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Native plants · Montana

Native plants of Custer County

208 plant species are recorded as native to Montana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Custer County by USDA PLANTS. 107 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

Custer County, Montana

Native species
208 Typical Montana county: 161 (median of 56 counties)
Garden-ready natives
107 Typical Montana county: 104
Share by type (all 208 native species)
Percent of the 208 native species in each growth type
Tree 7% (15)
Shrub 12% (24)
Wildflower (forb) 61% (126)
Grass or grass-like 18% (37)
Vine 2% (4)
Fern <1% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (18%).

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 zones 4a to 4b (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 107

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

Garden-ready native plants of Custer County, Montana
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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 plum Prunus americana Tree 24 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
American vetch Vicia americana Vine 1.3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Tree 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
blanketflower Gaillardia aristata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae Shrub 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis Shrub 4 ft Sun High Zone 3a
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
Douglas' dustymaiden Chaenactis douglasii Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora Wildflower (forb) 1.3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
Gardner's saltbush Atriplex gardneri Shrub 4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
golden currant Ribes aureum Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
greasewood Sarcobatus vermiculatus Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens Grass or grass-like 5.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 2a
green needlegrass Nassella viridula Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
hairy false goldenaster Heterotheca villosa Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Shrub 6 in Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
knotted rush Juncus nodosus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus Wildflower (forb) 1.1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
Lewis flax Linum lewisii Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
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
low pussytoes Antennaria dimorpha Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
Macoun's buttercup Ranunculus macounii Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun — Zone 1a
Mertens' rush Juncus mertensianus Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
Nebraska sedge Carex nebrascensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis Grass or grass-like 8 in Sun Medium Zone 5a
northern bedstraw Galium boreale Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun Medium Zone 12a
old man's whiskers Geum triflorum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
pale agoseris Agoseris glauca Shrub 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4a
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa Tree 223 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
prairie sandreed Calamovilfa longifolia Grass or grass-like 4.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii Wildflower (forb) 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
purple milkvetch Astragalus agrestis Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
red elderberry Sambucus racemosa Tree 18 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea Tree 12 ft Sun High Zone 3b
riverbank grape Vitis riparia Vine 45 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12b
Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum Tree 50 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
sagebrush buttercup Ranunculus glaberrimus Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun High Zone 3a
saltgrass Distichlis spicata Grass or grass-like 1.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
sandbar willow Salix interior Tree 30 ft Sun — Zone 1a
Sandberg bluegrass Poa secunda Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
sanddune wallflower Erysimum capitatum Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
shadscale saltbush Atriplex confertifolia Shrub 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa Shrub 2.5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea Tree 18 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
silver sagebrush Artemisia cana Shrub 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
silvery lupine Lupinus argenteus Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata Shrub 4 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 2a
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
soapweed yucca Yucca glauca Shrub 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
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
squirreltail Elymus elymoides Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
swordleaf rush Juncus ensifolius Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
tapertip hawksbeard Crepis acuminata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
tenpetal blazingstar Mentzelia decapetala Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
textile onion Allium textile Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
threadleaf sedge Carex filifolia Grass or grass-like 1.2 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
threepetal bedstraw Galium trifidum Vine 10 in Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 6a
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera Wildflower (forb) 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
wax currant Ribes cereum Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
western water hemlock Cicuta douglasii Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun High Zone 4b
western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
white prairie clover Dalea candida Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 2a
Woods' rose Rosa woodsii Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
woolly groundsel Packera cana Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b
woollypod milkvetch Astragalus purshii Wildflower (forb) 7 in Sun Low Zone 4a
yellow rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a

Other native species recorded here 101

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.

  • annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
  • aridland goosefoot Chenopodium desiccatum
  • aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
  • Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
  • ballhead ipomopsis Ipomopsis congesta
  • bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
  • big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • Canadian gooseberry Ribes oxyacanthoides
  • carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
  • Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
  • common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
  • common starlily Leucocrinum montanum
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
  • desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
  • Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
  • erect knotweed Polygonum erectum
  • false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
  • fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • Geyer's sandmat Chamaesyce geyeri
  • groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
  • hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
  • hookedspur violet Viola adunca
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
  • Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
  • lilac penstemon Penstemon gracilis
  • longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • marsh arrowgrass Triglochin palustris
  • matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
  • meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
  • Mojave seablite Suaeda moquinii
  • mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
  • narrowleaf goosefoot Chenopodium leptophyllum
  • narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • needleleaf navarretia Navarretia intertexta
  • needleleaf sedge Carex duriuscula
  • New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
  • pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
  • Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • plains springparsley Cymopterus acaulis
  • prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
  • prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
  • prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
  • prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
  • purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
  • Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
  • redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • Rocky Mountain rush Juncus saximontanus
  • rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
  • roughfruit fairybells Prosartes trachycarpa
  • rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
  • rusty lupine Lupinus pusillus
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • seaside arrowgrass Triglochin maritima
  • shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
  • shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
  • shy wallflower Erysimum inconspicuum
  • silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
  • small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
  • smooth goosefoot Chenopodium subglabrum
  • snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
  • spinystar Escobaria vivipara
  • spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
  • spreading fleabane Erigeron divergens
  • starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
  • stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
  • stemless Townsend daisy Townsendia exscapa
  • stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
  • stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
  • tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
  • tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
  • veiny dock Rumex venosus
  • velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
  • warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
  • wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
  • western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
  • western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
  • whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
  • whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
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.

Compared with Montana

The typical county is the median of the 56 Montana 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, Custer County and Montana
MeasureCuster CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 208 161 1,086
Garden-ready natives 107 104 606
Tree 15 — 71
Shrub 24 — 98
Wildflower (forb) 126 — 609
Grass or grass-like 37 — 246
Vine 4 — 18
Fern 2 — 44

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Custer 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
Custer County (county FIPS 30017), Montana. 208 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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