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Native plants · Idaho

Native plants of Gem County

172 plant species are recorded as native to Idaho in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Gem County by USDA PLANTS. 136 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

Gem County, Idaho

Native species
172 Typical Idaho county: 302 (median of 44 counties)
Garden-ready natives
136 Typical Idaho county: 211
Share by type (all 172 native species)
Percent of the 172 native species in each growth type
Tree 8% (14)
Shrub 10% (17)
Wildflower (forb) 67% (116)
Grass or grass-like 13% (22)
Vine 1% (2)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (67%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (13%).

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 7a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 136

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

Garden-ready native plants of Gem County, Idaho
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American bistort Polygonum bistortoides Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun High Zone 3b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
American speedwell Veronica americana Wildflower (forb) 10 in Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American water horehound Lycopus americanus Wildflower (forb) 1.8 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
ballhead waterleaf Hydrophyllum capitatum Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
beardless wildrye Leymus triticoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Tree 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
bigflower agoseris Agoseris grandiflora Wildflower (forb) 1.8 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
bigseed biscuitroot Lomatium macrocarpum Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 4b
bitter cherry Prunus emarginata Tree 80 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
black hawthorn Crataegus douglasii Tree 15 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
blue wildrye Elymus glaucus Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
Brown's peony Paeonia brownii Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
California false hellebore Veratrum californicum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
cloaked bulrush Scirpus pallidus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Columbian monkshood Aconitum columbianum Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
common cowparsnip Heracleum maximum Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
common duckweed Lemna minor Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
common selfheal Prunella vulgaris Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
cows clover Trifolium wormskioldii Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
darkthroat shootingstar Dodecatheon pulchellum Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
desert centaury Centaurium exaltatum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
dwarf purple monkeyflower Mimulus nanus Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 10b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
fernleaf biscuitroot Lomatium dissectum Wildflower (forb) 15 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 8a
fiddleleaf hawksbeard Crepis runcinata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
field horsetail Equisetum arvense Fern 11 in Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
fireweed Chamerion angustifolium Wildflower (forb) 5.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
floating pondweed Potamogeton natans Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
foothill deathcamas Zigadenus paniculatus Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
freckled milkvetch Astragalus lentiginosus Shrub 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
Gairdner's beardtongue Penstemon gairdneri Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
golden currant Ribes aureum Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
golden spiderflower Cleome platycarpa Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
gray alder Alnus incana Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
heartleaf arnica Arnica cordifolia Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
hollyleaved barberry Mahonia aquifolium Shrub 8 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3a
Hooker's balsamroot Balsamorhiza hookeri Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
Hooker's evening primrose Oenothera elata Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun High Zone 5a
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
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
largeflower hawksbeard Crepis occidentalis Wildflower (forb) 11 in Sun Low Zone 5a
largeflower triteleia Triteleia grandiflora Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
largehead clover Trifolium macrocephalum Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 12b
Lemmon's willow Salix lemmonii Shrub 14 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
Lewis flax Linum lewisii Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Lewis' mock orange Philadelphus lewisii Shrub 12 ft Sun Low Zone 8a
longleaf phlox Phlox longifolia Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6a
low pussytoes Antennaria dimorpha Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
mallow ninebark Physocarpus malvaceus Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
Modoc hawksbeard Crepis modocensis Wildflower (forb) 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
mule-ears Wyethia amplexicaulis Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
nineleaf biscuitroot Lomatium triternatum Wildflower (forb) 2.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
nodding microseris Microseris nutans Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
Nootka rose Rosa nutkana Shrub 10 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
oneflower helianthella Helianthella uniflora Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5a
Oregon checkerbloom Sidalcea oregana Wildflower (forb) 4.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
Pennsylvania bittercress Cardamine pensylvanica Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
pinkfairies Clarkia pulchella Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa Tree 223 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
prickly currant Ribes lacustre Shrub 3 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 1a
quaking aspen Populus tremuloides Tree 65 ft Sun High Zone 1a
red elderberry Sambucus racemosa Tree 18 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea Tree 12 ft Sun High Zone 3b
rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
Richardson's geranium Geranium richardsonii Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
rock buckwheat Eriogonum sphaerocephalum Shrub 1 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
Rocky Mountain maple Acer glabrum Tree 30 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
rush pussytoes Antennaria luzuloides Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
russet buffaloberry Shepherdia canadensis Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 1a
sagebrush buttercup Ranunculus glaberrimus Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun High Zone 3a
sagebrush mariposa lily Calochortus macrocarpus Wildflower (forb) 1.8 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
salt spring checkerbloom Sidalcea neomexicana Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
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
scabland penstemon Penstemon deustus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
scabland sagebrush Artemisia rigida Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
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
shiny chickweed Stellaria nitens Wildflower (forb) 10 in Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 12a
showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
slender cinquefoil Potentilla gracilis Wildflower (forb) 2.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
small camas Camassia quamash Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
small enchanter's nightshade Circaea alpina Wildflower (forb) 11 in Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
snow buckwheat Eriogonum niveum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
squirreltail Elymus elymoides Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
sticky cinquefoil Potentilla glandulosa Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
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
tailcup lupine Lupinus caudatus Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
tall cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun High Zone 3a
tall groundsel Senecio hydrophiloides Wildflower (forb) 10 in Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
tapertip hawksbeard Crepis acuminata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
tapertip onion Allium acuminatum Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides Grass or grass-like 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
thinleaf huckleberry Vaccinium membranaceum Shrub 4.5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
Thurber's needlegrass Achnatherum thurberianum Grass or grass-like 2 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
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 6a
Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis Tree 15 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
variableleaf pondweed Potamogeton gramineus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun High Zone 3b
western stoneseed Lithospermum ruderale Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
western sweetroot Osmorhiza occidentalis Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
western white clematis Clematis ligusticifolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
white marsh marigold Caltha leptosepala Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun High 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
Wilcox's penstemon Penstemon wilcoxii Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
Woods' rose Rosa woodsii Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b
woollypod milkvetch Astragalus purshii Wildflower (forb) 7 in Sun Low Zone 4a
yellow fritillary Fritillaria pudica Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
yellow rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a

Other native species recorded here 36

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
  • arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis
  • ballhead ipomopsis Ipomopsis congesta
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • box knotweed Polygonum buxiforme
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • Douglas' knotweed Polygonum douglasii
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
  • knotsheath sedge Carex retrorsa
  • manyflower stickseed Hackelia floribunda
  • meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
  • Menzies' fiddleneck Amsinckia menziesii
  • mountain tansymustard Descurainia incana
  • narrowleaf minerslettuce Montia linearis
  • northern cluster sedge Carex arcta
  • Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • shy wallflower Erysimum inconspicuum
  • summer coralroot Corallorhiza maculata
  • tall annual willowherb Epilobium brachycarpum
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • veiny dock Rumex venosus
  • veiny meadow-rue Thalictrum venulosum
  • velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
  • woodland draba Draba nemorosa
  • woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
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.

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, Gem County and Idaho
MeasureGem CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 172 302 975
Garden-ready natives 136 211 591
Tree 14 — 65
Shrub 17 — 97
Wildflower (forb) 116 — 552
Grass or grass-like 22 — 206
Vine 2 — 14
Fern 1 — 41

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Gem 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
Gem County (county FIPS 16045), Idaho. 172 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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