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Native plants · New Mexico

Native plants of Chaves County

214 plant species are recorded as native to New Mexico in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Chaves County by USDA PLANTS. 109 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 2 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Chaves County, New Mexico

Native species
214 Typical New Mexico county: 258 (median of 33 counties)
Garden-ready natives
109 Typical New Mexico county: 160
Share by type (all 214 native species)
Percent of the 214 native species in each growth type
Tree 6% (12)
Shrub 10% (22)
Wildflower (forb) 50% (108)
Grass or grass-like 32% (69)
Vine 1% (3)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (50%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (32%).

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

ZIP codes mainly in this county fall in USDA hardiness zones 7a to 7b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 109

Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.

Garden-ready native plants of Chaves County, New Mexico
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa Shrub 6 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
Arizona cottontop Digitaria californica Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
banana yucca Yucca baccata Shrub 4 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
beaked spikerush Eleocharis rostellata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun High Zone 4b
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii Grass or grass-like 6 ft Sun Low Zone 2b
big sacaton Sporobolus wrightii Grass or grass-like 5.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata Tree 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
black grama Bouteloua eriopoda Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae Shrub 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
bush muhly Muhlenbergia porteri Grass or grass-like 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 8b
Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3a
Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
cane bluestem Bothriochloa barbinodis Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 7b
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis Wildflower (forb) 5.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
catclaw acacia Senegalia greggii Tree 20 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 10a
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
creeping muhly Muhlenbergia repens Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Low Zone 9a
creosote bush Larrea tridentata Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
curly-mesquite Hilaria belangeri Grass or grass-like 10 in Sun Low Zone 8b
desert willow Chilopsis linearis Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5a
downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora Wildflower (forb) 1.3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides Tree 190 ft Sun High Zone 3a
false daisy Eclipta prostrata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
featherplume Dalea formosa Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
fiddleleaf hawksbeard Crepis runcinata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
freckled milkvetch Astragalus lentiginosus Shrub 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
golden crownbeard Verbesina encelioides Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
Goodding's willow Salix gooddingii Tree 40 ft Sun High Zone 5a
green prairie coneflower Ratibida tagetes Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
green sprangletop Leptochloa dubia Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
gypsum grama Bouteloua breviseta Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun Low Zone 3b
honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa Tree 50 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
James' galleta Pleuraphis jamesii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
knotgrass Paspalum distichum Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun High Zone 6a
lemonscent Pectis angustifolia Wildflower (forb) 8 in Sun Low Zone 5a
Lewis flax Linum lewisii Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
little walnut Juglans microcarpa Tree 20 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
littleleaf sumac Rhus microphylla Tree 10 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
longleaf jointfir Ephedra trifurca Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
lyreleaf greeneyes Berlandiera lyrata Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
mesa dropseed Sporobolus flexuosus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
Mexican rush Juncus mexicanus Grass or grass-like 10 in Sun Medium Zone 5b
Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima Vine 1 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
mountain muhly Muhlenbergia montana Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
mountain pepperweed Lepidium montanum Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun–part shade Low Zone 4a
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
ocotillo Fouquieria splendens Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
pale desert-thorn Lycium pallidum Shrub 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides Tree 60 ft Sun High Zone 4a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia Grass or grass-like 2.7 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
poverty threeawn Aristida divaricata Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6b
prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata Grass or grass-like 8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 3b
prairie sagewort Artemisia frigida Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 3a
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii Wildflower (forb) 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
rough menodora Menodora scabra Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 9a
roving sailor Maurandella antirrhiniflora Vine 10 in Sun Medium Zone 6b
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
sago pondweed Stuckenia pectinata Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
salt heliotrope Heliotropium curassavicum Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
saltgrass Distichlis spicata Grass or grass-like 1.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
sanddune wallflower Erysimum capitatum Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata Shrub 4 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 2a
soaptree yucca Yucca elata Tree 20 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
soapweed yucca Yucca glauca Shrub 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
spreading alkaliweed Cressa truxillensis Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun Medium Zone 6a
spreading yellowcress Rorippa sinuata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
squirreltail Elymus elymoides Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
sweetscent Pluchea odorata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
tobosagrass Pleuraphis mutica Grass or grass-like 2.3 ft Sun Low Zone 7b
Torrey's jointfir Ephedra torreyana Shrub 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera Wildflower (forb) 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
vine mesquite Panicum obtusum Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
white prairie clover Dalea candida Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b
yerba mansa Anemopsis californica Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Sun High Zone 9b

Other native species recorded here 105

PLANTS has no growing records for these, so light, moisture, height and zone filters cannot include them. Many are wild species seldom sold by nurseries.

  • annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
  • autumn dwarf gentian Gentianella amarella
  • bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
  • bighead pygmycudweed Evax prolifera
  • bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
  • buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
  • camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
  • carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
  • catchfly prairie gentian Eustoma exaltatum
  • chairmaker's bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus
  • chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
  • coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
  • cottonbatting plant Pseudognaphalium stramineum
  • crested anoda Anoda cristata
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
  • Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
  • desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
  • false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
  • feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
  • fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
  • flatspine bur ragweed Ambrosia acanthicarpa
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • giant bristlegrass Setaria magna
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
  • hairy four o'clock Mirabilis hirsuta
  • Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
  • lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
  • lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
  • Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
  • matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
  • Mexican lovegrass Eragrostis mexicana
  • Mojave seablite Suaeda moquinii
  • narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • plains bluegrass Poa arida
  • pony beebalm Monarda pectinata
  • prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
  • prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
  • prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
  • prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
  • prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
  • puffsheath dropseed Sporobolus neglectus
  • purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
  • Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
  • queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
  • ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
  • red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
  • Red River scaleseed Spermolepis inermis
  • redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
  • redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
  • rosemallow Hibiscus lasiocarpos
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • sacred thorn-apple Datura wrightii
  • sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
  • sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • scrambled eggs Corydalis aurea
  • seaside arrowgrass Triglochin maritima
  • shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
  • silkcotton purslane Portulaca halimoides
  • silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
  • silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
  • silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
  • snowball sand verbena Abronia fragrans
  • spike dropseed Sporobolus contractus
  • spiny milkvetch Astragalus kentrophyta
  • spinystar Escobaria vivipara
  • spiral ditchgrass Ruppia cirrhosa
  • spreading fleabane Erigeron divergens
  • stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
  • stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
  • stretchberry Forestiera pubescens
  • tapertip cupgrass Eriochloa acuminata
  • tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
  • tasselflower brickellbush Brickellia grandiflora
  • Texas croton Croton texensis
  • thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
  • tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
  • twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
  • velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
  • verrucose seapurslane Sesuvium verrucosum
  • Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
  • warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
  • wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
  • whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
  • winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
  • witchgrass Panicum capillare
  • woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
Also listed as native and introduced here 2

PLANTS labels these species both native and introduced in this state: some forms are native and others were brought in from elsewhere. Most gardeners should choose plants from the main list.

Compared with New Mexico

The typical county is the median of the 33 New Mexico counties with PLANTS county records; the statewide figure counts every species native anywhere in the state. More species is not better or worse: counties differ in size, habitat and how thoroughly they have been surveyed.

Native species counts, Chaves County and New Mexico
MeasureChaves CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 214 258 1,103
Garden-ready natives 109 160 570
Tree 12 — 81
Shrub 22 — 95
Wildflower (forb) 108 — 602
Grass or grass-like 69 — 275
Vine 3 — 22
Fern 0 — 28

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Chaves County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

Source & data date

Source
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).
Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.
USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation
USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.
Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date
Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Zones
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) ZIP table: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed November 3, 2026. Plant zones on this site are our estimate, not the official map.
Scope
Chaves County (county FIPS 35005), New Mexico. 214 native species from PLANTS county distribution records; garden-ready = species with a PLANTS characteristics record.
Method
A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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