Native plants · Kansas

Native plants of Wallace County

180 plant species are recorded as native to Kansas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Wallace County by USDA PLANTS. 80 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Wallace County, Kansas

Native species: 180 Typical Kansas county: 335 (median of 105 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 80 Typical Kansas county: 141
Share by type (all 180 native species): Percent of the 180 native species in each growth type

Tree 4% (7)
Shrub 4% (8)
Wildflower (forb) 62% (111)
Grass or grass-like 26% (47)
Vine 3% (6)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (62%), 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 6a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 80

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

Garden-ready native plants of Wallace County, Kansas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
American vetch Vicia americana	Vine	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
American water horehound Lycopus americanus	Wildflower (forb)	1.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2b
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis	Grass or grass-like	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
broadbeard beardtongue Penstemon angustifolius	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
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
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis	Wildflower (forb)	5.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
common duckweed Lemna minor	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 2b
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
disk waterhyssop Bacopa rotundifolia	Wildflower (forb)	1 in	Sun	High	Zone 4a
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea	Wildflower (forb)	8.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
golden currant Ribes aureum	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
green needlegrass Nassella viridula	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
green prairie coneflower Ratibida tagetes	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
hairy false goldenaster Heterotheca villosa	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
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
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	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
Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	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
nodding beggartick Bidens cernua	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	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
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha	Shrub	2 ft	Sun	Low	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
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
rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
riverbank grape Vitis riparia	Vine	45 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12b
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
scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
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
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum	Fern	5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
soapweed yucca Yucca glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani	Grass or grass-like	9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
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
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
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
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi	Grass or grass-like	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera	Wildflower (forb)	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
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
white sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
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 100

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
Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
bighead pygmycudweed Evax prolifera
blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
Carruth's sagewort Artemisia carruthii
chairmaker's bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
desert princesplume Stanleya pinnata
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
foxtail prairie clover Dalea leporina
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
heavy sedge Carex gravida
hoary verbena Verbena stricta
Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
meadow garlic Allium canadense
mealy goosefoot Chenopodium incanum
narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
pale dock Rumex altissimus
pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
plains springparsley Cymopterus acaulis
prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
rusty lupine Lupinus pusillus
sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
southeastern wildrye Elymus glabriflorus
spinystar Escobaria vivipara
stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
swamp verbena Verbena hastata
tasselflower brickellbush Brickellia grandiflora
Texas croton Croton texensis
toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
veiny dock Rumex venosus
velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
witchgrass Panicum capillare
woolly sedge Carex pellita
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, Wallace County and Kansas
Measure	Wallace County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	180	335	1,264
Garden-ready natives	80	141	447
Tree	7	—	88
Shrub	8	—	42
Wildflower (forb)	111	—	752
Grass or grass-like	47	—	285
Vine	6	—	61
Fern	1	—	36

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Wallace County.

Greeley County, KS 57 garden-ready
Logan County, KS 80 garden-ready
Wichita County, KS 57 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: Wallace County (county FIPS 20199), Kansas. 180 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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