Native plants · Georgia

Native plants of Whitfield County

153 plant species are recorded as native to Georgia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Whitfield County by USDA PLANTS. 56 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Whitfield County, Georgia

Native species: 153 Typical Georgia county: 129 (median of 159 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 56 Typical Georgia county: 58
Share by type (all 153 native species): Percent of the 153 native species in each growth type

Tree 12% (18)
Shrub 8% (12)
Wildflower (forb) 65% (100)
Grass or grass-like 7% (10)
Vine 6% (9)
Fern 3% (4)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (65%), followed by trees (12%).

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 56

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

Garden-ready native plants of Whitfield County, Georgia
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American holly Ilex opaca	Tree	40 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
American water plantain Alisma subcordatum	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	High	Zone 4a
autumn bluegrass Poa autumnalis	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
black cherry Prunus serotina	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
blackjack oak Quercus marilandica	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
bursting-heart Euonymus americanus	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
Canadian lousewort Pedicularis canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis	Wildflower (forb)	5.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common evening primrose Oenothera biennis	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	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
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
eastern white pine Pinus strobus	Tree	150 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
frost grape Vitis vulpina	Vine	83 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
Georgia bulrush Scirpus georgianus	Grass or grass-like	4.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12b
gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
graybark grape Vitis cinerea	Vine	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
hazel alder Alnus serrulata	Tree	30 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum	Shrub	12 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
lanceleaf loosestrife Lysimachia lanceolata	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
maleberry Lyonia ligustrina	Shrub	9 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 5a
mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa	Tree	85 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia	Tree	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
narrowleaf silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
nodding lady's tresses Spiranthes cernua	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
pride of Ohio Dodecatheon meadia	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
sassafras Sassafras albidum	Tree	75 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
sawtooth blackberry Rubus argutus	Shrub	8.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
silky dogwood Cornus amomum	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
sugar maple Acer saccharum	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius	Wildflower (forb)	5.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica	Wildflower (forb)	2.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana	Wildflower (forb)	1.1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Virginia water horehound Lycopus virginicus	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
white fringetree Chionanthus virginicus	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
winged elm Ulmus alata	Tree	65 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
yellow buckeye Aesculus flava	Tree	65 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 97

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.

American alumroot Heuchera americana
angularfruit milkvine Matelea gonocarpos
arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
axilflower Mecardonia acuminata
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
beechdrops Epifagus virginiana
birdfoot violet Viola pedata
black baneberry Actaea racemosa
blackseed speargrass Piptochaetium avenaceum
bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
bristly locust Robinia hispida
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
bulbous woodrush Luzula bulbosa
Canada toadflax Nuttallanthus canadensis
Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
Carolina wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis
common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
crossvine Bignonia capreolata
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
Curtiss' milkwort Polygala curtissii
downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
downy yellow false foxglove Aureolaria virginica
early blue violet Viola ×palmata
early goldenrod Solidago juncea
early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
early saxifrage Saxifraga virginiensis
eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens
eastern smooth beardtongue Penstemon laevigatus
eastern sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus
false aloe Manfreda virginica
false flowering spurge Euphorbia pubentissima
false spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum pseudomaculatum
field pansy Viola bicolor
fire pink Silene virginica
forkleaf toothwort Cardamine dissecta
fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
hairy angelica Angelica venenosa
hairy lipfern Cheilanthes lanosa
hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
heartleaf foamflower Tiarella cordifolia
herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
hyssopleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium hyssopifolium
Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
lesser snakeroot Ageratina aromatica
maroon Carolina milkvine Matelea carolinensis
Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
narrowleaf whitetop aster Sericocarpus linifolius
neckweed Veronica peregrina
oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
purple false foxglove Agalinis purpurea
rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
robin's plantain Erigeron pulchellus
rosepink Sabatia angularis
roundfruit hedgehyssop Gratiola virginiana
rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
shiny wedgescale Sphenopholis nitida
shortpod draba Draba brachycarpa
slender toothwort Cardamine angustata
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
southern whitetop Doellingeria sericocarpoides
spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
star chickweed Stellaria pubera
starry rosinweed Silphium asteriscus
striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
thickleaf phlox Phlox carolina
trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
white vervain Verbena urticifolia
white wood aster Eurybia divaricata
widowsfrill Silene stellata
wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
wild yam Dioscorea villosa
woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia
woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica
woodland sunflower Helianthus divaricatus
woolly lipfern Cheilanthes tomentosa
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, Whitfield County and Georgia
Measure	Whitfield County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	153	129	1,750
Garden-ready natives	56	58	608
Tree	18	—	202
Shrub	12	—	91
Wildflower (forb)	100	—	908
Grass or grass-like	10	—	403
Vine	9	—	78
Fern	4	—	68

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Whitfield County.

Catoosa County, GA 76 garden-ready
Gordon County, GA 65 garden-ready
Murray County, GA 137 garden-ready
Walker County, GA 180 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: Whitfield County (county FIPS 13313), Georgia. 153 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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