This is a list of all the wildflowers native to Minnesota by common name, following Minnesota DNR conventions. Where several species of plants share part of a common name, they have been grouped together under that name; this is for indexing purposes and does not always indicate a taxonomic relationship.

A

  • Alexanders
  • Golden alexanders (Zizia aurea)
  • Heart-leaved alexanders (Zizia aptera)
  • Anemone
  • Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis)
  • Cut-leaved anemone (Anemone multifida var. multifida)
  • Wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia)
  • Aplectrum
  • Adam and Eve (Aplectrum hyemale)
  • Asters
  • Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
  • Awl aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum)
  • Bog aster (Symphyotrichum boreale)
  • Crooked aster (Symphyotrichum prenanthoides)
  • Drummond's aster (Symphyotrichum drummondii)
  • Eastern panicled aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum ssp. lanceolatum)
  • Flat-topped aster (Doellingeria umbellata)
  • Heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides)
  • Heart-leaved aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)
  • Large-leaved aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
  • Lindley's aster (Symphyotrichum ciliolatum)
  • Long aster (Symphyotrichum x longulum)
  • Modest aster (Canadanthus modestus)
  • New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
  • New England aster and Heath aster hybrid (Symphyotrichum x amethystinum)
  • Ontario aster (Symphyotrichum ontarionis)
  • Red-stemmed aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum)
  • Short's aster (Symphyotrichum shortii; threatened)
  • Sickle-shaped aster (Symphyotrichum falcatum)
  • Side-flowering aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)
  • Silky aster (Symphyotrichum sericeum)
  • Skyblue aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense)
  • Smooth aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)
  • Veiny lined aster (Symphyotrichum praealtum)
  • Western panicled aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum ssp. hesperium)
  • Autumn sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

B

  • Baneberries
  • Red baneberry (Actaea rubra)
  • White baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)
  • Beard-tongues
  • Large-flowered beard tongue (Penstemon grandiflorus)
  • Pale beard tongue (Penstemon pallidus)
  • Slender beard tongue (Penstemon gracilis)
  • White beard tongue (Penstemon albidus)
  • Bellworts
  • Large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora)
  • Pale bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia)
  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
  • Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata)
  • Blazing stars
  • Cylindric blazing star (Liatris cylindracea)
  • Dotted blazing star (Liatris punctata)
  • Great blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya)
  • Northern plains blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis)
  • Rough blazing star (Liatris aspera)
  • Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
  • Bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
  • Blueberries
  • Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
  • Velvet-leaved blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides)
  • Blue-eyed grasses
  • Field blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium campestre)
  • Mountain blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium montanum montanum)
  • Narrowleaf blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)
  • Pointed-petal blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium mucronatum)
  • Blue flags
  • Northern blue flag (Iris versicolor)
  • Southern blue flag (Iris virginica var. shrevei)
  • Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
  • Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa var. interior)

C

  • Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense)
  • Cinquefoils
  • Bushy cinquefoil (Potentilla paradoxa)
  • Marsh cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris)
  • Pennsylvania cinquefoil (Potentilla pensylvanica)
  • Rough cinquefoil (Potentilla norvegica)
  • Shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)
  • Slender cinquefoil (Potentilla flabelliformis)
  • Spreading cinquefoil (Potentilla effusa)
  • Tall cinquefoil (Potentilla arguta)
  • Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
  • Coneflowers
  • Gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
  • Narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida var. angustifolia)
  • Prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)
  • Sweet coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)
  • Tall coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata)
  • Three-leaved coneflower (Rudbeckia triloba var. triloba; special concern)
  • Coralroot
  • Autumn coralroot (Corallorhiza odontorhiza var. odontorhiza)
  • Early coralroot (Corallorhiza trifida)
  • Spotted coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata)
  • Striped coralroot (Corallorhiza striata var. striata)
  • Cottongrasses
  • Chamisso's cottongrass (Eriophorum chamissonis)
  • Delicate cottongrass (Eriophorum tenellum)
  • Green-keeled cottongrass (Eriophorum viridicarinatum)
  • Slender cottongrass (Eriophorum gracile)
  • Tall cottongrass (Eriophorum polystachion)
  • Tawny cottongrass (Eriophorum virginicum)
  • Tussock cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum)
  • Cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum)
  • Culver's root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

D

  • Dogbanes
  • Clasping dogbane (Apocynum sibiricum)
  • Hemp dogbane or American hemp, (Apocynum cannabinum)
  • Intermediate dogbane (Apocynum x floribundum)
  • Spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)

E

  • Evening primroses
  • Common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
  • Cleland's evening primrose (Oenothera clelandii)
  • Cut-leaved evening primrose (Oenothera laciniata)
  • Northern evening primrose (Oenothera parviflora)
  • Nuttall's evening primrose (Oenothera nuttallii)
  • Perennial evening primrose (Oenothera perennis)
  • Rhombic evening primrose (Oenothera rhombipetala)
  • Toothed evening primrose (Calylophus serrulatus)

F

  • False Solomon's Seals
  • Common false Solomon's seal (Smilacina racemosa)
  • Starry false Solomon's seal (Smilacina stellata)
  • Three-leaved false Solomon's seal (Smilacina trifolia)
  • Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)
  • Flodman's thistle (Cirsium flodmanii)

G

  • Gaywings (Polygala paucifolia)
  • Gentians
  • Billington's gentian (Gentiana x billingtonii)
  • Bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii)
  • Downy gentian (Gentiana puberulenta)
  • Great Lakes gentian (Gentiana rubricaulis)
  • Greater fringed gentian (Gentianopsis crinita)
  • Horse gentian (Triosteum aurantiacum)
  • Lesser fringed gentian (Gentianopsis procera)
  • Northern gentian (Gentiana affinis; special concern)
  • Spurred gentian (Halenia deflexa)
  • Stiff gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia var. occidentalis)
  • Yellowish gentian (Gentiana flavida)
  • Giant hyssops
  • Blue giant hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
  • Purple giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariaefolia)
  • Yellow giant hyssop (Agastache nepetoides)
  • Goldenrod
  • Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
  • Early goldenrod (Solidago juncea)
  • Giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea)
  • Gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis)
  • Hairy goldenrod (Solidago hispida)
  • Missouri goldenrod (Solidago missouriensis)
  • Riddell's goldenrod (Solidago riddellii)
  • Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
  • Soft goldenrod (Solidago mollis; special concern)
  • Upland white aster (Solidago ptarmicoides)
  • Zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)
  • Ground plum (Astragalus crassicarpus)
  • Gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa)

H

  • Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
  • Hepaticas
  • Sharp-lobed hepatica (Anemone acutiloba)
  • Round-lobed hepatica (Anemone americana)
  • Honeysuckles
  • Bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)
  • Fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
  • Grape honeysuckle (Lonicera reticulata)
  • Hairy honeysuckle (Lonicera hirsuta)
  • Mountain fly honeysuckle (Lonicera villosa)
  • Swamp fly honeysuckle (Lonicera oblongifolia)
  • Wild honeysuckle (Lonicera dioica)

I

  • Indian paintbrushes
  • Downy paintbrush (Castilleja sessiliflora)
  • Indian paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)
  • Northern paintbrush (Castilleja septentrionalis; endangered)
  • Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

J

  • Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
  • Joe pye weeds
  • Spotted Joe pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum)
  • Sweet Joe pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum)

L

  • Lady's slippers
  • Andrew's lady's slipper (Cypripedium × andrewsii)
  • Showy lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae; the Minnesota State flower)
  • Small white lady's slipper (Cypripedium candidum; special concern)
  • Stemless lady's slipper, also known as Moccasin flower, (Cypripedium acaule)
  • Yellow lady's slipper (Cypripedium calceolus)
  • Leadplant (Amorpha canescens)

M

  • Marsh marigolds
  • Floating marsh marigold (Caltha natans; endangered)
  • Common marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)
  • Milk vetches
  • Alpine milk vetch (Astragalus alpinus; endangered)
  • Canada milk vetch (Astragalus canadensis)
  • Cooper's milk vetch (Astragalus neglectus)
  • Field milk vetch (Astragalus agrestis)
  • Loose-flowered milkvetch (Astragalus tenellus)
  • Lotus milk vetch (Astragalus lotiflorus)
  • Missouri milk vetch (Astragalus missouriensis; special concern)
  • Prairie milk vetch (Astragalus adsurgens)
  • Racemose milk vetch (Astragalus racemosus; possibly non-native)
  • Slender milk vetch (Astragalus flexuosus; special concern)
  • Milkweeds
  • Clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis; special concern)
  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
  • Green milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora)
  • Narrow-leaved milkweed (Asclepias stenophylla; endangered)
  • Oval-leaved milkweed (Asclepias ovalifolia)
  • Poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)
  • Prairie milkweed (Asclepias hirtella; threatened)
  • Purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)
  • Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)
  • Sullivant's milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii; threatened)
  • Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata var. incarnata)
  • Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
  • Woolly milkweed (Asclepias lanuginosa)
  • Miterworts
  • Naked miterwort (Mitella nuda)
  • Two-leaved miterwort (Mitella diphylla)

O

  • Orchids
  • Hooker's orchid (Platanthera hookeri)
  • Intermediate bog orchid (Platanthera × media)
  • Large round-leaved orchid (Platanthera orbiculata)
  • Long-bracted orchid (Ceologlossum viride var. varescens)
  • Ragged fringed orchid (Platanthera lacera)
  • Ram's head orchid (Cypripedium arietinum; threatened)
  • Small green wood orchid (Platanthera clavellata; special concern)
  • Small northern bog orchid (Platanthera obtusata)
  • Small purple fringed orchid (Platanthera psycodes)
  • Tall northern bog orchid (Platanthera hyperborea)
  • Tall white bog orchid (Platanthera dilatata)
  • Tubercled rein orchid (Platanthera flava var. herbiola; endangered)
  • Western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara; threatened)
  • Ox-eye or early sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra)

P

  • Prairie clover
  • Foxtail prairie clover (Dalea leporina)
  • Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea)
  • Silky prairie clover (Dalea villosa)
  • White prairie clover (Dalea candida)

R

  • Roses
  • Prairie rose (Rosa arkansana)
  • Prickly rose (Rosa acicularis)
  • Smooth wild rose (Rosa blanda)
  • Wood's rose (Rosa woodsii var. woodsii)

S

  • Silverleaf scurfpea (Pediomelum argophyllum)
  • Spiderworts
  • Bracted spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata)
  • Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
  • Western spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis)
  • Starflower (Trientalis borealis)
  • Strawberries
  • Common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
  • Wood strawberry (Fragaria vesca var. americana)
  • Sunflowers
  • Bright sunflower (Helianthus × laetiflorus)
  • Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
  • Giant sunflower (Helianthus giganteus)
  • Hairy sunflower (Helianthus hirsutus)
  • Maximilian's sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)
  • Nuttall's sunflower (Helianthus nuttallii ssp. rydbergii; special concern)
  • Prairie sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris var. petiolaris)
  • Sawtooth sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus)
  • Stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus)
  • Tickseed sunflower (Bidens aristosa)
  • Western sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis var. occidentalis)
  • Woodland sunflower (Helianthus strumosus)
  • For early sunflower, see ox-eye.

T

  • Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus)
  • Touch-me-nots
  • Pale touch-me-not (Impatiens pallida)
  • Spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis)
  • Trilliums
  • Drooping trillium (Trillium flexipes)
  • Large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
  • Nodding trillium (Trillium cernuum var. macranthum)
  • Snow trillium (Trillium nivale)
  • Twinflower (Linnaea borealis var. longiflora)
  • Twistedstalks
  • Clasping leaved twistedstalk (Streptopus amplexifolius)
  • Rose twistedstalk (Streptopus roseus var. longipes)
  • Twinflower (Linnaea borealis var. longiflora)
  • Twistedstalks
  • Clasping leaved twistedstalk (Streptopus amplexifolius)
  • Rose twistedstalk (Streptopus roseus var. longipes)

V

  • Violets
  • Arrow-leaved violet (Viola sagittata)
  • Bearded birdfoot violet (Viola palmata var. pedatifida)
  • Beardless birdfoot violet (Viola pedata)
  • Big-leaved white violet (Viola blanda)
  • Common blue violet (Viola sororia)
  • Dog violet (Viola conspersa)
  • Great-spurred violet (Viola selkirkii)
  • Kidney-leaved violet (Viola renifolia)
  • Marsh violet (Viola cucullata)
  • Lance-leaved violet (Viola lanceolata; threatened)
  • New England violet (Viola novae-angliae)
  • Northern bog violet (Viola nephrophylla)
  • Northern white violet (Viola macloskeyi var. pallens)
  • Rugulose violet (Viola canadensis var. rugulosa)
  • Sand violet (Viola adunca)
  • Yellow prairie violet (Viola nuttallii; threatened)
  • Yellow violet (Viola pubescens)
  • Violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea)
  • Virginia mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)

W

  • White camas (Zigadenus elegans)
  • Wild bergamot or bee-balm (Monarda fistulosa)
  • Wild calla (Calla palustris)
  • Wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota)
  • Wild onions
  • Nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum)
  • Prairie wild onion (Allium stellatum)
  • White wild onion (Allium textile)
  • Wild sweet William (Phlox maculata)
  • Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
  • Wolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis)
  • Wood betony (Pedicularis canadensis)
  • Wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum)
  • Wormwoods
  • Sage wormwood (Artemisia frigida)
  • Tall wormwood (Artemisia campestris)

References

  • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR): List of Vascular Plants of Minnesota — including native/nonnative status. (9/25/02 edition).
  • Wildflowers of Minnesota homepage — with 'Wildflowers Selector by Color' searches, Minnesota Natural Resources Dept.
  • On-line Field Guide to Minnesota Wildflowers homepage