Native plants · North Dakota

Native plants of Walsh County

193 plant species are recorded as native to North Dakota in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Walsh County by USDA PLANTS. 96 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

Walsh County, North Dakota

Native species
193 Typical North Dakota county: 287 (median of 53 counties)
Garden-ready natives
96 Typical North Dakota county: 143
Share by type (all 193 native species)
Percent of the 193 native species in each growth type
Tree 4% (8)
Shrub 4% (7)
Wildflower (forb) 64% (124)
Grass or grass-like 22% (43)
Vine 4% (8)
Fern 2% (3)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (64%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (22%).

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 3b to 4a (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 96

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

Garden-ready native plants of Walsh County, North Dakota
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American basswood Tilia americana Tree 100 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
American elm Ulmus americana Tree 120 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade High 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
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
bigseed biscuitroot Lomatium macrocarpum Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 4b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
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
buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun 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 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
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
cloaked bulrush Scirpus pallidus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun 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 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
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum Wildflower (forb) — Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
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
devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana Vine 15 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
drooping woodreed Cinna latifolia Grass or grass-like 4.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
field horsetail Equisetum arvense Fern 11 in Sun–part shade High 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
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
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
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus Wildflower (forb) 9.8 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
jewelweed Impatiens capensis Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 10b
knotted rush Juncus nodosus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
leadplant Amorpha canescens Shrub 4 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High 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
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
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
Pennsylvania buttercup Ranunculus pensylvanicus Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4b
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata Grass or grass-like 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
quill sedge Carex tenera Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
red elderberry Sambucus racemosa Tree 18 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
red swampfire Salicornia rubra Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
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
rough bugleweed Lycopus asper Wildflower (forb) 2.1 ft Shade-tolerant High 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 dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia Tree 15 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 1a
scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum Fern 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
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
tufted hairgrass Deschampsia cespitosa Grass or grass-like 3.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
variableleaf pondweed Potamogeton gramineus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
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 snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
white avens Geum canadense Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant 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
woolly groundsel Packera cana Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
yellow owl's-clover Orthocarpus luteus Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 97

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.

  • Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
  • American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
  • American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
  • American mannagrass Glyceria grandis
  • American sloughgrass Beckmannia syzigachne
  • annual marsh elder Iva annua
  • autumn onion Allium stellatum
  • big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • bristleleaf sedge Carex eburnea
  • bulblet-bearing water hemlock Cicuta bulbifera
  • Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
  • Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
  • carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
  • common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
  • common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
  • cream pea Lathyrus ochroleucus
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
  • desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
  • downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
  • eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
  • eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
  • flat-top goldentop Euthamia graminifolia
  • Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
  • fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
  • fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
  • grassleaf mudplantain Heteranthera dubia
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
  • hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
  • hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
  • hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
  • heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
  • hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
  • hemlock waterparsnip Sium suave
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
  • large beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus
  • lesser yellow lady's slipper Cypripedium parviflorum
  • marsh pea Lathyrus palustris
  • Maryland sanicle Sanicula marilandica
  • Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
  • mountain tansymustard Descurainia incana
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
  • nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
  • northern bugleweed Lycopus uniflorus
  • Northern Idaho biscuitroot Lomatium orientale
  • northern water plantain Alisma triviale
  • northern wildrice Zizania palustris
  • Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
  • Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • povertyweed Iva axillaris
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
  • purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
  • Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
  • pygmyflower rockjasmine Androsace septentrionalis
  • red baneberry Actaea rubra
  • red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • Richardson's pondweed Potamogeton richardsonii
  • rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
  • salt sandspurry Spergularia salina
  • Sartwell's sedge Carex sartwellii
  • scaldweed Cuscuta gronovii
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • scrambled eggs Corydalis aurea
  • shortstalk chickweed Cerastium brachypodum
  • silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
  • slender wedgescale Sphenopholis intermedia
  • small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
  • smooth rose Rosa blanda
  • smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
  • stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
  • swamp lousewort Pedicularis lanceolata
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • tall blazing star Liatris aspera
  • tall blue lettuce Lactuca biennis
  • tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • water mudwort Limosella aquatica
  • western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • white lady's slipper Cypripedium candidum
  • white vervain Verbena urticifolia
  • wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • wood bluegrass Poa nemoralis
  • wood lily Lilium philadelphicum
  • woodland draba Draba nemorosa
  • woolly sedge Carex pellita
  • yellow avens Geum aleppicum
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.

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, Walsh County and North Dakota
MeasureWalsh CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 193 287 890
Garden-ready natives 96 143 386
Tree 8 — 50
Shrub 7 — 62
Wildflower (forb) 124 — 513
Grass or grass-like 43 — 203
Vine 8 — 31
Fern 3 — 31

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Walsh 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
Walsh County (county FIPS 38099), North Dakota. 193 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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