Natives by ZIP

Native plants recorded in your state and county

Native plants · Nevada

Native plants of Esmeralda County

216 plant species are recorded as native to Nevada in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Esmeralda County by USDA PLANTS. 147 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

Esmeralda County, Nevada

Native species
216 Typical Nevada county: 298 (median of 17 counties)
Garden-ready natives
147 Typical Nevada county: 210
Share by type (all 216 native species)
Percent of the 216 native species in each growth type
Tree 7% (16)
Shrub 16% (34)
Wildflower (forb) 51% (111)
Grass or grass-like 22% (48)
Vine <1% (2)
Fern 2% (5)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (51%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (22%).

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 7a to 7b (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 147

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

Garden-ready native plants of Esmeralda County, Nevada
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
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
alpine mountainsorrel Oxyria digyna Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
alpine timothy Phleum alpinum Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
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
Anderson's larkspur Delphinium andersonii Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5b
antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
arctic pearlwort Sagina saginoides Wildflower (forb) 4 in Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
basin wildrye Leymus cinereus Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun High Zone 3a
big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Tree 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
black sagebrush Artemisia nova Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
boraxweed Nitrophila occidentalis Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
bud sagebrush Picrothamnus desertorum Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
burrobush Ambrosia dumosa Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
California false hellebore Veratrum californicum Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
Chamisso arnica Arnica chamissonis Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
chokecherry Prunus virginiana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
Columbia needlegrass Achnatherum nelsonii Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
Columbian monkshood Aconitum columbianum Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
cows clover Trifolium wormskioldii Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
creosote bush Larrea tridentata Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
curl-leaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus ledifolius Tree 20 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 2b
desert almond Prunus fasciculata Shrub 6 ft Sun Low Zone 8b
desert bitterbrush Purshia glandulosa Shrub 5 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
desert centaury Centaurium exaltatum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Low Zone 6b
desert needlegrass Achnatherum speciosum Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
desert sweet Chamaebatiaria millefolium Shrub 6 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
Douglas' dustymaiden Chaenactis douglasii Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
Douglas' sedge Carex douglasii Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
dwarf purple monkeyflower Mimulus nanus Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 10b
Eastern Mojave buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 8a
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
fireweed Chamerion angustifolium Wildflower (forb) 5.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
foothill deathcamas Zigadenus paniculatus Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata Grass or grass-like 5.7 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
freckled milkvetch Astragalus lentiginosus Shrub 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii Tree 90 ft Sun High Zone 6a
Geyer willow Salix geyeriana Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
glaucus willowherb Epilobium glaberrimum Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6b
golden sedge Carex aurea Grass or grass-like 1.2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
granite prickly phlox Linanthus pungens Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
greasewood Sarcobatus vermiculatus Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
Great Basin lupine Lupinus ×alpestris Wildflower (forb) 2.2 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
green molly Bassia americana Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
hairy arnica Arnica mollis Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
Hooker's evening primrose Oenothera elata Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun High Zone 5a
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
James' galleta Pleuraphis jamesii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia Tree 30 ft Sun Low Zone 10a
King's sandwort Arenaria kingii Wildflower (forb) 8 in Sun Low Zone 4b
lambstongue ragwort Senecio integerrimus Wildflower (forb) 1.1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
largeflower hawksbeard Crepis occidentalis Wildflower (forb) 11 in Sun Low Zone 5a
Lewis flax Linum lewisii Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
limber pine Pinus flexilis Tree 66 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
little sagebrush Artemisia arbuscula Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
little western bittercress Cardamine oligosperma Wildflower (forb) 1.7 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
littleleaf horsebrush Tetradymia glabrata Shrub 12 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
littleleaf mock orange Philadelphus microphyllus Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
lodgepole pine Pinus contorta Tree 99 ft Sun Medium Zone 1a
longleaf phlox Phlox longifolia Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6a
maiden blue eyed Mary Collinsia parviflora Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
marsh grass of Parnassus Parnassia palustris Wildflower (forb) 2.2 ft Sun High Zone 3b
mat muhly Muhlenbergia richardsonis Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun High Zone 4b
Mexican rush Juncus mexicanus Grass or grass-like 10 in Sun Medium Zone 5b
mormon tea Ephedra viridis Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5b
mountain pepperweed Lepidium montanum Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
mountain snowberry Symphoricarpos oreophilus Shrub 5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
needle and thread Hesperostipa comata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
Nevada jointfir Ephedra nevadensis Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun Medium Zone 12a
Nuttall's sunflower Helianthus nuttallii Wildflower (forb) 10 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
oniongrass Melica bulbosa Grass or grass-like 1.8 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
pale agoseris Agoseris glauca Shrub 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
panicled bulrush Scirpus microcarpus Grass or grass-like 5.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Pennsylvania bittercress Cardamine pensylvanica Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant Medium 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
primrose monkeyflower Mimulus primuloides Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
purple sage Salvia dorrii Shrub 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
Raynolds' sedge Carex raynoldsii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4b
rough bentgrass Agrostis scabra Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
royal penstemon Penstemon speciosus Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
Rydberg's penstemon Penstemon rydbergii Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
saltgrass Distichlis spicata Grass or grass-like 1.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
saltmarsh bird's-beak Cordylanthus maritimus Wildflower (forb) 1.7 ft Sun Medium Zone 8a
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
Sandberg bluegrass Poa secunda Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3b
scabland penstemon Penstemon deustus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
sea milkwort Glaux maritima Wildflower (forb) 11 in Sun High Zone 4a
seep monkeyflower Mimulus guttatus Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
shadscale saltbush Atriplex confertifolia Shrub 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
shortawn foxtail Alopecurus aequalis Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
shorthair sedge Carex exserta Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa Shrub 2.5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
Sierra willow Salix orestera Shrub 10 ft Sun High Zone 5a
silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea Tree 18 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
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
singleleaf pinyon Pinus monophylla Tree 50 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
slender cinquefoil Potentilla gracilis Wildflower (forb) 2.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
slender wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
smallwing sedge Carex microptera Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun High Zone 4a
softleaf sedge Carex disperma Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
spike bentgrass Agrostis exarata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
spiny hopsage Grayia spinosa Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
squirreltail Elymus elymoides Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
sticky cinquefoil Potentilla glandulosa Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
Suksdorf's monkeyflower Mimulus suksdorfii Wildflower (forb) 7 in Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 12b
sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum Shrub 1 ft Sun Low Zone 8a
swordleaf rush Juncus ensifolius Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
tailcup lupine Lupinus caudatus Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
tall fringed bluebells Mertensia ciliata Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 6a
tufted hairgrass Deschampsia cespitosa Grass or grass-like 3.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
Utah juniper Juniperus osteosperma Tree 26 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis Tree 15 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
water birch Betula occidentalis Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 1a
water sedge Carex aquatilis Grass or grass-like 2.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
wavyleaf Indian paintbrush Castilleja applegatei Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
wax currant Ribes cereum Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
western columbine Aquilegia formosa Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 5a
western needlegrass Achnatherum occidentale Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
western polemonium Polemonium occidentale Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3a
western white clematis Clematis ligusticifolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
white sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
whitestem gooseberry Ribes inerme Shrub 8 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4b
winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 2a
Woods' rose Rosa woodsii Shrub 3 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
woollypod milkvetch Astragalus purshii Wildflower (forb) 7 in Sun Low Zone 4a
yellow rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
yellow spiderflower Cleome lutea Wildflower (forb) 2.7 ft Sun Low Zone 12a
yellow willow Salix lutea Tree 16 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
yerba mansa Anemopsis californica Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun High Zone 9b

Other native species recorded here 69

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.

  • American yellowrocket Barbarea orthoceras
  • Apocynum ×floribundum Apocynum ×floribundum
  • arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis
  • ballhead ipomopsis Ipomopsis congesta
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • brittle bladderfern Cystopteris fragilis
  • chairmaker's bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus
  • cottonbatting plant Pseudognaphalium stramineum
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • desert princesplume Stanleya pinnata
  • Douglas' knotweed Polygonum douglasii
  • fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
  • flatspine bur ragweed Ambrosia acanthicarpa
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • foxtail muhly Muhlenbergia andina
  • fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
  • giant red Indian paintbrush Castilleja miniata
  • hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
  • little grapefern Botrychium simplex
  • manyflower stickseed Hackelia floribunda
  • meadow deathcamas Zigadenus venenosus
  • mealy goosefoot Chenopodium incanum
  • Mojave seablite Suaeda moquinii
  • narrowleaf goosefoot Chenopodium leptophyllum
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • needleleaf sedge Carex duriuscula
  • nodding buckwheat Eriogonum cernuum
  • northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
  • Oregon cliff fern Woodsia oregana
  • Pennsylvania cinquefoil Potentilla pensylvanica
  • pimpernel willowherb Epilobium anagallidifolium
  • pinyon goosefoot Chenopodium atrovirens
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • povertyweed Iva axillaris
  • pullup muhly Muhlenbergia filiformis
  • purple reedgrass Calamagrostis purpurascens
  • redwool plantain Plantago eriopoda
  • Rocky Mountain fescue Festuca saximontana
  • Rocky Mountain rush Juncus saximontanus
  • Rocky Mountain woodsia Woodsia scopulina
  • rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea
  • rusty lupine Lupinus pusillus
  • Scouler's popcornflower Plagiobothrys scouleri
  • scrambled eggs Corydalis aurea
  • shaggy fleabane Erigeron pumilus
  • shortray fleabane Erigeron lonchophyllus
  • silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
  • slender phlox Microsteris gracilis
  • southern cattail Typha domingensis
  • spiny phlox Phlox hoodii
  • spotted fritillary Fritillaria atropurpurea
  • spreading fleabane Erigeron divergens
  • starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
  • tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
  • tiny trumpet Collomia linearis
  • veiny dock Rumex venosus
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • water minerslettuce Montia chamissoi
  • western marsh cudweed Gnaphalium palustre
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • whitestem blazingstar Mentzelia albicaulis
  • willow dock Rumex salicifolius
  • wood bluegrass Poa nemoralis
  • woolly sedge Carex pellita
  • Wright's cudweed Pseudognaphalium canescens
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 Nevada

The typical county is the median of the 17 Nevada 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, Esmeralda County and Nevada
MeasureEsmeralda CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 216 298 835
Garden-ready natives 147 210 538
Tree 16 — 60
Shrub 34 — 97
Wildflower (forb) 111 — 459
Grass or grass-like 48 — 181
Vine 2 — 13
Fern 5 — 25

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Esmeralda 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
Esmeralda County (county FIPS 32009), Nevada. 216 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

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.