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Native plants · Montana

Native plants of Musselshell County

113 plant species are recorded as native to Montana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Musselshell County by USDA PLANTS. 75 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

Musselshell County, Montana

Native species
113 Typical Montana county: 161 (median of 56 counties)
Garden-ready natives
75 Typical Montana county: 104
Share by type (all 113 native species)
Percent of the 113 native species in each growth type
Tree 6% (7)
Shrub 14% (16)
Wildflower (forb) 73% (82)
Grass or grass-like 5% (6)
Vine <1% (1)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (73%), followed by shrubs (14%).

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 zone 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 75

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

Garden-ready native plants of Musselshell County, Montana
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Shade-tolerant High 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
balsam poplar Populus balsamifera Tree 80 ft Sun High Zone 1a
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
Blue Mountain buckwheat Eriogonum strictum Wildflower (forb) 2.2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae Shrub 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
creeping barberry Mahonia repens Shrub 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis Shrub 4 ft Sun High Zone 3a
darkthroat shootingstar Dodecatheon pulchellum Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
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
Eschscholtz's buttercup Ranunculus eschscholtzii Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
fowl bluegrass Poa palustris Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
Gardner's saltbush Atriplex gardneri Shrub 4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
greasewood Sarcobatus vermiculatus Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
hairy false goldenaster Heterotheca villosa Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
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
lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus Wildflower (forb) 1.1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
largeflower hawksbeard Crepis occidentalis Wildflower (forb) 11 in Sun Low Zone 5a
longstalk clover Trifolium longipes Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun–part shade Medium Zone 8a
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
Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
narrowleaf cottonwood Populus angustifolia Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4b
narrowleaf water plantain Alisma gramineum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun High Zone 3a
nineleaf biscuitroot Lomatium triternatum Wildflower (forb) 2.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
nodding beggartick Bidens cernua Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
northern bedstraw Galium boreale Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
northern water-starwort Callitriche hermaphroditica Wildflower (forb) — Sun High 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
ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa Tree 223 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
prickly rose Rosa acicularis Shrub 4 ft Shade-tolerant High 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
Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12b
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata Wildflower (forb) — Sun High 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 locoweed Oxytropis splendens Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
silky lupine Lupinus sericeus Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
silver sagebrush Artemisia cana Shrub 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
silverleaf phacelia Phacelia hastata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
silverweed cinquefoil Argentina anserina Wildflower (forb) 6 in Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
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
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
sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum Shrub 1 ft Sun Low Zone 8a
tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
tapertip hawksbeard Crepis acuminata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Low 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
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Medium 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
Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
wax currant Ribes cereum Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
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
winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 2a
woollypod milkvetch Astragalus purshii Wildflower (forb) 7 in Sun Low Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 38

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.

  • bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
  • carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
  • clustered broomrape Orobanche fasciculata
  • common starlily Leucocrinum montanum
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
  • Douglas' knotweed Polygonum douglasii
  • Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
  • fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
  • Gmelin's buttercup Ranunculus gmelinii
  • hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
  • large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
  • Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
  • lesser wirelettuce Stephanomeria minor
  • manyflower stickseed Hackelia floribunda
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • needleleaf sedge Carex duriuscula
  • nodding onion Allium cernuum
  • Northern Idaho biscuitroot Lomatium orientale
  • prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • Richardson's pondweed Potamogeton richardsonii
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
  • silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
  • small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
  • small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
  • spiny phlox Phlox hoodii
  • stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
  • wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
  • western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
  • whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
  • woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
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.

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, Musselshell County and Montana
MeasureMusselshell CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 113 161 1,086
Garden-ready natives 75 104 606
Tree 7 — 71
Shrub 16 — 98
Wildflower (forb) 82 — 609
Grass or grass-like 6 — 246
Vine 1 — 18
Fern 1 — 44

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Musselshell 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
Musselshell County (county FIPS 30065), Montana. 113 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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