Native plants · Nebraska
Native plants of Cedar County
161 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Cedar County by USDA PLANTS. 77 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
Cedar County, Nebraska
- Native species
- 161 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 77 Typical Nebraska county: 81
- Share by type (all 161 native species)
-
Percent of the 161 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (56%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (21%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 77
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 basswood Tilia americana | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| American bittersweet Celastrus scandens | Vine | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| American plum Prunus americana | Tree | 24 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| black raspberry Rubus occidentalis | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| black walnut Juglans nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| bluejoint Calamagrostis canadensis | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus | Tree | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | — |
| Canada germander Teucrium canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| 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 evening primrose Oenothera biennis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 12b |
| 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 |
| 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 mannagrass Glyceria striata | Grass or grass-like | 5.7 ft | Shade-tolerant | 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 dogwood Cornus racemosa | Shrub | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| hairy sedge Carex lacustris | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| leadplant Amorpha canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| littleseed ricegrass Piptatheropsis micrantha | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| nodding beggartick Bidens cernua | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus | Wildflower (forb) | 6.6 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | 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 |
| Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 10b |
| Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 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 |
| Woods' rose Rosa woodsii | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| woolly plantain Plantago patagonica | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 12b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
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.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
- bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- brook cinquefoil Potentilla rivalis
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- compassplant Silphium laciniatum
- Equisetum ×ferrissii Equisetum ×ferrissii
- eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
- fall rosette grass Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
- fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- grooved flax Linum sulcatum
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- 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
- Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
- lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
- lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
- large beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- Mead's sedge Carex meadii
- Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
- Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
- narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
- northern water plantain Alisma triviale
- Paradox cinquefoil Potentilla paradoxa
- prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
- prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- Red River scaleseed Spermolepis inermis
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- showy ticktrefoil Desmodium canadense
- silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- slimleaf milkweed Asclepias stenophylla
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
- tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
- warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
- western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
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.
- common reedPhragmites australis
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.
| Measure | Cedar County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 161 | 169 | 1,131 |
| Garden-ready natives | 77 | 81 | 452 |
| Tree | 19 | — | 68 |
| Shrub | 9 | — | 48 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 90 | — | 687 |
| Grass or grass-like | 34 | — | 253 |
| Vine | 6 | — | 46 |
| Fern | 3 | — | 29 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Cedar County.
- Dixon County, NE 82 garden-ready
- Knox County, NE 86 garden-ready
- Pierce County, NE 24 garden-ready
- Wayne County, NE 12 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
- Cedar County (county FIPS 31027), Nebraska. 161 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