Native plants · Indiana
Native plants of Clinton County
246 plant species are recorded as native to Indiana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Clinton County by USDA PLANTS. 116 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 3 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Clinton County, Indiana
- Native species
- 246 Typical Indiana county: 494 (median of 92 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 116 Typical Indiana county: 211
- Share by type (all 246 native species)
-
Percent of the 246 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (59%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (20%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 116
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 bellflower Campanulastrum americanum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 12b |
| American bittersweet Celastrus scandens | Vine | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| American black currant Ribes americanum | Shrub | 3 ft | — | — | Zone 2b |
| 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 hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American pokeweed Phytolacca americana | Wildflower (forb) | 7.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American water horehound Lycopus americanus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| American water plantain Alisma subcordatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| American water-willow Justicia americana | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| arctic brome Bromus kalmii | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| awlfruit sedge Carex stipata | Grass or grass-like | 3.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black maple Acer nigrum | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium | Tree | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| bluejoint Calamagrostis canadensis | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| bluntleaf bedstraw Galium obtusum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| broom sedge Carex scoparia | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| bulbous bittercress Cardamine bulbosa | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus | Tree | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | — |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| calico aster Symphyotrichum lateriflorum | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12b |
| Carolina foxtail Alopecurus carolinianus | Grass or grass-like | 1.7 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| Carolina rose Rosa carolina | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| climbing rose Rosa setigera | Vine | 16 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| common blue wood aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis | Tree | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| common evening primrose Oenothera biennis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana | Vine | 15 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| downy yellow violet Viola pubescens | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| eastern redbud Cercis canadensis | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| field horsetail Equisetum arvense | Fern | 11 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Frank's sedge Carex frankii | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| Gray's sedge Carex grayi | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| greater straw sedge Carex normalis | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens | Grass or grass-like | 5.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2a |
| hairy sedge Carex lacustris | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| hop sedge Carex lupulina | Grass or grass-like | 4.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| limestone bittercress Cardamine douglassii | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| limestone meadow sedge Carex granularis | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| longleaf starwort Stellaria longifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| Mexican muhly Muhlenbergia mexicana | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| nodding beggartick Bidens cernua | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| northern spicebush Lindera benzoin | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora | Grass or grass-like | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4a |
| pale touch-me-not Impatiens pallida | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| panicledleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium paniculatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 6a |
| pawpaw Asimina triloba | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| purplestem aster Symphyotrichum puniceum | Wildflower (forb) | 8.1 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| pussy willow Salix discolor | Tree | 40 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| red maple Acer rubrum | Tree | 68 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| rough avens Geum laciniatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| rough bedstraw Galium asprellum | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| rufous bulrush Scirpus pendulus | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| sassafras Sassafras albidum | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| shagbark hickory Carya ovata | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| shortawn foxtail Alopecurus aequalis | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| silver maple Acer saccharinum | Tree | 90 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 2b |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| smooth hedgenettle Stachys tenuifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum | Fern | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum punctatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| spring avens Geum vernum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| star duckweed Lemna trisulca | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| sugar maple Acer saccharum | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| swamp rose Rosa palustris | Shrub | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| tall hairy agrimony Agrimonia gryposepala | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| water knotweed Polygonum amphibium | Wildflower (forb) | 1 in | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| white avens Geum canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| white meadowsweet Spiraea alba | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| wild sweetwilliam Phlox maculata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| wreath goldenrod Solidago caesia | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 130
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.
- Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
- American beakgrain Diarrhena americana
- American false pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- ashy sunflower Helianthus mollis
- autumn coralroot Corallorhiza odontorhiza
- bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
- bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
- big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
- blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
- blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- bloody butcher Trillium recurvatum
- bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
- box knotweed Polygonum buxiforme
- browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
- Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
- Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
- Carolina wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
- desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
- eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
- eastern marsh fern Thelypteris palustris
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern prickly gooseberry Ribes cynosbati
- eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
- Elliott's bentgrass Agrostis elliottiana
- Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
- fall phlox Phlox paniculata
- fall witchgrass Digitaria cognata
- false mermaidweed Floerkea proserpinacoides
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- fernleaf phacelia Phacelia bipinnatifida
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
- goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- great Indian plantain Arnoglossum reniforme
- great waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
- green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
- green dragon Arisaema dracontium
- green milkweed Asclepias hirtella
- hairy hedgenettle Stachys pilosa
- hairy Solomon's seal Polygonatum pubescens
- hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
- hairyjoint meadowparsnip Thaspium barbinode
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- hoary ticktrefoil Desmodium canescens
- horsetail Equisetum ×nelsonii
- James' sedge Carex jamesii
- jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
- largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
- largefruit blacksnakeroot Sanicula trifoliata
- lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- orangefruit horse-gentian Triosteum aurantiacum
- pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
- pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
- pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
- pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
- poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
- prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
- prairie rosinweed Silphium terebinthinaceum
- pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
- richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
- roundseed St. Johnswort Hypericum sphaerocarpum
- sand violet Viola affinis
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- showy ticktrefoil Desmodium canadense
- silky dogwood Cornus obliqua
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- slender wedgescale Sphenopholis intermedia
- slimflower muhly Muhlenbergia tenuiflora
- smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
- smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
- smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
- soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
- southeastern wildrye Elymus glabriflorus
- spinulose woodfern Dryopteris carthusiana
- spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- spring blue eyed Mary Collinsia verna
- striped cream violet Viola striata
- swamp dock Rumex verticillatus
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- tall rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes altissima
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
- Tennessee bladderfern Cystopteris tennesseensis
- toadshade Trillium sessile
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- Virginia snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria
- waxyleaf meadow-rue Thalictrum revolutum
- white bear sedge Carex albursina
- white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- whiteflower leafcup Polymnia canadensis
- whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
- wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
- zigzag spiderwort Tradescantia subaspera
Also listed as native and introduced here 3
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.
- annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
- climbing false buckwheatPolygonum scandens
- Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
Compared with Indiana
The typical county is the median of the 92 Indiana 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 | Clinton County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 246 | 494 | 1,773 |
| Garden-ready natives | 116 | 211 | 601 |
| Tree | 30 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 7 | — | 88 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 145 | — | 954 |
| Grass or grass-like | 49 | — | 416 |
| Vine | 6 | — | 74 |
| Fern | 9 | — | 77 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Clinton County.
- Boone County, IN 110 garden-ready
- Carroll County, IN 183 garden-ready
- Hamilton County, IN 194 garden-ready
- Howard County, IN 258 garden-ready
- Montgomery County, IN 308 garden-ready
- Tippecanoe County, IN 287 garden-ready
- Tipton County, IN 128 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
- Clinton County (county FIPS 18023), Indiana. 246 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