Native plants · New York

Native plants of Montgomery County

221 plant species are recorded as native to New York in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Montgomery County by USDA PLANTS. 80 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 3 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Montgomery County, New York

Native species: 221 Typical New York county: 699 (median of 62 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 80 Typical New York county: 299
Share by type (all 221 native species): Percent of the 221 native species in each growth type

Tree 7% (16)
Shrub 5% (10)
Wildflower (forb) 38% (85)
Grass or grass-like 33% (72)
Vine 3% (6)
Fern 14% (32)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (38%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (33%).

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 5b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 80

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

Garden-ready native plants of Montgomery County, New York
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American bittersweet Celastrus scandens	Vine	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
American black currant Ribes americanum	Shrub	3 ft	—	—	Zone 2b
American elm Ulmus americana	Tree	120 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
Bailey's sedge Carex baileyi	Grass or grass-like	2.1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2b
black maple Acer nigrum	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
black oak Quercus velutina	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
bur-reed sedge Carex sparganioides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea	Fern	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common cowparsnip Heracleum maximum	Wildflower (forb)	8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 2b
common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
crested woodfern Dryopteris cristata	Fern	1.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 12b
cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata	Wildflower (forb)	8.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
Dewey sedge Carex deweyana	Grass or grass-like	3.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
drooping sedge Carex prasina	Grass or grass-like	2.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
fowl bluegrass Poa palustris	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata	Grass or grass-like	5.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
fringed brome Bromus ciliatus	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
golden sedge Carex aurea	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
graceful sedge Carex gracillima	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
gray dogwood Cornus racemosa	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
greater straw sedge Carex normalis	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
groundnut Apios americana	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
hairyfruit sedge Carex trichocarpa	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
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
inland sedge Carex interior	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
jointleaf rush Juncus articulatus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
knotted rush Juncus nodosus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
limestone meadow sedge Carex granularis	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
longhair sedge Carex comosa	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium	Shrub	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
Mexican muhly Muhlenbergia mexicana	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
necklace sedge Carex projecta	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus	Shrub	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis	Fern	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
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
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
panicled bulrush Scirpus microcarpus	Grass or grass-like	5.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis	Grass or grass-like	11 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
purplestem beggarticks Bidens connata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
quill sedge Carex tenera	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum	Fern	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
riverbank grape Vitis riparia	Vine	45 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
riverbank wildrye Elymus riparius	Grass or grass-like	4.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
shagbark hickory Carya ovata	Tree	75 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
shining willow Salix lucida	Tree	13 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Tree	85 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
spiked muhly Muhlenbergia glomerata	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
spotted joe pye weed Eutrochium maculatum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
sweet fern Comptonia peregrina	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
troublesome sedge Carex molesta	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile	Fern	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
white avens Geum canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
woodland muhly Muhlenbergia sylvatica	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
yellow birch Betula alleghaniensis	Tree	75 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 2b
zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 141

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 hawkweed Hieracium paniculatum
American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
American golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium americanum
American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
American mannagrass Glyceria grandis
American wintergreen Pyrola americana
Appalachian gooseberry Ribes rotundifolium
bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
bashful bulrush Trichophorum planifolium
Beck's water-marigold Bidens beckii
biennial beeblossom Oenothera gaura
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
blackseed ricegrass Patis racemosa
blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
bristleleaf sedge Carex eburnea
brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
broadleaf sedge Carex platyphylla
bulblet bladderfern Cystopteris bulbifera
Canada mayflower Maianthemum canadense
Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
climbing false buckwheat Polygonum scandens
Clinton's woodfern Dryopteris clintoniana
Columbian watermeal Wolffia columbiana
common moonseed Menispermum canadense
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
downy pagoda-plant Blephilia ciliata
Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
dwarf chinquapin oak Quercus prinoides
early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
early saxifrage Saxifraga virginiensis
eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
eastern hayscented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
eastern marsh fern Thelypteris palustris
eastern prickly gooseberry Ribes cynosbati
eastern star sedge Carex radiata
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
erect knotweed Polygonum erectum
fairywand Chamaelirium luteum
fen grass of Parnassus Parnassia glauca
fibrousroot sedge Carex communis
fragile rockbrake Cryptogramma stelleri
fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
Gattinger's panicgrass Panicum gattingeri
glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
golden zizia Zizia aurea
Goldie's woodfern Dryopteris goldieana
great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
green fringed orchid Platanthera lacera
grove bluegrass Poa alsodes
hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus
hairystem gooseberry Ribes hirtellum
heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
Hitchcock's sedge Carex hitchcockiana
inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
intermediate woodfern Dryopteris intermedia
jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
largepod pinweed Lechea intermedia
lesser Canadian St. Johnswort Hypericum canadense
longbranch frostweed Helianthemum canadense
longstalk sedge Carex pedunculata
maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
meadow garlic Allium canadense
meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
Michaux's stitchwort Minuartia michauxii
Ontario lobelia Lobelia kalmii
orangefruit horse-gentian Triosteum aurantiacum
pale dock Rumex altissimus
pale sedge Carex pallescens
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
plantainleaf sedge Carex plantaginea
poke milkweed Asclepias exaltata
poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
purple milkwort Polygala sanguinea
purplestem angelica Angelica atropurpurea
red baneberry Actaea rubra
richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
robin's plantain Erigeron pulchellus
rock polypody Polypodium virginianum
rosy sedge Carex rosea
rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
Schreber's aster Eurybia schreberi
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
shaved sedge Carex tonsa
silver false spleenwort Deparia acrostichoides
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slender wedgescale Sphenopholis intermedia
slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
slimflower muhly Muhlenbergia tenuiflora
slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
smoothsheath sedge Carex laevivaginata
soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
spinulose woodfern Dryopteris carthusiana
spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
strict blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium montanum
summer coralroot Corallorhiza maculata
sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
thinleaf sedge Carex cephaloidea
tower rockcress Arabis glabra
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
upland brittle bladderfern Cystopteris tenuis
variegated scouringrush Equisetum variegatum
walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
wallrue Asplenium ruta-muraria
western oakfern Gymnocarpium dryopteris
white bear sedge Carex albursina
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
white rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes alba
white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
white trillium Trillium grandiflorum
whiteflower leafcup Polymnia canadensis
whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
witchgrass Panicum capillare
wormseed sandmat Chamaesyce vermiculata
yellow water buttercup Ranunculus flabellaris
yellowfruit sedge Carex annectens

Also listed as native and introduced here 3

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
common reedPhragmites australis
Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis

Compared with New York

The typical county is the median of the 62 New York 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, Montgomery County and New York
Measure	Montgomery County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	221	699	1,886
Garden-ready natives	80	299	655
Tree	16	—	171
Shrub	10	—	120
Wildflower (forb)	85	—	970
Grass or grass-like	72	—	472
Vine	6	—	56
Fern	32	—	97

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Montgomery County.

Fulton County, NY 149 garden-ready
Herkimer County, NY 233 garden-ready
Otsego County, NY 165 garden-ready
Saratoga County, NY 319 garden-ready
Schenectady County, NY 242 garden-ready
Schoharie County, NY 153 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: Montgomery County (county FIPS 36057), New York. 221 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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