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Native plants · Colorado

Native plants of Pueblo County

210 plant species are recorded as native to Colorado in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Pueblo County by USDA PLANTS. 124 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

Pueblo County, Colorado

Native species
210 Typical Colorado county: 237 (median of 63 counties)
Garden-ready natives
124 Typical Colorado county: 148
Share by type (all 210 native species)
Percent of the 210 native species in each growth type
Tree 12% (25)
Shrub 12% (26)
Wildflower (forb) 56% (117)
Grass or grass-like 15% (32)
Vine 2% (5)
Fern 2% (5)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (56%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (15%).

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 124

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

Garden-ready native plants of Pueblo County, Colorado
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy 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
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 plum Prunus americana Tree 24 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
American speedwell Veronica americana Wildflower (forb) 10 in Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American vetch Vicia americana Vine 1.3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa Shrub 6 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
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
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
broadbeard beardtongue Penstemon angustifolius Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae Shrub 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium 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
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis Wildflower (forb) 5.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
cerro hawthorn Crataegus erythropoda Tree 16 ft Sun Low Zone 2a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
cloaked bulrush Scirpus pallidus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
common cowparsnip Heracleum maximum Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
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 juniper Juniperus communis Tree 10 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus Shrub 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
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
creeping barberry Mahonia repens Shrub 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
dewystem willow Salix irrorata Shrub 6 ft — — Zone 2a
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
fiddleleaf hawksbeard Crepis runcinata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
field horsetail Equisetum arvense Fern 11 in Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
Gambel oak Quercus gambelii Tree 40 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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
granite prickly phlox Linanthus pungens Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
gray alder Alnus incana Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
greasewood Sarcobatus vermiculatus Shrub 10 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
heartleaf arnica Arnica cordifolia Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
Idaho blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium idahoense Wildflower (forb) 1.7 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
James' galleta Pleuraphis jamesii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
jewelweed Impatiens capensis Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
Lewis flax Linum lewisii Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
limber pine Pinus flexilis Tree 66 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
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
longleaf starwort Stellaria longifolia Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
Macoun's buttercup Ranunculus macounii Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun — Zone 1a
maiden blue eyed Mary Collinsia parviflora Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima Vine 1 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
narrowleaf cottonwood Populus angustifolia Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4b
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
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis Grass or grass-like 8 in Sun Medium Zone 5a
northern bedstraw Galium boreale Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
Nuttall's alkaligrass Puccinellia nuttalliana Grass or grass-like 10 in Sun Medium 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
pale agoseris Agoseris glauca Shrub 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
panicled bulrush Scirpus microcarpus Grass or grass-like 5.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4a
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii Wildflower (forb) 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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
quaking aspen Populus tremuloides Tree 65 ft Sun High Zone 1a
riverbank grape Vitis riparia Vine 45 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
roadside agrimony Agrimonia striata Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
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
Rocky Mountain maple Acer glabrum Tree 30 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
rough bentgrass Agrostis scabra Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Medium 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
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
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
shadscale saltbush Atriplex confertifolia Shrub 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
shortawn foxtail Alopecurus aequalis Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
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
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
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum Fern 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
smooth sumac Rhus glabra Tree 12 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
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
subalpine fir Abies lasiocarpa Tree 90 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2a
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
tall fringed bluebells Mertensia ciliata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
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
threetooth ragwort Packera tridenticulata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
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
wax currant Ribes cereum Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
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
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
whitestem gooseberry Ribes inerme Shrub 8 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
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
woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b
yellow owl's-clover Orthocarpus luteus Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 86

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.

  • ballhead ipomopsis Ipomopsis congesta
  • bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
  • bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
  • bluntleaf yellowcress Rorippa curvipes
  • brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
  • chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
  • common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
  • desert princesplume Stanleya pinnata
  • elkweed Frasera speciosa
  • entireleaved thelypody Thelypodium integrifolium
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • fireberry hawthorn Crataegus chrysocarpa
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • fleshy hawthorn Crataegus succulenta
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • Fremont's goosefoot Chenopodium fremontii
  • fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
  • fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
  • hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
  • hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
  • James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
  • lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
  • lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
  • lilac penstemon Penstemon gracilis
  • longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
  • marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
  • meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
  • mealy goosefoot Chenopodium incanum
  • Mojave seablite Suaeda moquinii
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • nodding onion Allium cernuum
  • northern water plantain Alisma triviale
  • Oregon cliff fern Woodsia oregana
  • Pennsylvania cinquefoil Potentilla pensylvanica
  • povertyweed Iva axillaris
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
  • prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
  • redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
  • rusty lupine Lupinus pusillus
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • scrambled eggs Corydalis aurea
  • shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
  • shortstalk chickweed Cerastium brachypodum
  • sidebells wintergreen Orthilia secunda
  • silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • slender lipfern Cheilanthes feei
  • slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
  • slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
  • small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
  • smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
  • snowball sand verbena Abronia fragrans
  • spearleaf stonecrop Sedum lanceolatum
  • spinystar Escobaria vivipara
  • spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
  • spreading fleabane Erigeron divergens
  • starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
  • stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
  • stemless Townsend daisy Townsendia exscapa
  • stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
  • strict blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium montanum
  • summer coralroot Corallorhiza maculata
  • Texas croton Croton texensis
  • trailing fleabane Erigeron flagellaris
  • tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
  • tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
  • twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
  • velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
  • warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
  • wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
  • whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
  • woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
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, Pueblo County and Colorado
MeasurePueblo CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 210 237 1,119
Garden-ready natives 124 148 585
Tree 25 — 66
Shrub 26 — 92
Wildflower (forb) 117 — 626
Grass or grass-like 32 — 278
Vine 5 — 20
Fern 5 — 37

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Pueblo 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
Pueblo County (county FIPS 08101), Colorado. 210 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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