Native plants · Nebraska
Native plants of Scotts Bluff County
224 plant species are recorded as native to Nebraska in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Scotts Bluff County by USDA PLANTS. 112 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
Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
- Native species
- 224 Typical Nebraska county: 169 (median of 93 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 112 Typical Nebraska county: 81
- Share by type (all 224 native species)
-
Percent of the 224 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (64%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (19%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 112
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 black currant Ribes americanum | Shrub | 3 ft | — | — | Zone 2b |
| 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 speedwell Veronica americana | Wildflower (forb) | 10 in | Shade-tolerant | High | 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 |
| blue grama Bouteloua gracilis | Grass or grass-like | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| broadbeard beardtongue Penstemon angustifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 duckweed Lemna minor | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| common evening primrose Oenothera biennis | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| common hackberry Celtis occidentalis | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 2b |
| common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| dotted blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| golden currant Ribes aureum | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| greasewood Sarcobatus vermiculatus | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| green needlegrass Nassella viridula | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| hairy false goldenaster Heterotheca villosa | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3a |
| littleseed ricegrass Piptatheropsis micrantha | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| Macoun's buttercup Ranunculus macounii | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| 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 |
| nodding beggartick Bidens cernua | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12a |
| northern bedstraw Galium boreale | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii | Wildflower (forb) | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | 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 |
| riverbank grape Vitis riparia | Vine | 45 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 12b |
| Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum | Tree | 50 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| 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 |
| scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| shortawn foxtail Alopecurus aequalis | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| silver sagebrush Artemisia cana | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| silverleaf phacelia Phacelia hastata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 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 |
| spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| squirreltail Elymus elymoides | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| thickspike wheatgrass Elymus lanceolatus | Grass or grass-like | 2.3 ft | Sun | Low | 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 |
| tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| water knotweed Polygonum amphibium | Wildflower (forb) | 1 in | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| wax currant Ribes cereum | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| western goldentop Euthamia occidentalis | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun | 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 |
| western white clematis Clematis ligusticifolia | Vine | 1 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 |
| winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2a |
| Woods' rose Rosa woodsii | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3a |
| woolly groundsel Packera cana | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| 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 112
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 dragonhead Dracocephalum parviflorum
- annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
- annual muhly Muhlenbergia minutissima
- aridland goosefoot Chenopodium desiccatum
- bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
- ballhead ipomopsis Ipomopsis congesta
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
- Bebb willow Salix bebbiana
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- bluntleaf yellowcress Rorippa curvipes
- brook cinquefoil Potentilla rivalis
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
- carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
- clustered broomrape Orobanche fasciculata
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common starlily Leucocrinum montanum
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
- Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- foothill bladderpod Lesquerella ludoviciana
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
- hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
- hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
- hoary verbena Verbena stricta
- Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
- horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
- ivyleaf groundcherry Physalis hederifolia
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- Laxmann's milkvetch Astragalus laxmannii
- lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
- lilac penstemon Penstemon gracilis
- marsh skullcap Scutellaria galericulata
- meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
- meadow willow Salix petiolaris
- mealy goosefoot Chenopodium incanum
- minute duckweed Lemna perpusilla
- mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
- narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- nodding buckwheat Eriogonum cernuum
- northern water plantain Alisma triviale
- Oregon cliff fern Woodsia oregana
- pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
- palespike lobelia Lobelia spicata
- Paradox cinquefoil Potentilla paradoxa
- Pennsylvania cinquefoil Potentilla pensylvanica
- pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
- plains springparsley Cymopterus acaulis
- pony beebalm Monarda pectinata
- povertyweed Iva axillaris
- prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
- prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
- redwool plantain Plantago eriopoda
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
- sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
- 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
- slender lipfern Cheilanthes feei
- slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
- small-leaf pussytoes Antennaria parvifolia
- smooth goosefoot Chenopodium subglabrum
- snowball sand verbena Abronia fragrans
- spiny milkvetch Astragalus kentrophyta
- spiny phlox Phlox hoodii
- spiral ditchgrass Ruppia cirrhosa
- spotted fritillary Fritillaria atropurpurea
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
- stemless Townsend daisy Townsendia exscapa
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- tasselflower brickellbush Brickellia grandiflora
- Texas croton Croton texensis
- tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
- tower rockcress Arabis glabra
- veiny dock Rumex venosus
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white prairie aster Symphyotrichum falcatum
- whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
- whitestem blazingstar Mentzelia albicaulis
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- 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 | Scotts Bluff County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 224 | 169 | 1,131 |
| Garden-ready natives | 112 | 81 | 452 |
| Tree | 13 | — | 68 |
| Shrub | 17 | — | 48 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 143 | — | 687 |
| Grass or grass-like | 43 | — | 253 |
| Vine | 5 | — | 46 |
| Fern | 3 | — | 29 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Scotts Bluff County.
- Banner County, NE 85 garden-ready
- Morrill County, NE 88 garden-ready
- Sioux County, NE 169 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
- Scotts Bluff County (county FIPS 31157), Nebraska. 224 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