Native plants · Tennessee

Native plants of Trousdale County

131 plant species are recorded as native to Tennessee in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Trousdale County by USDA PLANTS. 48 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

Trousdale County, Tennessee

Native species: 131 Typical Tennessee county: 450 (median of 95 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 48 Typical Tennessee county: 182
Share by type (all 131 native species): Percent of the 131 native species in each growth type

Tree 15% (19)
Shrub 2% (3)
Wildflower (forb) 60% (78)
Grass or grass-like 11% (15)
Vine 6% (8)
Fern 6% (8)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (60%), followed by trees (15%).

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 48

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

Garden-ready native plants of Trousdale County, Tennessee
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 12b
American chestnut Castanea dentata	Tree	115 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
American pokeweed Phytolacca americana	Wildflower (forb)	7.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
bearded beggarticks Bidens aristosa	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12b
black locust Robinia pseudoacacia	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
black walnut Juglans nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium	Tree	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
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
buckthorn bully Sideroxylon lycioides	Tree	9.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus	Tree	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	—
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
Carolina elephantsfoot Elephantopus carolinianus	Wildflower (forb)	2.7 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
common evening primrose Oenothera biennis	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
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
flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata	Grass or grass-like	5.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata	Vine	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6b
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
little barley Hordeum pusillum	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
northern spicebush Lindera benzoin	Tree	12 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra	Tree	68 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
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
rock elm Ulmus thomasii	Tree	90 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
sawtooth blackberry Rubus argutus	Shrub	8.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
spring avens Geum vernum	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
white ash Fraxinus americana	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
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

Other native species recorded here 83

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
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
bloody butcher Trillium recurvatum
blue ash Fraxinus quadrangulata
blue waxweed Cuphea viscosissima
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
Carolina desert-chicory Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
celandine poppy Stylophorum diphyllum
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
crossvine Bignonia capreolata
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
fernleaf phacelia Phacelia bipinnatifida
fire pink Silene virginica
fluxweed Trichostema brachiatum
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
great waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
James' sedge Carex jamesii
largeseed forget-me-not Myosotis macrosperma
lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
lemonyellow false goldenaster Heterotheca camporum
longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata
maroon Carolina milkvine Matelea carolinensis
Miami mist Phacelia purshii
narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
narrowleaf wild leek Allium burdickii
navel cornsalad Valerianella umbilicata
Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
Philadelphia panicgrass Panicum philadelphicum
pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
pitcher's stitchwort Minuartia patula
poorjoe Diodia teres
prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
purple passionflower Passiflora incarnata
ramp Allium tricoccum
richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
rose mock vervain Glandularia canadensis
roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
satincurls Clematis catesbyana
Short's aster Symphyotrichum shortii
slim amaranth Amaranthus hybridus
Small's ragwort Packera anonyma
smallflower baby blue eyes Nemophila aphylla
smooth ticktrefoil Desmodium laevigatum
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
Spanish needles Bidens bipinnata
spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
Tennessee bladderfern Cystopteris tennesseensis
tinted woodland spurge Euphorbia commutata
toadshade Trillium sessile
twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla
twoflower melicgrass Melica mutica
walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
white bear sedge Carex albursina
white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
whiteflower leafcup Polymnia canadensis
wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
yellow crownbeard Verbesina occidentalis

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.

climbing false buckwheatPolygonum scandens

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, Trousdale County and Tennessee
Measure	Trousdale County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	131	450	1,844
Garden-ready natives	48	182	606
Tree	19	—	189
Shrub	3	—	88
Wildflower (forb)	78	—	988
Grass or grass-like	15	—	420
Vine	8	—	81
Fern	8	—	78

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Trousdale County.

Macon County, TN 91 garden-ready
Smith County, TN 80 garden-ready
Sumner County, TN 265 garden-ready
Wilson County, TN 154 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: Trousdale County (county FIPS 47169), Tennessee. 131 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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