Native plants · Georgia
Native plants of Towns County
237 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Towns County by USDA PLANTS. 99 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 1 more species is listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Towns County, Georgia
- Native species
- 237 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 99 Typical Georgia county: 58
- Share by type (all 237 native species)
-
Percent of the 237 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (50%), followed by trees (18%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 99
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| 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 beech Fagus grandifolia | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| American bittersweet Celastrus scandens | Vine | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| American chestnut Castanea dentata | Tree | 115 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| American mountain ash Sorbus americana | Tree | 40 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| autumn bluegrass Poa autumnalis | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6b |
| beaked agrimony Agrimonia rostellata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| big bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2b |
| bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2b |
| black chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 9b |
| black huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata | Shrub | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| black oak Quercus velutina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blackgum Nyssa sylvatica | Tree | 95 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| butternut Juglans cinerea | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea | Fern | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| coastal plain willow Salix caroliniana | Tree | 33 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 7b |
| common blue violet Viola sororia | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea | Tree | 36 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana | Vine | 15 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea | Wildflower (forb) | 1.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| eastern teaberry Gaultheria procumbens | Shrub | 6 in | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| field horsetail Equisetum arvense | Fern | 11 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| flattened oatgrass Danthonia compressa | Grass or grass-like | 2.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| golden ragwort Packera aurea | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| groundnut Apios americana | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| hairy lespedeza Lespedeza hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| hobblebush Viburnum lantanoides | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| horseflyweed Baptisia tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 7b |
| interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana | Fern | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| Kentucky yellowwood Cladrastis kentukea | Tree | 40 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4a |
| lanceleaf loosestrife Lysimachia lanceolata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| maleberry Lyonia ligustrina | Shrub | 9 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 5a |
| mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| mountain magnolia Magnolia fraseri | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 6a |
| mountain maple Acer spicatum | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| narrowleaf evening primrose Oenothera fruticosa | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis | Wildflower (forb) | 6.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| nimblewill Muhlenbergia schreberi | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| northern spicebush Lindera benzoin | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| Nuttall's reedgrass Calamagrostis coarctata | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| pale touch-me-not Impatiens pallida | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| pignut hickory Carya glabra | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| pin cherry Prunus pensylvanica | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| pitch pine Pinus rigida | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| possumhaw Viburnum nudum | Tree | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| prairie willow Salix humilis | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| purpleflowering raspberry Rubus odoratus | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum | Fern | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| red elderberry Sambucus racemosa | Tree | 18 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| sassafras Sassafras albidum | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| scarlet Indian paintbrush Castilleja coccinea | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| scarlet oak Quercus coccinea | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| shrubby St. Johnswort Hypericum prolificum | Shrub | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum | Tree | 8 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 5a |
| southern catalpa Catalpa bignonioides | Tree | 66 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 5b |
| spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum punctatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| striped maple Acer pensylvanicum | Tree | 35 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| sugar maple Acer saccharum | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| summer grape Vitis aestivalis | Vine | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| swamp rose Rosa palustris | Shrub | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 5.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| sweet birch Betula lenta | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| Table Mountain pine Pinus pungens | Tree | 50 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5b |
| upland bentgrass Agrostis perennans | Grass or grass-like | 3.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| wavy hairgrass Deschampsia flexuosa | Grass or grass-like | 2.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| white ash Fraxinus americana | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| white oak Quercus alba | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| wild sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| wild sweetwilliam Phlox maculata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 2b |
| yellow buckeye Aesculus flava | Tree | 65 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 138
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.
- Aaron's rod Thermopsis villosa
- agueweed Gentianella quinquefolia
- American cancer-root Conopholis americana
- American columbo Frasera caroliniensis
- American false pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
- American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- Atlantic goldenrod Solidago arguta
- autumn coralroot Corallorhiza odontorhiza
- beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
- black baneberry Actaea racemosa
- blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
- blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
- bluntleaf waterleaf Hydrophyllum canadense
- bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
- broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
- brown widelip orchid Liparis liliifolia
- brownish sedge Carex brunnescens
- Canada mayflower Maianthemum canadense
- Canadian white violet Viola canadensis
- Carolina bugbane Trautvetteria caroliniensis
- Carolina desert-chicory Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
- Carolina lily Lilium michauxii
- Carolina springbeauty Claytonia caroliniana
- Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
- carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
- chinquapin Castanea pumila
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- Copenhagen hawthorn Crataegus intricata
- cornel-leaf whitetop Doellingeria infirma
- crinkleroot Cardamine diphylla
- Curtiss' milkwort Polygala curtissii
- cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
- cutleaf grapefern Botrychium dissectum
- cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
- cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
- downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
- downy yellow false foxglove Aureolaria virginica
- drumheads Polygala cruciata
- dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- early goldenrod Solidago juncea
- eastern featherbells Stenanthium gramineum
- eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens
- eastern hayscented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
- false flowering spurge Euphorbia pubentissima
- feverwort Triosteum perfoliatum
- fibrousroot sedge Carex communis
- flame azalea Rhododendron calendulaceum
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- fourleaf milkweed Asclepias quadrifolia
- fox grape Vitis labrusca
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- great Indian plantain Arnoglossum reniforme
- green adder's-mouth orchid Malaxis unifolia
- green false hellebore Veratrum viride
- hairy alumroot Heuchera villosa
- hairy angelica Angelica venenosa
- hairy lipfern Cheilanthes lanosa
- hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
- hairyjoint meadowparsnip Thaspium barbinode
- heartleaf foamflower Tiarella cordifolia
- hedgehog woodrush Luzula echinata
- highland doghobble Leucothoe fontanesiana
- hoary frostweed Helianthemum bicknellii
- hornleaf riverweed Podostemum ceratophyllum
- Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
- Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
- Indianpipe Monotropa uniflora
- intermediate woodfern Dryopteris intermedia
- jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
- king of the meadow Thalictrum pubescens
- lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
- lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
- maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
- Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
- mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
- mountain spleenwort Asplenium montanum
- narrowleaf cowwheat Melampyrum lineare
- narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
- nodding onion Allium cernuum
- northern selaginella Selaginella rupestris
- northern slender lady's tresses Spiranthes lacera
- painted trillium Trillium undulatum
- palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
- pinesap Monotropa hypopitys
- pipevine Aristolochia macrophylla
- pleatleaf knotweed Polygonum tenue
- poke milkweed Asclepias exaltata
- poverty oatgrass Danthonia spicata
- purple false foxglove Agalinis purpurea
- ramp Allium tricoccum
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- red trillium Trillium erectum
- robin's plantain Erigeron pulchellus
- rock polypody Polypodium virginianum
- rosepink Sabatia angularis
- roundleaf yellow violet Viola rotundifolia
- scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shining clubmoss Huperzia lucidula
- shiny wedgescale Sphenopholis nitida
- shrubby fivefingers Sibbaldiopsis tridentata
- slimflower muhly Muhlenbergia tenuiflora
- smooth carrionflower Smilax herbacea
- southern mountainmint Pycnanthemum pycnanthemoides
- spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
- St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
- star chickweed Stellaria pubera
- striped cream violet Viola striata
- striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
- summer coralroot Corallorhiza maculata
- summer sedge Carex aestivalis
- swamp wedgescale Sphenopholis pensylvanica
- sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
- tall rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes altissima
- tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
- trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
- vasevine Clematis viorna
- walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
- white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white trillium Trillium grandiflorum
- white wild indigo Baptisia alba
- white wood aster Eurybia divaricata
- whorled milkwort Polygala ambigua
- whorled yellow loosestrife Lysimachia quadrifolia
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia
- yellow fairybells Prosartes lanuginosa
- yellow fringed orchid Platanthera ciliaris
- yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissima
Also listed as native and introduced here 1
PLANTS labels these species both native and introduced in this state: some forms are native and others were brought in from elsewhere. Most gardeners should choose plants from the main list.
- Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
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 | Towns County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 237 | 129 | 1,750 |
| Garden-ready natives | 99 | 58 | 608 |
| Tree | 43 | — | 202 |
| Shrub | 21 | — | 91 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 119 | — | 908 |
| Grass or grass-like | 19 | — | 403 |
| Vine | 15 | — | 78 |
| Fern | 20 | — | 68 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Towns County.
- Rabun County, GA 188 garden-ready
- Union County, GA 118 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
- Towns County (county FIPS 13281), Georgia. 237 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