Native plants · Georgia
Native plants of Laurens County
94 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Laurens County by USDA PLANTS. 46 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Laurens County, Georgia
- Native species
- 94 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 46 Typical Georgia county: 58
- Share by type (all 94 native species)
-
Percent of the 94 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (39%), followed by trees (24%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 46
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 pokeweed Phytolacca americana | Wildflower (forb) | 7.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American wisteria Wisteria frutescens | Vine | 50 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| bald cypress Taxodium distichum | Tree | 130 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5b |
| bedstraw St. Johnswort Hypericum galioides | Shrub | 2.5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 7a |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| blackjack oak Quercus marilandica | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| coastal plain willow Salix caroliniana | Tree | 33 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 7b |
| common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis | Tree | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| coral greenbrier Smilax walteri | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 6b |
| deerberry Vaccinium stamineum | Shrub | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5a |
| dwarf huckleberry Gaylussacia dumosa | Shrub | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5a |
| fetterbush lyonia Lyonia lucida | Shrub | 6.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7b |
| grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| Gulf Sebastian-bush Ditrysinia fruticosa | Shrub | 12 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5b |
| highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum | Shrub | 12 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| laurel oak Quercus laurifolia | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| needlepod rush Juncus scirpoides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 7a |
| northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| pond pine Pinus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| possumhaw Ilex decidua | Tree | 33 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| poverty rush Juncus tenuis | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| red buckeye Aesculus pavia | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| redbay Persea borbonia | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 8a |
| redtop panicgrass Panicum rigidulum | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| small-leaf arrowwood Viburnum obovatum | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 7b |
| 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 |
| spruce pine Pinus glabra | Tree | 90 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| swamp doghobble Eubotrys racemosus | Shrub | 13 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 5.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| sweetbay Magnolia virginiana | Tree | 60 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 9a |
| turkey oak Quercus laevis | Tree | 40 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| twoheaded water-starwort Callitriche heterophylla | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| Virginia iris Iris virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 8b |
| Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| water oak Quercus nigra | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| water tupelo Nyssa aquatica | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| willow oak Quercus phellos | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| winged elm Ulmus alata | Tree | 65 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 48
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.
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa
- Alabama supplejack Berchemia scandens
- aquatic milkweed Asclepias perennis
- Atlantic poison oak Toxicodendron pubescens
- azure blue sage Salvia azurea
- blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
- bog yelloweyed grass Xyris difformis
- Canada toadflax Nuttallanthus canadensis
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
- downy danthonia Danthonia sericea
- eastern silver aster Symphyotrichum concolor
- ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
- Elliott's rush Juncus elliottii
- erect centella Centella erecta
- fewflower milkweed Asclepias lanceolata
- field pansy Viola bicolor
- goldenclub Orontium aquaticum
- hairy lipfern Cheilanthes lanosa
- hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
- justiceweed Eupatorium leucolepis
- lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
- little floating bladderwort Utricularia radiata
- low spearwort Ranunculus pusillus
- marsh mermaidweed Proserpinaca palustris
- marsh rose gentian Sabatia dodecandra
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
- Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
- netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
- northern selaginella Selaginella rupestris
- Nuttall's milkwort Polygala nuttallii
- piedmont staggerbush Lyonia mariana
- racemed milkwort Polygala polygama
- roughfruit scaleseed Spermolepis divaricata
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shiny coneflower Rudbeckia nitida
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- slender goldentop Euthamia caroliniana
- slender Indiangrass Sorghastrum elliottii
- Small's ragwort Packera anonyma
- stiff yellow flax Linum medium
- swamp leather flower Clematis crispa
- thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
- Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
- warty panicgrass Panicum verrucosum
- white wild indigo Baptisia alba
- woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica
- yellow thistle Cirsium horridulum
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 | Laurens County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 94 | 129 | 1,750 |
| Garden-ready natives | 46 | 58 | 608 |
| Tree | 23 | — | 202 |
| Shrub | 11 | — | 91 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 37 | — | 908 |
| Grass or grass-like | 11 | — | 403 |
| Vine | 4 | — | 78 |
| Fern | 8 | — | 68 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Laurens County.
- Bleckley County, GA 12 garden-ready
- Dodge County, GA 49 garden-ready
- Emanuel County, GA 65 garden-ready
- Johnson County, GA 52 garden-ready
- Telfair County, GA 50 garden-ready
- Wheeler County, GA 37 garden-ready
- Wilkinson County, GA 21 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
- Laurens County (county FIPS 13175), Georgia. 94 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