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Native plants · Nebraska

Native plants of Hamilton County

119 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Hamilton County by USDA PLANTS. 55 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

Hamilton County, Nebraska

Native species
119 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
Garden-ready natives
55 Typical Nebraska county: 81
Share by type (all 119 native species)
Percent of the 119 native species in each growth type
Tree 4% (5)
Shrub 2% (2)
Wildflower (forb) 62% (74)
Grass or grass-like 29% (34)
Vine 2% (2)
Fern 2% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (62%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (29%).

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 5b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 55

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

Garden-ready native plants of Hamilton County, Nebraska
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
American elm Ulmus americana Tree 120 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium 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 sneezeweed Helenium autumnale Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum Wildflower (forb) — Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
disk waterhyssop Bacopa rotundifolia Wildflower (forb) 1 in Sun High Zone 4a
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 cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 11b
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
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
inland rush Juncus interior Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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 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
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis Grass or grass-like 8 in Sun Medium Zone 5a
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
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun Low Zone 3a
purplestem beggarticks Bidens connata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
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
rough bugleweed Lycopus asper Wildflower (forb) 2.1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
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
sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
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
slimstem reedgrass Calamagrostis stricta Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12a
tiny mousetail Myosurus minimus Wildflower (forb) 5 in Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12b
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 wildrye Elymus virginicus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
water knotweed Polygonum amphibium Wildflower (forb) 1 in Sun High Zone 5a
western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
wheat sedge Carex atherodes Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 3b
white doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides Wildflower (forb) 8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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

Other native species recorded here 64

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.

  • annual marsh elder Iva annua
  • bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • blackfoot quillwort Isoetes melanopoda
  • blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
  • Engelmann's spikerush Eleocharis engelmannii
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • grassy arrowhead Sagittaria graminea
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
  • heavy sedge Carex gravida
  • hoary verbena Verbena stricta
  • hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
  • longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
  • lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
  • mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
  • minute duckweed Lemna perpusilla
  • narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
  • prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
  • prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
  • puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
  • shortseed waterwort Elatine brachysperma
  • shortspike watermilfoil Myriophyllum sibiricum
  • silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
  • small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
  • stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
  • Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
  • tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
  • umbrella flatsedge Cyperus diandrus
  • veiny dock Rumex venosus
  • velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
  • wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
  • winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
  • winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
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.

  • annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia

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, Hamilton County and Nebraska
MeasureHamilton CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 119 169 1,131
Garden-ready natives 55 81 452
Tree 5 — 68
Shrub 2 — 48
Wildflower (forb) 74 — 687
Grass or grass-like 34 — 253
Vine 2 — 46
Fern 2 — 29

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Hamilton County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

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
Hamilton County (county FIPS 31081), Nebraska. 119 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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