Quick answer: 125 native plants for shade are native to Iowa, 114 with a live listing as of 16 Sep 2026.
125 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 32 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 19 states
- American bittersweet Celastrus scandens · 11 states
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia · 15 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 16 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 29 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 25 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 24 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 25 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 14 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 32 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium · 12 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 9 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 11 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 11 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 24 states
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis · 22 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 18 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 8 states
- Candle anemone (thimbleweed) Anemone cylindrica · 5 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 37 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 35 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 11 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 8 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 10 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 4 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 21 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 23 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 12 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 15 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 22 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 7 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 20 states
- Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum · 8 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 7 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 34 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 9 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
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 14 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 12 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 12 states
- Gray dogwood Cornus racemosa · 8 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
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 8 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 8 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 19 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 16 states
- Interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana · 10 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 14 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 17 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Large-flowered bellwort Uvularia grandiflora · 8 states
- Leadplant Amorpha canescens · 10 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 23 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 5 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 8 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 18 states
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense · 5 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 maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 21 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 24 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 12 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 8 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 25 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 16 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 13 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 18 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 7 states
- Prairie onion Allium stellatum · 6 states
- Prairie tickseed Coreopsis palmata · 4 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 24 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 22 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 30 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 22 states
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii · 8 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 23 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 22 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 22 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 6 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 12 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 25 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 18 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 13 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 12 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 34 states
- Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina · 13 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 28 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 25 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 9 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 17 states
- Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa · 4 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 24 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 14 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 27 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 5 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 8 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 31 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 16 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 8 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 3 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 6 states
- Wild blue Phlox divaricata · 32 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 11 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 7 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 28 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 7 states