Native plants · Iowa

Native plants of Osceola County

217 plant species are recorded as native to Iowa in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Osceola County by USDA PLANTS. 98 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 3 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Osceola County, Iowa

Native species: 217 Typical Iowa county: 44 (median of 99 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 98 Typical Iowa county: 24
Share by type (all 217 native species): Percent of the 217 native species in each growth type

Tree 6% (14)
Shrub 3% (6)
Wildflower (forb) 62% (135)
Grass or grass-like 24% (51)
Vine 4% (9)
Fern <1% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (62%), 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 zones 4b to 5a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 98

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

Garden-ready native plants of Osceola County, Iowa
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
American basswood Tilia americana	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
American black currant Ribes americanum	Shrub	3 ft	—	—	Zone 2b
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
American water horehound Lycopus americanus	Wildflower (forb)	1.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
American water plantain Alisma subcordatum	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	High	Zone 4a
balsam poplar Populus balsamifera	Tree	80 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1a
Bebb's sedge Carex bebbii	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
Bicknell's sedge Carex bicknellii	Grass or grass-like	3.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
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
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
broadfruit bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Canada germander Teucrium canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
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 lousewort Pedicularis canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
chokecherry Prunus virginiana	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common duckweed Lemna minor	Wildflower (forb)	—	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 sneezeweed Helenium autumnale	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 12b
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12a
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
field horsetail Equisetum arvense	Fern	11 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
field pussytoes Antennaria neglecta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
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
Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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
lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus	Wildflower (forb)	1.1 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
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala	Tree	52 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
nannyberry Viburnum lentago	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata	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
nodding waternymph Najas flexilis	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
northern bedstraw Galium boreale	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides	Tree	60 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
Pennsylvania buttercup Ranunculus pensylvanicus	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
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 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 wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
prairie willow Salix humilis	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii	Wildflower (forb)	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
purple milkvetch Astragalus agrestis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea	Tree	12 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
roadside agrimony Agrimonia striata	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
rough bentgrass Agrostis scabra	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
rough bugleweed Lycopus asper	Wildflower (forb)	2.1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
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
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
smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum	Fern	5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani	Grass or grass-like	9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
tufted loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
upright sedge Carex stricta	Grass or grass-like	4.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
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
wheat sedge Carex atherodes	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
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
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 119

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 mannagrass Glyceria grandis
American sloughgrass Beckmannia syzigachne
aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
autumn onion Allium stellatum
bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
brook cinquefoil Potentilla rivalis
Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
fall rosette grass Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
fireberry hawthorn Crataegus chrysocarpa
fleshy hawthorn Crataegus succulenta
Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
golden zizia Zizia aurea
grassleaf mudplantain Heteranthera dubia
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
hairy hedgenettle Stachys pilosa
heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
heavy sedge Carex gravida
hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
hemlock waterparsnip Sium suave
hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
hoary verbena Verbena stricta
lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
limber honeysuckle Lonicera dioica
longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
lowland yellow loosestrife Lysimachia hybrida
marsh pea Lathyrus palustris
marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
Mead's sedge Carex meadii
meadow garlic Allium canadense
meadow zizia Zizia aptera
Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
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 sweetgrass Hierochloe hirta
Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
pale dock Rumex altissimus
palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
prairie goldenrod Oligoneuron album
prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
prairie rose Rosa arkansana
prairie violet Viola pedatifida
purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
rigid sedge Carex tetanica
rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
shortbeak arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostra
shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
smooth rose Rosa blanda
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
swamp verbena Verbena hastata
tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
veiny pea Lathyrus venosus
Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
western waterweed Elodea nuttallii
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
widowsfrill Silene stellata
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
witchgrass Panicum capillare
woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
yellowfruit sedge Carex annectens

Also listed as native and introduced here 3

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
common reedPhragmites australis
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.

Native species counts, Osceola County and Iowa
Measure	Osceola County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	217	44	1,374
Garden-ready natives	98	24	496
Tree	14	—	110
Shrub	6	—	72
Wildflower (forb)	135	—	779
Grass or grass-like	51	—	298
Vine	9	—	55
Fern	2	—	60

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Osceola County.

Dickinson County, IA 89 garden-ready
Lyon County, IA 163 garden-ready
O'Brien County, IA 94 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: Osceola County (county FIPS 19143), Iowa. 217 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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