Native plants · Indiana
Native plants of Scott County
253 plant species are recorded as native to Indiana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Scott County by USDA PLANTS. 111 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
Scott County, Indiana
- Native species
- 253 Typical Indiana county: 494 (median of 92 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 111 Typical Indiana county: 211
- Share by type (all 253 native species)
-
Percent of the 253 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (51%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (24%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 111
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 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 |
| arrowleaf tearthumb Polygonum sagittatum | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| bearded beggarticks Bidens aristosa | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| black oak Quercus velutina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium | Tree | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| bulbous bittercress Cardamine bulbosa | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus | Tree | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | — |
| bursting-heart Euonymus americanus | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | 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 |
| climbing rose Rosa setigera | Vine | 16 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| common blue violet Viola sororia | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis | Tree | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| common winterberry Ilex verticillata | Tree | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12a |
| devil's walkingstick Aralia spinosa | Tree | 20 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| dwarf St. Johnswort Hypericum mutilum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| eastern narrowleaf sedge Carex amphibola | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| eastern redbud Cercis canadensis | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| eastern straw sedge Carex straminea | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | 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 |
| 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 |
| Georgia bulrush Scirpus georgianus | Grass or grass-like | 4.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| golden ragwort Packera aurea | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| gray alder Alnus incana | Tree | 25 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| gray dogwood Cornus racemosa | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Gray's sedge Carex grayi | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| graybark grape Vitis cinerea | Vine | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6b |
| 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 |
| greenwhite sedge Carex albolutescens | Grass or grass-like | 3.9 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| hop sedge Carex lupulina | Grass or grass-like | 4.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| meadow evening primrose Oenothera pilosella | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis | Fern | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum | Fern | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| northern spicebush Lindera benzoin | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| pawpaw Asimina triloba | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | 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 |
| purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis | Grass or grass-like | 11 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum | Fern | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| ravenfoot sedge Carex crus-corvi | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| redtop panicgrass Panicum rigidulum | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| river birch Betula nigra | Tree | 70 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 |
| sawtooth blackberry Rubus argutus | Shrub | 8.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| sharpwing monkeyflower Mimulus alatus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| shrubby St. Johnswort Hypericum prolificum | Shrub | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| silky willow Salix sericea | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| spring avens Geum vernum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| squarrose sedge Carex squarrosa | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| stalked bulrush Scirpus pedicellatus | Grass or grass-like | 6.6 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| stiff marsh bedstraw Galium tinctorium | Wildflower (forb) | 10 in | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| summer grape Vitis aestivalis | Vine | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| sweet woodreed Cinna arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| trumpet creeper Campsis radicans | Vine | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| trumpetweed Eutrochium fistulosum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| Virginia pine Pinus virginiana | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana | Wildflower (forb) | 1.1 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| white avens Geum canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| white edge sedge Carex debilis | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 6a |
| white oak Quercus alba | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| wild sweetwilliam Phlox maculata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis | Grass or grass-like | 3.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| woodland bluegrass Poa sylvestris | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| yellow flatsedge Cyperus flavescens | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 142
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.
- American beakgrain Diarrhena americana
- American featherfoil Hottonia inflata
- American senna Senna hebecarpa
- aquatic milkweed Asclepias perennis
- bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
- beechdrops Epifagus virginiana
- beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
- blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- bloody butcher Trillium recurvatum
- blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
- blue waxweed Cuphea viscosissima
- bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
- Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
- broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
- brown widelip orchid Liparis liliifolia
- Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
- Carolina sedge Carex caroliniana
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- churchmouse threeawn Aristida dichotoma
- clammy hedgehyssop Gratiola neglecta
- clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
- Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
- common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- cream avens Geum virginianum
- cutleaf grapefern Botrychium dissectum
- cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
- cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
- dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
- early goldenrod Solidago juncea
- eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
- Elliott's bentgrass Agrostis elliottiana
- Elliott's bluestem Andropogon gyrans
- false Indian plantain Hasteola suaveolens
- false mermaidweed Floerkea proserpinacoides
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- fescue sedge Carex festucacea
- forkleaf toothwort Cardamine dissecta
- fourleaf milkweed Asclepias quadrifolia
- fourleaf yam Dioscorea quaternata
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- fuzzy wuzzy sedge Carex hirsutella
- glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
- glomerate sedge Carex aggregata
- Greek valerian Polemonium reptans
- green dragon Arisaema dracontium
- green fringed orchid Platanthera lacera
- hairy pagoda-plant Blephilia hirsuta
- halberdleaf tearthumb Polygonum arifolium
- harvestbells Gentiana saponaria
- hedgehog woodrush Luzula echinata
- Hitchcock's sedge Carex hitchcockiana
- Illinois pinweed Lechea racemulosa
- lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
- lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
- limber honeysuckle Lonicera dioica
- lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
- longsepal beardtongue Penstemon calycosus
- manyfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia polycarpa
- marsh mermaidweed Proserpinaca palustris
- mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
- Miami mist Phacelia purshii
- nakedflower ticktrefoil Desmodium nudiflorum
- narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
- nodding wakerobin Trillium flexipes
- oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
- palegreen orchid Platanthera flava
- parasol sedge Carex umbellata
- parasol whitetop Doellingeria umbellata
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- Porter's reedgrass Calamagrostis porteri
- poverty oatgrass Danthonia spicata
- prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
- purplerocket Iodanthus pinnatifidus
- queendevil Hieracium gronovii
- rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
- ribbed sedge Carex virescens
- richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- rough hawkweed Hieracium scabrum
- roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
- roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
- rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
- s-curve threeawn Aristida ramosissima
- sand bittercress Cardamine parviflora
- scaldweed Cuscuta gronovii
- seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
- showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
- shrubby lespedeza Lespedeza frutescens
- slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
- slender waternymph Najas gracillima
- slender wedgescale Sphenopholis intermedia
- slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
- slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
- slimpod rush Juncus diffusissimus
- slimspike threeawn Aristida longespica
- smooth forked nailwort Paronychia canadensis
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
- spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
- spring coralroot Corallorhiza wisteriana
- spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
- St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
- star chickweed Stellaria pubera
- stout goldenrod Solidago squarrosa
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- tall blue lettuce Lactuca biennis
- three-lobe violet Viola triloba
- toadshade Trillium sessile
- Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia pennywort Obolaria virginica
- Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
- Virginia snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
- warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
- weakstalk bulrush Schoenoplectiella purshiana
- white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
- whorled milkwort Polygala verticillata
- wild comfrey Cynoglossum virginianum
- wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
- Willdenow's sedge Carex willdenowii
- woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
- yellow pimpernel Taenidia integerrima
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.
- climbing false buckwheatPolygonum scandens
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 | Scott County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 253 | 494 | 1,773 |
| Garden-ready natives | 111 | 211 | 601 |
| Tree | 29 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 9 | — | 88 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 128 | — | 954 |
| Grass or grass-like | 60 | — | 416 |
| Vine | 18 | — | 74 |
| Fern | 9 | — | 77 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Scott County.
- Clark County, IN 262 garden-ready
- Jackson County, IN 264 garden-ready
- Jefferson County, IN 324 garden-ready
- Washington County, IN 201 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
- Scott County (county FIPS 18143), Indiana. 253 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