Native plants for Louisa County, Iowa
30 native plants recorded in Louisa County, Iowa
USDA has only 37 plant records of any kind for Louisa County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 30 below as a floor.
By type: 22 wildflowers and herbs, 8 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 12 of them (40%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Louisa County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 12 | 0 | 18 |
| Half shade | 9 | 3 | 18 |
| Under trees | 4 | 8 | 18 |
| Heavy clay | 7 | 5 | 18 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 9 | 3 | 18 |
| Never watered | 3 | 9 | 18 |
| Stays soggy | 8 | 4 | 18 |
Sun all day in Louisa County: 12 rated natives
9 wildflowers and herbs, 3 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 - Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 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 - 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 - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Half shade in Louisa County: 9 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs, 3 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - 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 Louisa County: 4 rated natives
3 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid 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 Louisa County: 7 rated natives
5 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 7, 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 - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid 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 - 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 Louisa County: 9 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs, 3 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 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 - 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 - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid 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
Never watered in Louisa County: 3 rated natives
3 grasses and sedges. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial
Stays soggy in Louisa County: 8 rated natives
6 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. The first 8, 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 - Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 6 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid 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
Natives Louisa County has that most of Iowa does not
2 natives here are on file in no more than 5 of Iowa's 99 counties. A few of them:
- Spanish needles (Bidens bipinnata): 3 counties
- Chapman's bluegrass (Poa chapmaniana): 4 counties
Where to start in Louisa County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Louisa 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: 3 rated plants, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 18 unrated natives too.