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Native plants · Kentucky

Native plants of Daviess County

228 plant species are recorded as native to Kentucky in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Daviess County by USDA PLANTS. 136 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

Daviess County, Kentucky

Native species
228 Typical Kentucky county: 426 (median of 120 counties)
Garden-ready natives
136 Typical Kentucky county: 190
Share by type (all 228 native species)
Percent of the 228 native species in each growth type
Tree 32% (73)
Shrub 3% (6)
Wildflower (forb) 40% (91)
Grass or grass-like 15% (35)
Vine 7% (15)
Fern 4% (8)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (40%), followed by trees (32%).

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 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 136

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

Garden-ready native plants of Daviess County, Kentucky
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy 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 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 plum Prunus americana Tree 24 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
American pokeweed Phytolacca americana Wildflower (forb) 7.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
American snowbell Styrax americanus Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 5b
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
American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana Tree 20 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
bald cypress Taxodium distichum Tree 130 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5b
beaked agrimony Agrimonia rostellata Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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
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
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
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
butternut Juglans cinerea Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
Canada germander Teucrium canadense Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
Carolina foxtail Alopecurus carolinianus Grass or grass-like 1.7 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
cat greenbrier Smilax glauca Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
catchfly grass Leersia lenticularis Grass or grass-like 2.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
cherrybark oak Quercus pagoda Tree 120 ft Sun Medium Zone 6b
chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
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 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
common rush Juncus effusus Grass or grass-like 6.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea Tree 36 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum Wildflower (forb) — Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
crimsoneyed rosemallow Hibiscus moscheutos Wildflower (forb) 6.6 ft Sun High Zone 6a
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
eastern swampprivet Forestiera acuminata Tree 33 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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
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
Georgia bulrush Scirpus georgianus Grass or grass-like 4.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
green arrow arum Peltandra virginica Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
hairy lespedeza Lespedeza hirta Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
hazel alder Alnus serrulata Tree 30 ft Sun High Zone 5a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
hop sedge Carex lupulina Grass or grass-like 4.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
horsetail paspalum Paspalum fluitans Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium Grass or grass-like 4.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
lanceleaf loosestrife Lysimachia lanceolata Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
longleaf starwort Stellaria longifolia Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
Muskingum sedge Carex muskingumensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
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
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
pawpaw Asimina triloba Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
pecan Carya illinoinensis Tree 120 ft Sun High Zone 5a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun 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
poverty rush Juncus tenuis Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
pumpkin ash Fraxinus profunda Tree 120 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun Low Zone 3a
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
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
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea Tree 12 ft Sun High Zone 3b
reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 3b
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
rufous bulrush Scirpus pendulus Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
sassafras Sassafras albidum Tree 75 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
saw greenbrier Smilax bona-nox Vine 4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
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
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
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 phlox Phlox glaberrima Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum Tree 8 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 5a
southern red oak Quercus falcata Tree 75 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6a
squarrose sedge Carex squarrosa Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
stiff dogwood Cornus foemina Tree 16 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7a
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
sugarberry Celtis laevigata Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant High 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 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
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
swamp tupelo Nyssa biflora Tree 115 ft Sun High Zone 5b
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
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans Vine 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera Tree 120 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
Virginia iris Iris virginica Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8b
Virginia pine Pinus virginiana Tree 70 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
water oak Quercus nigra Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 5a
white oak Quercus alba Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
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
wingleaf primrose-willow Ludwigia decurrens Wildflower (forb) 4.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
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
yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea Vine 16 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a

Other native species recorded here 92

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 ipecac Gillenia stipulata
  • American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
  • aquatic milkweed Asclepias perennis
  • arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
  • beach false foxglove Agalinis fasciculata
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
  • bloody butcher Trillium recurvatum
  • blue ash Fraxinus quadrangulata
  • broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
  • buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
  • camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
  • Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
  • Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
  • climbing dogbane Trachelospermum difforme
  • Columbian watermeal Wolffia columbiana
  • common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
  • common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
  • compact dodder Cuscuta compacta
  • creeping lespedeza Lespedeza repens
  • crossvine Bignonia capreolata
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • cylindricfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia glandulosa
  • cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
  • downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
  • downy pagoda-plant Blephilia ciliata
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • fall phlox Phlox paniculata
  • false hop sedge Carex lupuliformis
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
  • globe flatsedge Cyperus echinatus
  • greater poverty rush Juncus anthelatus
  • hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
  • hairy Solomon's seal Polygonatum pubescens
  • hairyseed paspalum Paspalum pubiflorum
  • handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
  • herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
  • husk tomato Physalis pubescens
  • lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
  • largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
  • lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
  • lesser marsh St. Johnswort Triadenum tubulosum
  • longbeak arrowhead Sagittaria australis
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
  • lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata
  • man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
  • marsh mermaidweed Proserpinaca palustris
  • Maryland milkwort Polygala mariana
  • narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
  • nits and lice Hypericum drummondii
  • Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
  • oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
  • pink fuzzybean Strophostyles umbellata
  • prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
  • purple fringeless orchid Platanthera peramoena
  • River Broom-Rape Orobanche riparia
  • roundfruit hedgehyssop Gratiola virginiana
  • roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
  • sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
  • shortstalk false bindweed Calystegia silvatica
  • silver false spleenwort Deparia acrostichoides
  • slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
  • slender waternymph Najas gracillima
  • slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
  • slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
  • slimspike threeawn Aristida longespica
  • smooth false buttonweed Spermacoce glabra
  • spring forget-me-not Myosotis verna
  • striped cream violet Viola striata
  • swamp dock Rumex verticillatus
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • twoflower dwarfdandelion Krigia biflora
  • veiny skullcap Scutellaria nervosa
  • Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
  • Virginia snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria
  • Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
  • waterplantain spearwort Ranunculus ambigens
  • wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
  • woolly dutchman's pipe Aristolochia tomentosa
  • yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
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.

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, Daviess County and Kentucky
MeasureDaviess CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 228 426 1,719
Garden-ready natives 136 190 568
Tree 73 — 181
Shrub 6 — 73
Wildflower (forb) 91 — 931
Grass or grass-like 35 — 376
Vine 15 — 85
Fern 8 — 73

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Daviess 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
Daviess County (county FIPS 21059), Kentucky. 228 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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