Native plants · Colorado

Native plants of Fremont County

162 plant species are recorded as native to Colorado in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Fremont County by USDA PLANTS. 83 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

Fremont County, Colorado

Native species: 162 Typical Colorado county: 237 (median of 63 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 83 Typical Colorado county: 148
Share by type (all 162 native species): Percent of the 162 native species in each growth type

Tree 7% (11)
Shrub 11% (18)
Wildflower (forb) 61% (99)
Grass or grass-like 14% (22)
Vine 3% (5)
Fern 4% (7)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), 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 zones 5b to 6a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 83

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

Garden-ready native plants of Fremont County, Colorado
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
American plum Prunus americana	Tree	24 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata	Tree	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
blanketflower Gaillardia aristata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
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
broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae	Shrub	1.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
bush muhly Muhlenbergia porteri	Grass or grass-like	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 8b
Canada germander Teucrium canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 12b
Colorado blue columbine Aquilegia coerulea	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5b
common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
cutleaf daisy Erigeron compositus	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12a
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens	Shrub	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
fringed brome Bromus ciliatus	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
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
Greene's mountain ash Sorbus scopulina	Tree	12 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
hairy false goldenaster Heterotheca villosa	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
heartleaf arnica Arnica cordifolia	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi	Shrub	6 in	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
lemonscent Pectis angustifolia	Wildflower (forb)	8 in	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
littleleaf mock orange Philadelphus microphyllus	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
muttongrass Poa fendleriana	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
Nuttall's sunflower Helianthus nuttallii	Wildflower (forb)	10 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
oneseed juniper Juniperus monosperma	Tree	40 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
orange agoseris Agoseris aurantiaca	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
pale agoseris Agoseris glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides	Tree	60 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha	Shrub	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
prickly rose Rosa acicularis	Shrub	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	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
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea	Tree	12 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
riverbank grape Vitis riparia	Vine	45 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12b
Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
rough menodora Menodora scabra	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 9a
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa	Shrub	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
salt spring checkerbloom Sidalcea neomexicana	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
saltgrass Distichlis spicata	Grass or grass-like	1.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
sandbar willow Salix interior	Tree	30 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
sawsepal penstemon Penstemon glaber	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5b
scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
silverleaf phacelia Phacelia hastata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
silvery lupine Lupinus argenteus	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata	Shrub	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 2a
slimstem reedgrass Calamagrostis stricta	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum	Fern	5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
soapweed yucca Yucca glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
tenpetal blazingstar Mentzelia decapetala	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
textile onion Allium textile	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
thickspike wheatgrass Elymus lanceolatus	Grass or grass-like	2.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
twoneedle pinyon Pinus edulis	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera	Wildflower (forb)	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis	Shrub	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
western white clematis Clematis ligusticifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
white prairie clover Dalea candida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
white sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata	Shrub	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2a
Woods' rose Rosa woodsii	Shrub	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a

Other native species recorded here 79

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.

autumn dwarf gentian Gentianella amarella
bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
brittle pricklypear Opuntia fragilis
Carruth's sagewort Artemisia carruthii
chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
desert princesplume Stanleya pinnata
fairy slipper Calypso bulbosa
false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
flatspine bur ragweed Ambrosia acanthicarpa
foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
ivyleaf groundcherry Physalis hederifolia
James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
lesser spikemoss Selaginella densa
longbract frog orchid Dactylorhiza viridis
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
male fern Dryopteris filix-mas
marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
Missouri foxtail cactus Escobaria missouriensis
narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
Oregon cliff fern Woodsia oregana
Pennsylvania cinquefoil Potentilla pensylvanica
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
pinesap Monotropa hypopitys
pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
plains snakecotton Froelichia floridana
plains springparsley Cymopterus acaulis
pony beebalm Monarda pectinata
prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
purple rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes racemosa
red baneberry Actaea rubra
redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
sanddune cryptantha Cryptantha fendleri
sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
slender lipfern Cheilanthes feei
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
southern cattail Typha domingensis
spinystar Escobaria vivipara
spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
spreading fleabane Erigeron divergens
stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
stemless Townsend daisy Townsendia exscapa
summer coralroot Corallorhiza maculata
tall annual willowherb Epilobium brachycarpum
tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
Texas croton Croton texensis
threenerve goldenrod Solidago velutina
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
whitestem blazingstar Mentzelia albicaulis
witchgrass Panicum capillare
woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
woolly cinquefoil Potentilla hippiana

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.

claspleaf twistedstalkStreptopus amplexifolius

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, Fremont County and Colorado
Measure	Fremont County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	162	237	1,119
Garden-ready natives	83	148	585
Tree	11	—	66
Shrub	18	—	92
Wildflower (forb)	99	—	626
Grass or grass-like	22	—	278
Vine	5	—	20
Fern	7	—	37

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Fremont County.

Chaffee County, CO 119 garden-ready
Custer County, CO 178 garden-ready
El Paso County, CO 286 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: Fremont County (county FIPS 08043), Colorado. 162 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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