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Native plants · Minnesota

Native plants of Olmsted County

393 plant species are recorded as native to Minnesota in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Olmsted County by USDA PLANTS. 148 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 3 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Olmsted County, Minnesota

Native species
393 Typical Minnesota county: 435 (median of 87 counties)
Garden-ready natives
148 Typical Minnesota county: 193
Share by type (all 393 native species)
Percent of the 393 native species in each growth type
Tree 9% (35)
Shrub 6% (22)
Wildflower (forb) 62% (243)
Grass or grass-like 16% (61)
Vine 4% (15)
Fern 4% (17)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (62%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (16%).

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

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 148

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

Garden-ready native plants of Olmsted County, Minnesota
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
Allegheny serviceberry Amelanchier laevis Tree 35 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
alternateleaf dogwood Cornus alternifolia Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
American basswood Tilia americana Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 12b
American bittersweet Celastrus scandens Vine 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American black currant Ribes americanum Shrub 3 ft — — Zone 2b
American hazelnut Corylus americana Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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
beaked hazelnut Corylus cornuta Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
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 maple Acer nigrum Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
black raspberry Rubus occidentalis Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
black walnut Juglans nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 4b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
bog birch Betula pumila Shrub 20 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
bog goldenrod Solidago uliginosa Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
bulbous bittercress Cardamine bulbosa Wildflower (forb) 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus Tree 10 ft Shade-tolerant Low —
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
Canada yew Taxus canadensis Shrub 5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
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
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 cowparsnip Heracleum maximum Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
common duckweed Lemna minor Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
common juniper Juniperus communis Tree 10 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
common selfheal Prunella vulgaris Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
downy arrowwood Viburnum rafinesqueanum Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3a
downy yellow violet Viola pubescens Wildflower (forb) 1.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
Drummond's rockcress Arabis drummondii Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana Tree 50 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
eastern white pine Pinus strobus Tree 150 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum Grass or grass-like 3.3 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
flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun High Zone 4a
fringed brome Bromus ciliatus Grass or grass-like 4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7a
golden ragwort Packera aurea Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
gray dogwood Cornus racemosa Shrub 10 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
great St. Johnswort Hypericum ascyron Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
hardstem bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus Grass or grass-like 9.8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans Grass or grass-like 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
inland sedge Carex interior Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana Fern 4 ft Shade-tolerant High 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
limestone meadow sedge Carex granularis Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
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
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 beggartick Bidens cernua Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
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
northern bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera Shrub 2.4 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5a
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum Fern 1.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
northern red oak Quercus rubra Tree 81 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
old man's whiskers Geum triflorum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora Grass or grass-like 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
pale touch-me-not Impatiens pallida Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
paper birch Betula papyrifera Tree 70 ft Sun High Zone 1a
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
porcupinegrass Hesperostipa spartea Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
prairie willow Salix humilis Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
purplestem aster Symphyotrichum puniceum Wildflower (forb) 8.1 ft Sun High Zone 3b
quaking aspen Populus tremuloides Tree 65 ft Sun High Zone 1a
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
red elderberry Sambucus racemosa Tree 18 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea Tree 12 ft Sun High Zone 3b
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
roadside agrimony Agrimonia striata Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
rock elm Ulmus thomasii Tree 90 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
rough avens Geum laciniatum Wildflower (forb) 3.1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
roundleaf dogwood Cornus rugosa Tree 10 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
roundleaf serviceberry Amelanchier sanguinea Tree 10 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
sageleaf willow Salix candida Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
sandbar willow Salix interior Tree 30 ft Sun — Zone 1a
sandcherry Prunus pumila Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
scarlet Indian paintbrush Castilleja coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
silver maple Acer saccharinum Tree 90 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 2b
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
small enchanter's nightshade Circaea alpina Wildflower (forb) 11 in Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
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
spiked muhly Muhlenbergia glomerata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
spotted joe pye weed Eutrochium maculatum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
sugar maple Acer saccharum Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
sweet woodreed Cinna arundinacea Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
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
tufted bulrush Trichophorum cespitosum Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
Virginia iris Iris virginica Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8b
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
water horsetail Equisetum fluviatile Fern 3 ft Sun High Zone 4a
western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
white ash Fraxinus americana Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 4a
white avens Geum canadense Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
white oak Quercus alba Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
white sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
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
wild sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
wild sweetwilliam Phlox maculata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b
yellow marsh marigold Caltha palustris Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun High Zone 3b
zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 245

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.

  • Adam and Eve Aplectrum hyemale
  • agueweed Gentianella quinquefolia
  • Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
  • American bird's-foot trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus
  • American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia
  • American dragonhead Dracocephalum parviflorum
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
  • American mannagrass Glyceria grandis
  • American milletgrass Milium effusum
  • aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
  • Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
  • autumn willow Salix serissima
  • balsam groundsel Packera paupercula
  • bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
  • Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
  • birdfoot violet Viola pedata
  • blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
  • bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • bluntleaf sandwort Moehringia lateriflora
  • bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
  • bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
  • bottomland aster Symphyotrichum ontarionis
  • bristleleaf sedge Carex eburnea
  • browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
  • bulblet bladderfern Cystopteris bulbifera
  • button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Buxbaum's sedge Carex buxbaumii
  • Canada mayflower Maianthemum canadense
  • Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
  • Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
  • Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
  • Carolina draba Draba reptans
  • Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
  • carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
  • clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
  • Cleland's evening primrose Oenothera clelandii
  • clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
  • common bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza
  • common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
  • common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
  • common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
  • common moonseed Menispermum canadense
  • common woodrush Luzula multiflora
  • common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
  • compassplant Silphium laciniatum
  • Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • dioecious sedge Carex sterilis
  • dogtooth violet Erythronium americanum
  • downy phlox Phlox pilosa
  • Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • dwarf red blackberry Rubus pubescens
  • early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
  • eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
  • eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
  • eastern false rue anemone Enemion biternatum
  • eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
  • eastern marsh fern Thelypteris palustris
  • eastern prickly gooseberry Ribes cynosbati
  • eastern star sedge Carex radiata
  • eastern swamp saxifrage Saxifraga pensylvanica
  • eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
  • Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • fen grass of Parnassus Parnassia glauca
  • fourflower yellow loosestrife Lysimachia quadriflora
  • fragile rockbrake Cryptogramma stelleri
  • fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
  • fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
  • glade fern Diplazium pycnocarpon
  • golden zizia Zizia aurea
  • goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
  • Goldie's woodfern Dryopteris goldieana
  • grape honeysuckle Lonicera reticulata
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • great Indian plantain Arnoglossum reniforme
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • great waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
  • Greek valerian Polemonium reptans
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
  • groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
  • groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
  • hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
  • hairy pagoda-plant Blephilia hirsuta
  • heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
  • heavy sedge Carex gravida
  • Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
  • hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
  • husk tomato Physalis pubescens
  • Illinois ticktrefoil Desmodium illinoense
  • Indianpipe Monotropa uniflora
  • inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
  • Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
  • jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
  • lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
  • large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
  • largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
  • largefruit blacksnakeroot Sanicula trifoliata
  • Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
  • lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
  • limber honeysuckle Lonicera dioica
  • longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
  • longleaf summer bluet Houstonia longifolia
  • longstalk sedge Carex pedunculata
  • low nutrush Scleria verticillata
  • lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
  • marsh arrowgrass Triglochin palustris
  • marsh pea Lathyrus palustris
  • marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
  • Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
  • mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
  • meadow garlic Allium canadense
  • meadow zizia Zizia aptera
  • Michigan lily Lilium michiganense
  • Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
  • mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • needle beaksedge Rhynchospora capillacea
  • New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
  • nodding onion Allium cernuum
  • nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
  • northern bog aster Symphyotrichum boreale
  • northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
  • northern bugleweed Lycopus uniflorus
  • northern sweetgrass Hierochloe hirta
  • obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
  • Ontario lobelia Lobelia kalmii
  • orangefruit horse-gentian Triosteum aurantiacum
  • palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
  • parasol whitetop Doellingeria umbellata
  • Peck's sedge Carex peckii
  • Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
  • Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
  • pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
  • prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
  • prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
  • prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
  • prairie violet Viola pedatifida
  • pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
  • purple giant hyssop Agastache scrophulariifolia
  • purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
  • purple milkwort Polygala sanguinea
  • purple rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes racemosa
  • purplestem angelica Angelica atropurpurea
  • ramp Allium tricoccum
  • red baneberry Actaea rubra
  • red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
  • Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
  • rigid sedge Carex tetanica
  • robin's plantain Erigeron pulchellus
  • rosy sedge Carex rosea
  • rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
  • roughleaf ricegrass Oryzopsis asperifolia
  • rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
  • Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
  • sessilefruit arrowhead Sagittaria rigida
  • shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
  • Short's rockcress Arabis shortii
  • showy lady's slipper Cypripedium reginae
  • showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
  • showy ticktrefoil Desmodium canadense
  • sicklepod Arabis canadensis
  • silver false spleenwort Deparia acrostichoides
  • silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
  • skyblue aster Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
  • small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
  • smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
  • smooth cliffbrake Pellaea glabella
  • smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
  • smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
  • smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
  • snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
  • snow trillium Trillium nivale
  • soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
  • spinulose woodfern Dryopteris carthusiana
  • spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
  • spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
  • spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
  • Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
  • squirrel corn Dicentra canadensis
  • starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
  • stiff cowbane Oxypolis rigidior
  • stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
  • stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
  • sundial lupine Lupinus perennis
  • swamp lousewort Pedicularis lanceolata
  • swamp thistle Cirsium muticum
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • tall blazing star Liatris aspera
  • tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
  • threadleaf crowfoot Ranunculus trichophyllus
  • tobacco root Valeriana edulis
  • tower rockcress Arabis glabra
  • twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla
  • twoleaf miterwort Mitella diphylla
  • upland brittle bladderfern Cystopteris tenuis
  • upright carrionflower Smilax ecirrhata
  • veiny meadow-rue Thalictrum venulosum
  • veiny pea Lathyrus venosus
  • violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
  • Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
  • Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
  • Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
  • walking fern Asplenium rhizophyllum
  • waxflower shinleaf Pyrola elliptica
  • western blue virginsbower Clematis occidentalis
  • western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
  • white bear sedge Carex albursina
  • white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • white rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes alba
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • white turtlehead Chelone glabra
  • widowsfrill Silene stellata
  • wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
  • wild yam Dioscorea villosa
  • winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
  • wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia
  • wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
  • woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
  • woolly sedge Carex pellita
  • yellow avens Geum aleppicum
  • yellow pimpernel Taenidia integerrima
Also listed as native and introduced here 3

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.

  • 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, Olmsted County and Minnesota
MeasureOlmsted CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 393 435 1,506
Garden-ready natives 148 193 550
Tree 35 — 105
Shrub 22 — 96
Wildflower (forb) 243 — 824
Grass or grass-like 61 — 361
Vine 15 — 43
Fern 17 — 77

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Olmsted County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

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
Olmsted County (county FIPS 27109), Minnesota. 393 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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