Native plants · Nebraska

Native plants of Johnson County

128 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Johnson 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

Johnson County, Nebraska

Native species: 128 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 62 Typical Nebraska county: 81
Share by type (all 128 native species): Percent of the 128 native species in each growth type

Tree 10% (13)
Shrub 4% (5)
Wildflower (forb) 61% (78)
Grass or grass-like 19% (24)
Vine 5% (6)
Fern 2% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (19%).

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 Johnson County, Nebraska
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 12b
American hazelnut Corylus americana	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
American water horehound Lycopus americanus	Wildflower (forb)	1.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
Bicknell's sedge Carex bicknellii	Grass or grass-like	3.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	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
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
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 milkvetch Astragalus canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
chokecherry Prunus virginiana	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
common selfheal Prunella vulgaris	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
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
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
false daisy Eclipta prostrata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
field pussytoes Antennaria neglecta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
frost grape Vitis vulpina	Vine	83 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
inland rush Juncus interior	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
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
Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra	Tree	68 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
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
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
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
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
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 maple Acer saccharinum	Tree	90 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 2b
slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Tree	85 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum	Fern	5 ft	Sun	Low	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
threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12a
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi	Grass or grass-like	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
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
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
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 66

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.

amberique-bean Strophostyles helvola
American burnweed Erechtites hieraciifolius
Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
climbing false buckwheat Polygonum scandens
common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
common threeseed mercury Acalypha rhomboidea
common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
fall witchgrass Digitaria cognata
flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
glomerate sedge Carex aggregata
great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
green dragon Arisaema dracontium
groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
heavy sedge Carex gravida
hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
hoary verbena Verbena stricta
Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
lanceleaf buckthorn Rhamnus lanceolata
long-stolon sedge Carex inops
longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
Mead's sedge Carex meadii
Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
pale dock Rumex altissimus
plains bluegrass Poa arida
prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
prairie violet Viola pedatifida
rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
silky dogwood Cornus obliqua
slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
small Venus' looking-glass Triodanis biflora
smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
soft agrimony Agrimonia pubescens
spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
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.

common reedPhragmites australis
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, Johnson County and Nebraska
Measure	Johnson County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	128	169	1,131
Garden-ready natives	62	81	452
Tree	13	—	68
Shrub	5	—	48
Wildflower (forb)	78	—	687
Grass or grass-like	24	—	253
Vine	6	—	46
Fern	2	—	29

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Johnson County.

Gage County, NE 76 garden-ready
Nemaha County, NE 124 garden-ready
Otoe County, NE 168 garden-ready
Pawnee County, NE 92 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: Johnson County (county FIPS 31097), Nebraska. 128 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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