Native plants · Nebraska
Native plants of Morrill County
181 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Morrill County by USDA PLANTS. 88 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
Morrill County, Nebraska
- Native species
- 181 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 88 Typical Nebraska county: 81
- Share by type (all 181 native species)
-
Percent of the 181 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (62%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (28%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 88
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus | Tree | 15 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| alkali cordgrass Spartina gracilis | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| blue grama Bouteloua gracilis | Grass or grass-like | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| broadbeard beardtongue Penstemon angustifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | 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 goldenrod Solidago altissima | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 horseweed Conyza canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12b |
| clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common duckweed Lemna minor | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12a |
| downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| fiddleleaf hawksbeard Crepis runcinata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| field horsetail Equisetum arvense | Fern | 11 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata | Grass or grass-like | 5.7 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| hardstem bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus | Grass or grass-like | 9.8 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | 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 |
| 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 |
| plains muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidata | Grass or grass-like | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata | Grass or grass-like | 8 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| prairie sandreed Calamovilfa longifolia | Grass or grass-like | 4.5 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12b |
| rough bugleweed Lycopus asper | Wildflower (forb) | 2.1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| saltgrass Distichlis spicata | Grass or grass-like | 1.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sand bluestem Andropogon hallii | Grass or grass-like | 6.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | 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 |
| sandhill muhly Muhlenbergia pungens | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| sawsepal penstemon Penstemon glaber | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| silvery lupine Lupinus argenteus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 2a |
| slender flatsedge Cyperus bipartitus | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| squirreltail Elymus elymoides | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | 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 |
| tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| textile onion Allium textile | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| threadleaf sedge Carex filifolia | Grass or grass-like | 1.2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| white prairie clover Dalea candida | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2a |
| Woods' rose Rosa woodsii | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 93
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.
- American bugseed Corispermum americanum
- annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
- bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
- bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
- bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
- brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
- Carolina draba Draba reptans
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- common bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
- Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
- entireleaved thelypody Thelypodium integrifolium
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
- hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
- hemlock waterparsnip Sium suave
- hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
- hoary verbena Verbena stricta
- Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
- horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
- James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
- lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
- lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
- lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
- marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
- meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- painted milkvetch Astragalus ceramicus
- pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
- Paradox cinquefoil Potentilla paradoxa
- pony beebalm Monarda pectinata
- prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
- prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
- prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
- redwool plantain Plantago eriopoda
- rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
- rusty lupine Lupinus pusillus
- sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
- sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- seaside arrowgrass Triglochin maritima
- shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
- sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
- slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
- small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
- snowball sand verbena Abronia fragrans
- southern cattail Typha domingensis
- spiny milkvetch Astragalus kentrophyta
- spiral ditchgrass Ruppia cirrhosa
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- swollen duckweed Lemna gibba
- Texas croton Croton texensis
- Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
- veiny dock Rumex venosus
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
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.
- 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 | Morrill County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 181 | 169 | 1,131 |
| Garden-ready natives | 88 | 81 | 452 |
| Tree | 5 | — | 68 |
| Shrub | 8 | — | 48 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 113 | — | 687 |
| Grass or grass-like | 50 | — | 253 |
| Vine | 2 | — | 46 |
| Fern | 3 | — | 29 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Morrill County.
- Banner County, NE 85 garden-ready
- Box Butte County, NE 99 garden-ready
- Cheyenne County, NE 68 garden-ready
- Garden County, NE 143 garden-ready
- Scotts Bluff County, NE 112 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
- Morrill County (county FIPS 31123), Nebraska. 181 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