Native plants for Cedar County, Iowa

24 native plants recorded in Cedar County, Iowa

USDA has only 36 plant records of any kind for Cedar County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 24 below as a floor.

By type: 18 wildflowers and herbs, 6 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 9 of them (38%), and only those can be matched to a spot below. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is also recorded as introduced.

What fits each kind of spot in Cedar County

Sun all day in Cedar County: 9 rated natives

8 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:

1. Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
2. Common ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
3. Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
4. Rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
5. Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth
6. Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth
7. Western brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight
8. 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 Cedar County: 5 rated natives

4 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:

1. Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance
2. Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth
3. Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth
4. 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
5. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) grasses and sedges
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · also listed as introduced in this region

Under trees in Cedar County: 3 rated natives

2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:

1. Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
2. Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
3. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) grasses and sedges
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · also listed as introduced in this region

Heavy clay in Cedar County: 4 rated natives

3 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:

1. Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth
2. Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth
3. Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
4. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) grasses and sedges
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · also listed as introduced in this region

Sandy, drains fast in Cedar County: 5 rated natives

5 wildflowers and herbs. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:

1. Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
2. Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
3. Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth
4. Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth
5. Western brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight

Never watered in Cedar County: 2 rated natives

2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:

1. Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
2. Western brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight

Stays soggy in Cedar County: 3 rated natives

3 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:

1. Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth
2. Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
   USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth
3. 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

Where to start in Cedar County

If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Cedar County gives you the most rated choice (9 plants), and Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) is the easiest start on that list. Never watered is the hard one here: 2 rated plants, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 15 unrated natives too.