Native plants for Jefferson County, Iowa
19 native plants recorded in Jefferson County, Iowa
USDA has only 28 plant records of any kind for Jefferson 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: 11 wildflowers and herbs, 7 grasses and sedges, 1 low woody plants. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 9 of them (47%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Jefferson County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| Half shade | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| Under trees | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| Heavy clay | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| Never watered | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| Stays soggy | 3 | 6 | 10 |
Sun all day in Jefferson County: 9 rated natives
7 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 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 - Broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · 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 - 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 Jefferson County: 5 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · perennial · high shade tolerance - 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 - Stalkless yellowcress (Rorippa sessiliflora) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · rapid growth · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Under trees in Jefferson County: 2 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · perennial - 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 Jefferson County: 4 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · 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 - Stalkless yellowcress (Rorippa sessiliflora) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · rapid growth · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Sandy, drains fast in Jefferson County: 5 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · 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 - 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 - Stalkless yellowcress (Rorippa sessiliflora) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · rapid growth · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Never watered in Jefferson 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:
- Northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · perennial · high drought tolerance - 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 Jefferson County: 3 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Stalkless yellowcress (Rorippa sessiliflora) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.5 ft mature · rapid growth · takes saturated soil - 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 Jefferson County has that most of Iowa does not
4 natives here are on file in no more than 5 of Iowa's 99 counties. A few of them:
- Broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus): only here
- Rough dropseed (Sporobolus clandestinus): 2 counties
- Slender crabgrass (Digitaria filiformis): 3 counties
- Illinois pondweed (Potamogeton illinoensis): 5 counties
Where to start in Jefferson County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Jefferson County gives you the most rated choice (9 plants), and Northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) is the easiest start on that list. Under trees is the hard one here: 2 rated plants, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 10 unrated natives too.