Native plants for Jackson County, Iowa
25 native plants recorded in Jackson County, Iowa
USDA has only 34 plant records of any kind for Jackson County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 25 below as a floor.
By type: 20 wildflowers and herbs, 4 grasses and sedges, 1 low woody plants. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 12 of them (48%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Jackson County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 12 | 0 | 13 |
| Half shade | 8 | 4 | 13 |
| Under trees | 3 | 9 | 13 |
| Heavy clay | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| Never watered | 2 | 10 | 13 |
| Stays soggy | 7 | 5 | 13 |
Sun all day in Jackson County: 12 rated natives
10 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- 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 - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Hop sedge (Carex lupulina) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Strawcolored flatsedge (Cyperus strigosus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 ft mature · rapid growth
Half shade in Jackson County: 8 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Strawcolored flatsedge (Cyperus strigosus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 ft mature · rapid growth · 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 - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Hop sedge (Carex lupulina) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.3 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 · 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 - Devil's beggartick (Bidens frondosa) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · rapid growth
Under trees in Jackson County: 3 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Strawcolored flatsedge (Cyperus strigosus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 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 · toxicity: moderate
Heavy clay in Jackson County: 7 rated natives
5 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Hop sedge (Carex lupulina) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Strawcolored flatsedge (Cyperus strigosus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 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
Sandy, drains fast in Jackson County: 7 rated natives
7 wildflowers and herbs. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 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 - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 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 - Devil's beggartick (Bidens frondosa) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · rapid growth
Never watered in Jackson County: 2 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 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
Stays soggy in Jackson County: 7 rated natives
5 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Hop sedge (Carex lupulina) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Strawcolored flatsedge (Cyperus strigosus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3.2 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 · 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 - Devil's beggartick (Bidens frondosa) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · rapid growth
Where to start in Jackson County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Jackson County gives you the most rated choice (12 plants), and Common ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina) 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 13 unrated natives too.