Native plants · Oklahoma

Native plants of Love County

147 plant species are recorded as native to Oklahoma in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Love County by USDA PLANTS. 67 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Love County, Oklahoma

Native species: 147 Typical Oklahoma county: 203 (median of 77 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 67 Typical Oklahoma county: 80
Share by type (all 147 native species): Percent of the 147 native species in each growth type

Tree 23% (34)
Shrub 1% (2)
Wildflower (forb) 59% (86)
Grass or grass-like 8% (12)
Vine 7% (10)
Fern 2% (3)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (59%), followed by trees (23%).

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

Garden-ready natives 67

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

Garden-ready native plants of Love 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 oak Quercus velutina	Tree	80 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
black willow Salix nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1b
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
cedar elm Ulmus crassifolia	Tree	90 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6a
Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
common hackberry Celtis occidentalis	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 2b
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
cylinder jointtail grass Coelorachis cylindrica	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5a
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
false daisy Eclipta prostrata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
frost grape Vitis vulpina	Vine	83 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium	Grass or grass-like	4.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus	Shrub	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
northern maidenhair Adiantum pedatum	Fern	1.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
panicledleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium paniculatum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
pecan Carya illinoinensis	Tree	120 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
peppervine Nekemias arborea	Vine	1 in	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
pin oak Quercus palustris	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
post oak Quercus stellata	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
pride of Ohio Dodecatheon meadia	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
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
red mulberry Morus rubra	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
roundhead rush Juncus validus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 7a
sandbar willow Salix interior	Tree	30 ft	Sun	—	Zone 1a
saw greenbrier Smilax bona-nox	Vine	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
Shumard's oak Quercus shumardii	Tree	100 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
slippery elm Ulmus rubra	Tree	85 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3a
smooth sumac Rhus glabra	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
summer grape Vitis aestivalis	Vine	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
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
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
water oak Quercus nigra	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
white ash Fraxinus americana	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
white prairie clover Dalea candida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
willow oak Quercus phellos	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
winged elm Ulmus alata	Tree	65 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
winged sumac Rhus copallinum	Tree	8 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 80

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 lopseed Phryma leptostachya
American star-thistle Centaurea americana
American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
arrowfeather threeawn Aristida purpurascens
Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
Carolina woollywhite Hymenopappus scabiosaeus
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
common pricklyash Zanthoxylum americanum
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
dwarf chinquapin oak Quercus prinoides
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
field pansy Viola bicolor
fringed nutrush Scleria ciliata
gravelweed Verbesina helianthoides
green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
hairy sunflower Helianthus hirsutus
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
meadow garlic Allium canadense
narrowleaf pinweed Lechea tenuifolia
pasture heliotrope Heliotropium tenellum
poorjoe Diodia teres
prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre
prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
procession flower Polygala incarnata
prostrate sandmat Chamaesyce prostrata
purple passionflower Passiflora incarnata
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
Red River scaleseed Spermolepis inermis
rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
sicklepod Arabis canadensis
sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
silvery everlasting Gamochaeta argyrinea
slender lespedeza Lespedeza virginica
slender snakecotton Froelichia gracilis
slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
slimleaf milkweed Asclepias stenophylla
smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
spreading chervil Chaerophyllum procumbens
spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
Texas bergia Bergia texana
Texas croton Croton texensis
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas toadflax Nuttallanthus texanus
violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
western horsenettle Solanum dimidiatum
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta

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, Love County and Oklahoma
Measure	Love County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	147	203	1,513
Garden-ready natives	67	80	535
Tree	34	—	130
Shrub	2	—	63
Wildflower (forb)	86	—	849
Grass or grass-like	12	—	341
Vine	10	—	85
Fern	3	—	45

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Love County.

Carter County, OK 90 garden-ready
Jefferson County, OK 35 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: Love County (county FIPS 40085), Oklahoma. 147 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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