Native plants · Indiana
Native plants of Union County
216 plant species are recorded as native to Indiana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Union County by USDA PLANTS. 94 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
Union County, Indiana
- Native species
- 216 Typical Indiana county: 494 (median of 92 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 94 Typical Indiana county: 211
- Share by type (all 216 native species)
-
Percent of the 216 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (57%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (19%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 94
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 pokeweed Phytolacca americana | Wildflower (forb) | 7.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American sycamore Platanus occidentalis | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12b |
| cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| Carolina rose Rosa carolina | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 evening primrose Oenothera biennis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| common hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata | Tree | 25 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| common selfheal Prunella vulgaris | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| crookedstem aster Symphyotrichum prenanthoides | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| cup plant Silphium perfoliatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| drooping sedge Carex prasina | Grass or grass-like | 2.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| eastern redbud Cercis canadensis | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana | Tree | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11b |
| Frank's sedge Carex frankii | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| frost grape Vitis vulpina | Vine | 83 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| graceful sedge Carex gracillima | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 wild petunia Ruellia strepens | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 6a |
| Mexican muhly Muhlenbergia mexicana | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| nimblewill Muhlenbergia schreberi | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 maidenhair Adiantum pedatum | Fern | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| northern red oak Quercus rubra | Tree | 81 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| pale touch-me-not Impatiens pallida | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| pawpaw Asimina triloba | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis | Grass or grass-like | 11 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| purplestem aster Symphyotrichum puniceum | Wildflower (forb) | 8.1 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| purpletop tridens Tridens flavus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum | Fern | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| red mulberry Morus rubra | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| riverbank wildrye Elymus riparius | Grass or grass-like | 4.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus | Wildflower (forb) | 6.6 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| sassafras Sassafras albidum | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| shallow sedge Carex lurida | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Short's sedge Carex shortiana | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5b |
| 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 sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | 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 |
| threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| 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 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 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 |
| woodland bluegrass Poa sylvestris | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 122
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 false pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
- American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- beechdrops Epifagus virginiana
- beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
- big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
- blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
- blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- blue ash Fraxinus quadrangulata
- 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 woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- celandine poppy Stylophorum diphyllum
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
- common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- cutleaf grapefern Botrychium dissectum
- Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
- eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
- eastern featherbells Stenanthium gramineum
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern prickly gooseberry Ribes cynosbati
- fall phlox Phlox paniculata
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- fewflower ticktrefoil Desmodium pauciflorum
- field thistle Cirsium discolor
- fire pink Silene virginica
- fluxweed Trichostema brachiatum
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- fuzzy wuzzy sedge Carex hirsutella
- Gattinger's panicgrass Panicum gattingeri
- giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
- glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
- goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- great waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
- green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
- green dragon Arisaema dracontium
- green fringed orchid Platanthera lacera
- hairy Solomon's seal Polygonatum pubescens
- hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
- James' sedge Carex jamesii
- jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
- lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
- lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
- Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- longsepal beardtongue Penstemon calycosus
- lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
- lowland yellow loosestrife Lysimachia hybrida
- mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
- Miami mist Phacelia purshii
- mullein foxglove Dasistoma macrophylla
- navel cornsalad Valerianella umbilicata
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
- orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida
- pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
- Parlin's pussytoes Antennaria parlinii
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
- poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
- pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
- puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
- purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
- purplerocket Iodanthus pinnatifidus
- rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
- ramp Allium tricoccum
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
- shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
- showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
- slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
- smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
- smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
- soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
- southeastern wildrye Elymus glabriflorus
- spoonleaf purple everlasting Gamochaeta purpurea
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- Standley's goosefoot Chenopodium standleyanum
- striped cream violet Viola striata
- summer coralroot Corallorhiza maculata
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
- Tennessee bladderfern Cystopteris tennesseensis
- toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- twoflower dwarfdandelion Krigia biflora
- Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- Virginia snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria
- white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
- white bergamot Monarda clinopodia
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white trillium Trillium grandiflorum
- white turtlehead Chelone glabra
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
- wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
- woodland stonecrop Sedum ternatum
- yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
- yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
- 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
- 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 | Union County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 216 | 494 | 1,773 |
| Garden-ready natives | 94 | 211 | 601 |
| Tree | 30 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 4 | — | 88 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 124 | — | 954 |
| Grass or grass-like | 40 | — | 416 |
| Vine | 9 | — | 74 |
| Fern | 9 | — | 77 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Union County.
- Fayette County, IN 106 garden-ready
- Franklin County, IN 188 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
- Union County (county FIPS 18161), Indiana. 216 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