Native plants · North Dakota
Native plants of Morton County
301 plant species are recorded as native to North Dakota in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Morton County by USDA PLANTS. 149 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
Morton County, North Dakota
- Native species
- 301 Typical North Dakota county: 287 (median of 53 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 149 Typical North Dakota county: 143
- Share by type (all 301 native species)
-
Percent of the 301 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (57%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (22%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 149
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| alkali cordgrass Spartina gracilis | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| American bittersweet Celastrus scandens | Vine | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| American black currant Ribes americanum | Shrub | 3 ft | — | — | Zone 2b |
| American elm Ulmus americana | Tree | 120 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| American hazelnut Corylus americana | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| big bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2b |
| black raspberry Rubus occidentalis | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| broadfruit bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Canada germander Teucrium canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12b |
| Canadian waterweed Elodea canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| Carolina foxtail Alopecurus carolinianus | Grass or grass-like | 1.7 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| 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 hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| common juniper Juniperus communis | Tree | 10 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12a |
| disk waterhyssop Bacopa rotundifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 1 in | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| Douglas' sedge Carex douglasii | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa | Shrub | 15 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| fiddleleaf hawksbeard Crepis runcinata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| field horsetail Equisetum arvense | Fern | 11 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| flatstem pondweed Potamogeton zosteriformis | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| foothill arnica Arnica fulgens | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| golden currant Ribes aureum | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| inland rush Juncus interior | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | 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 |
| 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 |
| longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| Macoun's buttercup Ranunculus macounii | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| mat muhly Muhlenbergia richardsonis | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| narrowleaf water plantain Alisma gramineum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| needle and thread Hesperostipa comata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| pale agoseris Agoseris glauca | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| panicled bulrush Scirpus microcarpus | Grass or grass-like | 5.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | High | 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 |
| plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| porcupinegrass Hesperostipa spartea | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 sandreed Calamovilfa longifolia | Grass or grass-like | 4.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| quaking aspen Populus tremuloides | Tree | 65 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1a |
| red goosefoot Chenopodium rubrum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | High | 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 |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| river bulrush Bolboschoenus fluviatilis | Grass or grass-like | 6.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| riverbank grape Vitis riparia | Vine | 45 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12b |
| Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum | Tree | 50 ft | Sun | Low | 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 |
| rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| saltgrass Distichlis spicata | Grass or grass-like | 1.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sand bluestem Andropogon hallii | Grass or grass-like | 6.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| Sandberg bluegrass Poa secunda | Grass or grass-like | 1.4 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| sandcherry Prunus pumila | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea | Tree | 18 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| silver sagebrush Artemisia cana | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 2a |
| slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| slimstem reedgrass Calamagrostis stricta | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum | Fern | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| soapweed yucca Yucca glauca | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani | Grass or grass-like | 9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | 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 |
| thickspike wheatgrass Elymus lanceolatus | Grass or grass-like | 2.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| threadleaf sedge Carex filifolia | Grass or grass-like | 1.2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| tiny mousetail Myosurus minimus | Wildflower (forb) | 5 in | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12b |
| 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 |
| upright sedge Carex stricta | Grass or grass-like | 4.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| western white clematis Clematis ligusticifolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| white prairie clover Dalea candida | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | 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 |
| winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2a |
| 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 owl's-clover Orthocarpus luteus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 12b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 152
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 bird's-foot trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus
- American bugseed Corispermum americanum
- American dragonhead Dracocephalum parviflorum
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- American sloughgrass Beckmannia syzigachne
- annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
- 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
- brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
- bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian gooseberry Ribes oxyacanthoides
- candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
- clammy hedgehyssop Gratiola neglecta
- clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
- climbing false buckwheat Polygonum scandens
- clustered broomrape Orobanche fasciculata
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
- desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
- desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
- Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
- Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
- Equisetum ×ferrissii Equisetum ×ferrissii
- fall rosette grass Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
- feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- fireberry hawthorn Crataegus chrysocarpa
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
- foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- Geyer's sandmat Chamaesyce geyeri
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
- horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
- lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
- lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
- large beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
- leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
- lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
- lilac penstemon Penstemon gracilis
- longbract frog orchid Dactylorhiza viridis
- longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
- Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
- Macoun's barley ×Elyhordeum macounii
- mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
- marsh arrowgrass Triglochin palustris
- marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
- Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
- mountain tansymustard Descurainia incana
- narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- neckweed Veronica peregrina
- needleleaf sedge Carex duriuscula
- nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
- nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
- northern water plantain Alisma triviale
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- Oregon cliff fern Woodsia oregana
- pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
- Paradox cinquefoil Potentilla paradoxa
- Pennsylvania cinquefoil Potentilla pensylvanica
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- plains bluegrass Poa arida
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
- prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
- redwool plantain Plantago eriopoda
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii
- Richardson's pondweed Potamogeton richardsonii
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- roughfruit fairybells Prosartes trachycarpa
- rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- Scouler's popcornflower Plagiobothrys scouleri
- seaside arrowgrass Triglochin maritima
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- showy ticktrefoil Desmodium canadense
- shy wallflower Erysimum inconspicuum
- silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
- slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
- small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
- small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
- smooth cliffbrake Pellaea glabella
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- spinystar Escobaria vivipara
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- spreading dogbane Apocynum androsaemifolium
- Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- strict blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium montanum
- sunbright Phemeranthus parviflorus
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
- tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
- tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
- veiny meadow-rue Thalictrum venulosum
- veiny pea Lathyrus venosus
- velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
- water mudwort Limosella aquatica
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- whorl-leaf watermilfoil Myriophyllum verticillatum
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- whorled milkwort Polygala verticillata
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- wood bluegrass Poa nemoralis
- woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
- woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
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.
- common reedPhragmites australis
- Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
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.
| Measure | Morton County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 301 | 287 | 890 |
| Garden-ready natives | 149 | 143 | 386 |
| Tree | 22 | — | 50 |
| Shrub | 25 | — | 62 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 171 | — | 513 |
| Grass or grass-like | 66 | — | 203 |
| Vine | 11 | — | 31 |
| Fern | 6 | — | 31 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Morton County.
- Dunn County, ND 140 garden-ready
- Grant County, ND 161 garden-ready
- Mercer County, ND 140 garden-ready
- Oliver County, ND 120 garden-ready
- Sioux County, ND 101 garden-ready
- Stark County, ND 145 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
- Morton County (county FIPS 38059), North Dakota. 301 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