Native plants · Minnesota

Native plants of Meeker County

254 plant species are recorded as native to Minnesota in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Meeker County by USDA PLANTS. 119 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

Meeker County, Minnesota

Native species: 254 Typical Minnesota county: 435 (median of 87 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 119 Typical Minnesota county: 193
Share by type (all 254 native species): Percent of the 254 native species in each growth type

Tree 9% (22)
Shrub 5% (13)
Wildflower (forb) 52% (131)
Grass or grass-like 28% (71)
Vine 5% (12)
Fern 2% (5)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (52%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (28%).

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 4b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 119

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

Garden-ready native plants of Meeker County, Minnesota
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alternateleaf dogwood Cornus alternifolia	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
American bittersweet Celastrus scandens	Vine	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
American black currant Ribes americanum	Shrub	3 ft	—	—	Zone 2b
American plum Prunus americana	Tree	24 ft	Sun	Medium	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
American water plantain Alisma subcordatum	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	High	Zone 4a
arctic brome Bromus kalmii	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
awlfruit sedge Carex stipata	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
Bebb's sedge Carex bebbii	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
Bicknell's sedge Carex bicknellii	Grass or grass-like	3.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
bluejoint Calamagrostis canadensis	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
broom sedge Carex scoparia	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
buckbean Menyanthes trifoliata	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
bulbous bittercress Cardamine bulbosa	Wildflower (forb)	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
bur-reed sedge Carex sparganioides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus	Tree	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	—
Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun	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 cowparsnip Heracleum maximum	Wildflower (forb)	8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
crested sedge Carex cristatella	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
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
Dewey sedge Carex deweyana	Grass or grass-like	3.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
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 redcedar Juniperus virginiana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
field pussytoes Antennaria neglecta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
fowl bluegrass Poa palustris	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata	Grass or grass-like	5.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
graceful sedge Carex gracillima	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
gray dogwood Cornus racemosa	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
greater bladder sedge Carex intumescens	Grass or grass-like	3 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
groundnut Apios americana	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
hardstem bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus	Grass or grass-like	9.8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana	Tree	45 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
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
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
longhair sedge Carex comosa	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
mat muhly Muhlenbergia richardsonis	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	High	Zone 4b
Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala	Tree	52 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
nannyberry Viburnum lentago	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
northern bedstraw Galium boreale	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
Northwest Territory sedge Carex utriculata	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
old man's whiskers Geum triflorum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
pale agoseris Agoseris glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides	Tree	60 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
Pennsylvania bittercress Cardamine pensylvanica	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Pennsylvania buttercup Ranunculus pensylvanicus	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
pin cherry Prunus pensylvanica	Tree	30 ft	Sun	Medium	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 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 Junegrass Koeleria macrantha	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
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
quill sedge Carex tenera	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum	Fern	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea	Tree	12 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11a
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
roundleaf serviceberry Amelanchier sanguinea	Tree	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
sandbar willow Salix interior	Tree	30 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 1a
scarlet Indian paintbrush Castilleja coccinea	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
shortawn foxtail Alopecurus aequalis	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
silver maple Acer saccharinum	Tree	90 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 2b
slender flatsedge Cyperus bipartitus	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
small floating mannagrass Glyceria borealis	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum	Fern	5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
tall cottongrass Eriophorum angustifolium	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides	Grass or grass-like	4 in	Sun	High	Zone 3b
tufted loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
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
wheat sedge Carex atherodes	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
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
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
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
woolly beachheather Hudsonia tomentosa	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
yellow marsh marigold Caltha palustris	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b

Other native species recorded here 135

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.

Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
alpine violet Viola labradorica
American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
American mannagrass Glyceria grandis
Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
autumn onion Allium stellatum
Back's sedge Carex backii
balsam groundsel Packera paupercula
bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
bluntleaf sandwort Moehringia lateriflora
bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
bottomland aster Symphyotrichum ontarionis
bristleleaf sedge Carex eburnea
bulblet-bearing water hemlock Cicuta bulbifera
Buxbaum's sedge Carex buxbaumii
Canada mayflower Maianthemum canadense
Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
Canadian white violet Viola canadensis
Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
common moonseed Menispermum canadense
common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
Crawford's sedge Carex crawfordii
cream pea Lathyrus ochroleucus
Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
dotted hawthorn Crataegus punctata
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
dwarf red blackberry Rubus pubescens
early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
earlyleaf brome Bromus latiglumis
eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
eastern prickly gooseberry Ribes cynosbati
eastern star sedge Carex radiata
eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
Equisetum ×ferrissii Equisetum ×ferrissii
falsegold groundsel Packera pseudaurea
feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
fireberry hawthorn Crataegus chrysocarpa
fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
golden zizia Zizia aurea
grassleaf mudplantain Heteranthera dubia
grassy arrowhead Sagittaria graminea
great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
hairystem gooseberry Ribes hirtellum
Hayden's sedge Carex haydenii
heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
heavy sedge Carex gravida
hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
Illinois pondweed Potamogeton illinoensis
inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
knotsheath sedge Carex retrorsa
lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
limber honeysuckle Lonicera dioica
longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
longstalk sedge Carex pedunculata
marsh pea Lathyrus palustris
marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
meadow willow Salix petiolaris
meadow zizia Zizia aptera
Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
nodding onion Allium cernuum
nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
northern bog bedstraw Galium labradoricum
northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
northern sweetgrass Hierochloe hirta
northern wildrice Zizania palustris
obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
Paradox cinquefoil Potentilla paradoxa
Peck's sedge Carex peckii
Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
prairie violet Viola pedatifida
pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
purple rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes racemosa
ramp Allium tricoccum
red baneberry Actaea rubra
red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
rosy sedge Carex rosea
Sartwell's sedge Carex sartwellii
scrambled eggs Corydalis aurea
Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
smooth rose Rosa blanda
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
swamp verbena Verbena hastata
tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
threadleaf crowfoot Ranunculus trichophyllus
upland brittle bladderfern Cystopteris tenuis
veiny pea Lathyrus venosus
violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
white lady's slipper Cypripedium candidum
white vervain Verbena urticifolia
wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
witchgrass Panicum capillare
wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia
wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
woolly sedge Carex pellita
yellow water buttercup Ranunculus flabellaris
yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia

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.

American red raspberryRubus idaeus
common pepperweedLepidium densiflorum
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.

Native species counts, Meeker County and Minnesota
Measure	Meeker County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	254	435	1,506
Garden-ready natives	119	193	550
Tree	22	—	105
Shrub	13	—	96
Wildflower (forb)	131	—	824
Grass or grass-like	71	—	361
Vine	12	—	43
Fern	5	—	77

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Meeker County.

Kandiyohi County, MN 192 garden-ready
McLeod County, MN 127 garden-ready
Renville County, MN 83 garden-ready
Stearns County, MN 272 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: Meeker County (county FIPS 27093), Minnesota. 254 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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