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Native plants · Nebraska

Native plants of Phelps County

152 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Phelps County by USDA PLANTS. 70 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

Phelps County, Nebraska

Native species
152 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
Garden-ready natives
70 Typical Nebraska county: 81
Share by type (all 152 native species)
Percent of the 152 native species in each growth type
Tree 6% (9)
Shrub 3% (5)
Wildflower (forb) 59% (90)
Grass or grass-like 30% (46)
Fern 1% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (59%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (30%).

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

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

Garden-ready natives 70

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

Garden-ready native plants of Phelps County, Nebraska
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
American black currant Ribes americanum Shrub 3 ft — — Zone 2b
American elm Ulmus americana Tree 120 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 2b
American plum Prunus americana Tree 24 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
common duckweed Lemna minor Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
common evening primrose Oenothera biennis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis Tree 60 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 2b
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
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
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
field pussytoes Antennaria neglecta Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun High Zone 4a
golden currant Ribes aureum Shrub 10 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
hairy false goldenaster Heterotheca villosa Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High 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
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
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
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
redosier dogwood Cornus sericea Tree 12 ft Sun High Zone 3b
reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 3b
rough bentgrass Agrostis scabra Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Medium 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
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
sandbar willow Salix interior Tree 30 ft Sun — Zone 1a
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
slimstem reedgrass Calamagrostis stricta Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum Fern 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
smooth sumac Rhus glabra Tree 12 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
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
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
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
water knotweed Polygonum amphibium Wildflower (forb) 1 in Sun High Zone 5a
water sedge Carex aquatilis Grass or grass-like 2.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
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 prairie clover Dalea candida Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 82

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 buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
  • aridland goosefoot Chenopodium desiccatum
  • Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
  • bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
  • Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • biannual lettuce Lactuca ludoviciana
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
  • bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
  • buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • Carolina draba Draba reptans
  • Carolina puccoon Lithospermum caroliniense
  • clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
  • common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
  • Engelmann's spikerush Eleocharis engelmannii
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • fourpoint evening primrose Oenothera rhombipetala
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
  • hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
  • hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
  • heavy sedge Carex gravida
  • Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
  • hoary verbena Verbena stricta
  • hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
  • Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
  • lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
  • large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
  • leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
  • lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
  • longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
  • matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
  • narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
  • narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
  • Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
  • pale dock Rumex altissimus
  • pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
  • prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
  • prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
  • prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
  • prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
  • prairie rose Rosa arkansana
  • redwool plantain Plantago eriopoda
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
  • shortseed waterwort Elatine brachysperma
  • shortstalk chickweed Cerastium brachypodum
  • silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
  • silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
  • slimleaf milkweed Asclepias stenophylla
  • slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
  • snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
  • stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
  • Texas croton Croton texensis
  • thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
  • tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
  • tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
  • velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
  • wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • 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.

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, Phelps County and Nebraska
MeasurePhelps CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 152 169 1,131
Garden-ready natives 70 81 452
Tree 9 — 68
Shrub 5 — 48
Wildflower (forb) 90 — 687
Grass or grass-like 46 — 253
Vine 0 — 46
Fern 2 — 29

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Phelps 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
Phelps County (county FIPS 31137), Nebraska. 152 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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