Native plants · Georgia

Native plants of Lee County

164 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Lee County by USDA PLANTS. 83 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Lee County, Georgia

Native species: 164 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 83 Typical Georgia county: 58
Share by type (all 164 native species): Percent of the 164 native species in each growth type

Tree 21% (35)
Shrub 7% (12)
Wildflower (forb) 41% (67)
Grass or grass-like 21% (35)
Vine 4% (7)
Fern 5% (8)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (41%), 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 8b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 83

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

Garden-ready native plants of Lee County, Georgia
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American basswood Tilia americana	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 12b
American elm Ulmus americana	Tree	120 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
American hazelnut Corylus americana	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
American snowbell Styrax americanus	Tree	10 ft	Sun–part shade	—	Zone 5b
bedstraw St. Johnswort Hypericum galioides	Shrub	2.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7a
bigleaf snowbell Styrax grandifolius	Tree	10 ft	Sun–part shade	—	Zone 4b
blackjack oak Quercus marilandica	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
bristlystalked sedge Carex leptalea	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
bursting-heart Euonymus americanus	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
Carolina ash Fraxinus caroliniana	Tree	39 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7b
Carolina redroot Lachnanthes caroliana	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8b
catchfly grass Leersia lenticularis	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea	Fern	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
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
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 rush Juncus effusus	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
common sweetleaf Symplocos tinctoria	Tree	20 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 5a
crimsoneyed rosemallow Hibiscus moscheutos	Wildflower (forb)	6.6 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6a
cypress swamp sedge Carex joorii	Grass or grass-like	4.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
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
eggleaf rosette grass Dichanthelium ovale	Grass or grass-like	1.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata	Grass or grass-like	5.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
graybark grape Vitis cinerea	Vine	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
hairy chaffhead Carphephorus paniculatus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 8a
hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
hop sedge Carex lupulina	Grass or grass-like	4.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium	Grass or grass-like	4.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
jointed spikesedge Eleocharis equisetoides	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
large gallberry Ilex coriacea	Tree	12 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
laurel oak Quercus laurifolia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
limestone meadow sedge Carex granularis	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
live oak Quercus virginiana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 8a
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus	Shrub	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis	Fern	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
nimblewill Muhlenbergia schreberi	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
nodding lady's tresses Spiranthes cernua	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
northern spiderlily Hymenocallis occidentalis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 7a
orangegrass Hypericum gentianoides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 12a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
peelbark St. Johnswort Hypericum fasciculatum	Shrub	5 ft	Sun	—	Zone 7b
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
pond cypress Taxodium ascendens	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 8a
possumhaw Ilex decidua	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
prairie willow Salix humilis	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
prickly bog sedge Carex atlantica	Grass or grass-like	1.8 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5b
red buckeye Aesculus pavia	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
red chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia	Shrub	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5b
redbay Persea borbonia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
roundpod St. Johnswort Hypericum cistifolium	Shrub	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
shallow sedge Carex lurida	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
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 waternymph Najas guadalupensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
spruce pine Pinus glabra	Tree	90 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
St. Peterswort Hypericum crux-andreae	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
stiff dogwood Cornus foemina	Tree	16 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
swamp doghobble Eubotrys racemosus	Shrub	13 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
swamp rose Rosa palustris	Shrub	8.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
three-way sedge Dulichium arundinaceum	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
two-wing silverbell Halesia diptera	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	—	Zone 8a
water oak Quercus nigra	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
wax myrtle Morella cerifera	Tree	10 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7a
white fringetree Chionanthus virginicus	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
willow oak Quercus phellos	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
wrinkled jointtail grass Coelorachis rugosa	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
yaupon Ilex vomitoria	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a

Other native species recorded here 81

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.

Alabama supplejack Berchemia scandens
American cancer-root Conopholis americana
anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
beach false foxglove Agalinis fasciculata
blackseed speargrass Piptochaetium avenaceum
Bosc's mille graines Oldenlandia boscii
broadwing sedge Carex alata
button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
coastal lovegrass Eragrostis refracta
common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
compact dodder Cuscuta compacta
densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
downy danthonia Danthonia sericea
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
drumheads Polygala cruciata
dwarf chinquapin oak Quercus prinoides
eastern blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium atlanticum
eastern purple bladderwort Utricularia purpurea
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
foxtail clubmoss Lycopodiella alopecuroides
globefruit primrose-willow Ludwigia sphaerocarpa
greenvein lady's tresses Spiranthes praecox
gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
hairy woodland brome Bromus pubescens
helmet flower Scutellaria integrifolia
horned bladderwort Utricularia cornuta
Illinois pondweed Potamogeton illinoensis
lax hornpod Mitreola petiolata
lesser snakeroot Ageratina aromatica
Louisiana sedge Carex louisianica
low nutrush Scleria verticillata
low spikesedge Kyllinga pumila
Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
meadow zizia Zizia aptera
Michaux's croton Croton michauxii
narrowleaf primrose-willow Ludwigia linearis
neckweed Veronica peregrina
netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
piedmont staggerbush Lyonia mariana
pine barren flatsedge Cyperus retrorsus
pink bogbutton Sclerolepis uniflora
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
queendevil Hieracium gronovii
Ravenel's rosette grass Dichanthelium ravenelii
Richard's yelloweyed grass Xyris jupicai
roughfruit scaleseed Spermolepis divaricata
Sampson's snakeroot Orbexilum pedunculatum
sand hickory Carya pallida
scaldweed Cuscuta gronovii
seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
silvery everlasting Gamochaeta argyrinea
slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
slender goldentop Euthamia caroliniana
slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
Small's ragwort Packera anonyma
smallhead doll's daisy Boltonia diffusa
smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
spoonleaf sundew Drosera intermedia
spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
swamp leather flower Clematis crispa
swamp thistle Cirsium muticum
tall horned beaksedge Rhynchospora macrostachya
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
tapertip cupgrass Eriochloa acuminata
thickleaf phlox Phlox carolina
tuberous grasspink Calopogon tuberosus
tuberous stoneseed Lithospermum tuberosum
velvetleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium viridiflorum
Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
waxyleaf meadow-rue Thalictrum revolutum
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, Lee County and Georgia
Measure	Lee County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	164	129	1,750
Garden-ready natives	83	58	608
Tree	35	—	202
Shrub	12	—	91
Wildflower (forb)	67	—	908
Grass or grass-like	35	—	403
Vine	7	—	78
Fern	8	—	68

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Lee County.

Dougherty County, GA 126 garden-ready
Sumter County, GA 94 garden-ready
Terrell County, GA 31 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: Lee County (county FIPS 13177), Georgia. 164 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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