Quick answer: 111 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Iowa, 99 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
111 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American bittersweet Celastrus scandens · 33 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- Arctic brome (Kalm's brome) Bromus kalmii · 15 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Candle anemone (thimbleweed) Anemone cylindrica · 12 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum · 20 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis · 12 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus · 28 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 31 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Leadplant Amorpha canescens · 16 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium · 22 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- Narrow-leaf coneflower Echinacea angustifolia · 11 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera · 18 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Northern white cedar Thuja occidentalis · 21 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Ontario blazing star Liatris cylindracea · 8 states
- Pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida · 17 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 19 states
- Prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre · 11 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 19 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea · 18 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii · 11 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata · 30 states
- Scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa · 22 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth rose Rosa blanda · 17 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina · 28 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tall blazing star Liatris aspera · 26 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
Drought-tolerant native plants in Iowa: what to know
111 of the 196 plants native to Iowa in this directory fit this need: 57% of the state's list, close to the 56% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 97 are also good for pollinators, 74 are also good for birds, 57 are also shade-tolerant.
99 of them grow in full or partial sun and 57 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as American basswood and American bittersweet. For wildlife, 97 support pollinators, 74 provide food or cover for birds and 47 are caterpillar host plants.
99 of the 111 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Eastern hop-hornbeam: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun