Quick answer: 37 native plants for wet soil and rain gardens are native to Iowa, 34 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
37 species
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 28 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata · 25 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie rosinweed (prairie dock) Silphium terebinthinaceum · 4 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
Native plants for wet soil and rain gardens in Iowa: what to know
37 of the 196 plants native to Iowa in this directory fit this need: 19% of the state's list, above the 15% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through October, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 31 are also good for birds, 28 are also shade-tolerant, 26 are also good for pollinators.
29 of them grow in full or partial sun and 28 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bloodroot and Jack-in-the-pulpit to trees such as Bur oak and Common hoptree. For wildlife, 26 support pollinators, 31 provide food or cover for birds and 15 are caterpillar host plants.
34 of the 37 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct