Native plants · Oklahoma

Native plants of Hughes County

133 plant species are recorded as native to Oklahoma in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Hughes County by USDA PLANTS. 48 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Hughes County, Oklahoma

Native species: 133 Typical Oklahoma county: 203 (median of 77 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 48 Typical Oklahoma county: 80
Share by type (all 133 native species): Percent of the 133 native species in each growth type

Tree 16% (21)
Shrub 2% (3)
Wildflower (forb) 59% (79)
Grass or grass-like 20% (26)
Vine 3% (4)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (59%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (20%).

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 7b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 48

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

Garden-ready native plants of Hughes County, Oklahoma
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American elm Ulmus americana	Tree	120 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
American sycamore Platanus occidentalis	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
black cherry Prunus serotina	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
black oak Quercus velutina	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
blackjack oak Quercus marilandica	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
Canada germander Teucrium canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
common rush Juncus effusus	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
leafy pondweed Potamogeton foliosus	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
longspike tridens Tridens strictus	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 2a
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus	Shrub	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
nodding lady's tresses Spiranthes cernua	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida	Wildflower (forb)	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
pecan Carya illinoinensis	Tree	120 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
peppervine Nekemias arborea	Vine	1 in	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
post oak Quercus stellata	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis	Grass or grass-like	11 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
river birch Betula nigra	Tree	70 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
roundhead rush Juncus validus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 7a
shortleaf pine Pinus echinata	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Tree	85 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
tapertip rush Juncus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
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
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
water oak Quercus nigra	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
winged elm Ulmus alata	Tree	65 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b

Other native species recorded here 85

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.

beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
blue wild indigo Baptisia australis
bristly scaleseed Spermolepis echinata
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina horsenettle Solanum carolinense
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
common yellow oxalis Oxalis stricta
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
desert goosefoot Chenopodium pratericola
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
dwarf chinquapin oak Quercus prinoides
eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
field pansy Viola bicolor
Florida paspalum Paspalum floridanum
flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
fringed nutrush Scleria ciliata
gravelweed Verbesina helianthoides
hairy bedstraw Galium pilosum
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
hairy sunflower Helianthus hirsutus
heartwing sorrel Rumex hastatulus
Indian-tobacco Lobelia inflata
lace grass Eragrostis capillaris
lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
lanceleaf ragweed Ambrosia bidentata
largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora
lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
narrowleaf mountainmint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
neckweed Veronica peregrina
northern bog violet Viola nephrophylla
northern slender lady's tresses Spiranthes lacera
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
Parlin's pussytoes Antennaria parlinii
Philadelphia panicgrass Panicum philadelphicum
pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
poverty oatgrass Danthonia spicata
procession flower Polygala incarnata
purple milkwort Polygala sanguinea
purple passionflower Passiflora incarnata
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
queendevil Hieracium gronovii
red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
rose mock vervain Glandularia canadensis
rough dropseed Sporobolus clandestinus
roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia
shortpod draba Draba brachycarpa
sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slender lespedeza Lespedeza virginica
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
Texas toadflax Nuttallanthus texanus
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
threadleaf evening primrose Oenothera linifolia
tiny bluet Houstonia pusilla
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
western horsenettle Solanum dimidiatum
whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata

Compared with Oklahoma

The typical county is the median of the 77 Oklahoma 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, Hughes County and Oklahoma
Measure	Hughes County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	133	203	1,513
Garden-ready natives	48	80	535
Tree	21	—	130
Shrub	3	—	63
Wildflower (forb)	79	—	849
Grass or grass-like	26	—	341
Vine	4	—	85
Fern	0	—	45

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Hughes County.

Coal County, OK 41 garden-ready
McIntosh County, OK 47 garden-ready
Okfuskee County, OK 41 garden-ready
Pittsburg County, OK 83 garden-ready
Pontotoc County, OK 118 garden-ready
Seminole County, OK 41 garden-ready

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: Hughes County (county FIPS 40063), Oklahoma. 133 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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