Native Plant of the Year
Each year, the Kansas Native Plant Society chooses one of our native Kansas plants as the Native Plant of the Year.
In selecting a Native Plant of the Year KNPS seeks to increase the public’s awareness and in-depth knowledge of our native Kansas plants. The plant chosen fills the following criteria:
- It must be plant native to Kansas;
- It may be common or rare;
- It may be selected for horticultural interest; and/or
- It may be selected for its contribution to a functioning habitat.
The Native Plant of the Year is a featured category of the Annual KNPS Photo Contest – members submit photos which are displayed at the Annual Wildflower Weekend (AWW).
Link to a list of past Native Plants of the Year.
2026 - Side-oats grama - Bouteloua curtipendula
Kansas Native Plant Society has selected Side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) from the grass family (Poaeceae) as the 2026 Kansas Native Plant of the Year.
Side-oats grama is an important perennial bunchgrass species of the mixed-grass and tallgrass prairies and it can be found in every county of Kansas. This 1-3’ tall sun-loving, drought tolerant warm season grass blooms from July to September and is found most commonly in dry open grasslands.
Side-oats grama commonly grows with little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and does not compete well with taller grasses or forbs. It grows best on limestone soils but is also adaptable to sandy or clay soils as well.
The name “side-oats” refers to the oat-like flower/seed clusters hanging in a zig-zag pattern to one side of the stem. The genus honors 19th century Spanish botanists Claudio and Esteban Bouteloua, and the species epithet comes from Latin ‘short hanging’ for the short-stalked seed heads.
This grass is the larval host plant for several skipper butterfly species. The seeds are consumed by grassland birds, and the vegetation is highly palatable to livestock.
Side-oats grama is underutilized in native plant gardens. The attractive purple and orange anthers stand out while blooming in the late summer and the seed clusters turn to shades of gold in the fall. This grass is easily propagated from plugs or seed sown in the fall or the spring (if cold/dry stratified). It is gratifying to collect the seeds in fall – you can easily accumulate them by running your hands up the stems. Side-oats grama is a must-have species in any prairie reconstruction or urban prairie meadow. For maintenance, simply mow or burn it every year or two in winter or spring.
The drawing is by Lorna Harder and the photographs are by Michael Haddock. To see more Bouteloua curtipendula photos by Michael Haddock and a detailed species description, visit kswildflower.org.
2025 - New Jersey Tea -
Ceanothus americanus and C. herbaceous
Kansas Native Plant Society has selected New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus and C. herbaceus) from the Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) as the 2025 Kansas Native Plant of the Year. Since these two species have similar habitats and differ only slightly in their appearance and have overlapping distribution in Kansas, both were included in this year’s selection. Both are woody shrub species that produce attractive clusters of small white flowers in May to June and grow to 2-3’ tall. They are drought-tolerant species typically found in well-drained, rocky prairie habitat.
Ceanothus americanus (eastern half of Kansas) only has the common name New Jersey Tea but C. herbaceous (eastern 2/3 of Kansas) also goes by Inland Ceanothus, Inland New Jersey Tea or Redroot.
Dwight Platt and Lorna Harder summarize the subtle field characteristic differences between these species in their publication Growing Native Wildflowers – read about each species below:
The leaves of Ceanothus americanus are broader and ovate or egg-shaped, broadest below the middle, while the leaves of C. herbaceus are elliptic, broadest at the middle. In C. americanus, the clusters of flowers are somewhat elongate and are borne on leafless stalks (sometimes with two small leaves at the base of the flower cluster), that grow out of the axils of leaves.
In Ceanothus herbaceus the flower clusters are more flat-topped and are borne on the end of leafy twigs. There is a ridge on each lobe of the fruit in C. americanus and no ridges in C. herbaceus.
The fruiting stalks drop even before the leaves drop in the fall in C. americanus.
Both of these Ceanothus species are attractive to nectaring butterflies and hummingbirds and the vegetation is host to butterfly larvae of the spring azure (Celastrina laden) and mottled duskywing skipper (Erynnis martialis).
Culturally for humans, the leaves of New Jersey Tea were used as a substitute for black tea during the American Revolution.
New Jersey Tea is underutilized in native plant gardens and should be considered for a sunny spot in a home landscape. Collect the black, glossy seeds before they fall from 3-lobed capsules in July. Platt and Harder report success germinating the seed with treatment of one minute in boiling water followed by 2-3 months of cold, wet stratification.
The drawings are by Lorna Harder and the photographs are by Michael Haddock. To see more Ceanothus americanus and C. herbaceus photos by Michael Haddock and detailed species descriptions, visit www.KSwildflower.org.
2024 - Wild Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis
Found in the eastern quarter of Kansas, this member of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) grows from branching, hollow stems to a height at maturity of 2 – 3 feet. Its leaves are pinnately compound with three leaflets that themselves are three-parted. Basal leaves have long stalks while stem leaves are gradually reduced with shorter stalks nearer the inflorescence.
The inflorescence is a solitary, nodding flower up to 2 inches long featuring 5 reddish sepals and 5 elongated petals that blend from yellow at their entrance to reddish along a narrow, hollow spur. Numerous yellow stamens extend conspicuously outside of the corolla. Fruits are 5 erect pods up to an inch long, each with a small beak and containing many shiny black seeds.
The genus name Aquilegia comes from aquila, the Latin word for eagle, in reference to the resemblance of the flower’s five spurs to an eagle’s talon. Canadensis refers to Canada, where wild columbine can be found growing as far northeast as Quebec. It ranges widely across eastern North America, from Quebec south to Florida, west to Texas, and north to Manitoba. Across its range it prefers rocky woods and slopes, often growing from tiny pockets of moist soil on exposed rock.
Wild columbine is one of the first blooms of spring, and as such is an important source of nectar for pollinators including bumblebees and hummingbirds. It is the host plant for the columbine duskywing, (Erynnis lucilius), a rare butterfly in Kansas. Like many plants in the buttercup family, its foliage is toxic and resistant to rabbits and deer. Despite its delicate appearance it is a highly adaptable plant that does well in gardens across a range of shade and soil conditions – try it in your garden this year!
Photographs by Michael Haddock. To see more Aquilegia canadensis photos by Michael Haddock and a detailed species description, visit www.kswildflower.org.
2023 - Purple Prairie Clover - Dalea purpurea
Found throughout Kansas, this erect perennial from the bean family (Fabaceae) grows with multiple simple or branched stems in height of one to three feet tall. Its preferred habitat is
medium to well-drained, full-sun, dry upland prairie. Extreme drought tolerance is thanks to a deep taproot.
The newer genus name (replacing Petalostemon) honors 17-18 th century English botanist, Samuel Dale. The dense thimble-like clusters of tiny flowers help purple prairie clover stand out with a splash of color amidst emerging prairie grasses in June and early July. The ¼” purple flower
has five petals and five yellow anthers.
Each less than 1/8” pod or seed capsule contains a single yellowish-green or brown seed. Delicate leaves are alternate branching and pinnately compound with 3-5 narrow, linear leaflets.
This non-aggressive, nitrogen-fixing legume is a popular choice for any prairie seed mix or sunny flowerbed. It is common to see various types of bees and other pollinators gathering nectar from the flowers of purple prairie clover.
The vegetation is larval food for southern dogface and Reakirt’s blue butterflies.
To see more Dalea purpurea photos by Michael Haddock and a detailed species description, visit kswildflower.org.
2022 - Rough blazingstar - Liatris punctata
Found throughout Kansas, this erect perennial from the sunflower (Asteraceae) family grows with multiple, stiff, unbranched stems up to 2.5 feet tall. Its preferred habitat is well-drained, dry upland prairie where it thrives best when in lower competition from tall grasses. Extreme drought tolerance is thanks to a perennial taproot that can reach a depth of 15 feet. One report from J.E. Weaver’s 1968 book, Prairie Plants and their Environment documented that a dotted blazing star root crown ring count showed it was 35 years old.
The purple inflorescences of dotted blazing star are among the most stunning wildflowers of late summer. Clusters of four to eight rose-purple flowers blooming in August and September consist of only disk florets, with ray florets absent. Pollinated flowers create black, ribbed ¼” conical-shaped achene fruits with a parachute-like pappus to aid in wind dispersal.
“Blazing star” is named for the spike of purple flowers and “dotted” is in reference to the small glands dotting the leaves and bracts of this species. “Punctate” is a botanical term for translucent dots.
Nectar from these flowers attracts many species of butterflies, bees, and flies. The blooming of dotted blazing star is notably timed with the annual southern migration of the nectar-seeking monarch butterfly. The leaves and stems of dotted blazing star are palatable to cattle and this species becomes greatly reduced on prairies that are heavily grazed.
The showy flowers of dotted blazing star make this species an easy choice for planting in any full-sun flower bed. The purple splashes of color pair nicely with the yellows of goldenrod in late summer. Liatris punctata also has the appealing landscaping traits of a short stature to fit in smaller gardens, non-aggressive seed reproduction, a different flowering time compared to other popular garden Liatris species including L. aspera and L. pycnostachya, and an attractive fluffy, wand-like stem texture in fall before seeds begin to disperse.
These line drawings are from Dwight Platt and Lorna Harder’s 1997 publication Growing Native Wildflowers.
To see more Liatris punctata photos by Michael Haddock and a detailed species description, visit www.kswildflower.org.
2021 - Compass Plant - Silphium lacinatium
Compass plant is found in roughly the eastern 2/3 of Kansas. It is an erect perennial has stiff, hairy, and sometimes glandular up to two-foot long leaves. The two to five-inch inflorescences are scattered along a flowering stem that can be up to nine-foot tall. Both central disc and outer seed-producing ray flowers help cue that this species is in the Sunflower (Asteraceae) family. Compass plant thrives in both lowland prairies with clay loam to silt loam soils as well as dry, hillside prairie habitat with rocky calcareous soils.
Broken stems exude a gummy resin that can be chewed like gum, and the genus name Silphium comes from the Greek word “silphion”, referring to a North African plant bearing resin. The word “laciniate” means to cut or slash into narrow, irregular lobes which describes the compass plant leaves. The common name refers to the plants tendency to align basal leaves generally north and south, which helps the plant save water by deflecting most of the hot, mid-day summer sunlight.
Once developed over 4-5 years, 15-foot deep compass plant roots make this species extremely drought-tolerant and long-lived. It is an aesthetically-pleasing option for the urban landscape thanks to bright yellow flowers in July to August and stately leaves holding their shape through the winter. If you don’t weed-out new seedlings, however, the tall-statured compass plant can take over a garden.
Compass plant flowers are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, but the flowers also attract many other bees and flies and occasionally butterflies. A host of insects eat the plant’s vegetation including a prairie cicada (roots), Silphium beetle (stems and flower heads), gall wasps (stems), and an aphid (sucking juice from the stem). Birds and small mammals eat the large ½-inch seeds. Cattle eat young compass plant leaves and will eradicate this species over time on regularly-grazed pastures.
Seeds show improved germination success with at least two to three months of cold, wet stratification.
To see more Silphium laciniatum photos by Michael Haddock and a detailed species description, visit www.kswildflower.org.
