Native plants for Chickasaw County, Iowa
19 native plants recorded in Chickasaw County, Iowa
USDA has only 27 plant records of any kind for Chickasaw County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 19 below as a floor.
By type: 14 wildflowers and herbs, 5 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 10 of them (53%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Chickasaw County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 10 | 0 | 9 |
| Half shade | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Under trees | 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Heavy clay | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 7 | 3 | 9 |
| Never watered | 3 | 7 | 9 |
| Stays soggy | 4 | 6 | 9 |
Sun all day in Chickasaw County: 10 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs, 4 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Common ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Mexican muhly (Muhlenbergia mexicana) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 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 - Crowned beggarticks (Bidens coronata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.4 ft mature · rapid growth - Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth - Fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Half shade in Chickasaw County: 5 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Mexican muhly (Muhlenbergia mexicana) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Crowned beggarticks (Bidens coronata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.4 ft mature · rapid growth - Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth - 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 Chickasaw County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Heavy clay in Chickasaw County: 5 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Crowned beggarticks (Bidens coronata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.4 ft mature · rapid growth - Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth - Fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 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
Sandy, drains fast in Chickasaw County: 7 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 3 grasses and sedges. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Crowned beggarticks (Bidens coronata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.4 ft mature · rapid growth - Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth - Fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Western brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6.6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight - 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 in Chickasaw County: 3 rated natives
2 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - 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 Chickasaw County: 4 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Mexican muhly (Muhlenbergia mexicana) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Crowned beggarticks (Bidens coronata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.4 ft mature · rapid growth - Threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.5 ft mature · rapid growth - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Where to start in Chickasaw County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Chickasaw County gives you the most rated choice (10 plants), and Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) 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 9 unrated natives too.