Native plants · Kentucky
Native plants of Butler County
239 plant species are recorded as native to Kentucky in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Butler County by USDA PLANTS. 127 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Butler County, Kentucky
- Native species
- 239 Typical Kentucky county: 426 (median of 120 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 127 Typical Kentucky county: 190
- Share by type (all 239 native species)
-
Percent of the 239 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (45%), followed by trees (28%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 127
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 bellflower Campanulastrum americanum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 12b |
| American chestnut Castanea dentata | Tree | 115 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American hazelnut Corylus americana | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American holly Ilex opaca | Tree | 40 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American plum Prunus americana | Tree | 24 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| American sycamore Platanus occidentalis | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| American water horehound Lycopus americanus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2b |
| black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black locust Robinia pseudoacacia | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| black oak Quercus velutina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| blackgum Nyssa sylvatica | Tree | 95 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium | Tree | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blackjack oak Quercus marilandica | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| blunt spikerush Eleocharis obtusa | Grass or grass-like | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11a |
| 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 |
| buckthorn bully Sideroxylon lycioides | Tree | 9.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| Canada germander Teucrium canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana | Tree | 20 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 4b |
| Carolina rose Rosa carolina | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| cat greenbrier Smilax glauca | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| cherrybark oak Quercus pagoda | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6b |
| chestnut oak Quercus montana | Tree | 73 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| climbing rose Rosa setigera | Vine | 16 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| 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 hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| common persimmon Diospyros virginiana | Tree | 55 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| common selfheal Prunella vulgaris | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea | Tree | 36 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| cup plant Silphium perfoliatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 2b |
| cupseed Calycocarpum lyonii | Vine | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana | Vine | 15 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| dwarf St. Johnswort Hypericum mutilum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| eastern redbud Cercis canadensis | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| false daisy Eclipta prostrata | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 10b |
| farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum | Tree | 28 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| field paspalum Paspalum laeve | Grass or grass-like | 2.9 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6a |
| flowering dogwood Cornus florida | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| giant cane Arundinaria gigantea | Shrub | 25 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| Gray's sedge Carex grayi | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| green hawthorn Crataegus viridis | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| harvestlice Agrimonia parviflora | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| hazel alder Alnus serrulata | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata | Vine | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6b |
| honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium | Grass or grass-like | 4.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| meadow evening primrose Oenothera pilosella | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa | Tree | 85 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus | Shrub | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| orangegrass Hypericum gentianoides | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 12a |
| overcup oak Quercus lyrata | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| possumhaw Ilex decidua | Tree | 33 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| post oak Quercus stellata | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis | Grass or grass-like | 11 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| purplehead sneezeweed Helenium flexuosum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| redosier dogwood Cornus sericea | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| river birch Betula nigra | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| shagbark hickory Carya ovata | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| sharpwing monkeyflower Mimulus alatus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| shortbristle horned beaksedge Rhynchospora corniculata | Grass or grass-like | 6.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| shrubby St. Johnswort Hypericum prolificum | Shrub | 3.2 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 hedgenettle Stachys tenuifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| southern red oak Quercus falcata | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6a |
| southern sugar maple Acer floridanum | Tree | 50 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum punctatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| stiff dogwood Cornus foemina | Tree | 16 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| 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 chestnut oak Quercus michauxii | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| swamp cottonwood Populus heterophylla | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| trumpet creeper Campsis radicans | Vine | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens | Vine | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| trumpetweed Eutrochium fistulosum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| umbrella-tree Magnolia tripetala | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| Virginia dayflower Commelina virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| Virginia iris Iris virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 8b |
| 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 |
| white oak Quercus alba | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| winged elm Ulmus alata | Tree | 65 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| winged sumac Rhus copallinum | Tree | 8 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 112
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
- American ipecac Gillenia stipulata
- angularfruit milkvine Matelea gonocarpos
- bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
- blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
- bloody butcher Trillium recurvatum
- blue waxweed Cuphea viscosissima
- Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- Canadian summer bluet Houstonia canadensis
- Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
- Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
- clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
- crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
- crossvine Bignonia capreolata
- Cumberland sedge Carex cumberlandensis
- densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
- devil's-tongue Opuntia humifusa
- downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
- downy yellow false foxglove Aureolaria virginica
- early blue violet Viola ×palmata
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
- false aloe Manfreda virginica
- fan clubmoss Lycopodium digitatum
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- fibrousroot sedge Carex communis
- fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- forked bluecurls Trichostema dichotomum
- forkleaf toothwort Cardamine dissecta
- fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
- gravelweed Verbesina helianthoides
- Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- hairy bedstraw Galium pilosum
- hairy forked nailwort Paronychia fastigiata
- hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
- handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
- Heller's cudweed Pseudognaphalium helleri
- Java-bean Senna obtusifolia
- lace grass Eragrostis capillaris
- lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
- largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
- largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
- lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
- licorice bedstraw Galium circaezans
- limber honeysuckle Lonicera dioica
- littleflower alumroot Heuchera parviflora
- lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
- longsepal beardtongue Penstemon calycosus
- low woodland sedge Carex socialis
- lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
- lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
- man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
- marsh mermaidweed Proserpinaca palustris
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
- narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
- oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
- openflower rosette grass Dichanthelium laxiflorum
- pale beardtongue Penstemon pallidus
- pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
- parasol sedge Carex umbellata
- plain gentian Gentiana alba
- poorjoe Diodia teres
- poverty oatgrass Danthonia spicata
- prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
- prune-fruit sedge Carex corrugata
- queendevil Hieracium gronovii
- rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
- Reznicek's sedge Carex reznicekii
- rice button aster Symphyotrichum dumosum
- rock muhly Muhlenbergia sobolifera
- rosepink Sabatia angularis
- rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
- Sampson's snakeroot Orbexilum pedunculatum
- scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa
- seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
- sharpleaf St. Johnswort Hypericum virgatum
- showy goldenrod Solidago erecta
- showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa
- sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
- silver plumegrass Saccharum alopecuroides
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- slender lespedeza Lespedeza virginica
- slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
- small woodland sunflower Helianthus microcephalus
- Small's blacksnakeroot Sanicula smallii
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- smooth ticktrefoil Desmodium laevigatum
- southeastern wildrye Elymus glabriflorus
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
- stiff yellow flax Linum medium
- swamp dock Rumex verticillatus
- sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- tall tickseed Coreopsis tripteris
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- twoflower dwarfdandelion Krigia biflora
- upland boneset Eupatorium sessilifolium
- Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
- white bergamot Monarda clinopodia
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
- wild yam Dioscorea villosa
- woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
- woolly dutchman's pipe Aristolochia tomentosa
- yellow water buttercup Ranunculus flabellaris
- yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
Compared with Kentucky
The typical county is the median of the 120 Kentucky 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 | Butler County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 239 | 426 | 1,719 |
| Garden-ready natives | 127 | 190 | 568 |
| Tree | 67 | — | 181 |
| Shrub | 10 | — | 73 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 107 | — | 931 |
| Grass or grass-like | 31 | — | 376 |
| Vine | 20 | — | 85 |
| Fern | 4 | — | 73 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Butler County.
- Edmonson County, KY 292 garden-ready
- Grayson County, KY 150 garden-ready
- Logan County, KY 153 garden-ready
- Muhlenberg County, KY 194 garden-ready
- Ohio County, KY 174 garden-ready
- Warren County, KY 290 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
- Butler County (county FIPS 21031), Kentucky. 239 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