Native plants · Kentucky

Native plants of Spencer County

260 plant species are recorded as native to Kentucky in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Spencer County by USDA PLANTS. 129 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

Spencer County, Kentucky

Native species
260 Typical Kentucky county: 426 (median of 120 counties)
Garden-ready natives
129 Typical Kentucky county: 190
Share by type (all 260 native species)
Percent of the 260 native species in each growth type
Tree 24% (63)
Shrub 3% (9)
Wildflower (forb) 52% (135)
Grass or grass-like 10% (27)
Vine 10% (25)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (52%), followed by trees (24%).

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 129

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

Garden-ready native plants of Spencer County, Kentucky
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
Allegheny blackberry Rubus allegheniensis Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
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 pokeweed Phytolacca americana Wildflower (forb) 7.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
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 water-willow Justicia americana Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
awlfruit sedge Carex stipata Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
beaked agrimony Agrimonia rostellata Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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
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
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
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
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 buckthorn Frangula caroliniana Tree 20 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 4b
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 blue wood aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
common duckweed Lemna minor Wildflower (forb) — Sun High 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 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
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
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
false daisy Eclipta prostrata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
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
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
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea Shrub 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
golden ragwort Packera aurea Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
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
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Wildflower (forb) 9.8 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
jewelweed Impatiens capensis Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus Tree 100 ft Sun Medium 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
mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa Tree 85 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7a
nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
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
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
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
post oak Quercus stellata Tree 60 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
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
river birch Betula nigra Tree 70 ft Sun High Zone 4a
riverbank wildrye Elymus riparius Grass or grass-like 4.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
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
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
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
smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
smooth sumac Rhus glabra Tree 12 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
spring avens Geum vernum Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
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
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans Vine 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
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 spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana Wildflower (forb) 1.1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
white ash Fraxinus americana Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 4a
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
winged elm Ulmus alata Tree 65 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
winged sumac Rhus copallinum Tree 8 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
woolgrass Scirpus cyperinus Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
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
zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 131

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 alumroot Heuchera americana
  • American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
  • American columbo Frasera caroliniensis
  • American false pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
  • blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
  • blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
  • bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
  • blue ash Fraxinus quadrangulata
  • blue waxweed Cuphea viscosissima
  • bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
  • browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
  • Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
  • Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
  • Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
  • carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
  • climbing false buckwheat Polygonum scandens
  • climbing milkvine Matelea obliqua
  • common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
  • common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
  • common moonseed Menispermum canadense
  • common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
  • crossvine Bignonia capreolata
  • crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • devil's-tongue Opuntia humifusa
  • downy pagoda-plant Blephilia ciliata
  • Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
  • dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
  • early blue violet Viola ×palmata
  • early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
  • early wildrye Elymus macgregorii
  • eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
  • eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
  • erect knotweed Polygonum erectum
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • fall phlox Phlox paniculata
  • false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
  • field thistle Cirsium discolor
  • fire pink Silene virginica
  • fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
  • flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
  • fluxweed Trichostema brachiatum
  • fourleaf milkweed Asclepias quadrifolia
  • fourleaf yam Dioscorea quaternata
  • fuzzy wuzzy sedge Carex hirsutella
  • giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
  • gravelweed Verbesina helianthoides
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • great waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
  • great yellow woodsorrel Oxalis grandis
  • greater poverty rush Juncus anthelatus
  • green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
  • green dragon Arisaema dracontium
  • hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
  • hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
  • heartleaf skullcap Scutellaria ovata
  • hoary skullcap Scutellaria incana
  • honeyvine Cynanchum laeve
  • hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
  • James' sedge Carex jamesii
  • jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
  • lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
  • largebract ticktrefoil Desmodium cuspidatum
  • largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
  • largeleaf waterleaf Hydrophyllum macrophyllum
  • lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
  • licorice bedstraw Galium circaezans
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • longsepal beardtongue Penstemon calycosus
  • lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
  • Lucretia dewberry Rubus roribaccus
  • lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata
  • man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
  • Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
  • mullein foxglove Dasistoma macrophylla
  • narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
  • oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
  • oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
  • prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
  • purplerocket Iodanthus pinnatifidus
  • rock buttercup Ranunculus micranthus
  • roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
  • rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
  • rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
  • Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
  • shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
  • shortstalk false bindweed Calystegia silvatica
  • shrubby lespedeza Lespedeza frutescens
  • slender wedgescale Sphenopholis intermedia
  • slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
  • small woodland sunflower Helianthus microcephalus
  • smooth carrionflower Smilax herbacea
  • smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
  • smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
  • smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
  • soft fox sedge Carex conjuncta
  • spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
  • spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
  • striped cream violet Viola striata
  • tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
  • thicket bean Phaseolus polystachios
  • thinleaf sunflower Helianthus decapetalus
  • tinted woodland spurge Euphorbia commutata
  • toadshade Trillium sessile
  • vasevine Clematis viorna
  • Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
  • violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
  • Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
  • Virginia snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria
  • white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
  • white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • white vervain Verbena urticifolia
  • widowsfrill Silene stellata
  • wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
  • wild yam Dioscorea villosa
  • wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
  • woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
  • woodland stonecrop Sedum ternatum
  • yellowfruit horse-gentian Triosteum angustifolium
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, Spencer County and Kentucky
MeasureSpencer CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 260 426 1,719
Garden-ready natives 129 190 568
Tree 63 — 181
Shrub 9 — 73
Wildflower (forb) 135 — 931
Grass or grass-like 27 — 376
Vine 25 — 85
Fern 1 — 73

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Spencer 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
Spencer County (county FIPS 21215), Kentucky. 260 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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