Native plants · Nebraska
Native plants of Dixon County
194 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Dixon County by USDA PLANTS. 82 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
Dixon County, Nebraska
- Native species
- 194 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 82 Typical Nebraska county: 81
- Share by type (all 194 native species)
-
Percent of the 194 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (58%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (22%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 82
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 |
| American basswood Tilia americana | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| American black currant Ribes americanum | Shrub | 3 ft | — | — | Zone 2b |
| American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| blue cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | 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 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 cowparsnip Heracleum maximum | Wildflower (forb) | 8 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| common evening primrose Oenothera biennis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| common hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 needlegrass Nassella viridula | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| 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 |
| lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.1 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| nimblewill Muhlenbergia schreberi | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |
| purpleleaf willowherb Epilobium coloratum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| purplestem beggarticks Bidens connata | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| 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 |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| riverbank grape Vitis riparia | Vine | 45 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| rock elm Ulmus thomasii | Tree | 90 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| smooth blue aster Symphyotrichum laeve | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| toad rush Juncus bufonius | Grass or grass-like | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 sedge Carex stricta | Grass or grass-like | 4.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| whitegrass Leersia virginica | Grass or grass-like | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| wild sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 112
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.
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
- bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
- bristleleaf sedge Carex eburnea
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
- brook cinquefoil Potentilla rivalis
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
- Canadian honewort Cryptotaenia canadensis
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
- climbing false buckwheat Polygonum scandens
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- compassplant Silphium laciniatum
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
- downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
- Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
- eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
- Equisetum ×ferrissii Equisetum ×ferrissii
- fall rosette grass Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
- feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
- feverwort Triosteum perfoliatum
- Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
- fragrant bedstraw Galium triflorum
- fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
- hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
- Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
- hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
- inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
- Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
- lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
- lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
- 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
- longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
- mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- neckweed Veronica peregrina
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- Paradox cinquefoil Potentilla paradoxa
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
- prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie violet Viola pedatifida
- puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- Short's rockcress Arabis shortii
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- showy ticktrefoil Desmodium canadense
- slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
- slimleaf milkweed Asclepias stenophylla
- small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
- smooth rose Rosa blanda
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
- Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
- Standley's goosefoot Chenopodium standleyanum
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
- warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
- western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
- woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
- woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
- yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
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.
- annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
- 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 | Dixon County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 194 | 169 | 1,131 |
| Garden-ready natives | 82 | 81 | 452 |
| Tree | 15 | — | 68 |
| Shrub | 7 | — | 48 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 113 | — | 687 |
| Grass or grass-like | 43 | — | 253 |
| Vine | 11 | — | 46 |
| Fern | 5 | — | 29 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Dixon County.
- Cedar County, NE 77 garden-ready
- Dakota County, NE 50 garden-ready
- Thurston County, NE 37 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
- Dixon County (county FIPS 31051), Nebraska. 194 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