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Native plants · Mississippi

Native plants of Benton County

223 plant species are recorded as native to Mississippi in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Benton County by USDA PLANTS. 116 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 2 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Benton County, Mississippi

Native species
223 Typical Mississippi county: 241 (median of 82 counties)
Garden-ready natives
116 Typical Mississippi county: 116
Share by type (all 223 native species)
Percent of the 223 native species in each growth type
Tree 21% (46)
Shrub 3% (7)
Wildflower (forb) 50% (112)
Grass or grass-like 13% (30)
Vine 10% (22)
Fern 3% (6)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (50%), followed by trees (21%).

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

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

Garden-ready natives 116

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

Garden-ready native plants of Benton County, Mississippi
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
American beech Fagus grandifolia Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
American elm Ulmus americana Tree 120 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
American hazelnut Corylus americana Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana Tree 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
American pokeweed Phytolacca americana Wildflower (forb) 7.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
American wisteria Wisteria frutescens Vine 50 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7a
arrowleaf tearthumb Polygonum sagittatum Vine 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
bald cypress Taxodium distichum Tree 130 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5b
black cherry Prunus serotina Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
black oak Quercus velutina Tree 80 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
black willow Salix nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 1b
blackgum Nyssa sylvatica Tree 95 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
blackjack oak Quercus marilandica Tree 25 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
blunt spikerush Eleocharis obtusa Grass or grass-like 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 11a
bog rush Juncus biflorus Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
bursting-heart Euonymus americanus Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis Wildflower (forb) 5.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
Carolina elephantsfoot Elephantopus carolinianus Wildflower (forb) 2.7 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
Carolina rose Rosa carolina Shrub 5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
cat greenbrier Smilax glauca Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
climbing rose Rosa setigera Vine 16 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
common persimmon Diospyros virginiana Tree 55 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
common rush Juncus effusus Grass or grass-like 6.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
common selfheal Prunella vulgaris Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea Tree 36 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum Shrub 16 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a
devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana Vine 15 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
devil's walkingstick Aralia spinosa Tree 20 ft Sun High Zone 4b
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
dwarf St. Johnswort Hypericum mutilum Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana Tree 50 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum Tree 28 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida Tree 30 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
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
golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
groundnut Apios americana Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
harvestlice Agrimonia parviflora Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
hazel alder Alnus serrulata Tree 30 ft Sun High Zone 5a
hop sedge Carex lupulina Grass or grass-like 4.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium Grass or grass-like 4.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
jewelweed Impatiens capensis Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
lanceleaf loosestrife Lysimachia lanceolata Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
longleaf woodoats Chasmanthium sessiliflorum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
Missouri ironweed Vernonia missurica Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa Tree 85 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
muscadine Vitis rotundifolia Vine 30 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
needlepod rush Juncus scirpoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 7a
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus Shrub 3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
northern red oak Quercus rubra Tree 81 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
northern spicebush Lindera benzoin Tree 12 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
northern spiderlily Hymenocallis occidentalis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 7a
oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia Shrub 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
overcup oak Quercus lyrata Tree 80 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata Wildflower (forb) 2.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
possumhaw Viburnum nudum Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
post oak Quercus stellata Tree 60 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
poverty rush Juncus tenuis Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum Fern 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
red buckeye Aesculus pavia Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
red maple Acer rubrum Tree 68 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
redtop panicgrass Panicum rigidulum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 4a
ridged yellow flax Linum striatum Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
river birch Betula nigra Tree 70 ft Sun High Zone 4a
riverbank wildrye Elymus riparius Grass or grass-like 4.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia Vine 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
sassafras Sassafras albidum Tree 75 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
saw greenbrier Smilax bona-nox Vine 4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
shagbark hickory Carya ovata Tree 75 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
sharpwing monkeyflower Mimulus alatus Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
shortleaf pine Pinus echinata Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
slender flatsedge Cyperus bipartitus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
slippery elm Ulmus rubra Tree 85 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
smooth phlox Phlox glaberrima Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
smooth sumac Rhus glabra Tree 12 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
southern red oak Quercus falcata Tree 75 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6a
stiff dogwood Cornus foemina Tree 16 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7a
sugarcane plumegrass Saccharum giganteum Grass or grass-like 9.8 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
sweet woodreed Cinna arundinacea Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans Vine 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera Tree 120 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
velvet panicum Dichanthelium scoparium Grass or grass-like 4.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
Virginia dayflower Commelina virginica Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
water oak Quercus nigra Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 5a
white ash Fraxinus americana Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 4a
white avens Geum canadense Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
white oak Quercus alba Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
willow oak Quercus phellos Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
winged elm Ulmus alata Tree 65 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
winged sumac Rhus copallinum Tree 8 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
wrinkleleaf goldenrod Solidago rugosa Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea Vine 16 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a

Other native species recorded here 107

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 monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
  • American buckwheat vine Brunnichia ovata
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
  • anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
  • arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
  • Atlantic pigeonwings Clitoria mariana
  • beaked panicgrass Panicum anceps
  • bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
  • blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
  • blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
  • bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
  • Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
  • broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
  • bulbous woodrush Luzula bulbosa
  • button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
  • Carolina wild petunia Ruellia caroliniensis
  • carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
  • Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
  • clustered mille graines Oldenlandia uniflora
  • common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
  • common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
  • common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
  • creeping lespedeza Lespedeza repens
  • crossvine Bignonia capreolata
  • cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
  • devil's grandmother Elephantopus tomentosus
  • dogfennel Eupatorium capillifolium
  • downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
  • downy phlox Phlox pilosa
  • dwarf crested iris Iris cristata
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
  • elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
  • fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
  • false aloe Manfreda virginica
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
  • gaping grass Steinchisma hians
  • giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
  • globe flatsedge Cyperus echinatus
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • hairy bedstraw Galium pilosum
  • hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
  • hairy skullcap Scutellaria elliptica
  • handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
  • herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
  • hoary skullcap Scutellaria incana
  • hoary ticktrefoil Desmodium canescens
  • hogwort Croton capitatus
  • Indianpipe Monotropa uniflora
  • jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
  • largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
  • littlehead nutrush Scleria oligantha
  • lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
  • Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
  • mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
  • nakedflower ticktrefoil Desmodium nudiflorum
  • narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
  • narrowleaf pinweed Lechea tenuifolia
  • narrowleaf whitetop aster Sericocarpus linifolius
  • nits and lice Hypericum drummondii
  • pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
  • palegreen orchid Platanthera flava
  • pink fuzzybean Strophostyles umbellata
  • poorjoe Diodia teres
  • purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
  • purple passionflower Passiflora incarnata
  • queendevil Hieracium gronovii
  • redring milkweed Asclepias variegata
  • robin's plantain Erigeron pulchellus
  • rosepink Sabatia angularis
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
  • Sampson's snakeroot Orbexilum pedunculatum
  • sand hickory Carya pallida
  • seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
  • sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
  • sessileleaf bellwort Uvularia sessilifolia
  • sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
  • silver plumegrass Saccharum alopecuroides
  • silvery everlasting Gamochaeta argyrinea
  • slimpod rush Juncus diffusissimus
  • Small's blacksnakeroot Sanicula smallii
  • smallhead doll's daisy Boltonia diffusa
  • soft thistle Cirsium carolinianum
  • spoonleaf purple everlasting Gamochaeta purpurea
  • spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
  • St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
  • trailing lespedeza Lespedeza procumbens
  • twining snoutbean Rhynchosia tomentosa
  • twoflower melicgrass Melica mutica
  • Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
  • Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
  • white thoroughwort Eupatorium album
  • white vervain Verbena urticifolia
  • wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
  • wild yam Dioscorea villosa
  • woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
  • woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica
  • woodland stonecrop Sedum ternatum
  • yellow thistle Cirsium horridulum
Also listed as native and introduced here 2

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.

  • annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
  • climbing false buckwheatPolygonum scandens

Compared with Mississippi

The typical county is the median of the 82 Mississippi 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, Benton County and Mississippi
MeasureBenton CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 223 241 1,473
Garden-ready natives 116 116 528
Tree 46 — 164
Shrub 7 — 63
Wildflower (forb) 112 — 770
Grass or grass-like 30 — 358
Vine 22 — 72
Fern 6 — 46

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Benton 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
Benton County (county FIPS 28009), Mississippi. 223 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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