Native plants · Nebraska

Native plants of Boyd County

151 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Boyd County by USDA PLANTS. 67 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Boyd County, Nebraska

Native species: 151 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 67 Typical Nebraska county: 81
Share by type (all 151 native species): Percent of the 151 native species in each growth type

Tree 11% (16)
Shrub 5% (8)
Wildflower (forb) 54% (81)
Grass or grass-like 23% (35)
Vine 5% (8)
Fern 2% (3)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (54%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (23%).

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 5a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 67

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

Garden-ready native plants of Boyd County, Nebraska
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American vetch Vicia americana	Vine	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
awlfruit sedge Carex stipata	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2b
black walnut Juglans nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
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
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus	Tree	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	—
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
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
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 duckweed Lemna minor	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 2b
common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius	Shrub	10 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12a
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
field horsetail Equisetum arvense	Fern	11 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens	Grass or grass-like	5.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 2a
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
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
leadplant Amorpha canescens	Shrub	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
nodding beggartick Bidens cernua	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides	Tree	60 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata	Grass or grass-like	8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii	Wildflower (forb)	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
purpleleaf willowherb Epilobium coloratum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum	Fern	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
riverbank grape Vitis riparia	Vine	45 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
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
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Tree	85 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum	Fern	5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
smooth sumac Rhus glabra	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
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
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
switchgrass Panicum virgatum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi	Grass or grass-like	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
troublesome sedge Carex molesta	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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
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
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 84

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
amberique-bean Strophostyles helvola
annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
Columbian watermeal Wolffia columbiana
common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
Crawe's sedge Carex crawei
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
fourpoint evening primrose Oenothera rhombipetala
foxtail prairie clover Dalea leporina
great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
heavy sedge Carex gravida
hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
hoary verbena Verbena stricta
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
large beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus
large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
long-stolon sedge Carex inops
longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
northern green rush Juncus alpinoarticulatus
pale dock Rumex altissimus
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
plains snakecotton Froelichia floridana
prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
prairie rose Rosa arkansana
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
spinystar Escobaria vivipara
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
strict blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium montanum
swamp verbena Verbena hastata
tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
veiny dock Rumex venosus
Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
white vervain Verbena urticifolia
wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
witchgrass Panicum capillare
woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
woolly sedge Carex pellita
yellow avens Geum aleppicum

Compared with Nebraska

The typical county is the median of the 93 Nebraska 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, Boyd County and Nebraska
Measure	Boyd County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	151	169	1,131
Garden-ready natives	67	81	452
Tree	16	—	68
Shrub	8	—	48
Wildflower (forb)	81	—	687
Grass or grass-like	35	—	253
Vine	8	—	46
Fern	3	—	29

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Boyd County.

Holt County, NE 177 garden-ready
Gregory County, SD 90 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: Boyd County (county FIPS 31015), Nebraska. 151 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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