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Native plants · New Mexico

Native plants of Luna County

128 plant species are recorded as native to New Mexico in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Luna County by USDA PLANTS. 74 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

Luna County, New Mexico

Native species
128 Typical New Mexico county: 258 (median of 33 counties)
Garden-ready natives
74 Typical New Mexico county: 160
Share by type (all 128 native species)
Percent of the 128 native species in each growth type
Tree 13% (16)
Shrub 18% (23)
Wildflower (forb) 41% (53)
Grass or grass-like 25% (32)
Vine 2% (3)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (41%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (25%).

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 zone 8a (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 74

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

Garden-ready native plants of Luna County, New Mexico
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
American tarwort Flourensia cernua Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
American vetch Vicia americana Vine 1.3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
Arizona cottontop Digitaria californica Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
Arizona cypress Hesperocyparis arizonica Tree 50 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a
Arizona threeawn Aristida arizonica Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
Arizona walnut Juglans major Tree 50 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
banana yucca Yucca baccata Shrub 4 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
bastardsage Eriogonum wrightii Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6a
big sacaton Sporobolus wrightii Grass or grass-like 5.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
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
bush muhly Muhlenbergia porteri Grass or grass-like 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 8b
California poppy Eschscholzia californica Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 8a
candy barrelcactus Ferocactus wislizeni Tree 11 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
cane bluestem Bothriochloa barbinodis Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 7b
cliff fendlerbush Fendlera rupicola Shrub 6 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5b
common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 10a
creosote bush Larrea tridentata Shrub 10 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
desertbroom Baccharis sarothroides Shrub 12 ft Sun Low Zone 10a
fairyduster Calliandra eriophylla Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 10a
featherplume Dalea formosa Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
Frank's sedge Carex frankii Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
Gambel oak Quercus gambelii Tree 40 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
golden crownbeard Verbesina encelioides Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
green sprangletop Leptochloa dubia Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
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
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
littleleaf ratany Krameria erecta Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
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
muttongrass Poa fendleriana Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
New Mexico locust Robinia neomexicana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun Medium Zone 12a
oneseed juniper Juniperus monosperma Tree 40 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
pale desert-thorn Lycium pallidum Shrub 6 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
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
rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
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
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
smallwing sedge Carex microptera Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun High Zone 4a
soaptree yucca Yucca elata Tree 20 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
southwestern pricklypoppy Argemone pleiacantha Wildflower (forb) 7 in Sun Low Zone 8a
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
tanglehead Heteropogon contortus Grass or grass-like 8 in Sun Low Zone 8a
tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
Thurber's desert honeysuckle Anisacanthus thurberi Shrub 4.5 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
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
velvet ash Fraxinus velutina Tree 40 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
vine mesquite Panicum obtusum Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
western white clematis Clematis ligusticifolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
whitethorn acacia Vachellia constricta Tree 9 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 2a
woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b
Wright's silktassel Garrya wrightii Tree 6 ft Sun Low Zone 8b

Other native species recorded here 54

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.

  • American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
  • camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
  • carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
  • crested anoda Anoda cristata
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • erect spiderling Boerhavia erecta
  • false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
  • feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • Fremont's goosefoot Chenopodium fremontii
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
  • hyssopleaf sandmat Chamaesyce hyssopifolia
  • James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
  • lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
  • lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
  • Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
  • Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
  • Mexican lovegrass Eragrostis mexicana
  • nodding chickweed Cerastium nutans
  • Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
  • povertyweed Iva axillaris
  • prairie plantain Plantago elongata
  • purple spikerush Eleocharis atropurpurea
  • sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
  • scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
  • scarlet spiderling Boerhavia coccinea
  • scrambled eggs Corydalis aurea
  • sensitive partridge pea Chamaecrista nictitans
  • shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slender lipfern Cheilanthes feei
  • southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
  • spike dropseed Sporobolus contractus
  • spinystar Escobaria vivipara
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • stretchberry Forestiera pubescens
  • Texas croton Croton texensis
  • threenerve goldenrod Solidago velutina
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
  • velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
  • warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
  • wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
  • whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
  • whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
  • whitestem blazingstar Mentzelia albicaulis
  • woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
  • Wright's cudweed Pseudognaphalium canescens
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, Luna County and New Mexico
MeasureLuna CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 128 258 1,103
Garden-ready natives 74 160 570
Tree 16 — 81
Shrub 23 — 95
Wildflower (forb) 53 — 602
Grass or grass-like 32 — 275
Vine 3 — 22
Fern 1 — 28

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Luna 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
Luna County (county FIPS 35029), New Mexico. 128 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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