Native plants · Mississippi
Native plants of Choctaw County
174 plant species are recorded as native to Mississippi in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Choctaw County by USDA PLANTS. 90 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
Choctaw County, Mississippi
- Native species
- 174 Typical Mississippi county: 241 (median of 82 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 90 Typical Mississippi county: 116
- Share by type (all 174 native species)
-
Percent of the 174 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (50%), followed by trees (26%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 90
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American beautyberry Callicarpa americana | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 6b |
| American beech Fagus grandifolia | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American wisteria Wisteria frutescens | Vine | 50 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| American witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| bigleaf snowbell Styrax grandifolius | Tree | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 4b |
| black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| bluntleaf bedstraw Galium obtusum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| bursting-heart Euonymus americanus | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12b |
| Canadian lousewort Pedicularis canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Carolina elephantsfoot Elephantopus carolinianus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.7 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| climbing hempvine Mikania scandens | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 serviceberry Amelanchier arborea | Tree | 36 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| cucumber tree Magnolia acuminata | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5b |
| deerberry Vaccinium stamineum | Shrub | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5a |
| devil's walkingstick Aralia spinosa | Tree | 20 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| eastern baccharis Baccharis halimifolia | Tree | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 7a |
| eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| eastern redbud Cercis canadensis | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana | Tree | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| Elliott's blueberry Vaccinium elliottii | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| 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 |
| gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| groundnut Apios americana | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| hairy lespedeza Lespedeza hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| hazel alder Alnus serrulata | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| jewelweed Impatiens capensis | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| loblolly pine Pinus taeda | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 6b |
| longleaf woodoats Chasmanthium sessiliflorum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| manyspike flatsedge Cyperus polystachyos | Grass or grass-like | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12a |
| mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa | Tree | 85 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens | Shrub | 14 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| muscadine Vitis rotundifolia | Vine | 30 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5b |
| narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| narrowleaf silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum | Fern | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| panicledleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium paniculatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 6a |
| peppervine Nekemias arborea | Vine | 1 in | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| pignut hickory Carya glabra | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| possumhaw Ilex decidua | Tree | 33 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| post oak Quercus stellata | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 maple Acer rubrum | Tree | 68 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| red mulberry Morus rubra | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | 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 |
| scarlet oak Quercus coccinea | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| shagbark hickory Carya ovata | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| shortleaf pine Pinus echinata | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| slash pine Pinus elliottii | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum | Tree | 35 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 6a |
| southern red oak Quercus falcata | Tree | 75 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6a |
| summer grape Vitis aestivalis | Vine | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| thicket sedge Carex abscondita | Grass or grass-like | 8 in | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 7a |
| tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| water oak Quercus nigra | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| white ash Fraxinus americana | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| white doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides | Wildflower (forb) | 8 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| white oak Quercus alba | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| whitegrass Leersia virginica | Grass or grass-like | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
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.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
- American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
- Atlantic poison oak Toxicodendron pubescens
- beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
- beaked panicgrass Panicum anceps
- Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
- camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
- Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
- chinquapin Castanea pumila
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- creeping eryngo Eryngium prostratum
- crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
- devil's grandmother Elephantopus tomentosus
- dogfennel Eupatorium capillifolium
- downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
- early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
- fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- floating marshpennywort Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
- Florida yellow flax Linum floridanum
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
- greater marsh St. Johnswort Triadenum walteri
- hairy woodland brome Bromus pubescens
- Heller's cudweed Pseudognaphalium helleri
- herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
- Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
- largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
- lesser snakeroot Ageratina aromatica
- lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
- littlehead nutrush Scleria oligantha
- lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
- Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
- Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
- mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
- nakedflower ticktrefoil Desmodium nudiflorum
- narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
- narrowleaf whitetop aster Sericocarpus linifolius
- pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
- perfoliate bellwort Uvularia perfoliata
- prostrate ticktrefoil Desmodium rotundifolium
- purple fringeless orchid Platanthera peramoena
- purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
- purple milkwort Polygala sanguinea
- purple passionflower Passiflora incarnata
- queendevil Hieracium gronovii
- redring milkweed Asclepias variegata
- rice button aster Symphyotrichum dumosum
- rosepink Sabatia angularis
- roundfruit hedgehyssop Gratiola virginiana
- roundleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium rotundifolium
- Sampson's snakeroot Orbexilum pedunculatum
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- sensitive partridge pea Chamaecrista nictitans
- silvery everlasting Gamochaeta argyrinea
- slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- spiked crested coralroot Hexalectris spicata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- turk's-cap lily Lilium superbum
- twining snoutbean Rhynchosia tomentosa
- twoflower melicgrass Melica mutica
- wavyleaf aster Symphyotrichum undulatum
- white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
- white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
- white turtlehead Chelone glabra
- wild comfrey Cynoglossum virginianum
- wild yam Dioscorea villosa
- woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
- woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica
- woolly dutchman's pipe Aristolochia tomentosa
- 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
- floating primrose-willowLudwigia peploides
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.
| Measure | Choctaw County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 174 | 241 | 1,473 |
| Garden-ready natives | 90 | 116 | 528 |
| Tree | 46 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 7 | — | 63 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 87 | — | 770 |
| Grass or grass-like | 12 | — | 358 |
| Vine | 17 | — | 72 |
| Fern | 5 | — | 46 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Choctaw County.
- Attala County, MS 94 garden-ready
- Oktibbeha County, MS 64 garden-ready
- Webster County, MS 96 garden-ready
- Winston County, MS 149 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
- Choctaw County (county FIPS 28019), Mississippi. 174 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