Native plants · Tennessee

Native plants of Moore County

152 plant species are recorded as native to Tennessee in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Moore County by USDA PLANTS. 54 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Moore County, Tennessee

Native species: 152 Typical Tennessee county: 450 (median of 95 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 54 Typical Tennessee county: 182
Share by type (all 152 native species): Percent of the 152 native species in each growth type

Tree 13% (19)
Shrub 9% (13)
Wildflower (forb) 53% (80)
Grass or grass-like 13% (20)
Vine 5% (7)
Fern 9% (13)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (53%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (13%).

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

Garden-ready natives 54

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

Garden-ready native plants of Moore County, Tennessee
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American beech Fagus grandifolia	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
American hazelnut Corylus americana	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
autumn bluegrass Poa autumnalis	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
black chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa	Shrub	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 9b
black huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata	Shrub	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
black oak Quercus velutina	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
buckthorn bully Sideroxylon lycioides	Tree	9.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
Bush's sedge Carex bushii	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
calico aster Symphyotrichum lateriflorum	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis	Wildflower (forb)	5.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
cat greenbrier Smilax glauca	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
chestnut oak Quercus montana	Tree	73 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea	Fern	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea	Tree	36 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
coppery St. Johnswort Hypericum denticulatum	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7b
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum	Shrub	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
dense blazing star Liatris spicata	Wildflower (forb)	4.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
greater bladder sedge Carex intumescens	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum	Shrub	12 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens	Wildflower (forb)	3.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens	Shrub	14 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
needleleaf rosette grass Dichanthelium aciculare	Grass or grass-like	1.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 7b
New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis	Fern	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
nodding lady's tresses Spiranthes cernua	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum	Fern	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia	Shrub	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7a
Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra	Tree	68 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
orangegrass Hypericum gentianoides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 12a
possumhaw Viburnum nudum	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
post oak Quercus stellata	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
pride of Ohio Dodecatheon meadia	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
purplehead sneezeweed Helenium flexuosum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	Low	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
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
shortbristle horned beaksedge Rhynchospora corniculata	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
slender spikerush Eleocharis tenuis	Grass or grass-like	2.9 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
slender woodoats Chasmanthium laxum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
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
St. Peterswort Hypericum crux-andreae	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera	Tree	120 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Virginia water horehound Lycopus virginicus	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
white edge sedge Carex debilis	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6a
white oak Quercus alba	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
winged elm Ulmus alata	Tree	65 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
yellow fumewort Corydalis flavula	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 98

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.

American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
American ipecac Gillenia stipulata
axilflower Mecardonia acuminata
azure bluet Houstonia caerulea
black edge sedge Carex nigromarginata
Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
Canada toadflax Nuttallanthus canadensis
Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
clustered beaksedge Rhynchospora glomerata
clustered mountainmint Pycnanthemum muticum
common moonseed Menispermum canadense
common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
crested yellow orchid Platanthera cristata
crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
Curtiss' milkwort Polygala curtissii
cylindricfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia glandulosa
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
dogfennel Eupatorium capillifolium
downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
early goldenrod Solidago juncea
eastern blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium atlanticum
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
Elliott's rush Juncus elliottii
fire pink Silene virginica
fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
greater tickseed Coreopsis major
handsome Harry Rhexia virginica
harvestbells Gentiana saponaria
heartleaf skullcap Scutellaria ovata
helmet flower Scutellaria integrifolia
hirsute sedge Carex complanata
Illinois pinweed Lechea racemulosa
largeseed forget-me-not Myosotis macrosperma
lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
Louisiana sedge Carex louisianica
lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
moccasin flower Cypripedium acaule
narrow plumegrass Saccharum baldwinii
narrowleaf primrose-willow Ludwigia linearis
nodding onion Allium cernuum
openflower rosette grass Dichanthelium laxiflorum
parasol whitetop Doellingeria umbellata
potato dwarfdandelion Krigia dandelion
purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
purple false foxglove Agalinis purpurea
queendevil Hieracium gronovii
red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
rock buttercup Ranunculus micranthus
rough boneset Eupatorium pilosum
rough panicgrass Dichanthelium leucothrix
roundleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium rotundifolium
rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
satincurls Clematis catesbyana
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
sensitive partridge pea Chamaecrista nictitans
sessileleaf bellwort Uvularia sessilifolia
shaggy hedgehyssop Gratiola pilosa
slender rose gentian Sabatia campanulata
slender woodland sedge Carex digitalis
slender yelloweyed grass Xyris torta
small woodland sunflower Helianthus microcephalus
Small's ragwort Packera anonyma
smallflower baby blue eyes Nemophila aphylla
smallflower thoroughwort Eupatorium semiserratum
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
spreading sedge Carex laxiculmis
spring coralroot Corallorhiza wisteriana
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
star chickweed Stellaria pubera
stiff cowbane Oxypolis rigidior
striped prince's pine Chimaphila maculata
tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
toadshade Trillium sessile
twoflower dwarfdandelion Krigia biflora
Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
Virginia dwarfdandelion Krigia virginica
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
Virginia snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria
Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
wavyleaf aster Symphyotrichum undulatum
weak rush Juncus debilis
white colicroot Aletris farinosa
white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
white trillium Trillium grandiflorum
whorled yellow loosestrife Lysimachia quadrifolia
wild yam Dioscorea villosa

Compared with Tennessee

The typical county is the median of the 95 Tennessee 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, Moore County and Tennessee
Measure	Moore County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	152	450	1,844
Garden-ready natives	54	182	606
Tree	19	—	189
Shrub	13	—	88
Wildflower (forb)	80	—	988
Grass or grass-like	20	—	420
Vine	7	—	81
Fern	13	—	78

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Moore County.

Bedford County, TN 117 garden-ready
Coffee County, TN 303 garden-ready
Franklin County, TN 309 garden-ready
Lincoln County, TN 115 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: Moore County (county FIPS 47127), Tennessee. 152 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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