Quick answer: 88 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Iowa, 76 with a live listing as of 16 Sep 2026.
88 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 32 states
- American bittersweet Celastrus scandens · 11 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 16 states
- Arctic brome (Kalm's brome) Bromus kalmii · 5 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 25 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 14 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 32 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 42 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 15 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 24 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 37 states
- Candle anemone (thimbleweed) Anemone cylindrica · 5 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 35 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 8 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 4 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 12 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 15 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 18 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 22 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 7 states
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum · 11 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 20 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 17 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 7 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 34 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 14 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 18 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 5 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 22 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 36 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 30 states
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus · 19 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 21 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 6 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 14 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 12 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 32 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 23 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 25 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 19 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 16 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 17 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Leadplant Amorpha canescens · 10 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 23 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 6 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 23 states
- Narrow-leaf coneflower Echinacea angustifolia · 9 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 31 states
- Northern bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera · 5 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 24 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 8 states
- Ontario blazing star Liatris cylindracea · 4 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 13 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 16 states
- Prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre · 6 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 11 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 24 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii · 8 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 22 states
- Roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata · 7 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 22 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 21 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 12 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 25 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 13 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 12 states
- Smooth rose Rosa blanda · 8 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 34 states
- Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina · 13 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 28 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 24 states
- Tall blazing star Liatris aspera · 11 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 27 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 8 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 31 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 10 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 10 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 6 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 7 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 28 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 7 states