Native plants · West Virginia

Native plants of Lincoln County

159 plant species are recorded as native to West Virginia in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Lincoln County by USDA PLANTS. 45 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

Lincoln County, West Virginia

Native species: 159 Typical West Virginia county: 410 (median of 55 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 45 Typical West Virginia county: 177
Share by type (all 159 native species): Percent of the 159 native species in each growth type

Tree 9% (14)
Shrub 4% (7)
Wildflower (forb) 57% (91)
Grass or grass-like 14% (23)
Vine 5% (8)
Fern 10% (16)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (57%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (14%).

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 7a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 45

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

Garden-ready native plants of Lincoln County, West Virginia
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
black locust Robinia pseudoacacia	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Carolina rose Rosa carolina	Shrub	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea	Tree	36 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
crested woodfern Dryopteris cristata	Fern	1.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
crimsoneyed rosemallow Hibiscus moscheutos	Wildflower (forb)	6.6 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6a
deertongue Dichanthelium clandestinum	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
downy yellow violet Viola pubescens	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
field horsetail Equisetum arvense	Fern	11 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
flattened oatgrass Danthonia compressa	Grass or grass-like	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata	Grass or grass-like	5.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
frost grape Vitis vulpina	Vine	83 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
giant cane Arundinaria gigantea	Shrub	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
groundnut Apios americana	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana	Fern	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
New York fern Thelypteris noveboracensis	Fern	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum	Fern	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
pawpaw Asimina triloba	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
pignut hickory Carya glabra	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
pink azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5b
pitch pine Pinus rigida	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
red mulberry Morus rubra	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
river birch Betula nigra	Tree	70 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
sassafras Sassafras albidum	Tree	75 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
shingle oak Quercus imbricaria	Tree	45 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Tree	85 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
sugar maple Acer saccharum	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica	Wildflower (forb)	2.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
white avens Geum canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
woolgrass Scirpus cyperinus	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
yellow fumewort Corydalis flavula	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b
zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 114

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 alumroot Heuchera americana
American climbing fern Lygodium palmatum
American senna Senna hebecarpa
Appalachian barren strawberry Waldsteinia fragarioides
autumn coralroot Corallorhiza odontorhiza
blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
Blue Ridge blueberry Vaccinium pallidum
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
broad looseflower sedge Carex laxiflora
Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
Canadian white violet Viola canadensis
Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina springbeauty Claytonia caroliniana
Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
celandine poppy Stylophorum diphyllum
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
common dittany Cunila origanoides
common woodrush Luzula multiflora
common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
crinkleroot Cardamine diphylla
crossvine Bignonia capreolata
cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
dwarf crested iris Iris cristata
dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
early blue violet Viola ×palmata
early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
early saxifrage Saxifraga virginiensis
eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
eastern gray beardtongue Penstemon canescens
eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
eastern marsh fern Thelypteris palustris
eastern smooth beardtongue Penstemon laevigatus
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
field pansy Viola bicolor
fire pink Silene virginica
flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
fourleaf milkweed Asclepias quadrifolia
fourleaf yam Dioscorea quaternata
goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
greater tickseed Coreopsis major
Greek valerian Polemonium reptans
hairy woodrush Luzula acuminata
harbinger of spring Erigenia bulbosa
hornleaf riverweed Podostemum ceratophyllum
Indian cucumber Medeola virginiana
largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
lobed spleenwort Asplenium pinnatifidum
longspur violet Viola rostrata
marginal woodfern Dryopteris marginalis
mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
openflower rosette grass Dichanthelium laxiflorum
Parlin's pussytoes Antennaria parlinii
pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
poverty oatgrass Danthonia spicata
red trillium Trillium erectum
rock polypody Polypodium virginianum
rosepink Sabatia angularis
roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
sensitive partridge pea Chamaecrista nictitans
shortstalk false bindweed Calystegia silvatica
silver false spleenwort Deparia acrostichoides
silver plumegrass Saccharum alopecuroides
singlehead pussytoes Antennaria solitaria
slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
southern woodland violet Viola hirsutula
spleenwort Asplenium ×ebenoides
spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
spring forget-me-not Myosotis verna
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
star chickweed Stellaria pubera
striped cream violet Viola striata
swamp thistle Cirsium muticum
Swan's sedge Carex swanii
sweet white violet Viola blanda
tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
toadshade Trillium sessile
trailing arbutus Epigaea repens
twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla
twoflower dwarfdandelion Krigia biflora
twoflower melicgrass Melica mutica
Venus' pride Houstonia purpurea
violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
Virginia pennywort Obolaria virginica
Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
white bear sedge Carex albursina
white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
white trillium Trillium grandiflorum
whitestar Ipomoea lacunosa
whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
Willdenow's sedge Carex willdenowii
woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia
woodland stonecrop Sedum ternatum
yellow crownbeard Verbesina occidentalis
yellow pimpernel Taenidia integerrima
yellowfruit horse-gentian Triosteum angustifolium

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.

Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis

Compared with West Virginia

The typical county is the median of the 55 West Virginia 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, Lincoln County and West Virginia
Measure	Lincoln County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	159	410	1,519
Garden-ready natives	45	177	528
Tree	14	—	153
Shrub	7	—	98
Wildflower (forb)	91	—	810
Grass or grass-like	23	—	314
Vine	8	—	59
Fern	16	—	85

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Lincoln County.

Boone County, WV 66 garden-ready
Cabell County, WV 177 garden-ready
Kanawha County, WV 240 garden-ready
Logan County, WV 74 garden-ready
Putnam County, WV 111 garden-ready
Wayne County, WV 187 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: Lincoln County (county FIPS 54043), West Virginia. 159 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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