Native plants · Nebraska

Native plants of Furnas County

137 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Furnas County by USDA PLANTS. 62 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

Furnas County, Nebraska

Native species: 137 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 62 Typical Nebraska county: 81
Share by type (all 137 native species): Percent of the 137 native species in each growth type

Tree 5% (7)
Shrub 8% (11)
Wildflower (forb) 58% (79)
Grass or grass-like 26% (36)
Vine 3% (4)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (58%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (26%).

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 5b to 6a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 62

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

Garden-ready native plants of Furnas County, Nebraska
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American black currant Ribes americanum	Shrub	3 ft	—	—	Zone 2b
American vetch Vicia americana	Vine	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
beaked spikerush Eleocharis rostellata	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
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
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
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
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
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
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
false daisy Eclipta prostrata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
fringed brome Bromus ciliatus	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
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
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
Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus	Wildflower (forb)	9.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
leadplant Amorpha canescens	Shrub	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
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
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 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
purplestem beggarticks Bidens connata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
red mulberry Morus rubra	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11a
sandbar willow Salix interior	Tree	30 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
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
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata	Shrub	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 2a
slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Tree	85 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
soapweed yucca Yucca glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
squirreltail Elymus elymoides	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
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
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides	Grass or grass-like	4 in	Sun	High	Zone 3b
textile onion Allium textile	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
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
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
white ash Fraxinus americana	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
white prairie clover Dalea candida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 75

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
annual marsh elder Iva annua
aridland goosefoot Chenopodium desiccatum
Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
brittle pricklypear Opuntia fragilis
buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
climbing false buckwheat Polygonum scandens
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
hazel dodder Cuscuta coryli
heavy sedge Carex gravida
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
hoary verbena Verbena stricta
Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
pale dock Rumex altissimus
pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
prairie rose Rosa arkansana
prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
slimleaf milkweed Asclepias stenophylla
smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
spinystar Escobaria vivipara
swamp verbena Verbena hastata
tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
Texas croton Croton texensis
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
white vervain Verbena urticifolia
whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
witchgrass Panicum capillare

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.

Native species counts, Furnas County and Nebraska
Measure	Furnas County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	137	169	1,131
Garden-ready natives	62	81	452
Tree	7	—	68
Shrub	11	—	48
Wildflower (forb)	79	—	687
Grass or grass-like	36	—	253
Vine	4	—	46
Fern	0	—	29

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Furnas County.

Frontier County, NE 47 garden-ready
Gosper County, NE 30 garden-ready
Harlan County, NE 81 garden-ready
Red Willow County, NE 67 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: Furnas County (county FIPS 31065), Nebraska. 137 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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