State Plant Listings

Nevada

Vegetation References

(Dominant plant species present in each vegetation type are listed in Appendix C)

5 Mixed Conifer Forest (Abies-Pinus-Pseudotsuga)
8 Lodgepole Pine-Subalpine Forest (Pinus-Tsuga)
10 Western Ponderosa Forest (Pinus)
21 Juniper-Pinyon Woodland (Juniperus-Pinus)
31 Mountain Mahogany-Oak Scrub (Cercocarpus-Quercus)
32 Great Basin Sagebrush (Artemisia)
34 Saltbrush-Geasewood (Artiplex-Sarcobatus)
35 Creosote Bush (Larrea)
39 Desert: Vegetation Largely Absent
42 Tule Marshes (Scirpus-Typha)
44 Wheatgrass-Bluegrass (Agropyron-Poa)
49 Sagebrush Steppe (Artemisia-Agropyron)

Botanical Expert

James D. Morefield, Botanist
Nevada Natural Heritage Program
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
901 S. Stewart St., Ste. 5002
Carson City, NV 89701
(775) 684-2902
Internet: heritage.nv.gov

Recommended Flora

Cronquist, A. 1977-97. Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. New York Botanical Garden, New York.

Hickman, James C. 1993. The Jepson Manual of Higher Plants of California, Revision and Update of 1925 Original Edition. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA. 1400 pgs. ISBN: 0520082559.

Kartesz, J.T. 1987. A Flora of Nevada. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. University of Nevada, Reno, NV

Welsh, S.L. 1993. A Utah Flora. 2nd Edition, Revision. Brigham Young University Provo, UT. 986 pgs. maps. ISBN 0842523138.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993 +. Flora of North Americi North of Mexico. 3 + vols. Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford.

Native Plants for Landscape Use in Nevada

Cacti

Echinocereus engelmannii (hedgehog cactus, strawberry cactus)
Opuntia acanthocarpa
Opuntia basilaris (beavertail cactus)
Opuntia chlorotica (pancake pear, silver-dollar cactus)
Opuntia echinocarpa
Opuntia erinacea (grizzly, hedgehog, or Mohave prickly pear)
Opuntia phaeacantha (purple-fruited prickly pear)
Opuntia ramosissima

Ferns

Adiantum capillus-veneris (southern maidenhair fern)
Adiantum pedatum (northern maidenhair fern)
Aspidotis densa (rock brake, cliff brake, Indian's dream)
Asplenium trichomanes (maidenhair spleenwort)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Cheilanthes gracillima (lace fern)
Cystopteris fragilis (fragile fern)
Woodwardia fimbriata (chain fern)

Forbs (annuals/biennials)

Baileya multiradiata (desert marigold)
Collomia grandiflora (collomia)
Eriogonum inflatum (desert trumpet)
Erysimum capitatum (western wallflower, prairie rocket)
Gaillardia arizonica (Arizona blanket flower)
Helianthus petiolaris (plains sunflower)
Hymenoxys cooperi (Cooper's goldflower)
Ipomopsis aggregata (sky rocket, scarlet gilia)
Lupinus concinnus (annual lupine, bajada lupine)
Mentzelia laevicaulis (blazing star, evening star, stick leaf)
Mimulus guttatus (golden monkey flower)
Nemophila breviflora (Great Basin nemophila)
Oenothera albicaulis (pale evening primrose)
Oenothera deltoides (fragrant primrose, desert evening primrose)
Oenothera elata ssp. hooked (giant evening primrose)
Salvia columbariae (chia)
Townsendia exscapa (Easter daisy)

Forbs (perennials)

Aconitum columbianum (western monkshood)
Allium validum (swamp onion)
Anemone multifida (early thimbleweed, cut-leaf anemone, Pacific anemone)
Antennaria spp. (pussytoes, everlasting)
Aquilegia chrysantha (yellow columbine)
Aquilegia coerulea (Rocky Mountain or blue columbine)
Aquilegia formosa (scarlet columbine)
Arnica cordifolia (heartleaf arnica)
Artemisia arbuscula (sagebrush)
Artemisia cana (sagebrush)
Artemisia douglasiana (Douglas mugwort)
Artemisia ludoviciana (white sage, prairie sage, artemisia)
Asclepias asperula (antelope horns)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Asclepias speciosa (showy milkweed)
Aster ascendens (purple aster, Pacific aster)
Aster foliaceus (leafy aster)
Aster laevis (smooth aster)
Balsamorrhiza sagittata (balsamroot)
Calochortus kennedyi (desert mariposa, flame mariposa)
Calochortus macrocarpus (bigpod mariposa)
Calochortus nuttallii (sego lily, mariposa lily)
Caltha leptosepala (white marsh marigold, elkslip)
Castilleja angustifolia var. dubia (desert paintbrush)
Castilleja linariifolia (Indian paintbrush)
Claytonia lanceolata (spring beauty)
Delphinium glaucum (tower larkspur)
Delphinium parishii (desert larkspur, paleface delphinium)
Delphinium scaposum (barestem larkspur)
Dichelostemma congestum (wild hyacinth)
Epilobium angustifolium (fireweed, willow herb)
Epilobium canum var. latifolia (hummingbird trumpet)
Epilobium latifolium (dwarf fireweed)
Epilobium obcordatum (rock fringe)
Erigeron compositus (alpine daisy)
Erigeron speciosus (showy fleabane)
Eriogonum heracleoides (buckwheat)
Eriogonum microthecum (buckwheat)
Eriogonum racemosum (red root buckwheat)
Eriogonum umbellatum (sulfur buckwheat)
Eriogonum wrightii (Wright buckwheat)
Eriophyllum lanatum (woolly sunflower, Oregon sunshine)
Gaillardia pinnatifida (yellow gaillardia, blanket flower)
Gaura coccinea (scarlet gaura)
Geranium caespitosum (wild geranium)
Geranium viscossisimum (sticky wild geranium)
Geum triflorum (prairie smoke, purple avens)
Gutierrezia sarothrae (broom snakeweed, matchbrush)
Hedysarum boreale (sweet vetch, sweet broom)
Heterotheca villosa var. villosa (golden aster)
Heuchera parvifolia (saxifrage, alum root)
Heuchera rubescens (mountain alumroot, red alumroot, wild coralbells)
Ipomopsis congesta (gilia)
Lewisia rediviva (bitter root)
Linum lewisii (wild blue flax)
Lithospermum incisum (fringed puccoon, narrow-leaved puccoon)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower)
Lupinus argenteus (silvery lupine)
Lupinus caudatus (tailcup lupine)
Lupinus confertus (lupine)
Lupinus palmeri (Palmer's lupine)
Lupinus polyphyllus (meadow lupine, bog lupine)
Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum (false Solomon's seal, false spikenard)
Maianthemum stellatum (starry Solomon's seal)
Mertensia ciliata (mountain bluebells)
Mimulus cardinalis (crimson monkey flower)
Mimulus lewisii (Lewis monkey flower, great purple monkey flower)
Mimulus primuloides (primrose monkey flower)
Mirabilis multiflora (wild four o'clock)
Monardella odoratissima (coyote mint, mountain pennyroyal)
Nolina microcarpa (sacahuista, bear grass)
Oenothera brachycarpa (evening primrose)
Oenothera cespitosa (gumbo evening primrose, gumbo lily)
Oenothera flava (shortfin evening primrose)
Pedicularis groenlandica (elephant heads)
Penstemon ambiguus (sand penstemon)
Penstemon davidsonii (blue color mat, alpine penstemon)
Penstemon deustus (hot rock penstemon)
Penstemon eatonii (firecracker penstemon)
Penstemon palmeri (Palmer's penstemon, scented penstemon)
Penstemon speciosus (sagebrush penstemon)
Penstemon thurberi (sand penstemon)
Pentaphylloides floribunda (potentilla, shrubby cinquefoil)
Petrophyton caespitosum (dwarf spiraea, petrophytum, tufted rockmat)
Phacelia sericea (silky phacelia)
Phlox diffusa (mat phlox)
Polemonium foliosissimum (Jacob's ladder)
Polemonium occidentale (Jacob's ladder)
Polemonium pulcherrimum (alpine Jacob's ladder, skunk leaf)
Polemonium viscosum (sky pilot)
Potentilla arguta (white cinquefoil, prairie cinquefoil, tall cinquefoil)
Potentilla gracilis (cinquefoil)
Ranunculus alismifolius (meadow buttercup)
Saxifraga cespitosa (tufted saxifrage)
Sidalcea neomexicana (checker mallow, prairie mallow)
Silene acaulis (moss campion)
Solidago californica (California goldenrod)
Solidago multiradiata (northern goldenrod, mountain goldenrod)
Sphaeralcea ambigua (desert mallow)
Sphaeralcea coccinea (scarlet globe mallow)
Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia (gooseberry leaf globemallow)
Sphaeralcea munroana (Munro's globe mallow, white-leaved globe mallow)
Sphaeralcea parvifolia (globe mallow)
Stanleya pinnata (desert or prince's plume)
Tetraneuris acaulis var. acaulis (stemless goldflower, stemless rubber weed, butte marigold)
Thalictrum fendleri var. polycarpum (meadow rue)
Thermopsis rhombifolia var. montana (golden pea, buckbean)
Verbena stricta (hoary vervain)
Viguiera parishii (shrubby goldeneye)
Viola macloskeyi (white mountain violet)
Viola nuttallii (yellow violet)
Yucca baccata (blue yucca, banana yucca, fleshy-fruited yucca)
Yucca brevifolia (Joshua tree)
Yucca schidigera (yucca)
Zizia aptera (heart-leaved golden alexanders)

Grasses/Grass-like plants

Agrostis scabra (ticklegrass, fly-away grass)
Aristida purpurea (purple three awn)
Aristida purpurea var. longiseta (red three awn)
Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)
Bouteloua eriopoda (black grama)
Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama)
Bouteloua hirsuta (hairy grama)
Bromus carinatus (California brome)
Calamagrostis canadensis (bluejoint grass)
Carex aquatilis (water sedge)
Carex heteroneura (sedge)
Carex nebrascensis (Nebraska sedge)
Carex utriculata (beaked sedge)
Carex vernacula (sedge)
Danthonia californica (California oatgrass)
Danthonia intermedia (timber oatgrass)
Deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hairgrass)
Eleocharis palustris (creeping spikesedge, spike rush)
Elymus elymoides
Elymus glaucus (blue wild rye)
Elymus lanceolatus (thickspike wheatgrass)
Festuca idahoensis (Idaho fescue, blue bunchgrass)
Glyceria grandis (American mannagrass, tall mannagrass, reed meadowgrass)
Hierochloe odorata (sweet grass)
Koeleria macrantha (June grass)
Leersia oryzoides (rice cut grass)
Leymus cinereus (Great Basin wild rye)
Muhlenbergia porteri (bush muhly)
Muhlenbergia richardsonis (muhly)
Oryzopsis hymenoides (Indian ricegrass)
Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)
Pascopyrum smithii (western wheatgrass)
Phleum alpinum (alpine timothy)
Poa alpina (alpine bluegrass)
Poa secunda (pine bluegrass)
Pseudoroegneria spicata (bluebunch wheatgrass)
Scirpus acutus (hardstem bulrush)
Scirpus maritimus (alkali bulrush, prairie bulrush, bayonet grass)
Sporobolus airoides (alkali sacaton)
Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand dropseed)
Sporobolus flexuosus (mesa dropseed)
Stipa comata (needle-and-thread grass)
Stipa nelsonii (Columbia needlegrass)
Stipa speciosa (desert needlegrass, spear grass)
Trisetum spicatum (spike trisetum)
Typha latifolia (cattail)

Shrubs (deciduous)

Alnus incana (speckled alder, mountain alder)
Ambrosia dumosa
Amelanchier alnifolia (saskatoon, western serviceberry, Juneberry)
Amelanchier utahensis (Utah serviceberry)
Artemisia frigida (prairie sagewort, fringed sage)
Atriplex canescens (four-wing saltbush, wingscale)
Atriplex confertifolia (spiny saltbush, shadscale saltbush, hop sage)
Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus (desert ceanothus)
Chamaebatiaria millefolium (fernbush, desert sweet, tansy bush)
Chrysothamnus nauseosus (rabbit brush, chamisa)
Chrysothamnus parryi (rabbit brush, chamisa)
Cornus sericea (red-twig dogwood, red-osier dogwood)
Ephedra nevadensis (Mormon tea)
Ephedra viridis (Mormon tea)
Eriogonum fasciculatum (California buckwheat)
Fallugia paradoxa (Apache plume)
Hibiscus denudatus (rock hibiscus)
Holodiscus dumosus (bush rock-spires, cream bush, ocean spray)
Krascheninnikovia lanata (winterfat)
Lonicera involucrata (black twinberry, bear berry honeysuckle)
Lycium andersonii (Anderson wolfberry)
Lycium shockleyi (wolfberry)
Parthenium incanum (mariola)
Physocarpus alternans
Physocarpus malvaceus (mallow ninebark)
Prosopsis glandulosa (honey mesquite)
Prunus andersonii (desert peach)
Prunus virginiana (chokecherry)
Purshia tridentata (antelope brush)
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Rhus trilobata (squawbush, basketbush, skunkbush)
Ribes aureum (golden currant)
Ribes cereum (wax currant, western red currant, squaw currant)
Robinia neomexicana (New Mexico locust, mescal bean)
Rosa woodsii (western wild rose, woods rose)
Rubus idaeus ssp. strigosus (red raspberry)
Rubus parviflorus (western thimbleberry)
Salix arctica (arctic willow)
Salix bebbiana (Bebb willow, long-beaked willow)
Salix boothi (willow)
Salix exigua (willow)
Salix geyeriana (willow)
Salix lasiolepis (willow)
Salix lucida (willow)
Salix lutea (willow)
Salix scouleriana (western pussy willow, Scouler's willow)
Salvia dorrii (grayball sage)
Sambucus cerulea (blue elderberry)
Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa (black elderberry)
Sarcobatus vermiculatus (greasewood)
Shepherdia argentea (silver buffaloberry)
Shepherdia canadensis (buffaloberry)
Sorbus scopulina (western mountain ash)
Symphoricarpos oreophilus (mountain snowberry)
Vaccinium uliginosum (alpine blueberry, bog blueberry)

Shrubs (evergreen)

Arctostaphylos nevadensis (pinemat manzanita)
Arctostaphylos patula (greenleaf manzanita)
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bearberry, kinnikinnik)
Artemisia nova (black sagebrush)
Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush, Great Basin sagebrush)
Atriplex lentiformis (saltbush, coastal quail bush)
Atriplex torreyi (saltbush)
Ceanothus velutinus (mountain balm, buckbush)
Cercocarpus ledifolius (curl-leaf mountain mahogany)
Cercocarpus montanus (mountain mahogany, silverleaf mountain mahogany)
Encelia farinosa (brittle bush)
Frangula californica ssp. californica (coffeeberry)
Grayia spinosa (spiny hopsage)
Juniperus californica (California juniper)
Juniperus communis (common juniper)
Kalmia polifolia (swamp laurel, bog laurel)
Larrea tridentata (creosote bush)
Mahonia fremontii (Fremont barberry, holly grape)
Mahonia haematocarpa (red barberry)
Purshia stansburiana (cliff rose)
Quercus turbinella (shrub live oak)

Trees (deciduous)

Acer glabrum (Rocky Mountain maple)
Acer grandidentatum (bigtooth maple)
Alnus rhombifolia (white alder)
Betula occidentalis (mountain birch, water birch)
Celtis laevigata var. reticulata (netleaf hackberry)
Cercis canadensis var. texensis (California redbud)
Chilopsis linearis (desert willow, trumpet flower)
Fraxinus velutina (Arizona ash, Velvet ash, desert ash)
Populus balsamifera (black cottonwood)
Populus fremontii (western cottonwood)
Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen)
Prosopsis pubescens (tornillo, screwbean mesquite)
Quercus gambelii (Gambel's oak, Rocky Mountain white oak)
Salix amygdaloides (peachleaf willow)
Salix laevigata (red willow)

Trees (evergreen)

Abies concolor (western white fir)
Abies lasiocarpa (subalpine fir)
Calocedrus decurrens (incense cedar)
Cupressus arizonica (Arizona cypress)
Juniperus osteosperma (Utah juniper)
Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain juniper)
Picea engelmannii (Engelmann spruce)
Pinus flexilis (limber pine)
Pinus lambertiana (sugar pine)
Pinus longaeva (bristlecone pine)
Pinus monophylla (single-leaf pinyon pine)
Pinus monticola (western white pine)
Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine)
Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir)
Quercus chrysolepis (canyon live oak)
Taxus brevifolia (western yew, Pacific yew)
Tsuga mertensiana (mountain hemlock)

Vines (deciduous)

Clematis ligusticifolia (clematis)
Vitis arizonica (Arizona grape, canyon grape)

Federally Listed Endangered Species

Amargosa niterwort (Nitrophila mohavensis)
Ash Meadows blazing-star (Mentzelia leucophylla)
Ash Meadows gumplant (Grindelia fraxinopratensis)
Ash Meadows ivesia (Ivesia kingii var. eremica)
Ash Meadows milk-vetch (Astragalus phoenix)
Ash Meadows sunray (Enceliopsis nudicaulis var. corrugata)
Spring-loving centaury (Centaurium namophilum)
Steamboat buckwheat (Eriogonum ovalifolium var. williamsiae)

Nevada Noxious Species

Because the noxious weed lists have continually changed since we gathered them in 1994, we are not including them at this time. Not all States have noxious weed lists. Those that do, do not use the same standards of importance and are not comparable. States typically have included plants that interfere with agriculture (Canada thistle), or cause human health problems (poison ivy). Some States are now including a category of plants that invade and degrade the environment (purple loosestrife). Check with your State's Agriculture Department or Weed Scientist listed below. The noxious weed list can be used two ways on roadsides: 1) check to not inadvertently plant these invasive plants, and 2) note the plants you are legally responsible to control. Many States now check adjacent State lists to avoid planting their neighbors' problem plants. Because weeds do not respect political boundaries, and because by their very nature weeds continue to adapt and expand, monitoring and controlling invasives at State borders is a wise part of vegetation management.

(Weed and Seed Laws)

Department of Agriculture
Division of Plant Industry
PO Box 11100
350 Capitol Hill Avenue
Reno, NV 89510

Robert Wilson
University of Nevada
White Pine County Extension
PO Box 210
Ely, NV 89301
(702) 289-4459

Nevada Resources

Nevada Natural Heritage Program
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
901 S. Stewart St., Ste. 5002
Carson City, NV 89701
(775) 684-2900
Internet: heritage.nv.gov

The Nature Conservancy Field Office
1771 East Flamingo, Ste. 111 B
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 737-8744

Nevada Native Plant Society
Internet: nvnps.org