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Native plants · Iowa

Native plants of Adair County

222 plant species are recorded as native to Iowa in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Adair County by USDA PLANTS. 93 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

Adair County, Iowa

Native species
222 Typical Iowa county: 44 (median of 99 counties)
Garden-ready natives
93 Typical Iowa county: 24
Share by type (all 222 native species)
Percent of the 222 native species in each growth type
Tree 8% (17)
Shrub 2% (5)
Wildflower (forb) 65% (144)
Grass or grass-like 21% (47)
Vine 4% (8)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (65%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (21%).

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 5b (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 93

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

Garden-ready native plants of Adair County, Iowa
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 12b
American bittersweet Celastrus scandens Vine 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American hazelnut Corylus americana Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii Grass or grass-like 6 ft Sun Low Zone 2b
bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis Tree 75 ft Sun Medium Zone 2b
black cherry Prunus serotina Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
black walnut Juglans nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 4b
black willow Salix nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 1b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
bluejoint Calamagrostis canadensis Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
broom sedge Carex scoparia Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus Tree 10 ft Shade-tolerant Low —
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
common blue violet Viola sororia Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
common evening primrose Oenothera biennis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
common selfheal Prunella vulgaris Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
crested sedge Carex cristatella Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana Vine 15 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 5a
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata Grass or grass-like 5.7 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
Gray's sedge Carex grayi Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
great St. Johnswort Hypericum ascyron Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
greater straw sedge Carex normalis Grass or grass-like 5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens Grass or grass-like 5.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 2a
harvestlice Agrimonia parviflora Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans Grass or grass-like 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
inland rush Juncus interior Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
leadplant Amorpha canescens Shrub 4 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa Tree 85 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus Shrub 3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa Tree 60 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum Fern 1.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
pale touch-me-not Impatiens pallida Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata Wildflower (forb) 2.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata Grass or grass-like 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
prairie crab apple Malus ioensis Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis Grass or grass-like 2.3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun Low Zone 3a
quaking aspen Populus tremuloides Tree 65 ft Sun High Zone 1a
redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 11a
rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
rough avens Geum laciniatum Wildflower (forb) 3.1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
sandbar willow Salix interior Tree 30 ft Sun — Zone 1a
sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
slippery elm Ulmus rubra Tree 85 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun High Zone 3b
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
sweet woodreed Cinna arundinacea Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
tall hairy agrimony Agrimonia gryposepala Wildflower (forb) 5.9 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens Vine 16 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
water knotweed Polygonum amphibium Wildflower (forb) 1 in Sun High Zone 5a
western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
white avens Geum canadense Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
white oak Quercus alba Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
white prairie clover Dalea candida Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
whitegrass Leersia virginica Grass or grass-like 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 129

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.

  • American burnweed Erechtites hieraciifolius
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
  • bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
  • Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
  • birdfoot violet Viola pedata
  • bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
  • bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
  • button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
  • Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
  • Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
  • Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
  • carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
  • compassplant Silphium laciniatum
  • Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
  • downy phlox Phlox pilosa
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
  • earlyleaf brome Bromus latiglumis
  • eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
  • eastern false rue anemone Enemion biternatum
  • eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
  • flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
  • fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • green milkweed Asclepias hirtella
  • grooved flax Linum sulcatum
  • groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
  • hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
  • hairy hedgenettle Stachys pilosa
  • hairy woodland brome Bromus pubescens
  • hairyjoint meadowparsnip Thaspium barbinode
  • hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
  • Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
  • hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
  • hoary verbena Verbena stricta
  • Illinois ticktrefoil Desmodium illinoense
  • largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
  • largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
  • leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
  • Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
  • longflower beeblossom Oenothera filiformis
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
  • Mead's sedge Carex meadii
  • meadow garlic Allium canadense
  • Michigan lily Lilium michiganense
  • Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
  • narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
  • northern slender lady's tresses Spiranthes lacera
  • Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
  • pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
  • prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
  • prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • prairie violet Viola pedatifida
  • puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
  • purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
  • red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
  • rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
  • rosy sedge Carex rosea
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • shortbeak arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostra
  • sicklepod Arabis canadensis
  • silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
  • slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
  • small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
  • smooth forked nailwort Paronychia canadensis
  • soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
  • spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
  • spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
  • Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
  • swamp dock Rumex verticillatus
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa
  • tall blazing star Liatris aspera
  • tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
  • toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
  • violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
  • Virginia bunchflower Veratrum virginicum
  • Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
  • Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
  • Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
  • Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
  • white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • white lady's slipper Cypripedium candidum
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • white vervain Verbena urticifolia
  • whitehair rosette grass Dichanthelium villosissimum
  • widowsfrill Silene stellata
  • wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
  • winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
  • woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
  • yellowfruit sedge Carex annectens
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.

  • climbing false buckwheatPolygonum scandens
  • common reedPhragmites australis

Compared with Iowa

The typical county is the median of the 99 Iowa 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, Adair County and Iowa
MeasureAdair CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 222 44 1,374
Garden-ready natives 93 24 496
Tree 17 — 110
Shrub 5 — 72
Wildflower (forb) 144 — 779
Grass or grass-like 47 — 298
Vine 8 — 55
Fern 1 — 60

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Adair 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
Adair County (county FIPS 19001), Iowa. 222 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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