Native plants · Mississippi
Native plants of Clay County
236 plant species are recorded as native to Mississippi in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Clay County by USDA PLANTS. 105 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
Clay County, Mississippi
- Native species
- 236 Typical Mississippi county: 241 (median of 82 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 105 Typical Mississippi county: 116
- Share by type (all 236 native species)
-
Percent of the 236 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (58%), followed by trees (17%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 105
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 |
| big bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| bog rush Juncus biflorus | Grass or grass-like | 3.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| bulbous bittercress Cardamine bulbosa | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus | Tree | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | — |
| bushy bluestem Andropogon glomeratus | Grass or grass-like | 6.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| Canada germander Teucrium canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana | Tree | 20 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 4b |
| Carolina rose Rosa carolina | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| catbird grape Vitis palmata | Vine | 30 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6a |
| chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| common blue violet Viola sororia | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| common persimmon Diospyros virginiana | Tree | 55 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| cup plant Silphium perfoliatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 2b |
| cupseed Calycocarpum lyonii | Vine | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| deerberry Vaccinium stamineum | Shrub | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5a |
| devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12a |
| 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 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 |
| eastern swampprivet Forestiera acuminata | Tree | 33 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| 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 |
| fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| halberdleaf rosemallow Hibiscus laevis | Wildflower (forb) | 8 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 6a |
| hazel alder Alnus serrulata | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata | Vine | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6b |
| 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 |
| Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium | Grass or grass-like | 4.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 6a |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| 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 |
| prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| purpletop tridens Tridens flavus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| ridged yellow flax Linum striatum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| sassafras Sassafras albidum | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| scarlet oak Quercus coccinea | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| shortleaf pine Pinus echinata | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| shrubby St. Johnswort Hypericum prolificum | Shrub | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| silky dogwood Cornus amomum | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| squarrose sedge Carex squarrosa | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| stiff dogwood Cornus foemina | Tree | 16 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| sugarberry Celtis laevigata | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| trumpet creeper Campsis radicans | Vine | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| 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 |
| Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| white prairie clover Dalea candida | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| whiteroot rush Juncus brachycarpus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | 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 |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 131
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.
- Alabama supplejack Berchemia scandens
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
- American columbo Frasera caroliniensis
- American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
- American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
- angularfruit milkvine Matelea gonocarpos
- anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
- annual marsh elder Iva annua
- aquatic milkweed Asclepias perennis
- Atlantic pigeonwings Clitoria mariana
- beaked panicgrass Panicum anceps
- bluejacket Tradescantia ohiensis
- Bosc's panicgrass Dichanthelium boscii
- broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
- button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
- camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
- Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
- Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
- Cherokee sedge Carex cherokeensis
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
- climbing dogbane Trachelospermum difforme
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- clustered fescue Festuca paradoxa
- common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- compassplant Silphium laciniatum
- crested yellow orchid Platanthera cristata
- cutleaf grapefern Botrychium dissectum
- cylindricfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia glandulosa
- dogfennel Eupatorium capillifolium
- earleaf false foxglove Agalinis auriculata
- eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern smooth beardtongue Penstemon laevigatus
- false aloe Manfreda virginica
- false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
- fewflower ticktrefoil Desmodium pauciflorum
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
- globe flatsedge Cyperus echinatus
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- Great Plains lady's tresses Spiranthes magnicamporum
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green dragon Arisaema dracontium
- groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
- hairy angelica Angelica venenosa
- hairy bedstraw Galium pilosum
- hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
- herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
- hoary skullcap Scutellaria incana
- hyssopleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium hyssopifolium
- Indianpipe Monotropa uniflora
- lanceleaf buckthorn Rhamnus lanceolata
- lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
- largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
- lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
- lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
- lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
- longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
- man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
- maroon Carolina milkvine Matelea carolinensis
- marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
- Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
- Maryland milkwort Polygala mariana
- Mead's sedge Carex meadii
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
- narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
- narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
- narrowleaf whitetop aster Sericocarpus linifolius
- netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
- palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
- prairie rosinweed Silphium terebinthinaceum
- purple false foxglove Agalinis purpurea
- purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
- purple milkwort Polygala sanguinea
- purple passionflower Passiflora incarnata
- queendevil Hieracium gronovii
- redring milkweed Asclepias variegata
- rice button aster Symphyotrichum dumosum
- robin's plantain Erigeron pulchellus
- rosepink Sabatia angularis
- rough rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes aspera
- roundleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium rotundifolium
- roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
- rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
- seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
- sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
- silvery everlasting Gamochaeta argyrinea
- slender threeseed mercury Acalypha gracilens
- slender toothwort Cardamine angustata
- slimpod rush Juncus diffusissimus
- smallhead doll's daisy Boltonia diffusa
- smooth false buttonweed Spermacoce glabra
- soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
- southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
- spiked crested coralroot Hexalectris spicata
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
- tall blazing star Liatris aspera
- tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
- thicket bean Phaseolus polystachios
- turk's-cap lily Lilium superbum
- twining snoutbean Rhynchosia tomentosa
- Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
- Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- Virginia snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
- Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
- white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
- white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white thoroughwort Eupatorium album
- white turtlehead Chelone glabra
- whitehair rosette grass Dichanthelium villosissimum
- whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
- wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
- whorled rosinweed Silphium trifoliatum
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- wild yam Dioscorea villosa
- willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
- 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.
| Measure | Clay County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 236 | 241 | 1,473 |
| Garden-ready natives | 105 | 116 | 528 |
| Tree | 40 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 9 | — | 63 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 138 | — | 770 |
| Grass or grass-like | 26 | — | 358 |
| Vine | 20 | — | 72 |
| Fern | 3 | — | 46 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Clay County.
- Chickasaw County, MS 100 garden-ready
- Monroe County, MS 102 garden-ready
- Oktibbeha County, MS 64 garden-ready
- Webster County, MS 96 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
- Clay County (county FIPS 28025), Mississippi. 236 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