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Native plants · Missouri

Native plants of Mercer County

359 plant species are recorded as native to Missouri in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Mercer County by USDA PLANTS. 156 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 2 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Mercer County, Missouri

Native species
359 Typical Missouri county: 557 (median of 114 counties)
Garden-ready natives
156 Typical Missouri county: 219
Share by type (all 359 native species)
Percent of the 359 native species in each growth type
Tree 14% (52)
Shrub 4% (15)
Wildflower (forb) 64% (230)
Grass or grass-like 12% (42)
Vine 4% (15)
Fern 1% (5)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (64%), followed by trees (14%).

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 5b (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 156

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

Garden-ready native plants of Mercer County, Missouri
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
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 elm Ulmus americana Tree 120 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
American hazelnut Corylus americana Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
American lotus Nelumbo lutea Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
American plum Prunus americana Tree 24 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
American pokeweed Phytolacca americana Wildflower (forb) 7.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
American water horehound Lycopus americanus Wildflower (forb) 1.8 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
awlfruit sedge Carex stipata Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
bearded beggarticks Bidens aristosa Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
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 oak Quercus velutina Tree 80 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
black raspberry Rubus occidentalis Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
black walnut Juglans nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 4b
black willow Salix nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 1b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium Tree 16 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
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
blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
bluntleaf bedstraw Galium obtusum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
broadfruit bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
broom sedge Carex scoparia Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
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
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 altissima Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
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
Carolina rose Rosa carolina Shrub 5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
climbing rose Rosa setigera Vine 16 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli Tree 30 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
common blue violet Viola sororia Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
common cowparsnip Heracleum maximum Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
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 serviceberry Amelanchier arborea Tree 36 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
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
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
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
cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
downy arrowwood Viburnum rafinesqueanum Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3a
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis Tree 30 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
false daisy Eclipta prostrata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
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 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
foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 11b
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
frost grape Vitis vulpina Vine 83 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
gray dogwood Cornus racemosa Shrub 10 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
graybark grape Vitis cinerea Vine 50 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6b
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
groundnut Apios americana Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
hairy sedge Carex lacustris Grass or grass-like 5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
harvestlice Agrimonia parviflora Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
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
limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 6a
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
Missouri ironweed Vernonia missurica Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala Tree 52 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
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
Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra Tree 68 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora Grass or grass-like 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
pale touch-me-not Impatiens pallida Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata Wildflower (forb) 2.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
perplexed ticktrefoil Desmodium perplexum Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
pin oak Quercus palustris Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 4a
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
post oak Quercus stellata Tree 60 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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 crab apple Malus ioensis Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
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
purpleleaf willowherb Epilobium coloratum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum Fern 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
red mulberry Morus rubra Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
river birch Betula nigra Tree 70 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
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii Tree 20 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
sandbar willow Salix interior Tree 30 ft Sun — Zone 1a
sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
shagbark hickory Carya ovata Tree 75 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
sharpwing monkeyflower Mimulus alatus Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
shellbark hickory Carya laciniosa Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
shingle oak Quercus imbricaria Tree 45 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
shoreline sedge Carex hyalinolepis Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
silver maple Acer saccharinum Tree 90 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 2b
slippery elm Ulmus rubra Tree 85 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
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 sumac Rhus glabra Tree 12 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
star duckweed Lemna trisulca Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
swamp white oak Quercus bicolor Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides Grass or grass-like 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
troublesome sedge Carex molesta Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans Vine 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
water knotweed Polygonum amphibium Wildflower (forb) 1 in Sun High Zone 5a
wheat sedge Carex atherodes Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High 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 doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
white oak Quercus alba Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade 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
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
winged sumac Rhus copallinum Tree 8 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
woolgrass Scirpus cyperinus Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 203

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 alumroot Heuchera americana
  • American burnweed Erechtites hieraciifolius
  • American false pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
  • American spikenard Aralia racemosa
  • annual marsh elder Iva annua
  • Apocynum ×floribundum Apocynum ×floribundum
  • Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
  • bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
  • Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
  • bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
  • bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
  • beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
  • bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • brown widelip orchid Liparis liliifolia
  • browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
  • button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
  • Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
  • Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
  • Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
  • Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
  • carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
  • clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
  • 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
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • cutleaf watermilfoil Myriophyllum pinnatum
  • cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
  • Davis' sedge Carex davisii
  • downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
  • downy phlox Phlox pilosa
  • Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
  • dwarf chinquapin oak Quercus prinoides
  • dwarf horseweed Conyza ramosissima
  • dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
  • eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
  • eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
  • elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
  • Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
  • feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
  • fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
  • feverwort Triosteum perfoliatum
  • field thistle Cirsium discolor
  • fleshy hawthorn Crataegus succulenta
  • fluxweed Trichostema brachiatum
  • fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
  • fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
  • fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
  • golden zizia Zizia aurea
  • grape honeysuckle Lonicera reticulata
  • grassleaf mudplantain Heteranthera dubia
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • grooved flax Linum sulcatum
  • hairy forked nailwort Paronychia fastigiata
  • hairy hedgenettle Stachys pilosa
  • hairy sunflower Helianthus hirsutus
  • Hayden's sedge Carex haydenii
  • heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
  • hoary frostweed Helianthemum bicknellii
  • hoary verbena Verbena stricta
  • hogwort Croton capitatus
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
  • Indianpipe Monotropa uniflora
  • inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
  • Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
  • jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
  • lanceleaf buckthorn Rhamnus lanceolata
  • lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
  • lanceleaf ragweed Ambrosia bidentata
  • largebract ticktrefoil Desmodium cuspidatum
  • largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
  • largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
  • Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
  • lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
  • licorice bedstraw Galium circaezans
  • long-stolon sedge Carex inops
  • longflower beeblossom Oenothera filiformis
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
  • lowland yellow loosestrife Lysimachia hybrida
  • manyfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia polycarpa
  • Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
  • Michigan lily Lilium michiganense
  • minute duckweed Lemna perpusilla
  • Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
  • mullein foxglove Dasistoma macrophylla
  • narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
  • narrowleaf pinweed Lechea tenuifolia
  • narrowleaf wild leek Allium burdickii
  • New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
  • nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
  • northern dewberry Rubus flagellaris
  • pale beardtongue Penstemon pallidus
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
  • Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
  • plain gentian Gentiana alba
  • pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
  • prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
  • prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
  • prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
  • purple giant hyssop Agastache scrophulariifolia
  • purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
  • purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
  • purple milkweed Asclepias purpurascens
  • purple milkwort Polygala sanguinea
  • rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
  • ramp Allium tricoccum
  • red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
  • Red River scaleseed Spermolepis inermis
  • redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
  • Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
  • richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
  • rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
  • rosy sedge Carex rosea
  • rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
  • rough hawkweed Hieracium scabrum
  • roundseed St. Johnswort Hypericum sphaerocarpum
  • rue anemone Thalictrum thalictroides
  • sand bittercress Cardamine parviflora
  • scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa
  • seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
  • sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
  • shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
  • showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
  • shrubby lespedeza Lespedeza frutescens
  • sicklepod Arabis canadensis
  • silky dogwood Cornus obliqua
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slender lespedeza Lespedeza virginica
  • slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
  • slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
  • small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
  • smooth forked nailwort Paronychia canadensis
  • smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
  • smooth rockcress Arabis laevigata
  • smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
  • soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
  • soft fox sedge Carex conjuncta
  • spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
  • spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
  • Standley's goosefoot Chenopodium standleyanum
  • stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
  • stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
  • swamp dock Rumex verticillatus
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa
  • sweetscented joe pye weed Eutrochium purpureum
  • tall blazing star Liatris aspera
  • tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
  • tall tickseed Coreopsis tripteris
  • threeflower melicgrass Melica nitens
  • upright carrionflower Smilax ecirrhata
  • violet lespedeza Lespedeza violacea
  • Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
  • waterpurslane Didiplis diandra
  • waxyfruit hawthorn Crataegus pruinosa
  • whip nutrush Scleria triglomerata
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • white vervain Verbena urticifolia
  • wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
  • whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
  • widowsfrill Silene stellata
  • wild quinine Parthenium integrifolium
  • willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
  • winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
  • wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
  • woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
  • woolly sedge Carex pellita
  • yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
  • yellow pimpernel Taenidia integerrima
  • yellow water buttercup Ranunculus flabellaris
Also listed as native and introduced here 2

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

Compared with Missouri

The typical county is the median of the 114 Missouri 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, Mercer County and Missouri
MeasureMercer CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 359 557 1,678
Garden-ready natives 156 219 558
Tree 52 — 149
Shrub 15 — 59
Wildflower (forb) 230 — 936
Grass or grass-like 42 — 395
Vine 15 — 79
Fern 5 — 60

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Mercer 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
Mercer County (county FIPS 29129), Missouri. 359 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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