Native plants · Montana
Native plants of Hill County
126 plant species are recorded as native to Montana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Hill County by USDA PLANTS. 67 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
Hill County, Montana
- Native species
- 126 Typical Montana county: 161 (median of 56 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 67 Typical Montana county: 104
- Share by type (all 126 native species)
-
Percent of the 126 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (76%), followed by shrubs (10%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 67
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alpine leafybract aster Symphyotrichum foliaceum | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| American vetch Vicia americana | Vine | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| Barclay's willow Salix barclayi | Tree | 15 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata | Tree | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| blanketflower Gaillardia aristata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| bunchberry dogwood Cornus canadensis | Shrub | 6 in | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| fireweed Chamerion angustifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 5.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| foothill deathcamas Zigadenus paniculatus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| fowl bluegrass Poa palustris | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| hairy false goldenaster Heterotheca villosa | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| heartleaf arnica Arnica cordifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi | Shrub | 6 in | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4a |
| largeflower hawksbeard Crepis occidentalis | Wildflower (forb) | 11 in | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| lodgepole pine Pinus contorta | Tree | 99 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 1a |
| Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | 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 sunflower Helianthus nuttallii | Wildflower (forb) | 10 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| old man's whiskers Geum triflorum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Pacific anemone Anemone multifida | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| pale agoseris Agoseris glauca | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| poverty rush Juncus tenuis | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| redosier dogwood Cornus sericea | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| Richardson's geranium Geranium richardsonii | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12b |
| sagebrush buttercup Ranunculus glaberrimus | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| salt heliotrope Heliotropium curassavicum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| seep monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| showy locoweed Oxytropis splendens | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa | Shrub | 2.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| silky lupine Lupinus sericeus | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| silvery lupine Lupinus argenteus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| slender cinquefoil Potentilla gracilis | Wildflower (forb) | 2.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| slenderbeak sedge Carex athrostachya | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| soapweed yucca Yucca glauca | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sticky purple geranium Geranium viscosissimum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 6a |
| stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 8a |
| swordleaf rush Juncus ensifolius | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| water knotweed Polygonum amphibium | Wildflower (forb) | 1 in | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| western goldentop Euthamia occidentalis | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| western pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| white prairie clover Dalea candida | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 59
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 bugseed Corispermum americanum
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- blite goosefoot Chenopodium capitatum
- bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
- cream pea Lathyrus ochroleucus
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
- desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
- Douglas' knotweed Polygonum douglasii
- flatspine bur ragweed Ambrosia acanthicarpa
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- grand redstem Ammannia robusta
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
- hooded coralroot Corallorhiza striata
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
- leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
- liverleaf wintergreen Pyrola asarifolia
- Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
- marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
- meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
- meadow zizia Zizia aptera
- mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
- Pennsylvania cinquefoil Potentilla pensylvanica
- plains springparsley Cymopterus acaulis
- povertyweed Iva axillaris
- prairie plantain Plantago elongata
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- rayless alkali aster Symphyotrichum ciliatum
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
- spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
- Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
- tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
- twinflower Linnaea borealis
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
- woolly cinquefoil Potentilla hippiana
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
- 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 | Hill County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 126 | 161 | 1,086 |
| Garden-ready natives | 67 | 104 | 606 |
| Tree | 7 | — | 71 |
| Shrub | 12 | — | 98 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 96 | — | 609 |
| Grass or grass-like | 9 | — | 246 |
| Vine | 2 | — | 18 |
| Fern | 0 | — | 44 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Hill County.
- Blaine County, MT 78 garden-ready
- Chouteau County, MT 92 garden-ready
- Liberty County, MT 29 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
- Hill County (county FIPS 30041), Montana. 126 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