Flora of Kentucky

Iris × fulvala is a hybrid species between Iris brevicaulis and Iris fulva (American copper iris).

Solidago albopilosa is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name whitehair goldenrod. It is a perennial herb that is endemic to the state of Kentucky in the southeastern United States. It is threatened by recreational activities in its habitat and is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

Orbexilum stipulatum, the largestipule leather-root or Falls-of-the-Ohio scurfpea, was a flowering plant that was endemic to Rock Island in the Falls of the Ohio; an area of rapids and rocky limestone outcrops in Kentucky's portion of the Ohio River. No live individuals have been found since 1881 and it is presumed to be extinct.

Trifolium kentuckiense is a rare species of clover commonly known as Kentucky clover.

Conradina verticillata is a flowering shrub in the mint family, found in the Cumberland Plateau. It is also called Conradina montana, Cumberland rosemary or Cumberland false rosemary. It has been classified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1991.

Solidago shortii, commonly known as Short's goldenrod, is a species of goldenrod in the family Asteraceae. The only known populations of Short's goldenrod occur around the Blue Licks Battlefield State Park area of Kentucky and Harrison-Crawford State Forest in Indiana. It was listed on the Federal Register of Endangered Species on September 5, 1985, and was given a global rank of G1 (critically endangered) on February 29, 2000.

Eurybia saxicastelli, commonly known as the Rockcastle aster, is an herbaceous perennial native to the south eastern United States. It is present only in the states of Kentucky and Tennessee along the Rockcastle River and the nearby Big South Fork River. As a result of its extremely restricted range as well as human alterations to its habitat, it is considered critically imperiled by NatureServe. The flowers appear in the late summer through fall and have ray florets that are pale blue to pale white and yellow disc florets that turn purplish with age.

Ageratina luciae-brauniae is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Lucy Braun's snakeroot and rockhouse white snakeroot. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is limited to the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee. It may also occur in South Carolina but these reports are unconfirmed. This perennial herb grows 30 to 60 centimeters tall. It has oppositely arranged leaves with thin oval or somewhat triangular blades up to 8 centimeters long by 9 wide. The inflorescence is a cluster of flower heads containing white disc florets and

Silphium wasiotense, commonly called Appalachian rosinweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native eastern to North America, where it is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee. Its natural habitat is in dry open woodlands. It is considered rare throughout its range. Silphium wasiotense is an erect herbaceous perennial. It has large, toothed, persistent basal leaves, and similar cauline leaves which are reduced in size up the stem. Silphium wasiotense can be distinguished from the similar looking Silphium brachiatum and Silphium mohrii by

Geocarpon cumberlandense is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names Cumberland stitchwort and Cumberland sandwort. It is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau near the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River in Tennessee and Kentucky. This rare plant is found only in cool sandstone rock shelters, on the moist sandy cave floors behind the drip line. There are 27 occurrences in Tennessee and one in Kentucky. The plant is a federally listed endangered species. This is a petite perennial herb forming tufts of stems from threadlike taproots. The green stems reach

Paysonia lescurii is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Lescur's bladderpod or Nashville mustard. It is native to Middle Tennessee in the United States, where it can be found in wet fields, lawns, and roadsides. It is also present in neighboring areas of the U.S. states of Kentucky and Alabama.

Physaria globosa is a rare flowering plant in the mustard family commonly known as globe bladderpod, Short's bladderpod, and Lesquereux's mustard. It is endemic to the United States, where it is limited to Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It is a rare species throughout its range and in 2014 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule protecting it under the Endangered Species Act.

Lobelia gattingeri is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family commonly called Gattinger's lobelia. It is endemic to calcareous cedar glades and barrens. It has a small range, native only to middle Tennessee and one site in the Pennyroyal Plain of Kentucky. It is an annual species, with seeds germinating in either the autumn or spring. It produces a spike of blue flowers in the spring, and during wet summers it can remain in bloom until October. It is sometimes considered a variety of Lobelia appendiculata, which is found further to the south and west. It is distinguished by its

Leavenworthia torulosa, the necklace gladecress, is a species of plant in the mustard family. It is native to the eastern United States where it is only found near limestone cedar glades of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It is considered rare in all states it is found except Tennessee, where it is common in the Nashville Basin due to the abundance of available habitat. It is found in more wet-mesic areas than typical Leavenworthia of the region, often growing in standing water. It is a winter annual, which makes it well adapted for the extreme wet and dry seasons of the cedar

Helianthus eggertii, known as Eggert's sunflower, is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Alabama. It is best known as one of the few plants to have been delisted under the Endangered Species Act because of the species' recovery. It was described by John Kunkel Small in 1903.

Sabulina fontinalis, commonly called American water starwort or Kentucky starwort, is a flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is a very rare species, endemic to the Nashville Basin of Tennessee, the Kentucky River Pallisades of Kentucky, and in northern Alabama. It is found in wet limestone areas, often on cliffs or ledges where water seeps over the rocks. Sabulina fontinalis is a winter annual forming dense colonies, which produce very small green flowers in the spring. It has been taxonomically difficult to place, sometimes being included in the genera Stellaria, Sagina,

Eriogonum longifolium var. harperi, also known as Harper's buckwheat or Harper's umbrella plant, is a dicot of the family Polygonaceae, found in areas of nutrient-poor shale soils in Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. It lives inconspicuously in an immature vegetative stage for four or more years before developing a flowering stalk, then flowers and dies. It is listed as an endangered species by the state of Tennessee. It has eleven small populations in Alabama and five in Tennessee but its survival in Kentucky is uncertain. According to a leading expert, Professor James L. Reveal of the

Trillium stamineum, the twisted trillium, also known as the Blue Ridge wakerobin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Its natural habitat is calcareous woodlands.

Oxalis illinoensis, the Illinois woodsorrel, is a species of flowering plant in the woodsorrel family (Oxalidaceae). It is endemic to the United States, where it found in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The limits of the range of this species are unclear due to its similarity to Oxalis grandis, with which there has been confusion. Oxalis illinoensis is a perennial that produces yellow flowers with red-lined centers. Its primary habitat is calcareous forests and bluffs.

Leavenworthia exigua, also known as the Tennessee gladecress, is a member of the mustard family. Tennessee gladecress is an annual plant that is native to southern United States. It is a fruit-bearing plant, with squarish leaves that fall off one the fruit is present and ripened. Tennessee gladecress is a beautiful plant during its blooming season, as it produces a light-lilac colored, small flower.

Dalea foliosa, commonly called leafy prairie clover, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family (Fabaceae). It is an endangered species in the United States, where it occurs in three states: Illinois, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Aureolaria patula, commonly known as spreading yellow false foxglove or Cumberland oak-leach, is a species of plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is native to the upper Southeastern United States, where it is found in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Due to its limited geographic range, this species in considered vulnerable, and is listed as rare in every state it is found. It is often found in populations consisting of only a few plants. Its habitat is rich alluvial forests and limestone slopes along major rivers. Like other members of its genus, Aureolaria patula is

Penstemon tenuiflorus, commonly known as eastern whiteflower beardtongue, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family. It is native only to a small area of the Southeastern United States, in the southern Interior Low Plateau and Black Belt of Alabama and Mississippi. Its preferred habitat is limestone glades and woodlands.

Thaspium pinnatifidum, commonly called cutleaf meadow-parsnip, is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family (Apiaceae). It is native to eastern North America where it is found in the southern Appalachian Mountains, being found in parts of Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Within these states it has a sporadic and limited range Its natural habitat is in dry to mesic forest openings over calcareous rock. This species is considered imperiled due to habitat loss via canopy closure, invasive species, and destructive roadside maintenance within its naturally narrow

Asarum contractum, commonly known as the mountain heartleaf, is a species of flowering plant in the pipevine family. It is native to eastern North America, where it has an unusual distribution. It is nearly endemic to the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee, but there are disjunct populations in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia. Its preferred habitat is the deep shade of acidic forests, often growing under Kalmia latifolia and Rhododendron maximum. Due to its restricted range, it is considered vulnerable. It flowers in late spring, where it produces a tube

Symphyotrichum kentuckiense (formerly Aster kentuckiensis) is a rare species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family and is commonly known as Kentucky aster, Price's aster, Miss Price's aster, Sadie's aster, or lavender oldfield aster. It is a perennial, herbaceous plant that is endemic to broken limestone cedar glades and roadsides in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It blooms from August through October, reaches heights between 30 centimeters (1 foot) and 100 cm (3.3 ft), and has green to reddish-brown stems. It is a nearly hairless plant with blue to blue-violet ray florets.

Solidago faucibus, the gorge goldenrod, is North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It was recognized as a distinct species in 2003. It is found primarily in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States, in the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina. It is found in mesic forested gorges, often growing under Tsuga canadensis. Solidago faucibus is a perennial herb up to 150 cm (5 feet) tall, with a branching underground caudex. Leaves very broad, almost round, up to 20 cm (8 inches) long, with large teeth

Penstemon brevisepalus, commonly known as short-sepaled beardtongue, is an herbaceous plant in the plantain family. It is a perennial that produces pale lavender flowers in late spring. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is restricted to the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Its natural habitat is acidic woodlands, prairies, and rock outcrops (typically sandstone or shale).

Conradina is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Its common name is false rosemary, or rarely, short leaf rosemary. There are 7 species of Conradina, all native to the southeastern United States. Conradina verticillata grows on the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee. The other five grow mainly in Florida. All of the species are closely related and there is some doubt about whether they are all separate. Most species occupy xeric habitats with well-drained soils composed of white sand. The genus Conradina was established by Asa Gray in 1870. It was named for

Carex juniperorum, the juniper sedge, is a perennial flowering plant native to North America, first described by botanist William J. Crins in 1993. C. juniperorum is in the Cyperaceae (sedge) family, and is closely related to C. jamesii and C. willdenowii. It is commonly called juniper sedge as it is often seen growing in areas with red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), though the presence of cedar is not necessarily a requirement for it to grow.