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Native plants · Iowa

Native plants of Cass County

148 plant species are recorded as native to Iowa in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Cass County by USDA PLANTS. 76 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

Cass County, Iowa

Native species
148 Typical Iowa county: 44 (median of 99 counties)
Garden-ready natives
76 Typical Iowa county: 24
Share by type (all 148 native species)
Percent of the 148 native species in each growth type
Tree 7% (11)
Shrub 1% (2)
Wildflower (forb) 61% (90)
Grass or grass-like 25% (37)
Vine 2% (3)
Fern 3% (5)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (25%).

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 5a to 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 76

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

Garden-ready native plants of Cass County, Iowa
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 12b
American water plantain Alisma subcordatum Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun High Zone 4a
awlfruit sedge Carex stipata Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
black cherry Prunus serotina Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
black willow Salix nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 1b
blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
broom sedge Carex scoparia Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
common evening primrose Oenothera biennis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
crested sedge Carex cristatella Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
cup plant Silphium perfoliatum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 2b
cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
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
Gray's sedge Carex grayi Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
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
hop sedge Carex lupulina Grass or grass-like 4.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
inland rush Juncus interior Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Wildflower (forb) 9.8 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
jewelweed Impatiens capensis Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
leadplant Amorpha canescens Shrub 4 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium 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
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum Fern 1.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra Tree 68 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
porcupinegrass Hesperostipa spartea Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun Low Zone 3a
ravenfoot sedge Carex crus-corvi Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
red mulberry Morus rubra Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 11a
reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 3b
rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus Wildflower (forb) 6.6 ft Sun High Zone 4a
sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
scarlet Indian paintbrush Castilleja coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
shagbark hickory Carya ovata Tree 75 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
shortawn foxtail Alopecurus aequalis Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
silver maple Acer saccharinum Tree 90 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 2b
slender bulrush Schoenoplectus heterochaetus Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
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
spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides Grass or grass-like 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
upland bentgrass Agrostis perennans Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
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 sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
whitegrass Leersia virginica Grass or grass-like 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
woolgrass Scirpus cyperinus Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 72

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.

  • Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
  • American burnweed Erechtites hieraciifolius
  • American spikenard Aralia racemosa
  • bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
  • bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
  • bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
  • brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
  • button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
  • carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
  • Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
  • carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
  • Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
  • common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
  • Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • early buttercup Ranunculus fascicularis
  • eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
  • elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
  • feverwort Triosteum perfoliatum
  • fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
  • heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
  • hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
  • hoary ticktrefoil Desmodium canescens
  • hoary verbena Verbena stricta
  • hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
  • jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
  • largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
  • leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
  • Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
  • limber honeysuckle Lonicera dioica
  • lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
  • mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
  • Michigan lily Lilium michiganense
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
  • northern bugleweed Lycopus uniflorus
  • Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
  • sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
  • shortbeak arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostra
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
  • small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
  • smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
  • soft fox sedge Carex conjuncta
  • soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
  • tall blazing star Liatris aspera
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • white vervain Verbena urticifolia
  • wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
  • whorled milkwort Polygala verticillata
  • widowsfrill Silene stellata
  • willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
  • wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
  • woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
  • yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
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.

  • annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia

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, Cass County and Iowa
MeasureCass CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 148 44 1,374
Garden-ready natives 76 24 496
Tree 11 — 110
Shrub 2 — 72
Wildflower (forb) 90 — 779
Grass or grass-like 37 — 298
Vine 3 — 55
Fern 5 — 60

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Cass 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
Cass County (county FIPS 19029), Iowa. 148 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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