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Native plants recorded in your state and county

Native plants · Maryland

Native plants of Washington County

211 plant species are recorded as native to Maryland in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Washington County by USDA PLANTS. 71 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, Maryland

Native species
211 Typical Maryland county: 184 (median of 24 counties)
Garden-ready natives
71 Typical Maryland county: 61
Share by type (all 211 native species)
Percent of the 211 native species in each growth type
Tree 8% (16)
Shrub 2% (4)
Wildflower (forb) 34% (71)
Grass or grass-like 40% (85)
Vine 3% (6)
Fern 14% (29)

Grasses and grass-like plants make up the largest share of the native list (40%), followed by wildflowers (34%).

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 7a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 71

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

Garden-ready native plants of Washington County, Maryland
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
American water-willow Justicia americana Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
arborvitae Thuja occidentalis Tree 50 ft Sun–part shade Medium 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
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
bristlystalked sedge Carex leptalea Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
broadfruit bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
broom sedge Carex scoparia Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
bur-reed sedge Carex sparganioides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
butternut Juglans cinerea Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
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
closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus Shrub 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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 rough sedge Carex scabrata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
eastern straw sedge Carex straminea Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
eastern white pine Pinus strobus Tree 150 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Shade-tolerant Low 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 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
hop sedge Carex lupulina Grass or grass-like 4.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
limestone meadow sedge Carex granularis Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 6a
longhair sedge Carex comosa Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
manyflower flatsedge Cyperus lancastriensis Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Low Zone 8a
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
northern bedstraw Galium boreale Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum Fern 1.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
Northwest Territory sedge Carex utriculata Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun High Zone 3a
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora Grass or grass-like 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
quaking aspen Populus tremuloides Tree 65 ft Sun High Zone 1a
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum Fern 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
roundleaf dogwood Cornus rugosa Tree 10 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
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
Short's sedge Carex shortiana Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5b
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
squarrose sedge Carex squarrosa Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
Table Mountain pine Pinus pungens Tree 50 ft Sun Low Zone 5b
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
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun 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
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 140

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.

  • allegheny vine Adlumia fungosa
  • American stoneseed Lithospermum latifolium
  • Appalachian sedge Carex appalachica
  • Atlantic goldenrod Solidago arguta
  • basil mountainmint Pycnanthemum clinopodioides
  • bent sedge Carex styloflexa
  • bigfruit hawthorn Crataegus macrosperma
  • black edge sedge Carex nigromarginata
  • blackseed ricegrass Patis racemosa
  • blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
  • Blue Ridge sedge Carex lucorum
  • blue sedge Carex glaucodea
  • blue wild indigo Baptisia australis
  • bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
  • branched bur-reed Sparganium androcladum
  • broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
  • broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
  • broadleaf sedge Carex platyphylla
  • brome-like sedge Carex bromoides
  • brown widelip orchid Liparis liliifolia
  • bulblet bladderfern Cystopteris bulbifera
  • Carey's sedge Carex careyana
  • climbing milkvine Matelea obliqua
  • common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
  • creeping mannagrass Glyceria acutiflora
  • Davis' sedge Carex davisii
  • dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
  • dwarf crested iris Iris cristata
  • early goldenrod Solidago juncea
  • early wildrye Elymus macgregorii
  • earlyleaf brome Bromus latiglumis
  • eastern hayscented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
  • eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
  • eastern star sedge Carex radiata
  • ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
  • elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
  • Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
  • evening campion Silene nivea
  • false Indian plantain Hasteola suaveolens
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • fescue sedge Carex festucacea
  • fibrousroot sedge Carex communis
  • fuzzy wuzzy sedge Carex hirsutella
  • glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
  • glomerate sedge Carex aggregata
  • goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
  • grove bluegrass Poa alsodes
  • hairy goldenrod Solidago hispida
  • hairy lipfern Cheilanthes lanosa
  • hairy Solomon's seal Polygonatum pubescens
  • Hitchcock's sedge Carex hitchcockiana
  • Houghton's flatsedge Cyperus houghtonii
  • Illinois pondweed Potamogeton illinoensis
  • Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
  • inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
  • intermediate woodfern Dryopteris intermedia
  • James' sedge Carex jamesii
  • largeleaf waterleaf Hydrophyllum macrophyllum
  • Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
  • lined sedge Carex striatula
  • lobed spleenwort Asplenium pinnatifidum
  • longleaf summer bluet Houstonia longifolia
  • low false bindweed Calystegia spithamaea
  • low serviceberry Amelanchier humilis
  • lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
  • lowland yellow loosestrife Lysimachia hybrida
  • maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
  • marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
  • meadow garlic Allium canadense
  • Michaux's stitchwort Minuartia michauxii
  • moccasin flower Cypripedium acaule
  • Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
  • narrowleaf bluecurls Trichostema setaceum
  • needletip blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium mucronatum
  • nodding onion Allium cernuum
  • northern selaginella Selaginella rupestris
  • pale false mannagrass Torreyochloa pallida
  • palegreen orchid Platanthera flava
  • parasol sedge Carex umbellata
  • Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
  • perfoliate bellwort Uvularia perfoliata
  • Porter's reedgrass Calamagrostis porteri
  • pretty sedge Carex woodii
  • pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
  • purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
  • racemed milkwort Polygala polygama
  • reflexed sedge Carex retroflexa
  • ribbed sedge Carex virescens
  • richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
  • rock polypody Polypodium virginianum
  • rosy sedge Carex rosea
  • running serviceberry Amelanchier stolonifera
  • rusty woodsia Woodsia ilvensis
  • Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
  • sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
  • shaved sedge Carex tonsa
  • Short's rockcress Arabis shortii
  • showy goldenrod Solidago erecta
  • silver false spleenwort Deparia acrostichoides
  • skullcap speedwell Veronica scutellata
  • slender bunchflower Veratrum hybridum
  • slender looseflower sedge Carex gracilescens
  • slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
  • small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
  • smallfruit agrimony Agrimonia microcarpa
  • smooth cliffbrake Pellaea glabella
  • smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
  • smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
  • snow trillium Trillium nivale
  • soft fox sedge Carex conjuncta
  • spinulose woodfern Dryopteris carthusiana
  • spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
  • spring coralroot Corallorhiza wisteriana
  • Standley's goosefoot Chenopodium standleyanum
  • starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
  • stout goldenrod Solidago squarrosa
  • striped gentian Gentiana villosa
  • sundial lupine Lupinus perennis
  • Swan's sedge Carex swanii
  • Texas sedge Carex texensis
  • threeflower melicgrass Melica nitens
  • toadshade Trillium sessile
  • upland brittle bladderfern Cystopteris tenuis
  • upright carrionflower Smilax ecirrhata
  • veiny skullcap Scutellaria nervosa
  • Virginia fanpetals Sida hermaphrodita
  • Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
  • walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
  • wallrue Asplenium ruta-muraria
  • warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
  • western oakfern Gymnocarpium dryopteris
  • white bear sedge Carex albursina
  • white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
  • whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
  • wild quinine Parthenium integrifolium
  • Willdenow's sedge Carex willdenowii
  • wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
  • woolly sedge Carex pellita
  • yellow widelip orchid Liparis loeselii
  • 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, Washington County and Maryland
MeasureWashington CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 211 184 1,872
Garden-ready natives 71 61 635
Tree 16 — 174
Shrub 4 — 112
Wildflower (forb) 71 — 965
Grass or grass-like 85 — 463
Vine 6 — 72
Fern 29 — 86

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Washington County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

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 24043), Maryland. 211 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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