Native plants · Idaho

Native plants of Teton County

146 plant species are recorded as native to Idaho in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Teton County by USDA PLANTS. 104 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 4 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Teton County, Idaho

Native species: 146 Typical Idaho county: 302 (median of 44 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 104 Typical Idaho county: 211
Share by type (all 146 native species): Percent of the 146 native species in each growth type

Tree 12% (18)
Shrub 14% (21)
Wildflower (forb) 51% (74)
Grass or grass-like 21% (31)
Fern 1% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (51%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (21%).

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 104

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

Garden-ready native plants of Teton 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 red raspberry Rubus idaeus	Shrub	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 1a
analogue sedge Carex simulata	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
bearded fescue Festuca subulata	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata	Tree	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
bigtooth maple Acer grandidentatum	Tree	38 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
black hawthorn Crataegus douglasii	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
bluejoint Calamagrostis canadensis	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
bluntseed sweetroot Osmorhiza depauperata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Booth's willow Salix boothii	Shrub	24 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8b
bushy bird's beak Cordylanthus ramosus	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12b
California false hellebore Veratrum californicum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
chamisso sedge Carex pachystachya	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
common beargrass Xerophyllum tenax	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a
common juniper Juniperus communis	Tree	10 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
curl-leaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus ledifolius	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 2b
Douglas' dustymaiden Chaenactis douglasii	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
Drummond's willow Salix drummondiana	Shrub	12 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
elephanthead lousewort Pedicularis groenlandica	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
Engelmann spruce Picea engelmannii	Tree	120 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2a
Engelmann's aster Eucephalus engelmannii	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
fiddleleaf hawksbeard Crepis runcinata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
fineleaf pondweed Stuckenia filiformis	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
floating pondweed Potamogeton natans	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata	Grass or grass-like	5.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
Geyer's sedge Carex geyeri	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
giant mountain aster Canadanthus modestus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
golden sedge Carex aurea	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
gooseberry currant Ribes montigenum	Shrub	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
grand fir Abies grandis	Tree	150 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
gray alder Alnus incana	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
grouse whortleberry Vaccinium scoparium	Shrub	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
heartleaf arnica Arnica cordifolia	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
Idaho blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium idahoense	Wildflower (forb)	1.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi	Shrub	6 in	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
knotted rush Juncus nodosus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
largeflower triteleia Triteleia grandiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
largeleaf avens Geum macrophyllum	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Letterman's needlegrass Achnatherum lettermanii	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
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
littleleaf pussytoes Antennaria microphylla	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
lodgepole pine Pinus contorta	Tree	99 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 1a
marsh grass of Parnassus Parnassia palustris	Wildflower (forb)	2.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
mat muhly Muhlenbergia richardsonis	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	High	Zone 4b
mountain pepperweed Lepidium montanum	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
muttongrass Poa fendleriana	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
narrowleaf cottonwood Populus angustifolia	Tree	60 ft	Sun	High	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 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 beggartick Bidens cernua	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
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
northern bedstraw Galium boreale	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
old man's whiskers Geum triflorum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
orange agoseris Agoseris aurantiaca	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
pale agoseris Agoseris glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
prickly currant Ribes lacustre	Shrub	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 1a
purple milkvetch Astragalus agrestis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
quaking aspen Populus tremuloides	Tree	65 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1a
Richardson's geranium Geranium richardsonii	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
Rocky Mountain goldenrod Solidago multiradiata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
Rocky Mountain maple Acer glabrum	Tree	30 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
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
Rydberg's penstemon Penstemon rydbergii	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
sageleaf willow Salix candida	Shrub	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
Sandberg bluegrass Poa secunda	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 1a
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 rush Juncus nevadensis	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
silvery primrose Primula incana	Wildflower (forb)	1.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
slenderbeak sedge Carex athrostachya	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
slimstem reedgrass Calamagrostis stricta	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
small enchanter's nightshade Circaea alpina	Wildflower (forb)	11 in	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
small floating mannagrass Glyceria borealis	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
smallflowered woodrush Luzula parviflora	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
smallwing sedge Carex microptera	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
subalpine fir Abies lasiocarpa	Tree	90 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2a
sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 8a
swordleaf rush Juncus ensifolius	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
tall fringed bluebells Mertensia ciliata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
textile onion Allium textile	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus	Shrub	4 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
threetip sagebrush Artemisia tripartita	Shrub	4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
timber oatgrass Danthonia intermedia	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
Utah honeysuckle Lonicera utahensis	Shrub	5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
water knotweed Polygonum amphibium	Wildflower (forb)	1 in	Sun	High	Zone 5a
water sedge Carex aquatilis	Grass or grass-like	2.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
wax currant Ribes cereum	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
Whipple's penstemon Penstemon whippleanus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	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 42

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 cinquefoil Potentilla pulcherrima
Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
bulblet-bearing water hemlock Cicuta bulbifera
Buxbaum's sedge Carex buxbaumii
cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
fairy slipper Calypso bulbosa
fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
giant red Indian paintbrush Castilleja miniata
greenflowered wintergreen Pyrola chlorantha
hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
hooded coralroot Corallorhiza striata
hookedspur violet Viola adunca
marsh violet Viola palustris
marsh willowherb Epilobium palustre
meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
mountain tarweed Madia glomerata
muskflower Mimulus moschatus
narrowleaf bur-reed Sparganium angustifolium
northern bog aster Symphyotrichum boreale
northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
northern green orchid Platanthera aquilonis
northern hollyfern Polystichum lonchitis
pimpernel willowherb Epilobium anagallidifolium
pinyon goosefoot Chenopodium atrovirens
pleated gentian Gentiana affinis
resin birch Betula glandulosa
scentbottle Platanthera dilatata
shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
shortray fleabane Erigeron lonchophyllus
shy wallflower Erysimum inconspicuum
small bur-reed Sparganium natans
small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
spiny phlox Phlox hoodii
spotted fritillary Fritillaria atropurpurea
spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
tall annual willowherb Epilobium brachycarpum
thinleaf cottonsedge Eriophorum viridicarinatum
Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
woolly sedge Carex pellita

Also listed as native and introduced here 4

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.

biennial wormwoodArtemisia biennis
claspleaf twistedstalkStreptopus amplexifolius
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, Teton County and Idaho
Measure	Teton County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	146	302	975
Garden-ready natives	104	211	591
Tree	18	—	65
Shrub	21	—	97
Wildflower (forb)	74	—	552
Grass or grass-like	31	—	206
Vine	0	—	14
Fern	2	—	41

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Teton County.

Madison County, ID 58 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: Teton County (county FIPS 16081), Idaho. 146 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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