Iowa

Native plants in Des Moines

79 plants native to this area with Sow catalog pages.

17 of them need no watering beyond Des Moines’s own rainfall

Showing 79 plants

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Trees18

Carolina Sweetheart Redbud

Carolina Sweetheart Redbud

Cercis canadensis 'Carolina Sweetheart'

No watering needed
Red Oak

Red Oak

Quercus rubra

Photo: Peter · CC BY 4.0
Bur Oak

Bur Oak

Quercus macrocarpa

No watering neededPhoto: Reuven Martin · CC0 1.0
White Oak

White Oak

Quercus alba

Photo: sblumen · CC BY 4.0
Sensation Boxelder

Sensation Boxelder

Acer negundo 'Sensation'

Common Hackberry

Common Hackberry

Celtis occidentalis

Photo: Dávid Horváth · CC BY 4.0
American Linden

American Linden

Tilia americana

Photo: Tom Scavo · CC BY 4.0
Kentucky Coffeetree

Kentucky Coffeetree

Gymnocladus dioicus

Photo: M. Whitson · CC BY 4.0
Chinkapin Oak

Chinkapin Oak

Quercus muehlenbergii

Photo: Jay Pruett · CC BY 4.0
Thornless Honeylocust

Thornless Honeylocust

Gleditsia triacanthos

No watering neededPhoto: Liviu Chiriac · CC0 1.0
Silver Maple

Silver Maple

Acer saccharinum

Photo: Jacob Buchanan · CC0 1.0
American Elm

American Elm

Ulmus americana

Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0
Black Cherry

Black Cherry

Prunus serotina

Photo: Михайло Жук · CC0 1.0
Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Juglans nigra

Photo: Robbie Hannawacker · CC0 1.0
Early Glow Ohio Buckeye

Early Glow Ohio Buckeye

Aesculus glabra 'Early Glow'

American Plum

American Plum

Prunus americana

No watering neededPhoto: Curtis Drake · CC BY 4.0
Shagbark Hickory

Shagbark Hickory

Carya ovata

Photo: Andrew Conboy · CC BY 4.0
Siouxland Cottonless Poplar

Siouxland Cottonless Poplar

Populus deltoides 'Siouxland'

Shrubs8

American Elderberry

American Elderberry

Sambucus canadensis

Photo: Melanie Gaddy · CC0 1.0
Fragrant Sumac

Fragrant Sumac

Rhus aromatica

No watering neededPhoto: Susan Berry · CC0 1.0
Gray Dogwood

Gray Dogwood

Cornus racemosa

Photo: nathanstrem · CC BY 4.0
New Jersey Tea

New Jersey Tea

Ceanothus americanus

Photo: Dan Wilder · CC0 1.0
Smooth Sumac

Smooth Sumac

Rhus glabra

No watering neededPhoto: Tony KM · CC BY 4.0
Coralberry

Coralberry

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

No watering neededPhoto: Brand R · CC BY 4.0
American Plum

American Plum

Prunus americana

No watering neededPhoto: Curtis Drake · CC BY 4.0
Leadplant

Leadplant

Amorpha canescens 'Wisconsin form'

No watering needed

Grasses9

Switchgrass

Switchgrass

Panicum virgatum

No watering neededPhoto: Erin Snyder · CC BY 4.0
Palm Sedge

Palm Sedge

Carex muskingumensis

Photo: Étienne Lacroix-Carignan · CC0 1.0
Gray Sedge

Gray Sedge

Carex grayi

Photo: A. G. · CC0 1.0
Bottlebrush Grass

Bottlebrush Grass

Elymus hystrix

Photo: Skyler Principe · CC BY 4.0
Virginia Wild Rye

Virginia Wild Rye

Elymus virginicus

Photo: Jason Leduc · CC0 1.0
Rosy Sedge

Rosy Sedge

Carex rosea

Photo: Jeremy Atherton · CC BY 4.0
Whitetinge Sedge

Whitetinge Sedge

Carex albicans

Photo: hr_dragonfly · CC BY 4.0
Fox Sedge

Fox Sedge

Carex vulpinoidea

Photo: Brandon Corder · CC BY 4.0
Variegated Reed Canary Grass

Variegated Reed Canary Grass

Phalaris arundinacea 'Luteo Picta'

Perennials45

Purple Coneflower

Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Photo: Rochelle Davis · CC BY 4.0
Butterfly Weed

Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa

No watering neededPhoto: k2018lena · CC0 1.0
Obedient Plant Miss Manners

Obedient Plant Miss Manners

Physostegia virginiana 'Miss Manners'

New England Aster Harringtons Pink

New England Aster Harringtons Pink

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Harringtons Pink'

Wild Bergamot

Wild Bergamot

Monarda fistulosa

Photo: Tom Pollard · CC BY 4.0
Eastern Red Columbine

Eastern Red Columbine

Aquilegia canadensis

Photo: Craig Hensley · CC BY 4.0
False Sunflower

False Sunflower

Heliopsis helianthoides

Photo: W Rao · CC BY 4.0
Great Blue Lobelia

Great Blue Lobelia

Lobelia siphilitica

Photo: Andrew Conboy · CC BY 4.0
Woodland Phlox

Woodland Phlox

Phlox divaricata

Photo: Jacqueline Raiford · CC BY 4.0
Wild Geranium

Wild Geranium

Geranium maculatum

Photo: sophia_herrmeyer · CC BY 4.0
Virginia Iris

Virginia Iris

Iris virginica 'Carl Amason'

Common Milkweed

Common Milkweed

Asclepias syriaca

Photo: Dilrukshan Priyantha Wijesinghe · CC BY 4.0
Virginia Bluebell

Virginia Bluebell

Mertensia virginica

Photo: Melinda Soltys · CC0 1.0
Smooth Blue Aster

Smooth Blue Aster

Symphyotrichum laeve

No watering neededPhoto: Solomiya · CC BY 4.0
Prairie Blazing Star

Prairie Blazing Star

Liatris pycnostachya

Photo: Briggs Armstrong · CC BY 4.0
Pinnate Prairie Coneflower

Pinnate Prairie Coneflower

Ratibida pinnata

Photo: Alan Prather · CC BY 4.0
Purple Prairie Clover

Purple Prairie Clover

Dalea purpurea

No watering neededPhoto: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 1.0
Solomon's Seal

Solomon's Seal

Polygonatum biflorum

Photo: Shelby Lyn Sanders · CC BY 4.0
White Wild Indigo

White Wild Indigo

Baptisia alba

Photo: sblumen · CC BY 4.0
Thin-leaved Mountain Mint

Thin-leaved Mountain Mint

Pycnanthemum tenuifolium

Photo: Ayla · CC BY 4.0
Blue Wood Aster

Blue Wood Aster

Symphyotrichum cordifolium

Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Tall Tickseed

Tall Tickseed

Coreopsis tripteris

Photo: ubuntu · CC BY 4.0
Pitcher Sage

Pitcher Sage

Salvia azurea 'Grandiflora'

No watering needed
Common Yarrow

Common Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

No watering neededPhoto: rappman · CC BY 4.0
Cardinal Flower

Cardinal Flower

Lobelia cardinalis

Photo: Etienne Falquet · CC0 1.0
Canadian Wild Ginger

Canadian Wild Ginger

Asarum canadense

Photo: Tom Scavo · CC BY 4.0
Sweet Black-Eyed Susan

Sweet Black-Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia subtomentosa

Photo: Yann Kemper · CC0 1.0
White Sagebrush

White Sagebrush

Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis'

No watering needed
Mayapple

Mayapple

Podophyllum peltatum

Photo: gwt2102 · CC BY 4.0
Bloodroot

Bloodroot

Sanguinaria canadensis

Photo: Larry Jensen · CC BY 4.0
Jack-in-the-pulpit

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Arisaema triphyllum

Photo: jogarton · CC0 1.0
Common Blue Violet

Common Blue Violet

Viola sororia

Photo: Ryan Donnelly · CC BY 4.0

Vines1

Virginia Creeper

Virginia Creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Photo: Tyler Cannon · CC BY 4.0

Ferns1

Interrupted Fern

Interrupted Fern

Osmunda claytoniana

Photo: Richard Littauer · CC BY 4.0

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