Native plants · Montana
Native plants of Fallon County
141 plant species are recorded as native to Montana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Fallon County by USDA PLANTS. 80 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
Fallon County, Montana
- Native species
- 141 Typical Montana county: 161 (median of 56 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 80 Typical Montana county: 104
- Share by type (all 141 native species)
-
Percent of the 141 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (58%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (18%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 80
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alkali cordgrass Spartina gracilis | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata | Tree | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| blanketflower Gaillardia aristata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| broadbeard beardtongue Penstemon angustifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | 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 |
| clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common juniper Juniperus communis | Tree | 10 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| common spikerush Eleocharis palustris | Grass or grass-like | 1.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| creeping barberry Mahonia repens | Shrub | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| flatstem pondweed Potamogeton zosteriformis | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| foothill arnica Arnica fulgens | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| golden currant Ribes aureum | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| inland rush Juncus interior | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.1 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| Lewis flax Linum lewisii | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Macoun's buttercup Ranunculus macounii | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| needle and thread Hesperostipa comata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| northern bedstraw Galium boreale | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Nuttall's alkaligrass Puccinellia nuttalliana | Grass or grass-like | 10 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata | Grass or grass-like | 8 ft | Sun | High | 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 sagewort Artemisia frigida | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| redosier dogwood Cornus sericea | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum | Tree | 50 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| russet buffaloberry Shepherdia canadensis | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 1a |
| 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 |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| sanddune wallflower Erysimum capitatum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia | Tree | 15 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 1a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani | Grass or grass-like | 9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| toad rush Juncus bufonius | Grass or grass-like | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12a |
| Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi | Grass or grass-like | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| wax currant Ribes cereum | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 61
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 bird's-foot trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus
- ballhead ipomopsis Ipomopsis congesta
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
- Canadian gooseberry Ribes oxyacanthoides
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
- Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
- fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
- foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
- lesser spikemoss Selaginella densa
- longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
- Macoun's barley ×Elyhordeum macounii
- Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
- meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
- mountain tansymustard Descurainia incana
- narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
- Pennsylvania cinquefoil Potentilla pensylvanica
- povertyweed Iva axillaris
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
- Richardson's pondweed Potamogeton richardsonii
- rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea
- rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- seaside arrowgrass Triglochin maritima
- shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
- shy wallflower Erysimum inconspicuum
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
- spinystar Escobaria vivipara
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
- strict blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium montanum
- tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
- tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
- veiny dock Rumex venosus
- velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
- whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
- whorled milkwort Polygala verticillata
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
- yellow avens Geum aleppicum
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.
- common pepperweedLepidium densiflorum
- Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
- white sagebrushArtemisia ludoviciana
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.
| Measure | Fallon County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 141 | 161 | 1,086 |
| Garden-ready natives | 80 | 104 | 606 |
| Tree | 14 | — | 71 |
| Shrub | 17 | — | 98 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 82 | — | 609 |
| Grass or grass-like | 25 | — | 246 |
| Vine | 1 | — | 18 |
| Fern | 2 | — | 44 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Fallon County.
- Carter County, MT 111 garden-ready
- Custer County, MT 107 garden-ready
- Wibaux County, MT 82 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
- Fallon County (county FIPS 30025), Montana. 141 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