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Native plants · Missouri

Native plants of Ray County

391 plant species are recorded as native to Missouri in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Ray County by USDA PLANTS. 155 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

Ray County, Missouri

Native species
391 Typical Missouri county: 557 (median of 114 counties)
Garden-ready natives
155 Typical Missouri county: 219
Share by type (all 391 native species)
Percent of the 391 native species in each growth type
Tree 12% (47)
Shrub 2% (9)
Wildflower (forb) 67% (262)
Grass or grass-like 14% (54)
Vine 4% (17)
Fern <1% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (67%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (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 6a (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 155

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

Garden-ready native plants of Ray 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 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
beaked agrimony Agrimonia rostellata Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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 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
blunt spikerush Eleocharis obtusa Grass or grass-like 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 11a
bluntleaf bedstraw Galium obtusum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
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 —
Bush's sedge Carex bushii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
butterweed Packera glabella Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun High Zone 10b
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 milkvetch Astragalus canadensis Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
Canadian waterweed Elodea canadensis Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 4a
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis Wildflower (forb) 5.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
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
clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun High Zone 10b
climbing rose Rosa setigera Vine 16 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
coastal plain willow Salix caroliniana Tree 33 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 7b
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 evening primrose Oenothera biennis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 2b
common persimmon Diospyros virginiana Tree 55 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
common selfheal Prunella vulgaris Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
cup plant Silphium perfoliatum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 2b
cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 12b
cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
disk waterhyssop Bacopa rotundifolia Wildflower (forb) 1 in Sun High Zone 4a
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
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 5a
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 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
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
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
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
gray dogwood Cornus racemosa Shrub 10 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
greater straw sedge Carex normalis Grass or grass-like 5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
groundnut Apios americana Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
halberdleaf rosemallow Hibiscus laevis Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 6a
heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata Vine 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6b
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
inland rush Juncus interior Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
lanceleaf tickseed Coreopsis lanceolata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 6b
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
limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 6a
little barley Hordeum pusillum Grass or grass-like 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
lopsided rush Juncus secundus Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
Maryland senna Senna marilandica Wildflower (forb) 6.6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5b
Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala Tree 52 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
Muskingum sedge Carex muskingumensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus Shrub 3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4b
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
pawpaw Asimina triloba Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4a
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
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun High Zone 5a
pin oak Quercus palustris Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 4a
pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
plains muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidata Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
post oak Quercus stellata Tree 60 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
purplestem beggarticks Bidens connata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
ravenfoot sedge Carex crus-corvi Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
red mulberry Morus rubra Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
river birch Betula nigra Tree 70 ft Sun High 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
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 sumac Rhus glabra Tree 12 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
stalkless yellowcress Rorippa sessiliflora Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
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
sugar maple Acer saccharum Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
summer grape Vitis aestivalis Vine 30 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
swamp white oak Quercus bicolor Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
switchgrass Panicum virgatum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides Grass or grass-like 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
troublesome sedge Carex molesta Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
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
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius Wildflower (forb) 3.2 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 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
wirestem muhly Muhlenbergia frondosa Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b

Other native species recorded here 236

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
  • American bugseed Corispermum americanum
  • American burnweed Erechtites hieraciifolius
  • American false pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
  • American ginseng Panax quinquefolius
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
  • American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
  • annual marsh elder Iva annua
  • aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
  • Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
  • azure blue sage Salvia azurea
  • Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
  • blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
  • blue waxweed Cuphea viscosissima
  • bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
  • bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
  • bouquet mudplantain Heteranthera multiflora
  • brook cinquefoil Potentilla rivalis
  • browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
  • buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
  • Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
  • Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
  • Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
  • Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
  • Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
  • Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
  • Carolina desert-chicory Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
  • Carolina draba Draba reptans
  • Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
  • Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
  • Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
  • carpenter's square Scrophularia marilandica
  • clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
  • clammy hedgehyssop Gratiola neglecta
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
  • clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
  • 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
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
  • cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • Davis' sedge Carex davisii
  • diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
  • Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
  • Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • dwarf horseweed Conyza ramosissima
  • dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
  • eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
  • eastern false rue anemone Enemion biternatum
  • eastern greenviolet Hybanthus concolor
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • eastern star sedge Carex radiata
  • eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
  • elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
  • erect knotweed Polygonum erectum
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • fall witchgrass Digitaria cognata
  • false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
  • false spotted St. Johnswort Hypericum pseudomaculatum
  • fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
  • feverwort Triosteum perfoliatum
  • field pansy Viola bicolor
  • fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
  • flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
  • fluxweed Trichostema brachiatum
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • great waterleaf Hydrophyllum appendiculatum
  • Greek valerian Polemonium reptans
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
  • green milkweed Asclepias hirtella
  • groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
  • hairy hedgenettle Stachys pilosa
  • hairy pagoda-plant Blephilia hirsuta
  • hairy sunflower Helianthus hirsutus
  • hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
  • hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
  • hairyseed paspalum Paspalum pubiflorum
  • Hayden's sedge Carex haydenii
  • heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
  • heartleaf skullcap Scutellaria ovata
  • hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
  • Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
  • hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
  • hoary verbena Verbena stricta
  • hogwort Croton capitatus
  • honeyvine Cynanchum laeve
  • hortulan plum Prunus hortulana
  • Illinois ticktrefoil Desmodium illinoense
  • Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
  • inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
  • James' sedge Carex jamesii
  • jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
  • lanceleaf buckthorn Rhamnus lanceolata
  • lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
  • lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
  • largebract ticktrefoil Desmodium cuspidatum
  • largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
  • lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
  • lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
  • licorice bedstraw Galium circaezans
  • limber honeysuckle Lonicera dioica
  • longflower beeblossom Oenothera filiformis
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
  • manyfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia polycarpa
  • marsh pea Lathyrus palustris
  • mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
  • matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
  • Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
  • mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
  • Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
  • Missouri violet Viola missouriensis
  • mullein foxglove Dasistoma macrophylla
  • narrowleaf paleseed Leucospora multifida
  • narrowleaf vervain Verbena simplex
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
  • nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
  • Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
  • Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
  • oneflowered broomrape Orobanche uniflora
  • oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
  • orangefruit horse-gentian Triosteum aurantiacum
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
  • palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
  • Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
  • pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
  • prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
  • prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
  • prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
  • puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
  • purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
  • purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
  • purple meadowparsnip Thaspium trifoliatum
  • purple milkweed Asclepias purpurascens
  • purple milkwort Polygala sanguinea
  • purplerocket Iodanthus pinnatifidus
  • rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
  • ramp Allium tricoccum
  • red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
  • redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
  • rose mock vervain Glandularia canadensis
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
  • roundseed St. Johnswort Hypericum sphaerocarpum
  • sand bittercress Cardamine parviflora
  • sand violet Viola affinis
  • Schweinitz's flatsedge Cyperus schweinitzii
  • shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
  • Short's rockcress Arabis shortii
  • shortpod draba Draba brachycarpa
  • showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
  • shrubby lespedeza Lespedeza frutescens
  • sicklepod Arabis canadensis
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slender threeseed mercury Acalypha gracilens
  • slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
  • smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
  • smallflower halfchaff sedge Lipocarpha micrantha
  • smooth forked nailwort Paronychia canadensis
  • soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
  • spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
  • spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
  • Standley's goosefoot Chenopodium standleyanum
  • stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
  • stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • tall blazing star Liatris aspera
  • tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • Texas bergia Bergia texana
  • Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
  • thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
  • toadshade Trillium sessile
  • toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
  • upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
  • violet lespedeza Lespedeza violacea
  • violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
  • Virginia snakeroot Aristolochia serpentaria
  • Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
  • Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
  • Virginia winged rockcress Sibara virginica
  • western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • white vervain Verbena urticifolia
  • whiteflower leafcup Polymnia canadensis
  • whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
  • wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
  • whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
  • whorled mountainmint Pycnanthemum verticillatum
  • widowsfrill Silene stellata
  • wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
  • wild quinine Parthenium integrifolium
  • willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
  • winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
  • winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
  • wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
  • yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
  • yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
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
  • Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis

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, Ray County and Missouri
MeasureRay CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 391 557 1,678
Garden-ready natives 155 219 558
Tree 47 — 149
Shrub 9 — 59
Wildflower (forb) 262 — 936
Grass or grass-like 54 — 395
Vine 17 — 79
Fern 2 — 60

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Ray 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
Ray County (county FIPS 29177), Missouri. 391 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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