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Native plants · Colorado

Native plants of Otero County

221 plant species are recorded as native to Colorado in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Otero County by USDA PLANTS. 103 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 2 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Otero County, Colorado

Native species
221 Typical Colorado county: 237 (median of 63 counties)
Garden-ready natives
103 Typical Colorado county: 148
Share by type (all 221 native species)
Percent of the 221 native species in each growth type
Tree 6% (14)
Shrub 8% (17)
Wildflower (forb) 56% (124)
Grass or grass-like 24% (53)
Vine 3% (6)
Fern 3% (7)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (56%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (24%).

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 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 103

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

Garden-ready native plants of Otero County, Colorado
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus Tree 15 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
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
big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Tree 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
black grama Bouteloua eriopoda Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
blue wildrye Elymus glaucus Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
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
broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae Shrub 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
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
Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia Tree 12 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun 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
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 hackberry Celtis occidentalis Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 2b
common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora Wildflower (forb) 1.3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana Tree 50 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
field horsetail Equisetum arvense Fern 11 in Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
fineleaf pondweed Stuckenia filiformis Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
golden crownbeard Verbesina encelioides Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
golden currant Ribes aureum Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
greasewood Sarcobatus vermiculatus Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
green needlegrass Nassella viridula Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
green prairie coneflower Ratibida tagetes Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
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
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
inland rush Juncus interior Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
James' galleta Pleuraphis jamesii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
lemonscent Pectis angustifolia Wildflower (forb) 8 in Sun Low Zone 5a
Lewis flax Linum lewisii Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
little barley Hordeum pusillum Grass or grass-like 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
littleleaf mock orange Philadelphus microphyllus Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
littleseed ricegrass Piptatheropsis micrantha Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
longleaf phlox Phlox longifolia Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6a
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium 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
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun Medium Zone 12a
oneseed juniper Juniperus monosperma Tree 40 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
pale desert-thorn Lycium pallidum Shrub 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4a
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata Grass or grass-like 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
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
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
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
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
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
skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata Shrub 4 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 2a
soapweed yucca Yucca glauca Shrub 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
squirreltail Elymus elymoides Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
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
vine mesquite Panicum obtusum Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
wax currant Ribes cereum Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
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
winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 2a
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 118

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.

  • annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
  • azure blue sage Salvia azurea
  • bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • bighead pygmycudweed Evax prolifera
  • bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
  • blowout grass Redfieldia flexuosa
  • bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
  • brittle pricklypear Opuntia fragilis
  • brook cinquefoil Potentilla rivalis
  • buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
  • Carolina draba Draba reptans
  • Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
  • common starlily Leucocrinum montanum
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
  • Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
  • desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
  • desert princesplume Stanleya pinnata
  • Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
  • Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
  • ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
  • Equisetum ×ferrissii Equisetum ×ferrissii
  • false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
  • feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
  • fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
  • fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • Fremont's goosefoot Chenopodium fremontii
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
  • hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
  • heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
  • Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • ivyleaf groundcherry Physalis hederifolia
  • James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
  • lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
  • lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
  • lesser spikemoss Selaginella densa
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
  • Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
  • maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
  • mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
  • meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
  • mealy goosefoot Chenopodium incanum
  • narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
  • Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • plains springparsley Cymopterus acaulis
  • pony beebalm Monarda pectinata
  • povertyweed Iva axillaris
  • Powell's amaranth Amaranthus powellii
  • prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
  • prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
  • prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
  • prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
  • prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
  • ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
  • redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
  • rusty lupine Lupinus pusillus
  • sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
  • silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
  • silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
  • silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slender lipfern Cheilanthes feei
  • slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
  • smooth goosefoot Chenopodium subglabrum
  • snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
  • snowball sand verbena Abronia fragrans
  • soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
  • southern cattail Typha domingensis
  • spinystar Escobaria vivipara
  • spreading fleabane Erigeron divergens
  • stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
  • stemless Townsend daisy Townsendia exscapa
  • stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
  • sunbright Phemeranthus parviflorus
  • tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
  • Texas bergia Bergia texana
  • Texas croton Croton texensis
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
  • tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
  • twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
  • velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
  • velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
  • verrucose seapurslane Sesuvium verrucosum
  • Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
  • warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
  • warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
  • wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
  • wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • western wallflower Erysimum asperum
  • white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
  • whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
  • whitestem blazingstar Mentzelia albicaulis
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
  • woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
Also listed as native and introduced here 2

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.

  • biennial wormwoodArtemisia biennis
  • common reedPhragmites australis

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, Otero County and Colorado
MeasureOtero CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 221 237 1,119
Garden-ready natives 103 148 585
Tree 14 — 66
Shrub 17 — 92
Wildflower (forb) 124 — 626
Grass or grass-like 53 — 278
Vine 6 — 20
Fern 7 — 37

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Otero 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
Otero County (county FIPS 08089), Colorado. 221 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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