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Native plants · Colorado

Native plants of Adams County

104 plant species are recorded as native to Colorado in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Adams County by USDA PLANTS. 55 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

Adams County, Colorado

Native species
104 Typical Colorado county: 237 (median of 63 counties)
Garden-ready natives
55 Typical Colorado county: 148
Share by type (all 104 native species)
Percent of the 104 native species in each growth type
Tree 3% (3)
Shrub 3% (3)
Wildflower (forb) 58% (60)
Grass or grass-like 34% (35)
Vine 2% (2)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (58%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (34%).

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 zones 5b to 6a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 55

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

Garden-ready native plants of Adams County, Colorado
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
American vetch Vicia americana Vine 1.3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii Grass or grass-like 6 ft Sun Low Zone 2b
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
broadbeard beardtongue Penstemon angustifolius Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
cloaked bulrush Scirpus pallidus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 12b
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
golden crownbeard Verbesina encelioides Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
granite prickly phlox Linanthus pungens Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
inland rush Juncus interior Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
little barley Hordeum pusillum Grass or grass-like 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
Macoun's buttercup Ranunculus macounii Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun — Zone 1a
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
Nebraska sedge Carex nebrascensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
nodding beggartick Bidens cernua Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4a
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
prairie sandreed Calamovilfa longifolia Grass or grass-like 4.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii Wildflower (forb) 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
red elderberry Sambucus racemosa Tree 18 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 3b
sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
saltgrass Distichlis spicata Grass or grass-like 1.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
sanddune wallflower Erysimum capitatum Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum Fern 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
squirreltail Elymus elymoides Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides Grass or grass-like 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
textile onion Allium textile Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
threetooth ragwort Packera tridenticulata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
toad rush Juncus bufonius Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 12a
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera Wildflower (forb) 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b
yerba mansa Anemopsis californica Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun High Zone 9b

Other native species recorded here 49

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.

  • Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
  • big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
  • buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
  • Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
  • chairmaker's bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
  • feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
  • fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
  • foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • heavy sedge Carex gravida
  • hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
  • lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
  • lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
  • lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • povertyweed Iva axillaris
  • prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
  • redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
  • rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
  • rusty lupine Lupinus pusillus
  • saltmeadow rush Juncus gerardii
  • sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • Schweinitz's flatsedge Cyperus schweinitzii
  • shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
  • snowball sand verbena Abronia fragrans
  • spinystar Escobaria vivipara
  • spiral ditchgrass Ruppia cirrhosa
  • stemless Townsend daisy Townsendia exscapa
  • Texas bergia Bergia texana
  • Texas croton Croton texensis
  • trailing fleabane Erigeron flagellaris
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
  • veiny dock Rumex venosus
  • wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
  • western marsh cudweed Gnaphalium palustre
  • wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
  • winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
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.

Compared with Colorado

The typical county is the median of the 63 Colorado 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, Adams County and Colorado
MeasureAdams CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 104 237 1,119
Garden-ready natives 55 148 585
Tree 3 — 66
Shrub 3 — 92
Wildflower (forb) 60 — 626
Grass or grass-like 35 — 278
Vine 2 — 20
Fern 1 — 37

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Adams County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

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
Adams County (county FIPS 08001), Colorado. 104 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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