Native plants · Maryland

Native plants of Caroline County

142 plant species are recorded as native to Maryland in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Caroline County by USDA PLANTS. 47 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Caroline County, Maryland

Native species: 142 Typical Maryland county: 184 (median of 24 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 47 Typical Maryland county: 61
Share by type (all 142 native species): Percent of the 142 native species in each growth type

Tree 3% (4)
Shrub 6% (8)
Wildflower (forb) 29% (41)
Grass or grass-like 55% (78)
Vine 4% (5)
Fern 4% (6)

Grasses and grass-like plants make up the largest share of the native list (55%), followed by wildflowers (29%).

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 7b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 47

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

Garden-ready native plants of Caroline County, Maryland
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
awlfruit sedge Carex stipata	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
blister sedge Carex vesicaria	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
bristlystalked sedge Carex leptalea	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
cat greenbrier Smilax glauca	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
cattail sedge Carex typhina	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
common reed Phragmites australis	Shrub	13 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
coppery St. Johnswort Hypericum denticulatum	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7b
cypress swamp sedge Carex joorii	Grass or grass-like	4.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
eastern narrowleaf sedge Carex amphibola	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
eastern straw sedge Carex straminea	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
fringed sedge Carex crinita	Grass or grass-like	5.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea	Wildflower (forb)	8.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
greater bladder sedge Carex intumescens	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
greenwhite sedge Carex albolutescens	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum	Shrub	12 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
hop sedge Carex lupulina	Grass or grass-like	4.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
laurel greenbrier Smilax laurifolia	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6b
loblolly pine Pinus taeda	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6b
longhair sedge Carex comosa	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
maleberry Lyonia ligustrina	Shrub	9 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 5a
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
pipsissewa Chimaphila umbellata	Shrub	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
pitch pine Pinus rigida	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
possumhaw Ilex decidua	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
prickly bog sedge Carex atlantica	Grass or grass-like	1.8 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5b
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
shallow sedge Carex lurida	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
silvery sedge Carex canescens	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
slender woodoats Chasmanthium laxum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
swamp doghobble Eubotrys racemosus	Shrub	13 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
thicket sedge Carex abscondita	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
upright sedge Carex stricta	Grass or grass-like	4.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
white doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides	Wildflower (forb)	8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
white edge sedge Carex debilis	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6a
wingleaf primrose-willow Ludwigia decurrens	Wildflower (forb)	4.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
wrinkleleaf goldenrod Solidago rugosa	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 95

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 featherfoil Hottonia inflata
anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
bent sedge Carex styloflexa
black edge sedge Carex nigromarginata
blackfruit spikerush Eleocharis melanocarpa
blue sedge Carex glaucodea
bog fern Thelypteris simulata
broadwing sedge Carex alata
brome-like sedge Carex bromoides
brownish beaksedge Rhynchospora capitellata
button sedge Carex bullata
Carolina sedge Carex caroliniana
climbing dogbane Trachelospermum difforme
Clinton's woodfern Dryopteris clintoniana
clustered mille graines Oldenlandia uniflora
coastal plain blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium fuscatum
Collins' sedge Carex collinsii
creeping burhead Echinodorus cordifolius
creeping mannagrass Glyceria acutiflora
creeping St. Johnswort Hypericum adpressum
dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
downy goldenrod Solidago puberula
drumheads Polygala cruciata
early goldenrod Solidago juncea
eastern purple bladderwort Utricularia purpurea
eastern star sedge Carex radiata
Elliott's goldenrod Solidago latissimifolia
Engelmann's arrowhead Sagittaria engelmanniana
false hop sedge Carex lupuliformis
fescue sedge Carex festucacea
foxtail clubmoss Lycopodiella alopecuroides
fuzzy wuzzy sedge Carex hirsutella
giant sedge Carex gigantea
glomerate sedge Carex aggregata
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
hirsute sedge Carex complanata
hyssopleaf hedgenettle Stachys aspera
Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
lined sedge Carex striatula
Long's sedge Carex longii
longbeak beaksedge Rhynchospora scirpoides
Louisiana sedge Carex louisianica
lowland yellow loosestrife Lysimachia hybrida
midland sedge Carex mesochorea
mudbank crowngrass Paspalum dissectum
Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
netted nutrush Scleria reticularis
northern long sedge Carex folliculata
Oklahoma sedge Carex oklahomensis
pale false mannagrass Torreyochloa pallida
parasol sedge Carex umbellata
Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
pink sundew Drosera capillaris
prune-fruit sedge Carex corrugata
red milkweed Asclepias rubra
reflexed flatsedge Cyperus refractus
reflexed sedge Carex retroflexa
Reznicek's sedge Carex reznicekii
rosy sedge Carex rosea
rough dropseed Sporobolus clandestinus
shaved sedge Carex tonsa
showy goldenrod Solidago erecta
singlehead pussytoes Antennaria solitaria
slender blue iris Iris prismatica
slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
Small's yelloweyed grass Xyris smalliana
smooth sawgrass Cladium mariscoides
smooth ticktrefoil Desmodium laevigatum
smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
southern bladderwort Utricularia juncea
southern bog clubmoss Lycopodiella appressa
spineless hornwort Ceratophyllum echinatum
spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
striped bladderwort Utricularia striata
striped gentian Gentiana villosa
sundial lupine Lupinus perennis
swamp wedgescale Sphenopholis pensylvanica
Swan's sedge Carex swanii
tall horned beaksedge Rhynchospora macrostachya
threadleaf false foxglove Agalinis setacea
three-angle spikerush Eleocharis tricostata
velvet sedge Carex vestita
Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
Walter's sedge Carex striata
weak stellate sedge Carex seorsa
whip nutrush Scleria triglomerata
white colicroot Aletris farinosa
white fringed orchid Platanthera blephariglottis
whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
woolly sedge Carex pellita
yellowfruit sedge Carex annectens

Compared with Maryland

The typical county is the median of the 24 Maryland 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, Caroline County and Maryland
Measure	Caroline County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	142	184	1,872
Garden-ready natives	47	61	635
Tree	4	—	174
Shrub	8	—	112
Wildflower (forb)	41	—	965
Grass or grass-like	78	—	463
Vine	5	—	72
Fern	6	—	86

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Caroline County.

Dorchester County, MD 79 garden-ready
Queen Anne's County, MD 86 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: Caroline County (county FIPS 24011), Maryland. 142 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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