Native plants · Minnesota
Native plants of Faribault County
230 plant species are recorded as native to Minnesota in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Faribault County by USDA PLANTS. 107 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
Faribault County, Minnesota
- Native species
- 230 Typical Minnesota county: 435 (median of 87 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 107 Typical Minnesota county: 193
- Share by type (all 230 native species)
-
Percent of the 230 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (65%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (17%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 107
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| American basswood Tilia americana | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| American elm Ulmus americana | Tree | 120 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| American vetch Vicia americana | Vine | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Bicknell's sedge Carex bicknellii | Grass or grass-like | 3.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| big bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2b |
| bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2b |
| black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black walnut Juglans nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| bluntleaf bedstraw Galium obtusum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| broadfruit bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| Canada germander Teucrium canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| Canadian lousewort Pedicularis canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| chokecherry Prunus virginiana | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common blue violet Viola sororia | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| common blue wood aster Symphyotrichum cordifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| common evening primrose Oenothera biennis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta | Wildflower (forb) | 10 in | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| crested sedge Carex cristatella | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| cup plant Silphium perfoliatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | — | Zone 2b |
| cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 12b |
| cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| dotted blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| downy yellow violet Viola pubescens | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa | Shrub | 15 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| field horsetail Equisetum arvense | Fern | 11 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| field pussytoes Antennaria neglecta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| gray dogwood Cornus racemosa | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| greater straw sedge Carex normalis | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens | Grass or grass-like | 5.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2a |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| jewelweed Impatiens capensis | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| knotted rush Juncus nodosus | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| leadplant Amorpha canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| marsh bellflower Campanula aparinoides | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus | Shrub | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| northern bedstraw Galium boreale | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| plains muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidata | Grass or grass-like | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| porcupinegrass Hesperostipa spartea | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| poverty rush Juncus tenuis | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata | Grass or grass-like | 8 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis | Grass or grass-like | 2.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| prairie willow Salix humilis | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| purple milkvetch Astragalus agrestis | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| redosier dogwood Cornus sericea | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| river bulrush Bolboschoenus fluviatilis | Grass or grass-like | 6.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| riverbank grape Vitis riparia | Vine | 45 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| roadside agrimony Agrimonia striata | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| rough bedstraw Galium asprellum | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| rough bugleweed Lycopus asper | Wildflower (forb) | 2.1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| roundleaf serviceberry Amelanchier sanguinea | Tree | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum | Fern | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani | Grass or grass-like | 9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| staghorn sumac Rhus typhina | Tree | 30 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4a |
| stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | 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 |
| tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi | Grass or grass-like | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Virginia iris Iris virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 8b |
| water knotweed Polygonum amphibium | Wildflower (forb) | 1 in | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| white avens Geum canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| white meadowsweet Spiraea alba | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| whitegrass Leersia virginica | Grass or grass-like | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 123
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.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- alpine fescue Festuca brachyphylla
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
- bottomland aster Symphyotrichum ontarionis
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
- Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- common bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza
- common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- compassplant Silphium laciniatum
- Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
- downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
- downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
- downy phlox Phlox pilosa
- dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
- field thistle Cirsium discolor
- flat-top goldentop Euthamia graminifolia
- Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
- fourflower yellow loosestrife Lysimachia quadriflora
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- foxtail prairie clover Dalea leporina
- foxtail sedge Carex alopecoidea
- fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- Hayden's sedge Carex haydenii
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- hemlock waterparsnip Sium suave
- hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
- hoary verbena Verbena stricta
- inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
- lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
- leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
- Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
- longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
- longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
- mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
- marsh pea Lathyrus palustris
- marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
- Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- meadow zizia Zizia aptera
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense
- mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
- prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
- prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
- prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
- prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie violet Viola pedatifida
- puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- purple rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes racemosa
- ramp Allium tricoccum
- red baneberry Actaea rubra
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
- Sartwell's sedge Carex sartwellii
- Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
- shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
- shining clubmoss Huperzia lucidula
- Short's rockcress Arabis shortii
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa
- showy ticktrefoil Desmodium canadense
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
- smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
- smooth rose Rosa blanda
- soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- stiff cowbane Oxypolis rigidior
- stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
- stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- tall blazing star Liatris aspera
- tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- upright carrionflower Smilax ecirrhata
- veiny pea Lathyrus venosus
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
- Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
- western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
- western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- white rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes alba
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
- woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
- yellow avens Geum aleppicum
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.
- climbing false buckwheatPolygonum scandens
- common reedPhragmites australis
- hedge false bindweedCalystegia sepium
- Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
Compared with Minnesota
The typical county is the median of the 87 Minnesota 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.
| Measure | Faribault County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 230 | 435 | 1,506 |
| Garden-ready natives | 107 | 193 | 550 |
| Tree | 19 | — | 105 |
| Shrub | 9 | — | 96 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 150 | — | 824 |
| Grass or grass-like | 40 | — | 361 |
| Vine | 9 | — | 43 |
| Fern | 3 | — | 77 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Faribault County.
- Kossuth County, IA 31 garden-ready
- Blue Earth County, MN 261 garden-ready
- Freeborn County, MN 119 garden-ready
- Martin County, MN 129 garden-ready
- Waseca County, MN 138 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
- Faribault County (county FIPS 27043), Minnesota. 230 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