Native plants · Minnesota
Native plants of Steele County
307 plant species are recorded as native to Minnesota in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Steele County by USDA PLANTS. 140 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
Steele County, Minnesota
- Native species
- 307 Typical Minnesota county: 435 (median of 87 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 140 Typical Minnesota county: 193
- Share by type (all 307 native species)
-
Percent of the 307 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (60%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (22%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 140
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American basswood Tilia americana | Tree | 100 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 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 |
| American water horehound Lycopus americanus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| arctic brome Bromus kalmii | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| arrowleaf tearthumb Polygonum sagittatum | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| 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 |
| big bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2b |
| bigtooth aspen Populus grandidentata | Tree | 65 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2b |
| black ash Fraxinus nigra | Tree | 65 ft | Sun | High | Zone 2b |
| black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black raspberry Rubus occidentalis | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | 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 |
| bluejoint Calamagrostis canadensis | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| bog birch Betula pumila | Shrub | 20 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| bur-reed sedge Carex sparganioides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 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 |
| clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common blue violet Viola sororia | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| common spikerush Eleocharis palustris | Grass or grass-like | 1.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 woodland sedge Carex blanda | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| field horsetail Equisetum arvense | Fern | 11 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| flatstem pondweed Potamogeton zosteriformis | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | 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 |
| giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus | Wildflower (forb) | 9.8 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| jewelweed Impatiens capensis | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| leadplant Amorpha canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | 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 |
| longleaf starwort Stellaria longifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | 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 |
| nodding waternymph Najas flexilis | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| northern bedstraw Galium boreale | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| northern red oak Quercus rubra | Tree | 81 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora | Grass or grass-like | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 willow Salix humilis | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| silver maple Acer saccharinum | Tree | 90 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 2b |
| slender bulrush Schoenoplectus heterochaetus | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| slender flatsedge Cyperus bipartitus | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| small enchanter's nightshade Circaea alpina | Wildflower (forb) | 11 in | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| smooth hedgenettle Stachys tenuifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | 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 |
| 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 |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| threepetal bedstraw Galium trifidum | Vine | 10 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| tufted loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsiflora | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| upright sedge Carex stricta | Grass or grass-like | 4.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 2.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | 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 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 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 |
| 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 |
| wild sweetwilliam Phlox maculata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| wirestem muhly Muhlenbergia frondosa | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 167
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.
- Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- American mannagrass Glyceria grandis
- American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
- Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
- beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
- blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
- boreal starwort Stellaria borealis
- bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
- bulblet-bearing water hemlock Cicuta bulbifera
- button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
- Buxbaum's sedge Carex buxbaumii
- Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
- candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
- clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- compassplant Silphium laciniatum
- Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
- cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
- dotted hawthorn Crataegus punctata
- downy phlox Phlox pilosa
- Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
- dwarf red blackberry Rubus pubescens
- early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
- eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
- eastern star sedge Carex radiata
- eastern swamp saxifrage Saxifraga pensylvanica
- Equisetum ×ferrissii Equisetum ×ferrissii
- false melic Schizachne purpurascens
- falsegold groundsel Packera pseudaurea
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- field thistle Cirsium discolor
- flat-top goldentop Euthamia graminifolia
- fourflower yellow loosestrife Lysimachia quadriflora
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- Fries' pondweed Potamogeton friesii
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Great Plains lady's tresses Spiranthes magnicamporum
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
- hairy woodland brome Bromus pubescens
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- hemlock waterparsnip Sium suave
- hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
- inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
- knotsheath sedge Carex retrorsa
- lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
- lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
- largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
- lesser clearweed Pilea fontana
- longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
- longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
- marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
- Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
- mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- meadow willow Salix petiolaris
- meadow zizia Zizia aptera
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense
- Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
- mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
- narrowleaf hawkweed Hieracium umbellatum
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- nodding onion Allium cernuum
- northern bog aster Symphyotrichum boreale
- northern bugleweed Lycopus uniflorus
- northern sweetgrass Hierochloe hirta
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
- parasol whitetop Doellingeria umbellata
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
- plain gentian Gentiana alba
- poke milkweed Asclepias exaltata
- prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
- prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
- prairie sedge Carex prairea
- pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
- puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
- purple marshlocks Comarum palustre
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- ramp Allium tricoccum
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
- rigid sedge Carex tetanica
- rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- Sartwell's sedge Carex sartwellii
- Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa
- showy lady's slipper Cypripedium reginae
- showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- skyblue aster Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
- smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
- smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
- smooth rose Rosa blanda
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
- Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stiff cowbane Oxypolis rigidior
- stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
- stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
- swamp lousewort Pedicularis lanceolata
- tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
- tobacco root Valeriana edulis
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- twoflower dwarfdandelion Krigia biflora
- umbrella flatsedge Cyperus diandrus
- upright carrionflower Smilax ecirrhata
- veiny pea Lathyrus venosus
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
- Virginia mountainmint Pycnanthemum virginianum
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
- western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
- western waterweed Elodea nuttallii
- white bear sedge Carex albursina
- white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- white lady's slipper Cypripedium candidum
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white turtlehead Chelone glabra
- whiteflower leafcup Polymnia canadensis
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- wild yam Dioscorea villosa
- winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
- woollyfruit sedge Carex lasiocarpa
- yellow avens Geum aleppicum
- yellow water buttercup Ranunculus flabellaris
- yellow widelip orchid Liparis loeselii
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.
- annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
- climbing false buckwheatPolygonum scandens
- common pepperweedLepidium densiflorum
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 | Steele County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 307 | 435 | 1,506 |
| Garden-ready natives | 140 | 193 | 550 |
| Tree | 25 | — | 105 |
| Shrub | 12 | — | 96 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 183 | — | 824 |
| Grass or grass-like | 67 | — | 361 |
| Vine | 14 | — | 43 |
| Fern | 6 | — | 77 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Steele County.
- Dodge County, MN 112 garden-ready
- Freeborn County, MN 119 garden-ready
- Goodhue County, MN 275 garden-ready
- Mower County, MN 193 garden-ready
- Rice County, MN 197 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
- Steele County (county FIPS 27147), Minnesota. 307 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