Native plants · Kansas

Native plants of Grant County

145 plant species are recorded as native to Kansas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Grant County by USDA PLANTS. 58 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Grant County, Kansas

Native species: 145 Typical Kansas county: 335 (median of 105 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 58 Typical Kansas county: 141
Share by type (all 145 native species): Percent of the 145 native species in each growth type

Tree 6% (8)
Shrub 4% (6)
Wildflower (forb) 63% (92)
Grass or grass-like 26% (37)
Vine 1% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (63%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (26%).

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 6b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 58

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

Garden-ready native plants of Grant County, Kansas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
black willow Salix nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1b
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis	Grass or grass-like	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae	Shrub	1.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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
Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea	Wildflower (forb)	8.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
green prairie coneflower Ratibida tagetes	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Hooker's evening primrose Oenothera elata	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
little barley Hordeum pusillum	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 12a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides	Tree	60 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
poverty threeawn Aristida divaricata	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6b
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii	Wildflower (forb)	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12b
roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus	Wildflower (forb)	6.6 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
salt heliotrope Heliotropium curassavicum	Wildflower (forb)	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
saltgrass Distichlis spicata	Grass or grass-like	1.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
sand bluestem Andropogon hallii	Grass or grass-like	6.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
sandbar willow Salix interior	Tree	30 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
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
soapweed yucca Yucca glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
squirreltail Elymus elymoides	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera	Wildflower (forb)	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
vine mesquite Panicum obtusum	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
white prairie clover Dalea candida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 87

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 bugseed Corispermum americanum
annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
bighead pygmycudweed Evax prolifera
buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
Carruth's sagewort Artemisia carruthii
chairmaker's bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
curvepod fumewort Corydalis curvisiliqua
cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
flatspine bur ragweed Ambrosia acanthicarpa
flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
ivyleaf groundcherry Physalis hederifolia
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
mealy goosefoot Chenopodium incanum
narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
pale dock Rumex altissimus
pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
rusty lupine Lupinus pusillus
sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
showy evening primrose Oenothera grandis
silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
slender snakecotton Froelichia gracilis
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
Spanish gold Grindelia papposa
spinystar Escobaria vivipara
spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
Texas croton Croton texensis
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
veiny dock Rumex venosus
velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
witchgrass Panicum capillare
woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa

Compared with Kansas

The typical county is the median of the 105 Kansas 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, Grant County and Kansas
Measure	Grant County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	145	335	1,264
Garden-ready natives	58	141	447
Tree	8	—	88
Shrub	6	—	42
Wildflower (forb)	92	—	752
Grass or grass-like	37	—	285
Vine	2	—	61
Fern	0	—	36

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Grant County.

Hamilton County, KS 96 garden-ready
Haskell County, KS 44 garden-ready
Kearny County, KS 86 garden-ready
Stanton County, KS 64 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: Grant County (county FIPS 20067), Kansas. 145 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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