Native plants · Montana
Native plants of Wheatland County
115 plant species are recorded as native to Montana in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Wheatland County by USDA PLANTS. 71 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
Wheatland County, Montana
- Native species
- 115 Typical Montana county: 161 (median of 56 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 71 Typical Montana county: 104
- Share by type (all 115 native species)
-
Percent of the 115 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (72%), followed by shrubs (17%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 71
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American vetch Vicia americana | Vine | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| Anderson's larkspur Delphinium andersonii | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5b |
| arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata | Tree | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| bigseed biscuitroot Lomatium macrocarpum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| blanketflower Gaillardia aristata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Blue Mountain buckwheat Eriogonum strictum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae | Shrub | 1.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| chokecherry Prunus virginiana | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| common juniper Juniperus communis | Tree | 10 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| cutleaf daisy Erigeron compositus | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| Gardner's saltbush Atriplex gardneri | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Modoc hawksbeard Crepis modocensis | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| narrowleaf cottonwood Populus angustifolia | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| nineleaf biscuitroot Lomatium triternatum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| oneflower helianthella Helianthella uniflora | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 5a |
| pale agoseris Agoseris glauca | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| quaking aspen Populus tremuloides | Tree | 65 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1a |
| redosier dogwood Cornus sericea | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | High | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 cinquefoil Potentilla gracilis | Wildflower (forb) | 2.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| spineless horsebrush Tetradymia canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 9a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| water knotweed Polygonum amphibium | Wildflower (forb) | 1 in | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| woolly groundsel Packera cana | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 44
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.
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- Canadian gooseberry Ribes oxyacanthoides
- cheerful sunflower Helianthus ×laetiflorus
- clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
- clustered broomrape Orobanche fasciculata
- common starlily Leucocrinum montanum
- Douglas' knotweed Polygonum douglasii
- fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
- foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
- fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
- lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
- lesser wirelettuce Stephanomeria minor
- Missouri foxtail cactus Escobaria missouriensis
- mountain tarweed Madia glomerata
- nodding buckwheat Eriogonum cernuum
- nodding onion Allium cernuum
- northern woodland violet Viola septentrionalis
- pleated gentian Gentiana affinis
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
- shy wallflower Erysimum inconspicuum
- silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
- small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
- spiny phlox Phlox hoodii
- spinystar Escobaria vivipara
- stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
- woolly cinquefoil Potentilla hippiana
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
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 | Wheatland County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 115 | 161 | 1,086 |
| Garden-ready natives | 71 | 104 | 606 |
| Tree | 9 | — | 71 |
| Shrub | 20 | — | 98 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 83 | — | 609 |
| Grass or grass-like | 2 | — | 246 |
| Vine | 1 | — | 18 |
| Fern | 0 | — | 44 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Wheatland County.
- Fergus County, MT 138 garden-ready
- Golden Valley County, MT 56 garden-ready
- Judith Basin County, MT 89 garden-ready
- Meagher County, MT 103 garden-ready
- Sweet Grass County, MT 106 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
- Wheatland County (county FIPS 30107), Montana. 115 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