Native plants · Maryland

Native plants of St. Mary's County

126 plant species are recorded as native to Maryland in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in St. Mary's County by USDA PLANTS. 42 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

St. Mary's County, Maryland

Native species: 126 Typical Maryland county: 184 (median of 24 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 42 Typical Maryland county: 61
Share by type (all 126 native species): Percent of the 126 native species in each growth type

Tree 4% (5)
Shrub <1% (1)
Wildflower (forb) 37% (47)
Grass or grass-like 44% (55)
Vine 7% (9)
Fern 7% (9)

Grasses and grass-like plants make up the largest share of the native list (44%), followed by wildflowers (37%).

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 42

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

Garden-ready native plants of St. Mary's 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
beach plum Prunus maritima	Shrub	12 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
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
broom sedge Carex scoparia	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
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
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
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
hop sedge Carex lupulina	Grass or grass-like	4.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
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
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
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
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
shortbeard plumegrass Saccharum brevibarbe	Grass or grass-like	6.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6b
shortleaf pine Pinus echinata	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
silvery sedge Carex canescens	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
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
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
whiteroot rush Juncus brachycarpus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
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

Other native species recorded here 84

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.

anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
autumn coralroot Corallorhiza odontorhiza
bent sedge Carex styloflexa
black edge sedge Carex nigromarginata
blue sedge Carex glaucodea
broadwing sedge Carex alata
bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
button sedge Carex bullata
Buxbaum's sedge Carex buxbaumii
claspingleaf pondweed Potamogeton perfoliatus
claspingleaf St. Johnswort Hypericum gymnanthum
climbing dogbane Trachelospermum difforme
clustered beaksedge Rhynchospora glomerata
crested yellow orchid Platanthera cristata
crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
cutleaf grapefern Botrychium dissectum
devil's grandmother Elephantopus tomentosus
dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
downy goldenrod Solidago puberula
downy milkpea Galactia volubilis
downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
early goldenrod Solidago juncea
eastern silver aster Symphyotrichum concolor
fan clubmoss Lycopodium digitatum
feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
fewflower ticktrefoil Desmodium pauciflorum
fourleaf yam Dioscorea quaternata
fuzzy wuzzy sedge Carex hirsutella
green adder's-mouth orchid Malaxis unifolia
greenvein lady's tresses Spiranthes praecox
Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
hazel dodder Cuscuta coryli
hirsute sedge Carex complanata
Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
large whorled pogonia Isotria verticillata
largeseed forget-me-not Myosotis macrosperma
lesser clearweed Pilea fontana
little lady's tresses Spiranthes tuberosa
Long's sedge Carex longii
Louisiana sedge Carex louisianica
maroon Carolina milkvine Matelea carolinensis
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
moccasin flower Cypripedium acaule
Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
nodding sedge Carex gynandra
northern long sedge Carex folliculata
northern slender lady's tresses Spiranthes lacera
Oklahoma sedge Carex oklahomensis
pale false mannagrass Torreyochloa pallida
parasol sedge Carex umbellata
Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
pink sundew Drosera capillaris
purple pitcherplant Sarracenia purpurea
rare clubmoss Lycopodium obscurum
red turtlehead Chelone obliqua
ribbed sedge Carex virescens
sandplain flax Linum intercursum
sharpscale sedge Carex oxylepis
shaved sedge Carex tonsa
Short's hedgehyssop Gratiola viscidula
shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
showy goldenrod Solidago erecta
showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
slender blue iris Iris prismatica
slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
small green wood orchid Platanthera clavellata
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
southeastern wildrye Elymus glabriflorus
southern twayblade Listera australis
spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
Swan's sedge Carex swanii
swollen bladderwort Utricularia inflata
Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
weak stellate sedge Carex seorsa
whip nutrush Scleria triglomerata
white colicroot Aletris farinosa
white goldenrod Solidago bicolor
whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
Willdenow's sedge Carex willdenowii
woolly sedge Carex pellita
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.

common reedPhragmites australis

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, St. Mary's County and Maryland
Measure	St. Mary's County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	126	184	1,872
Garden-ready natives	42	61	635
Tree	5	—	174
Shrub	1	—	112
Wildflower (forb)	47	—	965
Grass or grass-like	55	—	463
Vine	9	—	72
Fern	9	—	86

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with St. Mary's County.

Charles County, MD 68 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: St. Mary's County (county FIPS 24037), Maryland. 126 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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