Native plants · Oklahoma
Native plants of Kay County
208 plant species are recorded as native to Oklahoma in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Kay County by USDA PLANTS. 88 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Kay County, Oklahoma
- Native species
- 208 Typical Oklahoma county: 203 (median of 77 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 88 Typical Oklahoma county: 80
- Share by type (all 208 native species)
-
Percent of the 208 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (60%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (16%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 88
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny blackberry Rubus allegheniensis | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 sycamore Platanus occidentalis | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| American water-willow Justicia americana | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis | Tree | 75 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| black walnut Juglans nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| blackjack oak Quercus marilandica | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |
| Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| climbing rose Rosa setigera | Vine | 16 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| common blue violet Viola sororia | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| cursed buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 12b |
| 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 |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| frost grape Vitis vulpina | Vine | 83 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| graybark grape Vitis cinerea | Vine | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6b |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium | Grass or grass-like | 4.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| leadplant Amorpha canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 6a |
| 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 |
| Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 7a |
| New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus | Shrub | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata | Wildflower (forb) | 2.4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| pecan Carya illinoinensis | Tree | 120 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| Pennsylvania bittercress Cardamine pensylvanica | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| pin oak Quercus palustris | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia | Grass or grass-like | 2.7 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| porcupinegrass Hesperostipa spartea | Grass or grass-like | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| post oak Quercus stellata | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis | Grass or grass-like | 11 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| purpletop tridens Tridens flavus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| red mulberry Morus rubra | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | 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 |
| sand lovegrass Eragrostis trichodes | Grass or grass-like | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| silver maple Acer saccharinum | Tree | 90 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 2b |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| stalkless yellowcress Rorippa sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| sugarberry Celtis laevigata | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| vine mesquite Panicum obtusum | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Vine | 1 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| 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 sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 120
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.
- annual marsh elder Iva annua
- arrowfeather threeawn Aristida purpurascens
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- azure blue sage Salvia azurea
- Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- bigtop lovegrass Eragrostis hirsuta
- blue wild indigo Baptisia australis
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- brook cinquefoil Potentilla rivalis
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
- Canadian clearweed Pilea pumila
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
- Carolina draba Draba reptans
- Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
- Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- chairmaker's bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- compassplant Silphium laciniatum
- crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
- cutleaf groundcherry Physalis angulata
- Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
- desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
- diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
- Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
- dwarf chinquapin oak Quercus prinoides
- dwarf horseweed Conyza ramosissima
- early wildrye Elymus macgregorii
- eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
- elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
- eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
- flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
- fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
- garden dewberry Rubus aboriginum
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
- green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
- grooved flax Linum sulcatum
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
- hairy woodland brome Bromus pubescens
- hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
- hairyseed paspalum Paspalum pubiflorum
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- hoary verbena Verbena stricta
- inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
- licorice bedstraw Galium circaezans
- light poppymallow Callirhoe alcaeoides
- longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
- longflower beeblossom Oenothera filiformis
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
- marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- minute duckweed Lemna perpusilla
- Missouri violet Viola missouriensis
- narrowleaf paleseed Leucospora multifida
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
- northern dewberry Rubus flagellaris
- Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
- Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- pasture heliotrope Heliotropium tenellum
- pineland threeseed mercury Acalypha ostryifolia
- pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
- pointedleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium glutinosum
- prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
- prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
- prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
- prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
- prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
- prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
- prostrate sandmat Chamaesyce prostrata
- rose mock vervain Glandularia canadensis
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
- slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
- slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
- slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
- smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- sorrelvine Cissus trifoliata
- southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
- Spanish gold Grindelia papposa
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
- spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
- stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- Texas bluegrass Poa arachnifera
- Texas croton Croton texensis
- toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
- Virginia winged rockcress Sibara virginica
- warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
- western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
- wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- yellowfruit sedge Carex annectens
- yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
Compared with Oklahoma
The typical county is the median of the 77 Oklahoma 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 | Kay County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 208 | 203 | 1,513 |
| Garden-ready natives | 88 | 80 | 535 |
| Tree | 27 | — | 130 |
| Shrub | 8 | — | 63 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 125 | — | 849 |
| Grass or grass-like | 34 | — | 341 |
| Vine | 13 | — | 85 |
| Fern | 1 | — | 45 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Kay County.
- Grant County, OK 61 garden-ready
- Noble County, OK 38 garden-ready
- Osage County, OK 126 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
- Kay County (county FIPS 40071), Oklahoma. 208 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