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Native plants · Nebraska

Native plants of Pawnee County

195 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Pawnee County by USDA PLANTS. 92 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

Pawnee County, Nebraska

Native species
195 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
Garden-ready natives
92 Typical Nebraska county: 81
Share by type (all 195 native species)
Percent of the 195 native species in each growth type
Tree 8% (16)
Shrub 4% (8)
Wildflower (forb) 65% (127)
Grass or grass-like 17% (34)
Vine 4% (7)
Fern 2% (3)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (65%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (17%).

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 6a (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 92

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

Garden-ready native plants of Pawnee County, Nebraska
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
Allegheny blackberry Rubus allegheniensis Shrub 6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
American bittersweet Celastrus scandens Vine 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
American plum Prunus americana Tree 24 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
Bicknell's sedge Carex bicknellii Grass or grass-like 3.4 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 3b
black oak Quercus velutina Tree 80 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
black raspberry Rubus occidentalis Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
blackjack oak Quercus marilandica Tree 25 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
boxelder Acer negundo Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 2b
broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa Tree 100 ft Sun–part shade 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 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
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
cloaked bulrush Scirpus pallidus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
common blue violet Viola sororia Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
common duckweed Lemna minor Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 2b
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
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
cup plant Silphium perfoliatum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 2b
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
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
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
fineleaf pondweed Stuckenia filiformis Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun High Zone 4a
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
groundnut Apios americana Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos Tree 70 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
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
inland rush Juncus interior Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
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 barley Hordeum pusillum Grass or grass-like 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
littleleaf buttercup Ranunculus abortivus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
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
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum Fern 1.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
northern red oak Quercus rubra Tree 81 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
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
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum Fern 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 4a
roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus Wildflower (forb) 6.6 ft Sun High Zone 4a
roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun 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
sandbar willow Salix interior Tree 30 ft Sun — Zone 1a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
slippery elm Ulmus rubra Tree 85 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun High Zone 3b
stalkless yellowcress Rorippa sessiliflora Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
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
troublesome sedge Carex molesta Grass or grass-like 3 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
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
whitegrass Leersia virginica Grass or grass-like 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
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
wirestem muhly Muhlenbergia frondosa Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
woodland muhly Muhlenbergia sylvatica Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b

Other native species recorded here 103

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
  • azure blue sage Salvia azurea
  • Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
  • bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
  • bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
  • blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
  • blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
  • bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
  • Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
  • Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
  • Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
  • Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
  • 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
  • compassplant Silphium laciniatum
  • cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
  • downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
  • Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
  • dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
  • flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
  • fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
  • golden zizia Zizia aurea
  • great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
  • heavy sedge Carex gravida
  • hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
  • hoary verbena Verbena stricta
  • hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • hortulan plum Prunus hortulana
  • Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
  • lanceleaf buckthorn Rhamnus lanceolata
  • lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
  • lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
  • lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
  • large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
  • long-stolon sedge Carex inops
  • longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
  • longflower beeblossom Oenothera filiformis
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
  • Mead's sedge Carex meadii
  • Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
  • Missouri violet Viola missouriensis
  • narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
  • prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
  • prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
  • prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
  • prairie violet Viola pedatifida
  • richwoods sedge Carex oligocarpa
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
  • shortbeak arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostra
  • shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
  • skyblue aster Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
  • slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
  • slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
  • small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
  • small Venus' looking-glass Triodanis biflora
  • smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
  • snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
  • soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
  • Spanish needles Bidens bipinnata
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
  • spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
  • stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
  • stiff tickseed Coreopsis palmata
  • swamp verbena Verbena hastata
  • tall blazing star Liatris aspera
  • tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
  • tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
  • violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
  • Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
  • western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • western waterweed Elodea nuttallii
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
  • white vervain Verbena urticifolia
  • wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
  • wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
  • woolly sedge Carex pellita
  • yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
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.

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, Pawnee County and Nebraska
MeasurePawnee CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 195 169 1,131
Garden-ready natives 92 81 452
Tree 16 — 68
Shrub 8 — 48
Wildflower (forb) 127 — 687
Grass or grass-like 34 — 253
Vine 7 — 46
Fern 3 — 29

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Pawnee 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
Pawnee County (county FIPS 31133), Nebraska. 195 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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