Native range
Native plants of North Carolina
201 wild species and 20 plant groups in the BloomsEye library grow wild somewhere in North Carolina, read from Kew's World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS. The 168 garden forms of them are listed apart below, each naming its wild parent.
Showing 1 to 60 of 221 plants
How this list is made
Derived from each plant's native-range record, checked against Kew's World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS with every decision on a ledger; North Carolina is read off the record's own range, and the order is how many of the state's counties record each plant, as stored in the BloomsEye library, which was written with AI assistance. Of these 221 plants, 205 have been checked against outside sources (6 fully verified); the rest have not been checked yet, and each plant's own page says which. The cards are AI-generated illustrations.
Range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0, adapted) and USDA PLANTS. How the native range is credited.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Full sunZones 3–92 ftLow
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Soft Rush
Juncus effusus
Full sunZones 4–93 ftHigh
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Full sunZones 3–98.5 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Part shadeZones 5–923 ftModerate
FoliageLady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina
Part shadeZones 4–82.5 ftModerate
FoliageRed Maple
Acer rubrum
Full sunZones 3–949 ftModerate
American Holly
Ilex opaca
Full sunZones 5–935 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Smooth Solomon's Seal
Polygonatum biflorum
Part shadeZones 3–83.5 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs
American Hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana
Part shadeZones 3–925 ftModerate
Red Chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
Full sunZones 4–99 ftModerate
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
Full sunZones 4–83.5 ftModerate
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Full sunZones 3–93.5 ftLow
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Part sunZones 3–93.5 ftHigh
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Possumhaw Viburnum
Viburnum nudum
Full sunZones 5–98.5 ftModerate
New York Ironweed
Vernonia noveboracensis
Full sunZones 5–96 ftModerate
False Solomon's Seal
Maianthemum racemosum
Part shadeZones 3–82.5 ftModerate
White Oak
Quercus alba
Full sunZones 3–965 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs
Flava (Yellow Trumpet)
Campsis radicans f. flava
Full sunZones 4–926 ftModerate
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Full sunZones 4–96 ftModerate
Trumpet Vine
Campsis radicans
Full sunZones 4–926 ftModerate
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Full sunZones 5–98.5 ftModerate
FoliageChristmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Full shadeZones 3–91.5 ftModerate
Common Witch Hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Full sunZones 3–817 ftModerate
Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Full sunZones 4–82.5 ftModerate
Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
Full sunZones 5–969 ftModerate
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
Part shadeZones 5–99 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
Part shadeZones 3–81.5 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Full sunZones 5–91.5 ftLow
FoliageEastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Full sunZones 2–945 ftModerate
Hardy Hibiscus
Hibiscus moscheutos
Full sunZones 5–94 ftHigh
FoliageCinnamon Fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Part shadeZones 3–93.5 ftHigh
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Full sunZones 4–915 ftModerate
FoliageRoyal Fern
Osmunda regalis
Part shadeZones 3–94 ftHigh
Tulip Tree
Liriodendron tulipifera
Full sunZones 4–966 ftModerate
Pinxterbloom Azalea
Rhododendron periclymenoides
Part shadeZones 4–95.5 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
Full sunZones 3–84 ftHigh
Hollow Joe Pye Weed
Eutrochium fistulosum
Full sunZones 4–86 ftModerate
Virginia Sweetspire
Itea virginica
Part sunZones 5–94.5 ftModerate
Common Persimmon
Diospyros virginiana
Full sunZones 4–935 ftModerate
American Alumroot
Heuchera americana
Part shadeZones 4–92 ftModerate
Silky Dogwood
Cornus amomum
Part shadeZones 4–88.5 ftModerate
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Full sunZones 3–93.5 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Full sunZones 3–940 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
FoliageRiver Birch
Betula nigra
Full sunZones 4–949 ftHigh
Common Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Full sunZones 3–92.5 ftModerate
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Part shadeZones 3–94 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Smooth Sumac
Rhus glabra
Full sunZones 3–912 ftModerate
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Full sunZones 3–96.5 ftHigh
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Part sunZones 6–106 ftModerate
White Fringetree
Chionanthus virginicus
Full sunZones 3–917 ftModerate
Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod
Solidago caesia
Part shadeZones 4–82.5 ftModerate
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Part shadeZones 4–99.5 ftModerate
Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica
Full sunZones 4–940 ftModerate
Blackhaw
Viburnum prunifolium
Full sunZones 3–913 ftModerate
Blue Mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum
Part shadeZones 5–102 ftModerate
Downy Serviceberry
Amelanchier arborea
Part sunZones 4–920 ftModerate
Rosy Sedge
Carex rosea
Part shadeZones 4–812 inModerate
Swamp Sunflower
Helianthus angustifolius
Full sunZones 5–96 ftModerate
Black Cohosh
Actaea racemosa
Part shadeZones 3–85 ftModerate
Listed as toxic to dogs and cats
Mapleleaf Viburnum
Viburnum acerifolium
Part shadeZones 3–84.5 ftModerate
Recorded across North Carolina
How many of the state's 100 counties record each wild species growing wild, from USDA PLANTS: a plant recorded in many counties is widespread in North Carolina; one recorded in few may be local, or simply under-recorded. A county's absence is not evidence a plant is absent. 192 of the wild species carry a county record here.
- Butterfly Weed
- Soft Rush
- American Elderberry
- Flowering Dogwood
- Lady Fern
- Red Maple
- American Holly
- Smooth Solomon's Seal
- American Hornbeam
- Red Chokeberry
- New Jersey Tea
- Little Bluestem
- Cardinal Flower
- Possumhaw Viburnum
- New York Ironweed
- False Solomon's Seal
- White Oak
- Flava (Yellow Trumpet)
- Indiangrass
- Trumpet Vine
- Buttonbush
- Christmas Fern
- Common Witch Hazel
- Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
- Sweetgum
- Mountain Laurel
- Mayapple
- Purple Lovegrass
- Eastern Red Cedar
- Hardy Hibiscus
- Cinnamon Fern
- Coral Honeysuckle
- Royal Fern
- Tulip Tree
- Pinxterbloom Azalea
- Common Sneezeweed
- Hollow Joe Pye Weed
- Virginia Sweetspire
- Common Persimmon
- American Alumroot
- Silky Dogwood
- Swamp Milkweed
- Virginia Creeper
- River Birch
- Common Black-Eyed Susan
- Smooth Hydrangea
- Smooth Sumac
- Winterberry
- American Beautyberry
- White Fringetree
- Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod
- Spicebush
- Black Gum
- Blackhaw
- Blue Mistflower
- Downy Serviceberry
- Rosy Sedge
- Swamp Sunflower
- Black Cohosh
- Mapleleaf Viburnum
- Sweetbay Magnolia
- Switchgrass
- Pink Muhly Grass
- American Hazelnut
- Common Pawpaw
- Heartleaf Foamflower
- Swamp Azalea
- White Wood Aster
- White-Tinged Sedge
- Wild Geranium
- Carolina Rose
- Maidenhair Fern
- Green and Gold
- Eastern Red Columbine
- Eastern Redbud
- Northern Sea Oats
- Sweet Joe Pye Weed
- American Linden
- Crossvine
- Inkberry Holly
- Northern Red Oak
- Sensitive Fern
- Southern Wax Myrtle
- Willow Oak
- Carolina Allspice
- Dwarf Crested Iris
- Summersweet
- Southern Blue Flag
- Carolina Jessamine
- Rattlesnake Master
- White Turtlehead
- Golden Ragwort
- Whorled Milkweed
- Woodland Stonecrop
- Clustered Mountain Mint
- Coast Leucothoe
- Eastern Bluestar
- Shrubby St. John's Wort
- American Wintergreen
- Possumhaw Holly
- American Hophornbeam
- Blue Wood Aster
- Hay Scented Fern
- Shadblow Serviceberry
- Goatsbeard
- Marginal Wood Fern
- Bald Cypress
- Bottlebrush Grass
- Drooping Leucothoe
- Eastern Star Sedge
- Ninebark
- Rosebay Rhododendron
- Perennial Black-Eyed Susan
- Wild Bee Balm
- Honeylocust
- Wild Ginger
- Blue Wood Sedge
- Cucumbertree Magnolia
- False Sunflower
- Golden Alexanders
- Common Milkweed
- Eastern White Pine
- New York Aster
- Adam's Needle
- Annual Phlox
- Lavender Annual Phlox
- Peach Annual Phlox
- Purple Annual Phlox
- Red Annual Phlox
- White Annual Phlox
- Eastern Hemlock
- Fragrant Sumac
- Pennsylvania Sedge
- Dwarf Fothergilla
- Nodding Onion
- Garden Phlox
- Pagoda Dogwood
- Brown-Eyed Susan
- Black Chokeberry
- Dense Blazing Star
- White Wild Indigo
- Sugar Maple
- Allegheny Serviceberry
- Creeping Woodland Phlox
- Great Blue Lobelia
- Silver Maple
- Staghorn Sumac
- Arrowwood
- Brome-Like Sedge
- Dutchman's Pipe
- Gray's Sedge
- Red Buckeye
- Live Oak
- Seersucker Sedge
- Red Elderberry
- Zigzag Goldenrod
- Carolina Lupine
- Chinkapin Oak
- Culver's Root
- Large Fothergilla
- Mountain Stewartia
- Smooth Blue Aster
- Yaupon Holly
- Pin Oak
- Spotted Joe Pye Weed
- Swamp White Oak
- Texas Sedge
- Woodland Phlox
- New England Aster
- Roundleaf Ragwort
- Common Hackberry
- Stiff Goldenrod
- Blue Indigo
- Purple Coneflower
- Northern Bush Honeysuckle
- Creeping Phlox
- Pale Purple Coneflower
- Queen of the Prairie
- Southern Magnolia
- Chokecherry
- Creeping Jacob's Ladder
- Northern Bayberry
- Allegheny Spurge
- Aromatic Aster
- Bristleleaf Sedge
- Canby's Mountain Lover
- Cherokee Sedge
- Prairie Dropseed Grass
- Quaking Aspen
- Sideoats Grama
- Tufted Hairgrass
- Virginia Bluebells
Garden forms of North Carolina natives
168 garden forms, each a named selection of a species that grows wild in North Carolina and each naming its wild parent. A garden form is not the wild plant, so it is listed here and never counted above.
- Alba Gayfeather
- Alma Pötschke
- Alpine Carpet Juniper
- Amazing Grace
- Amber Jubilee
- Amethyst Falls Wisteria
- Annabelle
- Appalachian Red
- Aquavita Juniper
- Athena Gold False Sunflower
- Autumn Bride Coral Bells
- Autumn Colors
- Baby Joe Dwarf Joe Pye Weed
- Balmy Purple
- Barbara Ann Climbing Hydrangea
- Bayside Bonito Southern Wax Myrtle
- Berry Heavy
- Berry Poppins
- Berry Scape Aronia
- Blackhawks Big Bluestem
- Blackjack Gold Black-Eyed Susan
- Blaze
- Blue Blaze Viburnum
- Blue Moon Woodland Phlox
- Blue Muffin Viburnum
- Blue Paradise
- Bobee Northern Bayberry
- Bordeaux Dwarf Yaupon Holly
- Brandywine Viburnum
- Bridesmaid Mountain Laurel
- Bright Eyes
- Bronze Wave Coral Bells
- Bubblegum Pink Garden Phlox
- Bunny Blue Sedge
- Candy Stripe
- Caramel
- Carol Mountain Laurel
- Carousel Mountain Laurel
- Cheer Drops Arborvitae
- Cherokee Brave
- Cherokee Chief
- Cherokee Princess
- Cherry Berries Wintergreen
- Cherry Brandy
- Citronelle
- Claire Grace
- Cloud Nine
- Coconut Lime
- Color Guard Yucca
- Columnar White Pine
- Coppertina
- Coral Flame
- Crème Brûlée
- Crimson Comet Buttonbush
- Crimson Trumpet
- Danica
- David
- DeGroot's Spire
- Densa Inkberry
- Denver Daisy
- Deschampsia Goldtau Grass
- Designer Threads Golden Needles Coreopsis
- Designer Threads Heartstrings Coreopsis
- Designer Threads Scarlet Ribbons Coreopsis
- Diabolo
- DreamScape Hydrangea
- Dressed To Thrill Crossvine
- Drummond's Pink
- Dwarf White Pine
- Early Sunrise
- Elf Mountain Laurel
- Emerald Blue
- Emerald Green
- Emerald Pink
- Eye Candy Moss Phlox
- Eye Shadow Moss Phlox
- Falling Waters
- Fire Chief
- Fireworks Goldenrod
- Flame Thrower
- Forest Pansy
- Gentsch White
- Golden Globe
- Goldilocks
- Goldsturm
- Grand Marshall
- Green Jewel
- Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac
- Hearts of Gold
- Heavy Metal
- Henry's Garnet Sweetspire
- Holmstrup
- Hummingbird
- Incrediball Hydrangea
- Indian Summer
- Invincibelle Spirit II Hydrangea
- Jeana
- Jeddeloh Hemlock
- Laura
- Lavender Twist
- Lemony Lace Elderberry
- Little Devil
- Little Gem Magnolia
- Little Henry Sweetspire
- Luminary Ultraviolet
- Luna Pink Swirl
- Luna White
- Magnus
- Major Wheeler
- Moonbeam
- New England Aster 'Barr's Pink'
- New England Aster 'Harrington's Pink'
- Nicky
- Northwind
- Nugget
- October Skies
- Orange Perfection
- Pardon My Purple
- Patricia Ballard
- Peve Minaret
- Pink Double Delight
- Pink Spire
- PowWow Wild Berry
- Prairie Sun
- Professor Kippenberg
- Purple Beauty
- Purple Dome
- Purple Phlox
- Purple Rooster
- Rainbow Leucothoe
- Rainbow Pillar
- Raydon's Favorite
- Red Sprite
- Red Wings
- Rheingold
- River Mist
- Robert Poore
- Route 66
- Royal White Redbud
- Ruby Falls
- Ruby Spice
- Sarah Mountain Laurel
- Scarlet Flame
- Scarletta Leucothoe
- Shamrock Inkberry Holly
- Shawnee Brave
- Shenandoah
- Sienna Sunset
- Sixteen Candles
- Starfire
- Sugar Buzz Cherry Pops
- Sugar Shack Buttonbush
- Summer Wine
- Techny
- The Rising Sun
- Tiger Eyes Sumac
- Tiny Wine
- Toto Gold
- Twilight Zone
- Vanilla Spice
- Weeping Hemlock
- Weeping White Pine
- White Delight
- White Flame
- White Swan
- Winter Gold
- Winter Red
- Zagreb
Plant groups native to North Carolina
20 plant groups sold under one name whose wild species grow in North Carolina; the count beside each is how many of its wild species the record finds in the state.
Keep exploring
Growing natives in North Carolina
This list is the library's cut of North Carolina's flora, not a planting guide. For sources, plant sales and local advice, North Carolina has its own native plant society, the North Carolina Native Plant Society, and its extension office, NC State Extension; both are linked below and neither is connected to BloomsEye.
Native to your own county
This page is the whole state. In the free garden planner, enter your ZIP and Garden Check lists these same plants for your location, marks the ones recorded growing wild in your county, and places any of them in your plan; its Browse tab answers for any of the 65 states, provinces and territories with no account.
Design your garden
Drop plants onto a 3D plan, see how they fill in, and watch the whole garden bloom across the year.