Native plants · Idaho

Native plants of Camas County

164 plant species are recorded as native to Idaho in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Camas County by USDA PLANTS. 120 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

Camas County, Idaho

Native species: 164 Typical Idaho county: 302 (median of 44 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 120 Typical Idaho county: 211
Share by type (all 164 native species): Percent of the 164 native species in each growth type

Tree 6% (10)
Shrub 11% (18)
Wildflower (forb) 64% (105)
Grass or grass-like 18% (30)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (64%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (18%).

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 6a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 120

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

Garden-ready native plants of Camas County, Idaho
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alderleaf buckthorn Rhamnus alnifolia	Shrub	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
alpine leafybract aster Symphyotrichum foliaceum	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
alpine timothy Phleum alpinum	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
American bistort Polygonum bistortoides	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata	Shrub	6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata	Tree	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
black hawthorn Crataegus douglasii	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
Booth's willow Salix boothii	Shrub	24 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8b
bush penstemon Penstemon fruticosus	Shrub	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
bushy bird's beak Cordylanthus ramosus	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12b
California damsonium Damasonium californicum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Columbia needlegrass Achnatherum nelsonii	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
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
curvepod milkvetch Astragalus curvicarpus	Wildflower (forb)	5 in	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
cutleaf daisy Erigeron compositus	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii	Tree	200 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
Douglas' dustymaiden Chaenactis douglasii	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
Douglas' grasswidow Olsynium douglasii	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
Douglas' sedge Carex douglasii	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
fernleaf biscuitroot Lomatium dissectum	Wildflower (forb)	15 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a
flatstem pondweed Potamogeton zosteriformis	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
foothill deathcamas Zigadenus paniculatus	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata	Grass or grass-like	5.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
fringed grass of Parnassus Parnassia fimbriata	Wildflower (forb)	1.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
Geyer willow Salix geyeriana	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
granite prickly phlox Linanthus pungens	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
Greene's mountain ash Sorbus scopulina	Tree	12 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
hardstem bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus	Grass or grass-like	9.8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
heartleaf arnica Arnica cordifolia	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
hooded lady's tresses Spiranthes romanzoffiana	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
Idaho blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium idahoense	Wildflower (forb)	1.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus	Wildflower (forb)	1.1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
largehead clover Trifolium macrocephalum	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 12b
largeleaf avens Geum macrophyllum	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
Lewis flax Linum lewisii	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
little green sedge Carex viridula	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
little sagebrush Artemisia arbuscula	Shrub	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
littleleaf pussytoes Antennaria microphylla	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
longbeak buttercup Ranunculus longirostris	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
longstalk clover Trifolium longipes	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 8a
low pussytoes Antennaria dimorpha	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
MacKenzie's willow Salix prolixa	Tree	45 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2a
mallow ninebark Physocarpus malvaceus	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
meadow barley Hordeum brachyantherum	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
Mexican muhly Muhlenbergia mexicana	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
mule-ears Wyethia amplexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua	Tree	10 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
Nebraska sedge Carex nebrascensis	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
nineleaf biscuitroot Lomatium triternatum	Wildflower (forb)	2.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
northern black currant Ribes hudsonianum	Shrub	5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
northern water-starwort Callitriche hermaphroditica	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 4a
northwestern Indian paintbrush Castilleja angustifolia	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 12a
old man's whiskers Geum triflorum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
oneflower helianthella Helianthella uniflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5a
onespike danthonia Danthonia unispicata	Grass or grass-like	10 in	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
oniongrass Melica bulbosa	Grass or grass-like	1.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
Oregon checkerbloom Sidalcea oregana	Wildflower (forb)	4.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
pale agoseris Agoseris glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
Pennsylvania bittercress Cardamine pensylvanica	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
poverty rush Juncus tenuis	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
quaking aspen Populus tremuloides	Tree	65 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1a
Rocky Mountain goldenrod Solidago multiradiata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
rough bentgrass Agrostis scabra	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa	Shrub	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
rush pussytoes Antennaria luzuloides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
sagebrush buttercup Ranunculus glaberrimus	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	High	Zone 3a
Sandberg bluegrass Poa secunda	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
sanddune wallflower Erysimum capitatum	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5b
seep monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
shortawn foxtail Alopecurus aequalis	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa	Shrub	2.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
Sierra fumewort Corydalis caseana	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
Sierra rush Juncus nevadensis	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
silky lupine Lupinus sericeus	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
silver sagebrush Artemisia cana	Shrub	5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
silverleaf phacelia Phacelia hastata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
silvery lupine Lupinus argenteus	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
slenderbeak sedge Carex athrostachya	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
small camas Camassia quamash	Wildflower (forb)	2.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
small floating mannagrass Glyceria borealis	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
spike trisetum Trisetum spicatum	Grass or grass-like	1.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
spiked woodrush Luzula spicata	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
spineless horsebrush Tetradymia canescens	Shrub	4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 9a
spreading phlox Phlox diffusa	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
sticky purple geranium Geranium viscosissimum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 8a
tall fringed bluebells Mertensia ciliata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
tapertip onion Allium acuminatum	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
thickstem aster Eurybia integrifolia	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
threadleaf sedge Carex filifolia	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
thymeleaf buckwheat Eriogonum thymoides	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
tiny mousetail Myosurus minimus	Wildflower (forb)	5 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12b
Tolmie's onion Allium tolmiei	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
twinberry honeysuckle Lonicera involucrata	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
Wasatch beardtongue Penstemon cyananthus	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
water knotweed Polygonum amphibium	Wildflower (forb)	1 in	Sun	High	Zone 5a
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
wax currant Ribes cereum	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
western needlegrass Achnatherum occidentale	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
western polemonium Polemonium occidentale	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
western valerian Valeriana occidentalis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
whitebark pine Pinus albicaulis	Tree	65 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 1b
Woods' rose Rosa woodsii	Shrub	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
yellow fritillary Fritillaria pudica	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12a
yellow owl's-clover Orthocarpus luteus	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 12b
yellow rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
yellow willow Salix lutea	Tree	16 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a

Other native species recorded here 44

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.

beautiful sandwort Minuartia rubella
clammy hedgehyssop Gratiola neglecta
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
Douglas' knotweed Polygonum douglasii
feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
giant red Indian paintbrush Castilleja miniata
green false hellebore Veratrum viride
hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
hemlock waterparsnip Sium suave
hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
lesser wirelettuce Stephanomeria minor
Menzies' fiddleneck Amsinckia menziesii
mountain tansymustard Descurainia incana
mountain tarweed Madia glomerata
narrowleaf bur-reed Sparganium angustifolium
pinyon goosefoot Chenopodium atrovirens
pleated gentian Gentiana affinis
povertyweed Iva axillaris
pullup muhly Muhlenbergia filiformis
Richardson's pondweed Potamogeton richardsonii
Rocky Mountain rush Juncus saximontanus
rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea
Scouler's popcornflower Plagiobothrys scouleri
shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
shortspike watermilfoil Myriophyllum sibiricum
slender phlox Microsteris gracilis
small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
spiny milkvetch Astragalus kentrophyta
starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
stream orchid Epipactis gigantea
tall annual willowherb Epilobium brachycarpum
tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
tobacco root Valeriana edulis
veiny meadow-rue Thalictrum venulosum
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
water mudwort Limosella aquatica
western marsh cudweed Gnaphalium palustre
whitestem blazingstar Mentzelia albicaulis
wood bluegrass Poa nemoralis
woodland pinedrops Pterospora andromedea
Wright's cudweed Pseudognaphalium canescens

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.

common pepperweedLepidium densiflorum
Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
white sagebrushArtemisia ludoviciana

Compared with Idaho

The typical county is the median of the 44 Idaho 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, Camas County and Idaho
Measure	Camas County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	164	302	975
Garden-ready natives	120	211	591
Tree	10	—	65
Shrub	18	—	97
Wildflower (forb)	105	—	552
Grass or grass-like	30	—	206
Vine	0	—	14
Fern	1	—	41

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Camas County.

Elmore County, ID 300 garden-ready
Lincoln County, ID 96 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: Camas County (county FIPS 16025), Idaho. 164 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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