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Native plants · Kentucky

Native plants of Harrison County

209 plant species are recorded as native to Kentucky in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Harrison County by USDA PLANTS. 115 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

Harrison County, Kentucky

Native species
209 Typical Kentucky county: 426 (median of 120 counties)
Garden-ready natives
115 Typical Kentucky county: 190
Share by type (all 209 native species)
Percent of the 209 native species in each growth type
Tree 33% (69)
Shrub 5% (10)
Wildflower (forb) 35% (73)
Grass or grass-like 18% (38)
Vine 9% (18)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (35%), followed by trees (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 zone 6b (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 115

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

Garden-ready native plants of Harrison County, Kentucky
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
American basswood Tilia americana Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
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 hazelnut Corylus americana Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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-willow Justicia americana Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana Tree 20 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
bigleaf snowbell Styrax grandifolius Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade — 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
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
bulbous bittercress Cardamine bulbosa Wildflower (forb) 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
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 —
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
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
Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
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
chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
climbing rose Rosa setigera Vine 16 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli Tree 30 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
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 persimmon Diospyros virginiana Tree 55 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
crookedstem aster Symphyotrichum prenanthoides Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
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 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
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
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
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
Georgia bulrush Scirpus georgianus Grass or grass-like 4.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea Shrub 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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
green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens Grass or grass-like 5.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 2a
hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata Vine 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6b
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Wildflower (forb) 9.8 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
little barley Hordeum pusillum Grass or grass-like 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
Maryland senna Senna marilandica Wildflower (forb) 6.6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5b
mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa Tree 85 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
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
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
pignut hickory Carya glabra Tree 80 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
pin oak Quercus palustris Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 4a
pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
post oak Quercus stellata Tree 60 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
red mulberry Morus rubra Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 3b
rock elm Ulmus thomasii Tree 90 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
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
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
sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
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
shingle oak Quercus imbricaria Tree 45 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
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 sumac Rhus glabra Tree 12 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
southern red oak Quercus falcata Tree 75 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6a
spring avens Geum vernum Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
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 milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
troublesome sedge Carex molesta Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans Vine 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera Tree 120 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
Virginia water horehound Lycopus virginicus Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
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 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
winged sumac Rhus copallinum Tree 8 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
wirestem muhly Muhlenbergia frondosa Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
yellow fumewort Corydalis flavula Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 94

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
  • aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
  • bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
  • blue ash Fraxinus quadrangulata
  • bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
  • browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
  • buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
  • climbing false buckwheat Polygonum scandens
  • common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
  • common moonseed Menispermum canadense
  • common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
  • common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
  • crossvine Bignonia capreolata
  • Cumberland sedge Carex cumberlandensis
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • Davis' sedge Carex davisii
  • dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
  • downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
  • downy pagoda-plant Blephilia ciliata
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • dwarf hackberry Celtis pumila
  • dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
  • early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
  • early wildrye Elymus macgregorii
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
  • flat-spiked sedge Carex planispicata
  • fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
  • fuzzy wuzzy sedge Carex hirsutella
  • giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
  • glomerate sedge Carex aggregata
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
  • hairy woodland brome Bromus pubescens
  • hairyseed paspalum Paspalum pubiflorum
  • heartleaf nettle Urtica chamaedryoides
  • Hitchcock's sedge Carex hitchcockiana
  • honeyvine Cynanchum laeve
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
  • James' sedge Carex jamesii
  • lanceleaf buckthorn Rhamnus lanceolata
  • largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
  • Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
  • meadow garlic Allium canadense
  • Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
  • midland sedge Carex mesochorea
  • New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
  • northern dewberry Rubus flagellaris
  • northern slender lady's tresses Spiranthes lacera
  • oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
  • obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
  • oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
  • pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
  • parasol sedge Carex umbellata
  • pear hawthorn Crataegus calpodendron
  • prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
  • pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
  • rock buttercup Ranunculus micranthus
  • rosy sedge Carex rosea
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
  • rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
  • Short's aster Symphyotrichum shortii
  • smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
  • smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
  • soft fox sedge Carex conjuncta
  • Spanish needles Bidens bipinnata
  • spinulose woodfern Dryopteris carthusiana
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
  • spring blue eyed Mary Collinsia verna
  • spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
  • squirrel corn Dicentra canadensis
  • Texas sedge Carex texensis
  • toadshade Trillium sessile
  • violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
  • Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
  • Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
  • waxyfruit hawthorn Crataegus pruinosa
  • white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
  • wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
  • Willdenow's sedge Carex willdenowii
  • wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
  • woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
  • yellowfruit sedge Carex annectens
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, Harrison County and Kentucky
MeasureHarrison CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 209 426 1,719
Garden-ready natives 115 190 568
Tree 69 — 181
Shrub 10 — 73
Wildflower (forb) 73 — 931
Grass or grass-like 38 — 376
Vine 18 — 85
Fern 1 — 73

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Harrison 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
Harrison County (county FIPS 21097), Kentucky. 209 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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