Native plants · South Dakota
Native plants of Union County
323 plant species are recorded as native to South Dakota in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Union County by USDA PLANTS. 144 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
Union County, South Dakota
- Native species
- 323 Typical South Dakota county: 110 (median of 65 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 144 Typical South Dakota county: 59
- Share by type (all 323 native species)
-
Percent of the 323 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (63%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (20%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 144
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 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 plum Prunus americana | Tree | 24 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| American red raspberry Rubus idaeus | Shrub | 6 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 1a |
| 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 |
| big bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2b |
| black raspberry Rubus occidentalis | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| black walnut Juglans nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| bog willowherb Epilobium leptophyllum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| boxelder Acer negundo | Tree | 60 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| bur oak Quercus macrocarpa | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| bur-reed sedge Carex sparganioides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 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 |
| common cowparsnip Heracleum maximum | Wildflower (forb) | 8 ft | Sun | High | 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 |
| cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| crested sedge Carex cristatella | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| devil's darning needles Clematis virginiana | Vine | 15 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| fowl mannagrass Glyceria striata | Grass or grass-like | 5.7 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 currant Ribes aureum | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| golden sedge Carex aurea | Grass or grass-like | 1.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| green needlegrass Nassella viridula | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| hardstem bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus | Grass or grass-like | 9.8 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos | Tree | 70 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| leadplant Amorpha canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 3b |
| leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| Lewis flax Linum lewisii | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| littleleaf pussytoes Antennaria microphylla | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| marsh muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | 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 |
| 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 |
| northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| pale touch-me-not Impatiens pallida | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 10b |
| 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 buttercup Ranunculus pensylvanicus | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| plains muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidata | Grass or grass-like | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | 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 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 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 |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| river bulrush Bolboschoenus fluviatilis | Grass or grass-like | 6.6 ft | Sun | Medium | 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 |
| rough bugleweed Lycopus asper | Wildflower (forb) | 2.1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | 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 |
| sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| sand lovegrass Eragrostis trichodes | Grass or grass-like | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| sandbar willow Salix interior | Tree | 30 ft | Sun | — | Zone 1a |
| sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5b |
| sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| silver sagebrush Artemisia cana | Shrub | 5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| slippery elm Ulmus rubra | Tree | 85 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3a |
| smooth sumac Rhus glabra | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| spotted joe pye weed Eutrochium maculatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sugar maple Acer saccharum | Tree | 100 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 2b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| trumpet creeper Campsis radicans | Vine | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| 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 |
| variableleaf pondweed Potamogeton gramineus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| western snowberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| wheat sedge Carex atherodes | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| white avens Geum canadense | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| woodland muhly Muhlenbergia sylvatica | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| woolly plantain Plantago patagonica | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 12b |
| zigzag goldenrod Solidago flexicaulis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 179
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 burnweed Erechtites hieraciifolius
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
- American lopseed Phryma leptostachya
- aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
- arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
- Aunt Lucy Ellisia nyctelea
- bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- big devils beggartick Bidens vulgata
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- blackseed plantain Plantago rugelii
- bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
- blue giant hyssop Agastache foeniculum
- blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
- bluntleaf yellowcress Rorippa curvipes
- bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
- bottomland aster Symphyotrichum ontarionis
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- brook cinquefoil Potentilla rivalis
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- Canada lettuce Lactuca canadensis
- Canadian anemone Anemone canadensis
- Canadian blacksnakeroot Sanicula canadensis
- Canadian woodnettle Laportea canadensis
- candle anemone Anemone cylindrica
- Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- churchmouse threeawn Aristida dichotoma
- clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
- Clayton's sweetroot Osmorhiza claytonii
- climbing false buckwheat Polygonum scandens
- common bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza
- common milkweed Asclepias syriaca
- common moonseed Menispermum canadense
- common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
- common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
- compassplant Silphium laciniatum
- curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
- downy gentian Gentiana puberulenta
- downy phlox Phlox pilosa
- Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
- dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
- early meadow-rue Thalictrum dioicum
- eastern bottlebrush grass Elymus hystrix
- eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- eastern waterleaf Hydrophyllum virginianum
- Equisetum ×ferrissii Equisetum ×ferrissii
- eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
- fall rosette grass Dichanthelium wilcoxianum
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- field thistle Cirsium discolor
- fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- Flodman's thistle Cirsium flodmanii
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- foxtail prairie clover Dalea leporina
- fringed loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata
- fringed willowherb Epilobium ciliatum
- golden zizia Zizia aurea
- great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica
- Great Plains lady's tresses Spiranthes magnicamporum
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- grooved flax Linum sulcatum
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- hairy evening primrose Oenothera villosa
- hairy hedgenettle Stachys pilosa
- hairy wildrye Elymus villosus
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- heavy sedge Carex gravida
- hedge false bindweed Calystegia sepium
- hoary puccoon Lithospermum canescens
- hoary verbena Verbena stricta
- inflated narrow-leaf sedge Carex grisea
- lanceleaf figwort Scrophularia lanceolata
- lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
- lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
- large beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus
- large Indian breadroot Pediomelum esculentum
- leathery knotweed Polygonum achoreum
- Leiberg's panicum Dichanthelium leibergii
- lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
- long-stolon sedge Carex inops
- longbract spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata
- longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
- low serviceberry Amelanchier humilis
- lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
- mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
- Mead's sedge Carex meadii
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense
- Missouri gooseberry Ribes missouriense
- mountain deathcamas Zigadenus elegans
- mountain tansymustard Descurainia incana
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- nodding stickseed Hackelia deflexa
- northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
- northern green rush Juncus alpinoarticulatus
- northern water plantain Alisma triviale
- Norwegian cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica
- obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
- oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- Paradox cinquefoil Potentilla paradoxa
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica
- prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
- prairie false dandelion Nothocalais cuspidata
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata
- prairie rose Rosa arkansana
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
- prairie violet Viola pedatifida
- purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
- purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
- rayless alkali aster Symphyotrichum ciliatum
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
- rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- Short's rockcress Arabis shortii
- shortbeak sedge Carex brevior
- showy ticktrefoil Desmodium canadense
- silky dogwood Cornus obliqua
- silverleaf Indian breadroot Pediomelum argophyllum
- sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
- slenderleaf false foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia
- slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
- smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
- smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides
- smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
- Sprengel's sedge Carex sprengelii
- starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
- stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- tall blazing star Liatris aspera
- tall thistle Cirsium altissimum
- Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
- Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana
- western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
- western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
- western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white fawnlily Erythronium albidum
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- white vervain Verbena urticifolia
- wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- widowsfrill Silene stellata
- wild cucumber Echinocystis lobata
- winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
- winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
- woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
- 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.
- common reedPhragmites australis
- Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
Compared with South Dakota
The typical county is the median of the 65 South Dakota 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 | Union County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 323 | 110 | 1,092 |
| Garden-ready natives | 144 | 59 | 473 |
| Tree | 23 | — | 61 |
| Shrub | 12 | — | 69 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 202 | — | 640 |
| Grass or grass-like | 66 | — | 243 |
| Vine | 18 | — | 34 |
| Fern | 2 | — | 45 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Union County.
- Plymouth County, IA 97 garden-ready
- Sioux County, IA 106 garden-ready
- Clay County, SD 156 garden-ready
- Lincoln County, SD 118 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
- Union County (county FIPS 46127), South Dakota. 323 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