rabun County, GA 188 garden-ready
Stephens County, GA 116 garden-ready
White County, GA 89 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: Habersham County (county FIPS 13137), Georgia. 162 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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