Native plants · Iowa

Native plants of Palo Alto County

122 plant species are recorded as native to Iowa in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Palo Alto County by USDA PLANTS. 67 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

Palo Alto County, Iowa

Native species: 122 Typical Iowa county: 44 (median of 99 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 67 Typical Iowa county: 24
Share by type (all 122 native species): Percent of the 122 native species in each growth type

Tree 2% (2)
Wildflower (forb) 36% (44)
Grass or grass-like 59% (72)
Vine <1% (1)
Fern 2% (3)

Grasses and grass-like plants make up the largest share of the native list (59%), followed by wildflowers (36%).

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 5a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 67

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

Garden-ready native plants of Palo Alto County, Iowa
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
annual wildrice Zizania aquatica	Grass or grass-like	9.8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2b
black cherry Prunus serotina	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis	Grass or grass-like	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
cloaked bulrush Scirpus pallidus	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
common duckweed Lemna minor	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common rivergrass Scolochloa festucacea	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12a
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
field horsetail Equisetum arvense	Fern	11 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
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
groundnut Apios americana	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
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
Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus	Wildflower (forb)	9.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus	Wildflower (forb)	1.1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	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
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
Mexican muhly Muhlenbergia mexicana	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
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
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides	Tree	60 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
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
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
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
rough bentgrass Agrostis scabra	Grass or grass-like	2.5 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
slender flatsedge Cyperus bipartitus	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
slimstem reedgrass Calamagrostis stricta	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
small floating mannagrass Glyceria borealis	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
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
spotted joe pye weed Eutrochium maculatum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
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
switchgrass Panicum virgatum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides	Grass or grass-like	4 in	Sun	High	Zone 3b
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
upland bentgrass Agrostis perennans	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile	Fern	3 ft	Sun	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
whitegrass Leersia virginica	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a

Other native species recorded here 55

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 mannagrass Glyceria grandis
American sloughgrass Beckmannia syzigachne
bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
balsam groundsel Packera paupercula
bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
bulblet-bearing water hemlock Cicuta bulbifera
Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
clasping milkweed Asclepias amplexicaulis
clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
earlyleaf brome Bromus latiglumis
fall rosette grass Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
feverwort Triosteum perfoliatum
fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
golden zizia Zizia aurea
great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
hairy woodland brome Bromus pubescens
hairyjoint meadowparsnip Thaspium barbinode
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
hemlock waterparsnip Sium suave
hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
Macoun's barley ×Elyhordeum macounii
mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
northern sweetgrass Hierochloe hirta
Ontario lobelia Lobelia kalmii
poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
prairie violet Viola pedatifida
puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
purple rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes racemosa
red baneberry Actaea rubra
redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
Schweinitz's flatsedge Cyperus schweinitzii
silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
slender wedgescale Sphenopholis intermedia
slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
umbrella flatsedge Cyperus diandrus
white lady's slipper Cypripedium candidum
whitehair rosette grass Dichanthelium villosissimum
whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
witchgrass Panicum capillare
yellow pimpernel Taenidia integerrima

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.

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, Palo Alto County and Iowa
Measure	Palo Alto County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	122	44	1,374
Garden-ready natives	67	24	496
Tree	2	—	110
Shrub	0	—	72
Wildflower (forb)	44	—	779
Grass or grass-like	72	—	298
Vine	1	—	55
Fern	3	—	60

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Palo Alto County.

Clay County, IA 68 garden-ready
Emmet County, IA 62 garden-ready
Humboldt County, IA 24 garden-ready
Kossuth County, IA 31 garden-ready
Pocahontas County, IA 22 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: Palo Alto County (county FIPS 19147), Iowa. 122 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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