Wildflower (forb) · Najadaceae

Nodding waternymph

Najas flexilis

Nodding waternymph is recorded as native to 28 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 444 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

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.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Nodding waternymph at a glance

Native in
444 counties, across 28 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness
Zone 12a PLANTS minimum temperature 47°F
Mature height
2.5 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water
Sun to part shade High water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 12a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of 47°F; zone 12a winters bottom out at 50°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Nodding waternymph is recorded as native to 28 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 444 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 444 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit
Forb/herb
Duration
Annual
Mature height
2.5 ft
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth form
Colonizing
Shape
Semi-Erect
Lifespan
Not recorded
Active growth period
Spring, Summer, Fall

Light and water

Shade tolerance
Intermediate (sun to part shade)
Moisture use
High water use
Drought tolerance
None
Tolerance of waterlogged soil
High
Precipitation range
Not recorded

Soil

Soil textures
Coarse, medium and fine
pH range
6.5 to 7.5
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
Medium
Salinity tolerance
Medium
Fertility requirement
Medium
Minimum root depth
Not recorded

Climate

Minimum temperature
47°F
Estimated cold hardiness
Zone 12a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days
Not recorded
Fire tolerance
High

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color
Green
Showy flowers
No
Bloom period
Late Summer
Foliage color
Green
Showy in fall
No
Keeps leaves
No
Fruit color
Green

Other

Toxicity
None
Nitrogen fixation
None
Nursery availability
Routinely Available
Family
Najadaceae
PLANTS symbol
NAFL

Is it native where you live?

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.
Scope
Najas flexilis (PLANTS symbol NAFL).
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

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