Native plants · Kentucky

Native plants of Carroll County

218 plant species are recorded as native to Kentucky in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Carroll County by USDA PLANTS. 120 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Carroll County, Kentucky

Native species: 218 Typical Kentucky county: 426 (median of 120 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 120 Typical Kentucky county: 190
Share by type (all 218 native species): Percent of the 218 native species in each growth type

Tree 25% (55)
Shrub 3% (7)
Wildflower (forb) 55% (119)
Grass or grass-like 10% (21)
Vine 5% (11)
Fern 2% (5)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (55%), followed by trees (25%).

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

ZIP codes mainly in this county fall in USDA hardiness zone 6b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 120

Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.

Garden-ready native plants of Carroll County, Kentucky
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
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 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 plantain Alisma subcordatum	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	High	Zone 4a
Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
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 maple Acer nigrum	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
black oak Quercus velutina	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
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
blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium	Tree	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
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
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
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
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus	Tree	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	—
bursting-heart Euonymus americanus	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
butternut Juglans cinerea	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
butterweed Packera glabella	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
Canada germander Teucrium canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
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
chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	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 duckweed Lemna minor	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 2b
common persimmon Diospyros virginiana	Tree	55 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	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 redcedar Juniperus virginiana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
false daisy Eclipta prostrata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
frost grape Vitis vulpina	Vine	83 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
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
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
horsetail paspalum Paspalum fluitans	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
Kentucky yellowwood Cladrastis kentukea	Tree	40 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
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
little barley Hordeum pusillum	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
nodding beggartick Bidens cernua	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
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
pawpaw Asimina triloba	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
pecan Carya illinoinensis	Tree	120 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
pin oak Quercus palustris	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
poverty rush Juncus tenuis	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
purpleleaf willowherb Epilobium coloratum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
red mulberry Morus rubra	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
river birch Betula nigra	Tree	70 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
rough avens Geum laciniatum	Wildflower (forb)	3.1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
sandbar willow Salix interior	Tree	30 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
scarlet oak Quercus coccinea	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
shagbark hickory Carya ovata	Tree	75 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
shallow sedge Carex lurida	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
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
Short's sedge Carex shortiana	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5b
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 beggartick Bidens laevis	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12b
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
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
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum	Wildflower (forb)	3.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
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
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
taperleaf water horehound Lycopus rubellus	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
tapertip rush Juncus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides	Grass or grass-like	4 in	Sun	High	Zone 3b
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera	Tree	120 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica	Wildflower (forb)	2.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	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 sweetspire Itea virginica	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
white ash Fraxinus americana	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
white meadowsweet Spiraea alba	Shrub	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
white oak Quercus alba	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
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
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
yellow fumewort Corydalis flavula	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b
zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 98

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.

American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
blue ash Fraxinus quadrangulata
blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
bottomland aster Symphyotrichum ontarionis
Bradley's spleenwort Asplenium bradleyi
bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
Canadian white violet Viola canadensis
Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
celandine poppy Stylophorum diphyllum
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
clammy hedgehyssop Gratiola neglecta
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
common moonseed Menispermum canadense
common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
cream avens Geum virginianum
crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
eastern false rue anemone Enemion biternatum
eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
erect knotweed Polygonum erectum
false mermaidweed Floerkea proserpinacoides
feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
field pansy Viola bicolor
field thistle Cirsium discolor
fire pink Silene virginica
floating primrose-willow Ludwigia peploides
great waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
Greek valerian Polemonium reptans
hairy forked nailwort Paronychia fastigiata
hairy pagoda-plant Blephilia hirsuta
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
honeyvine Cynanchum laeve
hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
intermediate woodfern Dryopteris intermedia
jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
king of the meadow Thalictrum pubescens
lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
little duckweed Lemna obscura
lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
meadow garlic Allium canadense
Miami mist Phacelia purshii
minute duckweed Lemna perpusilla
navel cornsalad Valerianella umbilicata
neckweed Veronica peregrina
oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida
pear hawthorn Crataegus calpodendron
pineland threeseed mercury Acalypha ostryifolia
ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
rock buttercup Ranunculus micranthus
rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
sandbar lovegrass Eragrostis frankii
shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
Short's aster Symphyotrichum shortii
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
spring blue eyed Mary Collinsia verna
spring forget-me-not Myosotis verna
squirrel corn Dicentra canadensis
striped cream violet Viola striata
tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
toadshade Trillium sessile
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla
Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
watershield Brasenia schreberi
white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
white turtlehead Chelone glabra
widowsfrill Silene stellata
wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
zigzag spiderwort Tradescantia subaspera

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.

Native species counts, Carroll County and Kentucky
Measure	Carroll County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	218	426	1,719
Garden-ready natives	120	190	568
Tree	55	—	181
Shrub	7	—	73
Wildflower (forb)	119	—	931
Grass or grass-like	21	—	376
Vine	11	—	85
Fern	5	—	73

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Carroll County.

Gallatin County, KY 156 garden-ready
Henry County, KY 188 garden-ready
Owen County, KY 163 garden-ready
Trimble County, KY 104 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: Carroll County (county FIPS 21041), Kentucky. 218 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

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