Native plants · Nebraska
Native plants of Saunders County
307 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Saunders County by USDA PLANTS. 143 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
Saunders County, Nebraska
- Native species
- 307 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 143 Typical Nebraska county: 81
- Share by type (all 307 native species)
-
Percent of the 307 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (60%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (25%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 143
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American basswood Tilia americana | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 12b |
| American bittersweet Celastrus scandens | Vine | 15 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| American plum Prunus americana | Tree | 24 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| American vetch Vicia americana | Vine | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| American water horehound Lycopus americanus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| Bebb's sedge Carex bebbii | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| Bicknell's sedge Carex bicknellii | Grass or grass-like | 3.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| big bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2b |
| black cherry Prunus serotina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black oak Quercus velutina | Tree | 80 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| black walnut Juglans nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| broadfruit bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| bulbous bittercress Cardamine bulbosa | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus | Tree | 10 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | — |
| 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 |
| Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| chokecherry Prunus virginiana | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| cloaked bulrush Scirpus pallidus | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | 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 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 selfheal Prunella vulgaris | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common serviceberry Amelanchier arborea | Tree | 36 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | 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 |
| cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 12b |
| cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | 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 |
| ditch stonecrop Penthorum sedoides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 horsetail Equisetum arvense | Fern | 11 in | Sun–part shade | 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 |
| fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | 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 |
| golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens | Grass or grass-like | 5.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2a |
| groundnut Apios americana | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| hairy white oldfield aster Symphyotrichum pilosum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| halberdleaf rosemallow Hibiscus laevis | Wildflower (forb) | 8 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 6a |
| hophornbeam Ostrya virginiana | Tree | 45 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | 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 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 |
| Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| marsh seedbox Ludwigia palustris | Wildflower (forb) | 2 in | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| Missouri River willow Salix eriocephala | Tree | 52 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| nannyberry Viburnum lentago | Tree | 28 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| nodding fescue Festuca subverticillata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| pinnate prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| porcupinegrass Hesperostipa spartea | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 Junegrass Koeleria macrantha | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| prairie willow Salix humilis | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| purplestem beggarticks Bidens connata | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| quill sedge Carex tenera | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| redosier dogwood Cornus sericea | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11a |
| reed canarygrass Phalaris arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| rufous bulrush Scirpus pendulus | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| slimstem reedgrass Calamagrostis stricta | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| smooth hedgenettle Stachys tenuifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| stalkless yellowcress Rorippa sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| star duckweed Lemna trisulca | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| sweet woodreed Cinna arundinacea | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| tall cinquefoil Potentilla arguta | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus | Grass or grass-like | 1.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides | Grass or grass-like | 4 in | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| threelobe beggarticks Bidens tripartita | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| threepetal bedstraw Galium trifidum | Vine | 10 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| upright sedge Carex stricta | Grass or grass-like | 4.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| valley redstem Ammannia coccinea | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 prairie clover Dalea candida | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | 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 |
| wirestem muhly Muhlenbergia frondosa | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 164
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.
- Allegheny monkeyflower Mimulus ringens
- amberique-bean Strophostyles helvola
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
- annual marsh elder Iva annua
- aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
- arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- azure blue sage Salvia azurea
- bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
- Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
- beggarslice Hackelia virginiana
- big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
- blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
- bluntleaf yellowcress Rorippa curvipes
- bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
- bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
- bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
- bottomland aster Symphyotrichum ontarionis
- bristleleaf sedge Carex eburnea
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- Carolina puccoon Lithospermum caroliniense
- clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
- Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- Columbian watermeal Wolffia columbiana
- common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- Crawe's sedge Carex crawei
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
- cutleaf nightshade Solanum triflorum
- downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
- downy phlox Phlox pilosa
- Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
- Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
- dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- Engelmann's spikerush Eleocharis engelmannii
- eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
- fall rosette grass Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
- falsegold groundsel Packera pseudaurea
- feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- foxtail prairie clover Dalea leporina
- glomerate sedge Carex aggregata
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- grassy arrowhead Sagittaria graminea
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
- Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
- hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
- hoary ticktrefoil Desmodium canescens
- hoary verbena Verbena stricta
- inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
- lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
- large beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- large St. Johnswort Hypericum majus
- leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
- light poppymallow Callirhoe alcaeoides
- long-stolon sedge Carex inops
- longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
- lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
- mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
- marsh pea Lathyrus palustris
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- Mead's sedge Carex meadii
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
- northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
- northern selaginella Selaginella rupestris
- northern water plantain Alisma triviale
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
- obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
- oneflowered broomrape Orobanche uniflora
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- Parlin's pussytoes Antennaria parlinii
- plains bluegrass Poa arida
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
- prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- prairie violet Viola pedatifida
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
- rosy sedge Carex rosea
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- Sartwell's sedge Carex sartwellii
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
- slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
- slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
- slimleaf milkweed Asclepias stenophylla
- small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
- smallflower halfchaff sedge Lipocarpha micrantha
- smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
- Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
- western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
- western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- white lady's slipper Cypripedium candidum
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
- wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
- winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
- yellow giant hyssop Agastache nepetoides
- yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
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.
- annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
- common reedPhragmites australis
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 | Saunders County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 307 | 169 | 1,131 |
| Garden-ready natives | 143 | 81 | 452 |
| Tree | 20 | — | 68 |
| Shrub | 6 | — | 48 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 183 | — | 687 |
| Grass or grass-like | 77 | — | 253 |
| Vine | 16 | — | 46 |
| Fern | 5 | — | 29 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Saunders County.
- Butler County, NE 72 garden-ready
- Cass County, NE 189 garden-ready
- Dodge County, NE 174 garden-ready
- Douglas County, NE 199 garden-ready
- Lancaster County, NE 213 garden-ready
- Seward County, NE 91 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
- Saunders County (county FIPS 31155), Nebraska. 307 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