Native plants for Bremer County, Iowa
16 native plants recorded in Bremer County, Iowa
USDA has only 24 plant records of any kind for Bremer County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 16 below as a floor.
By type: 14 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 5 of them (31%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Bremer County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 5 | 0 | 11 |
| Half shade | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| Under trees | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| Heavy clay | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Never watered | 0 | 5 | 11 |
| Stays soggy | 2 | 3 | 11 |
Sun all day in Bremer County: 5 rated natives
5 wildflowers and herbs. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Spring avens (Geum vernum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Half shade in Bremer County: 2 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · toxicity: moderate - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Under trees in Bremer County: 1 rated natives
1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Heavy clay in Bremer County: 3 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Spring avens (Geum vernum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Sandy, drains fast in Bremer County: 3 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Spring avens (Geum vernum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Never watered: nothing rated yet
None of the 5 rated natives in Bremer County is rated for dry / no watering. 11 plants have no rating either way.
Stays soggy in Bremer County: 2 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · takes saturated soil · toxicity: moderate - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Natives Bremer County has that most of Iowa does not
8 natives here are on file in no more than 5 of Iowa's 99 counties. A few of them:
- Bull's coraldrops (Besseya bullii): only here
- Dryspike sedge (Carex siccata): only here
- False mermaidweed (Floerkea proserpinacoides): only here
- Palegreen orchid (Platanthera flava): only here
- Lesser purple fringed orchid (Platanthera psycodes): only here
- Spring avens (Geum vernum): 2 counties
- Openfield sedge (Carex conoidea): 2 counties
- Ozark milkvetch (Astragalus distortus): 3 counties
Where to start in Bremer County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Bremer County gives you the most rated choice (5 plants), and Spring avens (Geum vernum) is the easiest start on that list. Under trees is the hard one here: 1 rated plant, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 11 unrated natives too.