Native plants · Maryland

Native plants of Kent County

114 plant species are recorded as native to Maryland in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Kent County by USDA PLANTS. 47 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

Kent County, Maryland

Native species: 114 Typical Maryland county: 184 (median of 24 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 47 Typical Maryland county: 61
Share by type (all 114 native species): Percent of the 114 native species in each growth type

Tree 3% (3)
Shrub 2% (2)
Wildflower (forb) 39% (44)
Grass or grass-like 51% (58)
Vine 3% (3)
Fern 4% (4)

Grasses and grass-like plants make up the largest share of the native list (51%), followed by wildflowers (39%).

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 7b to 8a (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 Kent 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
American lotus Nelumbo lutea	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
American spongeplant Limnobium spongia	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	High	Zone 5a
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
broom sedge Carex scoparia	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
bur-reed sedge Carex sparganioides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
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
cypress swamp sedge Carex joorii	Grass or grass-like	4.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
drooping sedge Carex prasina	Grass or grass-like	2.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
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
fringed sedge Carex crinita	Grass or grass-like	5.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
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
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
greenwhite sedge Carex albolutescens	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
hairy sedge Carex lacustris	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
hop sedge Carex lupulina	Grass or grass-like	4.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
limestone meadow sedge Carex granularis	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
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
narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
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
sandbar willow Salix interior	Tree	30 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
sea milkwort Glaux maritima	Wildflower (forb)	11 in	Sun	High	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
squarrose sedge Carex squarrosa	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
thicket sedge Carex abscondita	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
tufted loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
upright sedge Carex stricta	Grass or grass-like	4.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
Virginia iris Iris virginica	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8b
white edge sedge Carex debilis	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6a
wrinkleleaf goldenrod Solidago rugosa	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 67

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 climbing fern Lygodium palmatum
American featherfoil Hottonia inflata
anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
beach false foxglove Agalinis fasciculata
bent sedge Carex styloflexa
blue sedge Carex glaucodea
broadwing sedge Carex alata
bulblet-bearing water hemlock Cicuta bulbifera
button sedge Carex bullata
claspingleaf St. Johnswort Hypericum gymnanthum
clustered mille graines Oldenlandia uniflora
darkgreen sedge Carex venusta
downy goldenrod Solidago puberula
early goldenrod Solidago juncea
eastern star sedge Carex radiata
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
false hop sedge Carex lupuliformis
fescue sedge Carex festucacea
fewflower ticktrefoil Desmodium pauciflorum
flatleaf bladderwort Utricularia intermedia
giant sedge Carex gigantea
hirsute sedge Carex complanata
hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
James' sedge Carex jamesii
lesser clearweed Pilea fontana
little lady's tresses Spiranthes tuberosa
Long's sedge Carex longii
longbeak beaksedge Rhynchospora scirpoides
lowland yellow loosestrife Lysimachia hybrida
marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
maroon Carolina milkvine Matelea carolinensis
marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
Mitchell's sedge Carex mitchelliana
moccasin flower Cypripedium acaule
Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
narrowleaf bluecurls Trichostema setaceum
Nottoway Valley brome Bromus nottowayanus
pale dock Rumex altissimus
parasol sedge Carex umbellata
Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
Reznicek's sedge Carex reznicekii
ribbed sedge Carex virescens
rosy sedge Carex rosea
rough flatsedge Cyperus retrofractus
sandplain flax Linum intercursum
shaved sedge Carex tonsa
showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa
slender blue iris Iris prismatica
slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
spineless hornwort Ceratophyllum echinatum
spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
stiff ticktrefoil Desmodium obtusum
Swan's sedge Carex swanii
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
threadleaf crowfoot Ranunculus trichophyllus
velvet sedge Carex vestita
velvetleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium viridiflorum
weak stellate sedge Carex seorsa
Welsh mudwort Limosella australis
white goldenrod Solidago bicolor
whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
yellow water buttercup Ranunculus flabellaris
yellowfruit sedge Carex annectens

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.

switchcaneArundinaria tecta

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, Kent County and Maryland
Measure	Kent County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	114	184	1,872
Garden-ready natives	47	61	635
Tree	3	—	174
Shrub	2	—	112
Wildflower (forb)	44	—	965
Grass or grass-like	58	—	463
Vine	3	—	72
Fern	4	—	86

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Kent County.

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: Kent County (county FIPS 24029), Maryland. 114 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

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.