Native plants · Nebraska
Native plants of Franklin County
249 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Franklin County by USDA PLANTS. 102 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
Franklin County, Nebraska
- Native species
- 249 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 102 Typical Nebraska county: 81
- Share by type (all 249 native species)
-
Percent of the 249 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (26%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 102
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 bittersweet Celastrus scandens | Vine | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| American vetch Vicia americana | Vine | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| arrowleaf tearthumb Polygonum sagittatum | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| 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 |
| blue grama Bouteloua gracilis | Grass or grass-like | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| Canadian lousewort Pedicularis canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | 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 |
| clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| common spikerush Eleocharis palustris | Grass or grass-like | 1.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| dotted blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana | Tree | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| field pussytoes Antennaria neglecta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| golden currant Ribes aureum | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| hairy false goldenaster Heterotheca villosa | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| 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 |
| Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| leadplant Amorpha canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| little barley Hordeum pusillum | Grass or grass-like | 1.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| marsh seedbox Ludwigia palustris | Wildflower (forb) | 2 in | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala | Tree | 52 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| needle and thread Hesperostipa comata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis | Grass or grass-like | 8 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| pale touch-me-not Impatiens pallida | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata | Grass or grass-like | 8 ft | Sun | High | 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 |
| purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| purpletop tridens Tridens flavus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11a |
| 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 |
| roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| sand bluestem Andropogon hallii | Grass or grass-like | 6.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sand lovegrass Eragrostis trichodes | Grass or grass-like | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | 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 |
| slender flatsedge Cyperus bipartitus | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| stalkless yellowcress Rorippa sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| sweet woodreed Cinna arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus | Grass or grass-like | 1.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| tenpetal blazingstar Mentzelia decapetala | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| threetooth ragwort Packera tridenticulata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi | Grass or grass-like | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| valley redstem Ammannia coccinea | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 prairie clover Dalea candida | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| Woods' rose Rosa woodsii | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| 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 147
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.
- amberique-bean Strophostyles helvola
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
- annual marsh elder Iva annua
- aridland goosefoot Chenopodium desiccatum
- aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
- bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
- Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
- bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
- biannual lettuce Lactuca ludoviciana
- big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
- bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
- Carolina draba Draba reptans
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- Carolina puccoon Lithospermum caroliniense
- clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
- clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
- clustered broomrape Orobanche fasciculata
- common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
- Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
- diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
- downy ragged goldenrod Solidago petiolaris
- dwarf horseweed Conyza ramosissima
- earlyleaf brome Bromus latiglumis
- eastern marsh fern Thelypteris palustris
- Engelmann's spikerush Eleocharis engelmannii
- fall witchgrass Digitaria cognata
- fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- fourpoint evening primrose Oenothera rhombipetala
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- foxtail prairie clover Dalea leporina
- fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
- hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
- hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
- Hall's bulrush Schoenoplectiella hallii
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
- Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
- hoary verbena Verbena stricta
- hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
- Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
- horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
- ivyleaf groundcherry Physalis hederifolia
- lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
- lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
- lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
- lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
- long-stolon sedge Carex inops
- longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
- lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
- marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
- Michaux's stitchwort Minuartia michauxii
- Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
- narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- neckweed Veronica peregrina
- needleleaf sedge Carex duriuscula
- northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
- Northern Idaho biscuitroot Lomatium orientale
- Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
- Parlin's pussytoes Antennaria parlinii
- plains bluegrass Poa arida
- plains snakecotton Froelichia floridana
- pleatleaf knotweed Polygonum tenue
- prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
- prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
- prostrate sandmat Chamaesyce prostrata
- purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
- purple spikerush Eleocharis atropurpurea
- ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
- Red River scaleseed Spermolepis inermis
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- rough rattlesnakeroot Prenanthes aspera
- rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
- sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shortbeak arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostra
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
- slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
- slimleaf milkweed Asclepias stenophylla
- slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
- small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
- smallflower halfchaff sedge Lipocarpha micrantha
- smartweed dodder Cuscuta polygonorum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
- spinystar Escobaria vivipara
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- sunbright Phemeranthus parviflorus
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- tasselflower brickellbush Brickellia grandiflora
- Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
- thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
- tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
- veiny dock Rumex venosus
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
- western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
- yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
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
- Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
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 | Franklin County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 249 | 169 | 1,131 |
| Garden-ready natives | 102 | 81 | 452 |
| Tree | 11 | — | 68 |
| Shrub | 9 | — | 48 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 152 | — | 687 |
| Grass or grass-like | 64 | — | 253 |
| Vine | 10 | — | 46 |
| Fern | 3 | — | 29 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Franklin County.
- Adams County, NE 59 garden-ready
- Harlan County, NE 81 garden-ready
- Kearney County, NE 153 garden-ready
- Phelps County, NE 70 garden-ready
- Webster County, NE 164 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
- Franklin County (county FIPS 31061), Nebraska. 249 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