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Native plants · Kentucky

Native plants of Cumberland County

233 plant species are recorded as native to Kentucky in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Cumberland County by USDA PLANTS. 127 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

Cumberland County, Kentucky

Native species
233 Typical Kentucky county: 426 (median of 120 counties)
Garden-ready natives
127 Typical Kentucky county: 190
Share by type (all 233 native species)
Percent of the 233 native species in each growth type
Tree 37% (86)
Shrub 12% (27)
Wildflower (forb) 33% (77)
Grass or grass-like 8% (18)
Vine 9% (21)
Fern 2% (4)

Trees make up the largest share of the native list (37%), followed by wildflowers (33%).

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 zones 6b to 7a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 127

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

Garden-ready native plants of Cumberland County, Kentucky
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
Allegheny blackberry Rubus allegheniensis Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
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 bittersweet Celastrus scandens Vine 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American chestnut Castanea dentata Tree 115 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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 holly Ilex opaca Tree 40 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana Tree 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana Tree 20 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
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
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 cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
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
bur-reed sedge Carex sparganioides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High 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
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
butternut Juglans cinerea Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
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
coastal plain willow Salix caroliniana Tree 33 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 7b
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 hoptree Ptelea trifoliata Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
common persimmon Diospyros virginiana Tree 55 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea Tree 36 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum Shrub 16 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a
devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana Vine 15 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis Tree 105 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
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 indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum Tree 28 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
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
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
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea Shrub 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
great laurel Rhododendron maximum Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
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
heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata Vine 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6b
highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum Shrub 12 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
loblolly pine Pinus taeda Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 6b
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa Tree 85 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia Tree 6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus Shrub 3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
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
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora Grass or grass-like 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
pawpaw Asimina triloba Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
peppervine Nekemias arborea Vine 1 in Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
pignut hickory Carya glabra Tree 80 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
post oak Quercus stellata Tree 60 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
pride of Ohio Dodecatheon meadia Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
red mulberry Morus rubra Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
river birch Betula nigra Tree 70 ft Sun High Zone 4a
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia Vine 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
sandbar willow Salix interior Tree 30 ft Sun — Zone 1a
sassafras Sassafras albidum Tree 75 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
saw greenbrier Smilax bona-nox Vine 4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
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
shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa Tree 100 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
silver maple Acer saccharinum Tree 90 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 2b
slender flatsedge Cyperus bipartitus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
slippery elm Ulmus rubra Tree 85 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
smooth sumac Rhus glabra Tree 12 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum Tree 35 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 6a
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
sugar maple Acer saccharum Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
sugarberry Celtis laevigata Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
summer grape Vitis aestivalis Vine 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
swamp tupelo Nyssa biflora Tree 115 ft Sun High Zone 5b
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
three-way sedge Dulichium arundinaceum Grass or grass-like 2.6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans Vine 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens Vine 16 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera Tree 120 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
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
white ash Fraxinus americana Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 4a
white fringetree Chionanthus virginicus Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant High 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
willow oak Quercus phellos Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
winged elm Ulmus alata Tree 65 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
winged sumac Rhus copallinum Tree 8 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
woolgrass Scirpus cyperinus Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
wreath goldenrod Solidago caesia Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
yellow buckeye Aesculus flava Tree 65 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
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 106

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 columbo Frasera caroliniensis
  • American ipecac Gillenia stipulata
  • angularfruit milkvine Matelea gonocarpos
  • bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
  • beechdrops Epifagus virginiana
  • black baneberry Actaea racemosa
  • blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
  • bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
  • bloody butcher Trillium recurvatum
  • blue ash Fraxinus quadrangulata
  • Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
  • bluntleaf waterleaf Hydrophyllum canadense
  • bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
  • brown widelip orchid Liparis liliifolia
  • Canadian summer bluet Houstonia canadensis
  • Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
  • Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
  • Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
  • Carolina springbeauty Claytonia caroliniana
  • cedarglade St. Johnswort Hypericum frondosum
  • Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
  • common moonseed Menispermum canadense
  • crinkleroot Cardamine diphylla
  • crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
  • crossvine Bignonia capreolata
  • crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
  • Cumberland sedge Carex cumberlandensis
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • devil's-tongue Opuntia humifusa
  • dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
  • downy pagoda-plant Blephilia ciliata
  • downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • dwarf crested iris Iris cristata
  • dwarf hackberry Celtis pumila
  • dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
  • early blue violet Viola ×palmata
  • early bluegrass Poa cuspidata
  • early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
  • early saxifrage Saxifraga virginiensis
  • eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens
  • eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
  • eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • field pansy Viola bicolor
  • flat-spiked sedge Carex planispicata
  • forkleaf toothwort Cardamine dissecta
  • fourleaf yam Dioscorea quaternata
  • fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
  • green dragon Arisaema dracontium
  • hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
  • hairyjoint meadowparsnip Thaspium barbinode
  • harbinger of spring Erigenia bulbosa
  • hoary mock orange Philadelphus pubescens
  • James' sedge Carex jamesii
  • jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
  • keeled bulrush Isolepis carinata
  • Kral's sedge Carex kraliana
  • largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • longspur violet Viola rostrata
  • low spikesedge Kyllinga pumila
  • lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata
  • maroon Carolina milkvine Matelea carolinensis
  • mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
  • Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
  • nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
  • northern dewberry Rubus flagellaris
  • oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
  • pale beardtongue Penstemon pallidus
  • purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
  • ribbed sedge Carex virescens
  • roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
  • rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
  • rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
  • sand bittercress Cardamine parviflora
  • sand grape Vitis rupestris
  • sand violet Viola affinis
  • scentless mock orange Philadelphus inodorus
  • Small's ragwort Packera anonyma
  • smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
  • softleaf arrowwood Viburnum molle
  • spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
  • St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
  • star chickweed Stellaria pubera
  • striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
  • tinted woodland spurge Euphorbia commutata
  • trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
  • tuberous stoneseed Lithospermum tuberosum
  • Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
  • Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • white trillium Trillium grandiflorum
  • wild comfrey Cynoglossum virginianum
  • wild goose plum Prunus munsoniana
  • wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
  • Willdenow's sedge Carex willdenowii
  • woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
  • woodland stonecrop Sedum ternatum
  • yellow fairybells Prosartes lanuginosa
  • yellowroot Xanthorhiza simplicissima
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.

  • annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia

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, Cumberland County and Kentucky
MeasureCumberland CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 233 426 1,719
Garden-ready natives 127 190 568
Tree 86 — 181
Shrub 27 — 73
Wildflower (forb) 77 — 931
Grass or grass-like 18 — 376
Vine 21 — 85
Fern 4 — 73

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Cumberland County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

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
Cumberland County (county FIPS 21057), Kentucky. 233 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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