Native plants for Monroe County, Iowa
9 native plants recorded in Monroe County, Iowa
USDA has only 10 plant records of any kind for Monroe County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 9 below as a floor.
By type: 1 wildflowers and herbs, 8 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 5 of them (56%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Monroe County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Half shade | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Under trees | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Heavy clay | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Never watered | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Stays soggy | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Sun all day in Monroe County: 5 rated natives
4 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Nodding fescue (Festuca subverticillata) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Carolina foxtail (Alopecurus carolinianus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth
Half shade in Monroe County: 4 rated natives
3 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Nodding fescue (Festuca subverticillata) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Carolina foxtail (Alopecurus carolinianus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth · high shade tolerance
Under trees in Monroe County: 2 rated natives
2 grasses and sedges. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Carolina foxtail (Alopecurus carolinianus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth
Heavy clay in Monroe County: 4 rated natives
3 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Carolina foxtail (Alopecurus carolinianus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth
Sandy, drains fast in Monroe County: 4 rated natives
3 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Nodding fescue (Festuca subverticillata) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Carolina foxtail (Alopecurus carolinianus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth
Never watered in Monroe County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Stays soggy in Monroe County: 3 rated natives
2 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Purplestem beggarticks (Bidens connata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Carolina foxtail (Alopecurus carolinianus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth · takes saturated soil
Where to start in Monroe County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Monroe County gives you the most rated choice (5 plants), and Nodding fescue (Festuca subverticillata) is the easiest start on that list. Never watered is the hard one here: 1 rated plant, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 4 unrated natives too.