Native plants · Montana

Native plants of Lake County

195 plant species are recorded as native to Montana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Lake County by USDA PLANTS. 128 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 5 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Lake County, Montana

Native species: 195 Typical Montana county: 161 (median of 56 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 128 Typical Montana county: 104
Share by type (all 195 native species): Percent of the 195 native species in each growth type

Tree 9% (18)
Shrub 13% (26)
Wildflower (forb) 69% (135)
Grass or grass-like 5% (9)
Vine 4% (7)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (69%), followed by shrubs (13%).

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 5b to 6a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 128

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

Garden-ready native plants of Lake County, Montana
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
Alberta beardtongue Penstemon albertinus	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10a
alpine leafybract aster Symphyotrichum foliaceum	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
American bistort Polygonum bistortoides	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
American speedwell Veronica americana	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
American vetch Vicia americana	Vine	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata	Shrub	6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
arrowleaf ragwort Senecio triangularis	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
ballhead waterleaf Hydrophyllum capitatum	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
balsam poplar Populus balsamifera	Tree	80 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1a
Bebb's sedge Carex bebbii	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
bigseed biscuitroot Lomatium macrocarpum	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
black hawthorn Crataegus douglasii	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
blanketflower Gaillardia aristata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
broadleaf arnica Arnica latifolia	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
buckbean Menyanthes trifoliata	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
bunchberry dogwood Cornus canadensis	Shrub	6 in	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
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
Cascara buckthorn Frangula purshiana	Tree	35 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
common cowparsnip Heracleum maximum	Wildflower (forb)	8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common duckweed Lemna minor	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common mare's-tail Hippuris vulgaris	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
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
common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
creeping barberry Mahonia repens	Shrub	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
Engelmann spruce Picea engelmannii	Tree	120 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2a
fireweed Chamerion angustifolium	Wildflower (forb)	5.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
floating pondweed Potamogeton natans	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
fowl bluegrass Poa palustris	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea	Wildflower (forb)	8.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
gooseberry currant Ribes montigenum	Shrub	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
greater creeping spearwort Ranunculus flammula	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens	Grass or grass-like	5.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 2a
grouse whortleberry Vaccinium scoparium	Shrub	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
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
lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus	Wildflower (forb)	1.1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Lyall's angelica Angelica arguta	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5b
Lyall's beardtongue Penstemon lyallii	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
mallow ninebark Physocarpus malvaceus	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
miner's lettuce Claytonia perfoliata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 12b
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
nineleaf biscuitroot Lomatium triternatum	Wildflower (forb)	2.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
nodding microseris Microseris nutans	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
Nootka rose Rosa nutkana	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
northern bedstraw Galium boreale	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
oceanspray Holodiscus discolor	Shrub	12 ft	Sun	High	Zone 8a
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
paper birch Betula papyrifera	Tree	70 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1a
Parry's rush Juncus parryi	Grass or grass-like	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
Pennsylvania bittercress Cardamine pensylvanica	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
pin cherry Prunus pensylvanica	Tree	30 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
pinkfairies Clarkia pulchella	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12a
ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa	Tree	223 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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 avens Geum rivale	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
purple milkvetch Astragalus agrestis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
quaking aspen Populus tremuloides	Tree	65 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1a
red elderberry Sambucus racemosa	Tree	18 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
red goosefoot Chenopodium rubrum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 12b
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea	Tree	12 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
redstem ceanothus Ceanothus sanguineus	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 6a
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 maple Acer glabrum	Tree	30 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
rose spirea Spiraea douglasii	Shrub	7 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
roundleaf alumroot Heuchera cylindrica	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6a
rush pussytoes Antennaria luzuloides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
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
sageleaf willow Salix candida	Shrub	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
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
Scouler's willow Salix scouleriana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 6a
seep monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
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
silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea	Tree	18 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
silverleaf phacelia Phacelia hastata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
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
small white violet Viola macloskeyi	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
star duckweed Lemna trisulca	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun	High	Zone 3b
sticky cinquefoil Potentilla glandulosa	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
sticky purple geranium Geranium viscosissimum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
streambank wild hollyhock Iliamna rivularis	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 8a
tapertip hawksbeard Crepis acuminata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
thickstem aster Eurybia integrifolia	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus	Shrub	4 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
thinleaved owl's-clover Orthocarpus tenuifolius	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 12b
threepetal bedstraw Galium trifidum	Vine	10 in	Sun–part shade	High	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
tufted loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
twinberry honeysuckle Lonicera involucrata	Shrub	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
Utah honeysuckle Lonicera utahensis	Shrub	5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
water birch Betula occidentalis	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 1a
water knotweed Polygonum amphibium	Wildflower (forb)	1 in	Sun	High	Zone 5a
wax currant Ribes cereum	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Low	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 stoneseed Lithospermum ruderale	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
western sweetroot Osmorhiza occidentalis	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
western water hemlock Cicuta douglasii	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
western white clematis Clematis ligusticifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
white sweetvetch Hedysarum sulphurescens	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
whitebark raspberry Rubus leucodermis	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8a
Wilcox's penstemon Penstemon wilcoxii	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
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
yellow penstemon Penstemon confertus	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a

Other native species recorded here 67

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.

Apocynum ×floribundum Apocynum ×floribundum
autumn dwarf gentian Gentianella amarella
Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
Bicknell's cranesbill Geranium bicknellii
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
Canadian gooseberry Ribes oxyacanthoides
clammy hedgehyssop Gratiola neglecta
cream pea Lathyrus ochroleucus
curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
Douglas' knotweed Polygonum douglasii
fairy slipper Calypso bulbosa
falsegold groundsel Packera pseudaurea
feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
Fries' pondweed Potamogeton friesii
fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
giant red Indian paintbrush Castilleja miniata
greenflowered wintergreen Pyrola chlorantha
hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
hookedspur violet Viola adunca
lesser rattlesnake plantain Goodyera repens
liverleaf wintergreen Pyrola asarifolia
mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
meadow zizia Zizia aptera
Menzies' campion Silene menziesii
Menzies' fiddleneck Amsinckia menziesii
mountain tarweed Madia glomerata
muskflower Mimulus moschatus
narrowleaf hawkweed Hieracium umbellatum
narrowleaf minerslettuce Montia linearis
nodding onion Allium cernuum
northern water plantain Alisma triviale
Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
Ontario lobelia Lobelia kalmii
pleated gentian Gentiana affinis
povertyweed Iva axillaris
purple marshlocks Comarum palustre
rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea
roughfruit fairybells Prosartes trachycarpa
salt sandspurry Spergularia salina
scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
skullcap speedwell Veronica scutellata
slender phlox Microsteris gracilis
spiny phlox Phlox hoodii
spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
spreading fleabane Erigeron divergens
strict blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium montanum
swamp verbena Verbena hastata
tall annual willowherb Epilobium brachycarpum
tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
tower rockcress Arabis glabra
twinflower Linnaea borealis
Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
western rattlesnake plantain Goodyera oblongifolia
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
woodland draba Draba nemorosa
woodland pinedrops Pterospora andromedea
woolly sedge Carex pellita

Also listed as native and introduced here 5

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.

American red raspberryRubus idaeus
claspleaf twistedstalkStreptopus amplexifolius
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.

Native species counts, Lake County and Montana
Measure	Lake County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	195	161	1,086
Garden-ready natives	128	104	606
Tree	18	—	71
Shrub	26	—	98
Wildflower (forb)	135	—	609
Grass or grass-like	9	—	246
Vine	7	—	18
Fern	0	—	44

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Lake County.

Flathead County, MT 214 garden-ready
Missoula County, MT 189 garden-ready
Sanders County, MT 127 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: Lake County (county FIPS 30047), Montana. 195 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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