Quick answer: 24 native plants for wet soil and rain gardens are native to South Dakota, 23 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
24 species
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 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
- 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
- Prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata · 25 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
Native plants for wet soil and rain gardens in South Dakota: what to know
24 of the 146 plants native to South Dakota in this directory fit this need: 16% of the state's list, close to the 15% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through October, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 19 are also good for birds, 17 are also shade-tolerant, 16 are also good for pollinators.
18 of them grow in full or partial sun and 17 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 Eastern cottonwood. For wildlife, 16 support pollinators, 19 provide food or cover for birds and 9 are caterpillar host plants.
23 of the 24 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
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun