Native plants for Wapello County, Iowa
19 native plants recorded in Wapello County, Iowa
USDA has only 25 plant records of any kind for Wapello 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: 5 wildflowers and herbs, 11 grasses and sedges, 3 trees. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 6 of them (32%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Wapello County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Half shade | 5 | 1 | 13 |
| Under trees | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| Heavy clay | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Never watered | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Stays soggy | 1 | 5 | 13 |
Sun all day in Wapello County: 6 rated natives
3 trees, 2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 6, 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 - Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate 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 - Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial - Shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · moderate growth · perennial - Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · perennial
Half shade in Wapello County: 5 rated natives
3 trees, 1 grasses and sedges, 1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · perennial · high shade tolerance
Under trees in Wapello County: 4 rated natives
3 trees, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial - Shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · moderate growth · perennial - Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · perennial
Heavy clay in Wapello County: 2 rated natives
1 wildflowers and herbs, 1 trees. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial
Sandy, drains fast in Wapello County: 6 rated natives
3 trees, 2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 6, 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 - Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate 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 - Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial - Shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · moderate growth · perennial - Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · perennial
Never watered in Wapello County: 3 rated natives
2 trees, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · perennial · high drought tolerance - Shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · moderate growth · perennial
Stays soggy in Wapello County: 1 rated natives
1 wildflowers and herbs. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- 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 Wapello 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:
- Blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica): 4 counties
- Chapman's bluegrass (Poa chapmaniana): 4 counties
- Slimspike threeawn (Aristida longespica): 5 counties
- Tumble windmill grass (Chloris verticillata): 5 counties
Where to start in Wapello County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Wapello County gives you the most rated choice (6 plants), and Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) is the easiest start on that list. Stays soggy is the hard one here: 1 rated plant, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 13 unrated natives too.