Native plants for Jones County, Iowa
36 native plants recorded in Jones County, Iowa
USDA has only 45 plant records of any kind for Jones County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 36 below as a floor.
By type: 25 wildflowers and herbs, 11 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 12 of them (33%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Jones County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 12 | 0 | 24 |
| Half shade | 7 | 5 | 24 |
| Under trees | 2 | 10 | 24 |
| Heavy clay | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 9 | 3 | 24 |
| Never watered | 4 | 8 | 24 |
| Stays soggy | 5 | 7 | 24 |
Sun all day in Jones County: 12 rated natives
10 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - 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 - Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Oval-leaf sedge (Carex cephalophora) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.6 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 - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth
Half shade in Jones County: 7 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Oval-leaf sedge (Carex cephalophora) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.6 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 - 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 - 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
Under trees in Jones County: 2 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 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 · toxicity: moderate
Heavy clay in Jones County: 6 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs. The first 6, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 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 - 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 - 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 Jones County: 9 rated natives
7 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Oval-leaf sedge (Carex cephalophora) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.6 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 - 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 - 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 Jones County: 4 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Arctic brome (Bromus kalmii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Oval-leaf sedge (Carex cephalophora) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.6 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 Jones County: 5 rated natives
5 wildflowers and herbs. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Crowned beggarticks (Bidens coronata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.4 ft mature · rapid growth - 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 - 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 Jones 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:
- Marsh bristlegrass (Setaria parviflora): 2 counties
- Cutleaf grapefern (Botrychium dissectum): 5 counties
- False melic (Schizachne purpurascens): 5 counties
Where to start in Jones County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Jones County gives you the most rated choice (12 plants), and Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) 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 24 unrated natives too.