Native plants · Georgia

Native plants of Rockdale County

102 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Rockdale County by USDA PLANTS. 35 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Rockdale County, Georgia

Native species: 102 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 35 Typical Georgia county: 58
Share by type (all 102 native species): Percent of the 102 native species in each growth type

Tree 13% (13)
Shrub 8% (8)
Wildflower (forb) 39% (40)
Grass or grass-like 25% (25)
Vine 4% (4)
Fern 12% (12)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (39%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (25%).

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 8a to 8b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 35

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

Garden-ready native plants of Rockdale County, Georgia
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American beautyberry Callicarpa americana	Shrub	6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6b
American snowbell Styrax americanus	Tree	10 ft	Sun–part shade	—	Zone 5b
black willow Salix nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1b
blackgum Nyssa sylvatica	Tree	95 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea	Fern	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
common selfheal Prunella vulgaris	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea	Tree	36 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
common winterberry Ilex verticillata	Tree	10 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
devil's walkingstick Aralia spinosa	Tree	20 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
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
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea	Shrub	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
groundnut Apios americana	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
narrowleaf evening primrose Oenothera fruticosa	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
needlepod rush Juncus scirpoides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis	Fern	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
nodding lady's tresses Spiranthes cernua	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
orangegrass Hypericum gentianoides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 12a
purplestem aster Symphyotrichum puniceum	Wildflower (forb)	8.1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum	Fern	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
smooth sumac Rhus glabra	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
summer grape Vitis aestivalis	Vine	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
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 honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens	Vine	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
water oak Quercus nigra	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
willow oak Quercus phellos	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
winged sumac Rhus copallinum	Tree	8 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 67

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.

Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa
annual fimbry Fimbristylis annua
Atlantic pigeonwings Clitoria mariana
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
Carolina bugbane Trautvetteria caroliniensis
Carolina clover Trifolium carolinianum
Carolina desert-chicory Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
downy pagoda-plant Blephilia ciliata
downy ragged goldenrod Solidago petiolaris
early saxifrage Saxifraga virginiensis
early St. Johnswort Hypericum nudiflorum
eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens
eastern silver aster Symphyotrichum concolor
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
Elliott's bentgrass Agrostis elliottiana
fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
fan clubmoss Lycopodium digitatum
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
globe beaksedge Rhynchospora globularis
hairy lipfern Cheilanthes lanosa
hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
helmet flower Scutellaria integrifolia
hirsute sedge Carex complanata
horned bladderwort Utricularia cornuta
hornleaf riverweed Podostemum ceratophyllum
humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
keeled bulrush Isolepis carinata
largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora
lesser snakeroot Ageratina aromatica
marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
Michaux's croton Croton michauxii
narrowleaf bluecurls Trichostema setaceum
netted nutrush Scleria reticularis
oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
openflower rosette grass Dichanthelium laxiflorum
pineywoods dropseed Sporobolus junceus
rice button aster Symphyotrichum dumosum
Richard's yelloweyed grass Xyris jupicai
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
sicklepod Arabis canadensis
slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
slender plantain Plantago heterophylla
slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
Small's ragwort Packera anonyma
smallflower phacelia Phacelia dubia
smallfruit spikerush Eleocharis microcarpa
southern jointweed Polygonella americana
standing-cypress Ipomopsis rubra
starry rosinweed Silphium asteriscus
thickleaf phlox Phlox carolina
Viola ×primulifolia Viola ×primulifolia
Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
Virginia dwarfdandelion Krigia virginica
weak rush Juncus debilis
wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
woolly ragwort Packera tomentosa
woollysheath threeawn Aristida lanosa

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, Rockdale County and Georgia
Measure	Rockdale County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	102	129	1,750
Garden-ready natives	35	58	608
Tree	13	—	202
Shrub	8	—	91
Wildflower (forb)	40	—	908
Grass or grass-like	25	—	403
Vine	4	—	78
Fern	12	—	68

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Rockdale County.

DeKalb County, GA 112 garden-ready
Henry County, GA 18 garden-ready
Newton County, GA 27 garden-ready
Walton County, GA 60 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: Rockdale County (county FIPS 13247), Georgia. 102 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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