Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Caldwell County

184 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Caldwell County by USDA PLANTS. 49 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Caldwell County, Texas

Native species: 184 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 49 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 184 native species): Percent of the 184 native species in each growth type

Tree 5% (10)
Shrub 3% (6)
Wildflower (forb) 58% (107)
Grass or grass-like 26% (47)
Vine 7% (13)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (58%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (26%).

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 9a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 49

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

Garden-ready native plants of Caldwell County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American beautyberry Callicarpa americana	Shrub	6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6b
Arizona cottontop Digitaria californica	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
blunt spikerush Eleocharis obtusa	Grass or grass-like	1.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11a
brownseed paspalum Paspalum plicatulum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a
Canada germander Teucrium canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
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
clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli	Tree	30 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
cucumberleaf sunflower Helianthus debilis	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 9b
cylinder jointtail grass Coelorachis cylindrica	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5a
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12a
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
golden crownbeard Verbesina encelioides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
green hawthorn Crataegus viridis	Tree	30 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
green sprangletop Leptochloa dubia	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
inland rush Juncus interior	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
leadplant Amorpha canescens	Shrub	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 3b
little barley Hordeum pusillum	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
needleleaf rosette grass Dichanthelium aciculare	Grass or grass-like	1.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 7b
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia	Grass or grass-like	2.7 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
post oak Quercus stellata	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
roundhead rush Juncus validus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 7a
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata	Shrub	4 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 2a
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides	Vine	—	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 9b
summer grape Vitis aestivalis	Vine	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
white prairie clover Dalea candida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
yaupon Ilex vomitoria	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a

Other native species recorded here 135

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 marsh elder Iva annua
annual phlox Phlox drummondii
arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
bluejacket Tradescantia ohiensis
bluestem pricklypoppy Argemone albiflora
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina clover Trifolium carolinianum
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Carolina ponysfoot Dichondra carolinensis
Carolina puccoon Lithospermum caroliniense
clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
clasping milkweed Asclepias amplexicaulis
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
curvepod fumewort Corydalis curvisiliqua
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
erect spiderling Boerhavia erecta
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis
fringed nutrush Scleria ciliata
garden dewberry Rubus aboriginum
green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
Harvey's beaksedge Rhynchospora harveyi
heartleaf nettle Urtica chamaedryoides
heartwing sorrel Rumex hastatulus
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
hogwort Croton capitatus
hyssopleaf sandmat Chamaesyce hyssopifolia
juniper leaf Polypremum procumbens
kidneyshape sedge Carex reniformis
kiss me quick Portulaca pilosa
lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
largeseed forget-me-not Myosotis macrosperma
littlehip hawthorn Crataegus spathulata
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
mudbank crowngrass Paspalum dissectum
Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
narrowleaf pinweed Lechea tenuifolia
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
openflower rosette grass Dichanthelium laxiflorum
Parlin's pussytoes Antennaria parlinii
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
Pickering's dawnflower Stylisma pickeringii
pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
plains snakecotton Froelichia floridana
poorjoe Diodia teres
poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
prickly fanpetals Sida spinosa
procession flower Polygala incarnata
purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
Red River scaleseed Spermolepis inermis
redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
Richard's yelloweyed grass Xyris jupicai
rough dropseed Sporobolus clandestinus
roundfruit hedgehyssop Gratiola virginiana
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
scaldweed Cuscuta gronovii
scarlet spiderling Boerhavia coccinea
sessileleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium sessilifolium
showy evening primrose Oenothera grandis
silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slim amaranth Amaranthus hybridus
slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
slimpod rush Juncus diffusissimus
small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
sorrelvine Cissus trifoliata
southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
southern jointweed Polygonella americana
southern sedge Carex austrina
Spanish gold Grindelia papposa
spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
squirreltail fescue Vulpia elliotea
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
Texas bluegrass Poa arachnifera
Texas croton Croton texensis
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas vervain Verbena halei
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
tiny bluet Houstonia pusilla
toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
Vahl's fimbry Fimbristylis vahlii
Virginia dwarfdandelion Krigia virginica
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
Virginia tephrosia Tephrosia virginiana
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
western rough goldenrod Solidago radula
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
yankeeweed Eupatorium compositifolium
yellow thistle Cirsium horridulum

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.

Native species counts, Caldwell County and Texas
Measure	Caldwell County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	184	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	49	61	656
Tree	10	—	164
Shrub	6	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	107	—	877
Grass or grass-like	47	—	431
Vine	13	—	83
Fern	1	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Caldwell County.

Bastrop County, TX 156 garden-ready
Gonzales County, TX 164 garden-ready
Guadalupe County, TX 50 garden-ready
Hays County, TX 122 garden-ready
Travis County, TX 195 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: Caldwell County (county FIPS 48055), Texas. 184 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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