Native plants for Delaware County, Iowa
26 native plants recorded in Delaware County, Iowa
USDA has only 35 plant records of any kind for Delaware County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 26 below as a floor.
By type: 22 wildflowers and herbs, 3 grasses and sedges, 1 low woody plants. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 10 of them (38%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Delaware County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| Half shade | 5 | 5 | 16 |
| Under trees | 3 | 7 | 16 |
| Heavy clay | 6 | 4 | 16 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 7 | 3 | 16 |
| Never watered | 3 | 7 | 16 |
| Stays soggy | 4 | 6 | 16 |
Sun all day in Delaware County: 10 rated natives
8 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Common ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 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 - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - 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
Half shade in Delaware County: 5 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - 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 - Water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Under trees in Delaware County: 3 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Heavy clay in Delaware County: 6 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 6, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 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 - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Sandy, drains fast in Delaware County: 7 rated natives
5 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.5 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 - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - 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 - Water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Never watered in Delaware County: 3 rated natives
1 low woody plants, 1 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 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
Stays soggy in Delaware County: 4 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Water horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - 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 Delaware County has that most of Iowa does not
3 natives here are on file in no more than 5 of Iowa's 99 counties. A few of them:
- Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis): 3 counties
- Threebirds (Triphora trianthophora): 3 counties
- Carolina puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense): 4 counties
Where to start in Delaware County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Delaware County gives you the most rated choice (10 plants), and Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) is the easiest start on that list. Never watered is the hard one here: 3 rated plants, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 16 unrated natives too.