Native plants · Kentucky
Native plants of Washington County
124 plant species are recorded as native to Kentucky in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Washington County by USDA PLANTS. 66 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Washington County, Kentucky
- Native species
- 124 Typical Kentucky county: 426 (median of 120 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 66 Typical Kentucky county: 190
- Share by type (all 124 native species)
-
Percent of the 124 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (38%), followed by trees (26%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 66
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 plum Prunus americana | Tree | 24 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| American sycamore Platanus occidentalis | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | 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 oak Quercus velutina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| Carolina elephantsfoot Elephantopus carolinianus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.7 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| Carolina rose Rosa carolina | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| common blue violet Viola sororia | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| eastern narrowleaf sedge Carex amphibola | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| 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 |
| fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| field paspalum Paspalum laeve | Grass or grass-like | 2.9 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6a |
| 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 |
| giant cane Arundinaria gigantea | Shrub | 25 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata | Vine | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6b |
| honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| northern red oak Quercus rubra | Tree | 81 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| prairie willow Salix humilis | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| pride of Ohio Dodecatheon meadia | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| riverbank grape Vitis riparia | Vine | 45 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | 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 |
| sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| sweet woodreed Cinna arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| trumpet creeper Campsis radicans | Vine | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens | Vine | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 58
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.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- autumn coralroot Corallorhiza odontorhiza
- bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
- beaked panicgrass Panicum anceps
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- Blue Ridge sedge Carex lucorum
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- brown widelip orchid Liparis liliifolia
- Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian summer bluet Houstonia canadensis
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
- early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- Greek valerian Polemonium reptans
- green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
- hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
- hairyseed paspalum Paspalum pubiflorum
- Heller's cudweed Pseudognaphalium helleri
- honeyvine Cynanchum laeve
- hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
- hortulan plum Prunus hortulana
- James' sedge Carex jamesii
- lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
- Miami mist Phacelia purshii
- narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
- oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
- Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
- poorjoe Diodia teres
- prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
- rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
- ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
- rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
- shortstalk false bindweed Calystegia silvatica
- slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
- smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
- spiked crested coralroot Hexalectris spicata
- spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
- striped cream violet Viola striata
- twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
- wild goose plum Prunus munsoniana
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.
| Measure | Washington County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 124 | 426 | 1,719 |
| Garden-ready natives | 66 | 190 | 568 |
| Tree | 32 | — | 181 |
| Shrub | 6 | — | 73 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 47 | — | 931 |
| Grass or grass-like | 24 | — | 376 |
| Vine | 13 | — | 85 |
| Fern | 2 | — | 73 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Washington County.
- Boyle County, KY 139 garden-ready
- Marion County, KY 154 garden-ready
- Mercer County, KY 151 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
- Washington County (county FIPS 21229), Kentucky. 124 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