Native plants · Maryland

Native plants of Howard County

163 plant species are recorded as native to Maryland in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Howard County by USDA PLANTS. 52 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Howard County, Maryland

Native species: 163 Typical Maryland county: 184 (median of 24 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 52 Typical Maryland county: 61
Share by type (all 163 native species): Percent of the 163 native species in each growth type

Tree 4% (6)
Shrub 2% (3)
Wildflower (forb) 36% (59)
Grass or grass-like 37% (61)
Vine 5% (8)
Fern 16% (26)

Grasses and grass-like plants make up the largest share of the native list (37%), followed by wildflowers (36%).

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 7a to 7b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 52

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

Garden-ready native plants of Howard County, Maryland
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American bur-reed Sparganium americanum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
awlfruit sedge Carex stipata	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
broom sedge Carex scoparia	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
butternut Juglans cinerea	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
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
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea	Fern	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
drooping sedge Carex prasina	Grass or grass-like	2.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis	Tree	105 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
eastern narrowleaf sedge Carex amphibola	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
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 horsetail Equisetum arvense	Fern	11 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
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
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
graceful sedge Carex gracillima	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
gray birch Betula populifolia	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
Gray's sedge Carex grayi	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
greater bladder sedge Carex intumescens	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
greater straw sedge Carex normalis	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
greenwhite sedge Carex albolutescens	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
hairyfruit sedge Carex trichocarpa	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
hop sedge Carex lupulina	Grass or grass-like	4.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana	Fern	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis	Fern	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
nodding lady's tresses Spiranthes cernua	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum	Fern	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum	Fern	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
roadside agrimony Agrimonia striata	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
shallow sedge Carex lurida	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
squarrose sedge Carex squarrosa	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi	Grass or grass-like	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
twisted sedge Carex torta	Grass or grass-like	2.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
upright sedge Carex stricta	Grass or grass-like	4.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
Virginia pine Pinus virginiana	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
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
wreath goldenrod Solidago caesia	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
wrinkleleaf goldenrod Solidago rugosa	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 111

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.

Adam and Eve Aplectrum hyemale
Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa
American climbing fern Lygodium palmatum
black edge sedge Carex nigromarginata
blue sedge Carex glaucodea
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
broadleaf sedge Carex platyphylla
brome-like sedge Carex bromoides
brownish beaksedge Rhynchospora capitellata
button sedge Carex bullata
Canada lily Lilium canadense
Carolina sedge Carex caroliniana
crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
cutleaf grapefern Botrychium dissectum
dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
downy carrionflower Smilax pulverulenta
downy milkpea Galactia volubilis
downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
early buttercup Ranunculus fascicularis
early goldenrod Solidago juncea
earlyleaf brome Bromus latiglumis
eastern blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium atlanticum
eastern featherbells Stenanthium gramineum
eastern hayscented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
eastern star sedge Carex radiata
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
evening campion Silene nivea
fan clubmoss Lycopodium digitatum
feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
fescue sedge Carex festucacea
fewflower ticktrefoil Desmodium pauciflorum
fibrousroot sedge Carex communis
fourleaf yam Dioscorea quaternata
fuzzy wuzzy sedge Carex hirsutella
glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
glomerate sedge Carex aggregata
goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
hairy lipfern Cheilanthes lanosa
Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
intermediate woodfern Dryopteris intermedia
large whorled pogonia Isotria verticillata
Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
lined sedge Carex striatula
log fern Dryopteris celsa
Long's sedge Carex longii
lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
moccasin flower Cypripedium acaule
Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
needletip blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium mucronatum
nodding sedge Carex gynandra
nodding wakerobin Trillium flexipes
northern slender lady's tresses Spiranthes lacera
parasol sedge Carex umbellata
perfoliate bellwort Uvularia perfoliata
pretty sedge Carex woodii
pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
rare clubmoss Lycopodium obscurum
ribbed sedge Carex virescens
rock polypody Polypodium virginianum
rosy sedge Carex rosea
running serviceberry Amelanchier stolonifera
Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
sessileleaf bellwort Uvularia sessilifolia
shaved sedge Carex tonsa
shining clubmoss Huperzia lucidula
showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa
showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
silver false spleenwort Deparia acrostichoides
silver plumegrass Saccharum alopecuroides
slender looseflower sedge Carex gracilescens
slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
small woodland sunflower Helianthus microcephalus
smallflower halfchaff sedge Lipocarpha micrantha
smallfruit agrimony Agrimonia microcarpa
Smith's bulrush Schoenoplectiella smithii
smooth carrionflower Smilax herbacea
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
smooth ticktrefoil Desmodium laevigatum
smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
southern cattail Typha domingensis
spinulose woodfern Dryopteris carthusiana
spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
Standley's goosefoot Chenopodium standleyanum
striped gentian Gentiana villosa
Swan's sedge Carex swanii
tenlobe false foxglove Agalinis obtusifolia
turk's-cap lily Lilium superbum
Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
waterplantain spearwort Ranunculus ambigens
whip-poor-will flower Trillium cernuum
white goldenrod Solidago bicolor
whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
whorled mountainmint Pycnanthemum verticillatum
wild yam Dioscorea villosa
Willdenow's sedge Carex willdenowii
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
woollysheath threeawn Aristida lanosa
yellow avens Geum aleppicum
yellowfruit horse-gentian Triosteum angustifolium
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, Howard County and Maryland
Measure	Howard County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	163	184	1,872
Garden-ready natives	52	61	635
Tree	6	—	174
Shrub	3	—	112
Wildflower (forb)	59	—	965
Grass or grass-like	61	—	463
Vine	8	—	72
Fern	26	—	86

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Howard County.

Anne Arundel County, MD 67 garden-ready
Baltimore County, MD 78 garden-ready
Carroll County, MD 46 garden-ready
Frederick County, MD 61 garden-ready
Montgomery County, MD 88 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: Howard County (county FIPS 24027), Maryland. 163 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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