Native plants · Texas
Native plants of Bailey County
182 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Bailey County by USDA PLANTS. 70 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
Bailey County, Texas
- Native species
- 182 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 70 Typical Texas county: 61
- Share by type (all 182 native species)
-
Percent of the 182 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (60%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (27%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 70
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| black grama Bouteloua eriopoda | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| 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 |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3.5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| disk waterhyssop Bacopa rotundifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 1 in | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| dotted blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora | Wildflower (forb) | 1.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11b |
| golden crownbeard Verbesina encelioides | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| golden currant Ribes aureum | Shrub | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3b |
| golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| green prairie coneflower Ratibida tagetes | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| hardstem bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus | Grass or grass-like | 9.8 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa | Tree | 50 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| inland rush Juncus interior | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 3b |
| little barley Hordeum pusillum | Grass or grass-like | 1.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| narrowleaf willow Salix exigua | Tree | 10 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| needle and thread Hesperostipa comata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis | Grass or grass-like | 8 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana | Wildflower (forb) | 10 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 12a |
| Osage-orange Maclura pomifera | Tree | 35 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 10b |
| poverty threeawn Aristida divaricata | Grass or grass-like | 1.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 6b |
| purple threeawn Aristida purpurea | Grass or grass-like | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| 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 bluestem Andropogon hallii | Grass or grass-like | 6.1 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 |
| 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 |
| soapweed yucca Yucca glauca | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Torrey's jointfir Ephedra torreyana | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| valley redstem Ammannia coccinea | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| white sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| woolly plantain Plantago patagonica | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 12b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 112
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.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
- blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
- camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
- carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- Carolina woollywhite Hymenopappus scabiosaeus
- catchfly prairie gentian Eustoma exaltatum
- chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
- coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
- crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
- curvepod fumewort Corydalis curvisiliqua
- cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
- Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
- diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
- Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
- Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
- false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
- false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
- feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
- green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
- green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
- Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
- horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
- James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
- Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
- kiss me quick Portulaca pilosa
- lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
- lanceleaf sage Salvia reflexa
- limestone adderstongue Ophioglossum engelmannii
- Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
- mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
- Mojave seablite Suaeda moquinii
- narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
- Philadelphia panicgrass Panicum philadelphicum
- pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
- plains snakecotton Froelichia floridana
- povertyweed Iva axillaris
- prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
- prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
- prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
- Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
- queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
- ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
- red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
- ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- sacred thorn-apple Datura wrightii
- sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
- sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- Schweinitz's flatsedge Cyperus schweinitzii
- shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
- silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
- silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
- silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
- slender lipfern Cheilanthes feei
- slender snakecotton Froelichia gracilis
- slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
- slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
- sneezeweed Helenium amarum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- snowball sand verbena Abronia fragrans
- southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
- southern jointweed Polygonella americana
- spinystar Escobaria vivipara
- spiral ditchgrass Ruppia cirrhosa
- spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- stretchberry Forestiera pubescens
- Texas bergia Bergia texana
- Texas toadflax Nuttallanthus texanus
- thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
- tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
- upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
- velvety goldenrod Solidago mollis
- verrucose seapurslane Sesuvium verrucosum
- Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
- warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
- warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- western wallflower Erysimum asperum
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
- whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
- winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woodbine Parthenocissus vitacea
- 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.
- common pepperweedLepidium densiflorum
- toothed spurgeEuphorbia dentata
Compared with Texas
The typical county is the median of the 254 Texas 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.
| Measure | Bailey County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 182 | 145 | 1,683 |
| Garden-ready natives | 70 | 61 | 656 |
| Tree | 5 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 13 | — | 90 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 109 | — | 877 |
| Grass or grass-like | 49 | — | 431 |
| Vine | 3 | — | 83 |
| Fern | 3 | — | 38 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Bailey County.
- Castro County, TX 30 garden-ready
- Cochran County, TX 13 garden-ready
- Lamb County, TX 43 garden-ready
- Parmer County, TX 31 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
- Bailey County (county FIPS 48017), Texas. 182 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