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Native plants · North Dakota

Native plants of Cavalier County

252 plant species are recorded as native to North Dakota in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Cavalier County by USDA PLANTS. 130 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 1 more species is listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Cavalier County, North Dakota

Native species
252 Typical North Dakota county: 287 (median of 53 counties)
Garden-ready natives
130 Typical North Dakota county: 143
Share by type (all 252 native species)
Percent of the 252 native species in each growth type
Tree 8% (20)
Shrub 8% (19)
Wildflower (forb) 62% (156)
Grass or grass-like 19% (47)
Vine 3% (7)
Fern 1% (3)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (62%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (19%).

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 3b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 130

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

Garden-ready native plants of Cavalier County, North Dakota
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alderleaf buckthorn Rhamnus alnifolia Shrub 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
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 red raspberry Rubus idaeus Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 1a
American vetch Vicia americana Vine 1.3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
American water horehound Lycopus americanus Wildflower (forb) 1.8 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
awlfruit sedge Carex stipata Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
balsam poplar Populus balsamifera Tree 80 ft Sun High Zone 1a
beaked hazelnut Corylus cornuta Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii Grass or grass-like 6 ft Sun Low Zone 2b
blanketflower Gaillardia aristata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
bluejoint Calamagrostis canadensis Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
broadfruit bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
cloaked bulrush Scirpus pallidus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
common cowparsnip Heracleum maximum Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
common duckweed Lemna minor Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
common juniper Juniperus communis Tree 10 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
common mare's-tail Hippuris vulgaris Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
common rivergrass Scolochloa festucacea Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High 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 juniper Juniperus horizontalis Shrub 4 ft Sun High Zone 3a
crested sedge Carex cristatella Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 12b
cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
downy arrowwood Viburnum rafinesqueanum Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3a
field horsetail Equisetum arvense Fern 11 in Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
field pussytoes Antennaria neglecta Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
fowl bluegrass Poa palustris Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
gray alder Alnus incana Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
hardstem bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus Grass or grass-like 9.8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana Tree 45 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Wildflower (forb) 9.8 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Shrub 6 in Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
knotted rush Juncus nodosus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus Wildflower (forb) 1.1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
leadplant Amorpha canescens Shrub 4 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
Lewis flax Linum lewisii Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
longleaf starwort Stellaria longifolia Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
longstalk starwort Stellaria longipes Wildflower (forb) 11 in Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala Tree 52 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
nannyberry Viburnum lentago Tree 28 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
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
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
pale agoseris Agoseris glauca Shrub 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
paper birch Betula papyrifera Tree 70 ft Sun High Zone 1a
Pennsylvania bittercress Cardamine pensylvanica Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
pin cherry Prunus pensylvanica Tree 30 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
plains muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidata Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata Grass or grass-like 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis Grass or grass-like 2.3 ft Sun–part shade Low 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
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
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum Fern 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
red currant Ribes triste Shrub 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 1a
red swampfire Salicornia rubra Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
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
Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12b
rough bentgrass Agrostis scabra Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
rough bugleweed Lycopus asper Wildflower (forb) 2.1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
roundleaf serviceberry Amelanchier sanguinea Tree 10 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
russet buffaloberry Shepherdia canadensis Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 1a
sandbar willow Salix interior Tree 30 ft Sun — Zone 1a
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
shortawn foxtail Alopecurus aequalis Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
showy locoweed Oxytropis splendens Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea Tree 18 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
silverberry Elaeagnus commutata Shrub 12 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
silverweed cinquefoil Argentina anserina Wildflower (forb) 6 in Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
spotted joe pye weed Eutrochium maculatum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
star duckweed Lemna trisulca Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium 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
threepetal bedstraw Galium trifidum Vine 10 in Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
variableleaf pondweed Potamogeton gramineus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
vernal water-starwort Callitriche palustris Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun Medium Zone 4a
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
water knotweed Polygonum amphibium Wildflower (forb) 1 in Sun High Zone 5a
western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
wheat sedge Carex atherodes Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 3b
white meadowsweet Spiraea alba Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
white sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
wild sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
woodland horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum Fern 11 in Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3a
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
yellow marsh marigold Caltha palustris Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun High Zone 3b
yellow owl's-clover Orthocarpus luteus Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 122

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.

  • American dragonhead Dracocephalum parviflorum
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
  • American mannagrass Glyceria grandis
  • American sloughgrass Beckmannia syzigachne
  • autumn onion Allium stellatum
  • Back's sedge Carex backii
  • bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
  • Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
  • big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • blue giant hyssop Agastache foeniculum
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • Canada mayflower Maianthemum canadense
  • Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
  • Canadian wildginger Asarum canadense
  • common bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza
  • Crawe's sedge Carex crawei
  • cream pea Lathyrus ochroleucus
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
  • earlyleaf brome Bromus latiglumis
  • eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
  • fireberry hawthorn Crataegus chrysocarpa
  • flat-top goldentop Euthamia graminifolia
  • fleshy starwort Stellaria crassifolia
  • Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
  • foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
  • Gmelin's buttercup Ranunculus gmelinii
  • golden zizia Zizia aurea
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • grooved flax Linum sulcatum
  • hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
  • hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
  • hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
  • hairystem gooseberry Ribes hirtellum
  • heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
  • hemlock waterparsnip Sium suave
  • hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • Indianpipe Monotropa uniflora
  • largeflower bellwort Uvularia grandiflora
  • Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
  • leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
  • Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
  • limber honeysuckle Lonicera dioica
  • Lindley's aster Symphyotrichum ciliolatum
  • long-stolon sedge Carex inops
  • longbract frog orchid Dactylorhiza viridis
  • longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
  • Macoun's barley ×Elyhordeum macounii
  • manybranched pepperweed Lepidium ramosissimum
  • mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
  • marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
  • Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
  • Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
  • meadow willow Salix petiolaris
  • meadow zizia Zizia aptera
  • mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
  • mountain tansymustard Descurainia incana
  • narrowleaf hawkweed Hieracium umbellatum
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
  • nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
  • northern sweetgrass Hierochloe hirta
  • northern water plantain Alisma triviale
  • parasol whitetop Doellingeria umbellata
  • Pennsylvania cinquefoil Potentilla pensylvanica
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • plains bluegrass Poa arida
  • prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • pygmyflower rockjasmine Androsace septentrionalis
  • red baneberry Actaea rubra
  • red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
  • Richardson's pondweed Potamogeton richardsonii
  • rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea
  • rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
  • Sartwell's sedge Carex sartwellii
  • scrambled eggs Corydalis aurea
  • Seneca snakeroot Polygala senega
  • sessileleaf bellwort Uvularia sessilifolia
  • shortspike watermilfoil Myriophyllum sibiricum
  • shortstalk chickweed Cerastium brachypodum
  • shrubby fivefingers Sibbaldiopsis tridentata
  • shy wallflower Erysimum inconspicuum
  • silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
  • small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
  • small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
  • smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
  • smooth rose Rosa blanda
  • smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
  • spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
  • spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
  • starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
  • strict blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium montanum
  • tall thimbleweed Anemone virginiana
  • tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
  • veiny meadow-rue Thalictrum venulosum
  • veiny pea Lathyrus venosus
  • Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
  • water mudwort Limosella aquatica
  • wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
  • western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
  • whip-poor-will flower Trillium cernuum
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
  • white rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes alba
  • wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia
  • wood bluegrass Poa nemoralis
  • woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
  • woodland draba Draba nemorosa
  • woolly sedge Carex pellita
  • yellow avens Geum aleppicum
Also listed as native and introduced here 1

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 North Dakota

The typical county is the median of the 53 North Dakota 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, Cavalier County and North Dakota
MeasureCavalier CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 252 287 890
Garden-ready natives 130 143 386
Tree 20 — 50
Shrub 19 — 62
Wildflower (forb) 156 — 513
Grass or grass-like 47 — 203
Vine 7 — 31
Fern 3 — 31

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Cavalier 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
Cavalier County (county FIPS 38019), North Dakota. 252 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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