Native plants · Indiana
Native plants of Fayette County
273 plant species are recorded as native to Indiana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Fayette County by USDA PLANTS. 106 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 2 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Fayette County, Indiana
- Native species
- 273 Typical Indiana county: 494 (median of 92 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 106 Typical Indiana county: 211
- Share by type (all 273 native species)
-
Percent of the 273 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (16%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 106
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 elm Ulmus americana | Tree | 120 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2b |
| black ash Fraxinus nigra | Tree | 65 ft | Sun | High | 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 |
| black raspberry Rubus occidentalis | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| black walnut Juglans nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| bluntleaf bedstraw Galium obtusum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus | Tree | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | — |
| butternut Juglans cinerea | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12b |
| 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 hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| common selfheal Prunella vulgaris | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| cup plant Silphium perfoliatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| drooping sedge Carex prasina | Grass or grass-like | 2.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| Frank's sedge Carex frankii | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| graceful sedge Carex gracillima | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| greater straw sedge Carex normalis | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens | Grass or grass-like | 5.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2a |
| hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus | Wildflower (forb) | 9.8 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| jewelweed Impatiens capensis | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| limestone bittercress Cardamine douglassii | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 6a |
| littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| 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 fescue Festuca subverticillata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| northern red oak Quercus rubra | Tree | 81 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| northern spicebush Lindera benzoin | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra | Tree | 68 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | 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 |
| partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| Pennsylvania bittercress Cardamine pensylvanica | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| poverty rush Juncus tenuis | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| prairie willow Salix humilis | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| pride of Ohio Dodecatheon meadia | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum | Fern | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| red maple Acer rubrum | Tree | 68 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| red mulberry Morus rubra | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| riverbank wildrye Elymus riparius | Grass or grass-like | 4.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| shagbark hickory Carya ovata | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| Short's sedge Carex shortiana | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5b |
| silky willow Salix sericea | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| spring avens Geum vernum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 white oak Quercus bicolor | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| Virginia iris Iris virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 8b |
| Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana | Wildflower (forb) | 1.1 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| white ash Fraxinus americana | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| white avens Geum canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| whitegrass Leersia virginica | Grass or grass-like | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| woodland bluegrass Poa sylvestris | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| yellow marsh marigold Caltha palustris | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 167
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.
- Adam and Eve Aplectrum hyemale
- Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
- American alumroot Heuchera americana
- American columbo Frasera caroliniensis
- American false pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
- American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- American senna Senna hebecarpa
- Apocynum ×floribundum Apocynum ×floribundum
- autumn coralroot Corallorhiza odontorhiza
- bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
- beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
- biennial beeblossom Oenothera gaura
- black baneberry Actaea racemosa
- blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- bloody butcher Trillium recurvatum
- blue ash Fraxinus quadrangulata
- blue waxweed Cuphea viscosissima
- bog bluegrass Poa paludigena
- Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
- broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
- brown widelip orchid Liparis liliifolia
- browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
- Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
- carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- churchmouse threeawn Aristida dichotoma
- clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
- common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- cream avens Geum virginianum
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
- cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
- dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
- dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
- eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
- eastern false rue anemone Enemion biternatum
- eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern prickly gooseberry Ribes cynosbati
- fan clubmoss Lycopodium digitatum
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- fewflower ticktrefoil Desmodium pauciflorum
- field pansy Viola bicolor
- field thistle Cirsium discolor
- fire pink Silene virginica
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- Gattinger's panicgrass Panicum gattingeri
- giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- great Indian plantain Arnoglossum reniforme
- great waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
- great yellow woodsorrel Oxalis grandis
- Greek valerian Polemonium reptans
- green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
- hairy pagoda-plant Blephilia hirsuta
- hairy Solomon's seal Polygonatum pubescens
- hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
- harbinger of spring Erigenia bulbosa
- heartleaf hedgenettle Stachys cordata
- hedgehog woodrush Luzula echinata
- hoary skullcap Scutellaria incana
- Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
- James' sedge Carex jamesii
- largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
- largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
- largefruit blacksnakeroot Sanicula trifoliata
- largeleaf waterleaf Hydrophyllum macrophyllum
- lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- longsepal beardtongue Penstemon calycosus
- lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
- man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- Miami mist Phacelia purshii
- nakedflower ticktrefoil Desmodium nudiflorum
- narrowleaf paleseed Leucospora multifida
- neckweed Veronica peregrina
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
- nodding wakerobin Trillium flexipes
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- orangefruit horse-gentian Triosteum aurantiacum
- Parlin's pussytoes Antennaria parlinii
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
- pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
- poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
- poverty oatgrass Danthonia spicata
- prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
- purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
- purplestem angelica Angelica atropurpurea
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
- rosepink Sabatia angularis
- roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
- rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
- silver false spleenwort Deparia acrostichoides
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- slender wedgescale Sphenopholis intermedia
- slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
- slimflower muhly Muhlenbergia tenuiflora
- smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
- smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
- soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
- Spanish needles Bidens bipinnata
- spoonleaf purple everlasting Gamochaeta purpurea
- spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
- spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
- squirrel corn Dicentra canadensis
- star chickweed Stellaria pubera
- striped cream violet Viola striata
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- tall blue lettuce Lactuca biennis
- tall rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes altissima
- tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
- Tennessee bladderfern Cystopteris tennesseensis
- thinleaf sedge Carex cephaloidea
- three-lobe violet Viola triloba
- tinted woodland spurge Euphorbia commutata
- toadshade Trillium sessile
- toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- turk's-cap lily Lilium superbum
- twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla
- twoflower dwarfdandelion Krigia biflora
- twoleaf miterwort Mitella diphylla
- vasevine Clematis viorna
- Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
- Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
- waxyleaf meadow-rue Thalictrum revolutum
- white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
- white bear sedge Carex albursina
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- wild comfrey Cynoglossum virginianum
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- Wood's bunchflower Veratrum woodii
- woodland stonecrop Sedum ternatum
- yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
- zigzag spiderwort Tradescantia subaspera
Also listed as native and introduced here 2
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
- wood bluegrassPoa nemoralis
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 | Fayette County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 273 | 494 | 1,773 |
| Garden-ready natives | 106 | 211 | 601 |
| Tree | 37 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 6 | — | 88 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 166 | — | 954 |
| Grass or grass-like | 44 | — | 416 |
| Vine | 10 | — | 74 |
| Fern | 10 | — | 77 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Fayette County.
- Franklin County, IN 188 garden-ready
- Henry County, IN 217 garden-ready
- Rush County, IN 97 garden-ready
- Union County, IN 94 garden-ready
- Wayne County, IN 233 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
- Fayette County (county FIPS 18041), Indiana. 273 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