Native plants · Missouri
Native plants of Worth County
257 plant species are recorded as native to Missouri in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Worth County by USDA PLANTS. 106 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
Worth County, Missouri
- Native species
- 257 Typical Missouri county: 557 (median of 114 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 106 Typical Missouri county: 219
- Share by type (all 257 native species)
-
Percent of the 257 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (65%), followed by trees (17%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 106
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 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 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 |
| Bicknell's sedge Carex bicknellii | Grass or grass-like | 3.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2b |
| black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium | Tree | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| bristly buttercup Ranunculus hispidus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| broadleaf rosette grass Dichanthelium latifolium | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |
| coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 redbud Cercis canadensis | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | 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 |
| fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| graybark grape Vitis cinerea | Vine | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6b |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| groundnut Apios americana | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 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 |
| northern red oak Quercus rubra | Tree | 81 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| pin oak Quercus palustris | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| post oak Quercus stellata | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis | Grass or grass-like | 2.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| prairie willow Salix humilis | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| red mulberry Morus rubra | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus | Wildflower (forb) | 6.6 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 |
| 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 hedgenettle Stachys tenuifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| 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 water horehound Lycopus virginicus | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| water knotweed Polygonum amphibium | Wildflower (forb) | 1 in | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 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 |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 151
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.
- American alumroot Heuchera americana
- American false pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American spikenard Aralia racemosa
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
- Bernard violet Viola ×bernardii
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
- blisterwort Ranunculus recurvatus
- bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
- browneyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
- Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
- clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
- 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
- cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
- downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
- downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
- downy phlox Phlox pilosa
- Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
- dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- dwarf chinquapin oak Quercus prinoides
- dwarf larkspur Delphinium tricorne
- eastern false rue anemone Enemion biternatum
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern star sedge Carex radiata
- eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
- elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
- Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
- eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
- fall phlox Phlox paniculata
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- feverwort Triosteum perfoliatum
- fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
- fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green milkweed Asclepias hirtella
- hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
- hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
- Hayden's sedge Carex haydenii
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- hirsute sedge Carex complanata
- hoary frostweed Helianthemum bicknellii
- honeyvine Cynanchum laeve
- Illinois ticktrefoil Desmodium illinoense
- Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
- inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
- ironweed Vernonia ×illinoensis
- Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
- jumpseed Polygonum virginianum
- lanceleaf buckthorn Rhamnus lanceolata
- lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
- largebract ticktrefoil Desmodium cuspidatum
- largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
- licorice bedstraw Galium circaezans
- long-stolon sedge Carex inops
- longflower beeblossom Oenothera filiformis
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- lowland bladderfern Cystopteris protrusa
- mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
- Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
- Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
- mullein foxglove Dasistoma macrophylla
- narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
- neckweed Veronica peregrina
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
- nodding muhly Muhlenbergia bushii
- northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
- northern dewberry Rubus flagellaris
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- pale Indian plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
- palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
- pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
- prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie violet Viola pedatifida
- pubescent sedge Carex hirtifolia
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- purple milkwort Polygala sanguinea
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- sand bittercress Cardamine parviflora
- shining bedstraw Galium concinnum
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- showy orchid Galearis spectabilis
- sicklepod Arabis canadensis
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
- smartweed dodder Cuscuta polygonorum
- smooth forked nailwort Paronychia canadensis
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
- soft fox sedge Carex conjuncta
- spotted geranium Geranium maculatum
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
- swamp dock Rumex verticillatus
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa
- tall blazing star Liatris aspera
- tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
- tall tickseed Coreopsis tripteris
- toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white baneberry Actaea pachypoda
- white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- whorled mountainmint Pycnanthemum verticillatum
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
- winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
- wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
- woman's tobacco Antennaria plantaginifolia
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
- yellow pimpernel Taenidia integerrima
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.
| Measure | Worth County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 257 | 557 | 1,678 |
| Garden-ready natives | 106 | 219 | 558 |
| Tree | 43 | — | 149 |
| Shrub | 12 | — | 59 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 167 | — | 936 |
| Grass or grass-like | 22 | — | 395 |
| Vine | 12 | — | 79 |
| Fern | 1 | — | 60 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Worth County.
- Gentry County, MO 135 garden-ready
- Harrison County, MO 152 garden-ready
- Nodaway County, MO 153 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
- Worth County (county FIPS 29227), Missouri. 257 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