Native plants · Iowa
Native plants of Cherokee County
283 plant species are recorded as native to Iowa in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Cherokee 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
Cherokee County, Iowa
- Native species
- 283 Typical Iowa county: 44 (median of 99 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 103 Typical Iowa county: 24
- Share by type (all 283 native species)
-
Percent of the 283 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (63%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (20%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 103
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American basswood Tilia americana | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 12b |
| American black currant Ribes americanum | Shrub | 3 ft | — | — | Zone 2b |
| American elm Ulmus americana | Tree | 120 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| American hazelnut Corylus americana | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| Bebb's sedge Carex bebbii | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 raspberry Rubus occidentalis | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| black walnut Juglans nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blue grama Bouteloua gracilis | Grass or grass-like | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| bur-reed sedge Carex sparganioides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12b |
| Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 cowparsnip Heracleum maximum | Wildflower (forb) | 8 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| dotted blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| downy arrowwood Viburnum rafinesqueanum | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | 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 |
| eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| fowl bluegrass Poa palustris | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata | Grass or grass-like | 5.7 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11b |
| giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| gray dogwood Cornus racemosa | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens | Grass or grass-like | 5.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2a |
| hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| Mexican muhly Muhlenbergia mexicana | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus | Shrub | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| nodding beggartick Bidens cernua | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| northern bedstraw Galium boreale | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| plains muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidata | Grass or grass-like | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| porcupinegrass Hesperostipa spartea | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata | Grass or grass-like | 8 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 sandreed Calamovilfa longifolia | Grass or grass-like | 4.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis | Grass or grass-like | 11 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum | Fern | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| riverbank grape Vitis riparia | Vine | 45 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| rock elm Ulmus thomasii | Tree | 90 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| rough avens Geum laciniatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus | Wildflower (forb) | 6.6 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| silver maple Acer saccharinum | Tree | 90 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 2b |
| slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum | Fern | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| sugar maple Acer saccharum | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| sweet woodreed Cinna arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| Virginia iris Iris virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 8b |
| Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 avens Geum canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 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 |
| woodland muhly Muhlenbergia sylvatica | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| woolly plantain Plantago patagonica | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 12b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 180
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.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American mannagrass Glyceria grandis
- aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- autumn onion Allium stellatum
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
- beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
- biannual lettuce Lactuca ludoviciana
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
- blackseed ricegrass Patis racemosa
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
- bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
- bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
- Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
- Carolina draba Draba reptans
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- churchmouse threeawn Aristida dichotoma
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
- compassplant Silphium laciniatum
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
- Davis' sedge Carex davisii
- desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
- downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
- downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
- downy phlox Phlox pilosa
- Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
- dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
- eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
- eastern false rue anemone Enemion biternatum
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern prickly gooseberry Ribes cynosbati
- eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
- fall rosette grass Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- field thistle Cirsium discolor
- fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
- fleshy hawthorn Crataegus succulenta
- Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- forked threeawn Aristida basiramea
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- Greek valerian Polemonium reptans
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- grooved flax Linum sulcatum
- groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
- hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
- hairyjoint meadowparsnip Thaspium barbinode
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
- hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
- hoary verbena Verbena stricta
- Illinois ticktrefoil Desmodium illinoense
- Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
- jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
- lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
- lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
- large beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
- Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
- longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
- mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
- Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- needleleaf sedge Carex duriuscula
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
- Northern Idaho biscuitroot Lomatium orientale
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- paleleaf woodland sunflower Helianthus strumosus
- palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
- pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
- poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
- prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
- prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie violet Viola pedatifida
- purple giant hyssop Agastache scrophulariifolia
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- purple rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes racemosa
- ramp Allium tricoccum
- red baneberry Actaea rubra
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
- richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- rough rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes aspera
- Short's rockcress Arabis shortii
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- slender wedgescale Sphenopholis intermedia
- slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
- small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
- smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
- smartweed dodder Cuscuta polygonorum
- smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
- smooth rose Rosa blanda
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- snow trillium Trillium nivale
- soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
- soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
- Standley's goosefoot Chenopodium standleyanum
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
- stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
- tall blazing star Liatris aspera
- tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
- toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
- upright carrionflower Smilax ecirrhata
- veiny pea Lathyrus venosus
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
- western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
- western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
- white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- whitehair rosette grass Dichanthelium villosissimum
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
- woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
- woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
- yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
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.
- annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
- Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
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.
| Measure | Cherokee County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 283 | 44 | 1,374 |
| Garden-ready natives | 103 | 24 | 496 |
| Tree | 22 | — | 110 |
| Shrub | 13 | — | 72 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 177 | — | 779 |
| Grass or grass-like | 57 | — | 298 |
| Vine | 11 | — | 55 |
| Fern | 3 | — | 60 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Cherokee County.
- Buena Vista County, IA 17 garden-ready
- Clay County, IA 68 garden-ready
- Ida County, IA 56 garden-ready
- O'Brien County, IA 94 garden-ready
- Plymouth County, IA 97 garden-ready
- Woodbury County, IA 116 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
- Cherokee County (county FIPS 19035), Iowa. 283 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