Native plants · Mississippi

Native plants of Claiborne County

116 plant species are recorded as native to Mississippi in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Claiborne County by USDA PLANTS. 75 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

Claiborne County, Mississippi

Native species
116 Typical Mississippi county: 241 (median of 82 counties)
Garden-ready natives
75 Typical Mississippi county: 116
Share by type (all 116 native species)
Percent of the 116 native species in each growth type
Tree 34% (39)
Shrub 5% (6)
Wildflower (forb) 41% (47)
Grass or grass-like 3% (4)
Vine 14% (16)
Fern 3% (4)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (41%), followed by trees (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 8b (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 75

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

Garden-ready native plants of Claiborne County, Mississippi
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy 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 bittersweet Celastrus scandens Vine 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American elm Ulmus americana Tree 120 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
American holly Ilex opaca Tree 40 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
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 witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana Tree 20 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
black willow Salix nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 1b
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
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
bursting-heart Euonymus americanus Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
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
Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana Tree 20 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 4b
Carolina elephantsfoot Elephantopus carolinianus Wildflower (forb) 2.7 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
cherrybark oak Quercus pagoda Tree 120 ft Sun Medium Zone 6b
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana Vine 15 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
eastern baccharis Baccharis halimifolia Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 7a
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
jewelweed Impatiens capensis Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
lanceleaf greenbrier Smilax smallii Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6b
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
muscadine Vitis rotundifolia Vine 30 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia Shrub 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
peppervine Nekemias arborea Vine 1 in Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
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
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
river birch Betula nigra Tree 70 ft Sun High Zone 4a
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia Vine 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
sassafras Sassafras albidum Tree 75 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
silky dogwood Cornus amomum Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
silver maple Acer saccharinum Tree 90 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 2b
smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum Tree 35 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 6a
southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
southern sugar maple Acer floridanum Tree 50 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides Vine — Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 9b
spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
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
two-wing silverbell Halesia diptera Tree 15 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 8a
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
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
willow oak Quercus phellos Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 5a
winged elm Ulmus alata Tree 65 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5b
wreath goldenrod Solidago caesia Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b

Other native species recorded here 41

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.

  • Alabama supplejack Berchemia scandens
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • annual marsh elder Iva annua
  • aquatic milkweed Asclepias perennis
  • beach false foxglove Agalinis fasciculata
  • camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
  • Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
  • Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
  • Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
  • climbing dogbane Trachelospermum difforme
  • common moonseed Menispermum canadense
  • crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
  • crossvine Bignonia capreolata
  • dogfennel Eupatorium capillifolium
  • downy yellow false foxglove Aureolaria virginica
  • Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
  • elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
  • giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
  • glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • green dragon Arisaema dracontium
  • hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
  • hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
  • hoary ticktrefoil Desmodium canescens
  • hogwort Croton capitatus
  • lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
  • lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
  • mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
  • pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
  • sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
  • southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
  • white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • wild hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens
  • woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica
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.

  • annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia

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, Claiborne County and Mississippi
MeasureClaiborne CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 116 241 1,473
Garden-ready natives 75 116 528
Tree 39 — 164
Shrub 6 — 63
Wildflower (forb) 47 — 770
Grass or grass-like 4 — 358
Vine 16 — 72
Fern 4 — 46

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Claiborne 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
Claiborne County (county FIPS 28021), Mississippi. 116 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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