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Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Cameron County

244 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Cameron County by USDA PLANTS. 96 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 6 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Cameron County, Texas

Native species
244 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives
96 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 244 native species)
Percent of the 244 native species in each growth type
Tree 5% (12)
Shrub 2% (5)
Wildflower (forb) 57% (138)
Grass or grass-like 30% (74)
Vine 6% (14)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (57%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (30%).

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 zones 10a to 10b (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 96

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

Garden-ready native plants of Cameron County, Texas
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
American lotus Nelumbo lutea Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun High Zone 3b
Arizona cottontop Digitaria californica Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
bayhops Ipomoea pes-caprae Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 9a
big sacaton Sporobolus wrightii Grass or grass-like 5.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
bitter panicgrass Panicum amarum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
black mangrove Avicennia germinans Tree 30 ft Sun High Zone 8a
black willow Salix nigra Tree 100 ft Sun High Zone 1b
broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
brownseed paspalum Paspalum plicatulum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 8a
buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
bushy seaside tansy Borrichia frutescens Shrub 2.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 9a
California bulrush Schoenoplectus californicus Grass or grass-like 6.6 ft Sun High Zone 9a
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
Carolina desert-thorn Lycium carolinianum Shrub 9 ft Sun High Zone 9a
cedar elm Ulmus crassifolia Tree 90 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6a
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
coast cockspur grass Echinochloa walteri Grass or grass-like 6.5 ft Sun High Zone 10b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
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
coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum Wildflower (forb) — Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
delta arrowhead Sagittaria platyphylla Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun High Zone 6a
desert willow Chilopsis linearis Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5a
disk waterhyssop Bacopa rotundifolia Wildflower (forb) 1 in Sun High Zone 4a
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
false daisy Eclipta prostrata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 11b
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea Wildflower (forb) 8.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
golden crownbeard Verbesina encelioides Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
green sprangletop Leptochloa dubia Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
gulf cordgrass Spartina spartinae Grass or grass-like 6.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 9a
hilograss Paspalum conjugatum Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 8b
honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa Tree 50 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
knotgrass Paspalum distichum Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun High Zone 6a
lavender thrift Limonium carolinianum Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun High Zone 6b
little barley Hordeum pusillum Grass or grass-like 1.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 3b
longtom Paspalum denticulatum Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 8b
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
manyspike flatsedge Cyperus polystachyos Grass or grass-like 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 12a
mescal bean Sophora secundiflora Tree 15 ft Sun Medium Zone 8a
mule-fat Baccharis salicifolia Shrub 10 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis Grass or grass-like 8 in Sun Medium Zone 5a
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
peppervine Nekemias arborea Vine 1 in Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia Grass or grass-like 2.7 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis Grass or grass-like 11 in Sun Low Zone 3a
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea Grass or grass-like 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
red mulberry Morus rubra Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 11a
roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus Wildflower (forb) 6.6 ft Sun High Zone 4a
roving sailor Maurandella antirrhiniflora Vine 10 in Sun Medium Zone 6b
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
saltmeadow cordgrass Spartina patens Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun 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
seaoats Uniola paniculata Grass or grass-like 6 ft Sun Low Zone 8a
seashore dropseed Sporobolus virginicus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 9a
seashore paspalum Paspalum vaginatum Grass or grass-like 1 in Sun High Zone 8b
smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun High Zone 5a
softstem bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun High Zone 3b
Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides Vine — Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 9b
splitbeard bluestem Andropogon ternarius Grass or grass-like 3.9 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5b
squarestem spikerush Eleocharis quadrangulata Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun High Zone 4b
strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
sweetscent Pluchea odorata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
tanglehead Heteropogon contortus Grass or grass-like 8 in Sun Low Zone 8a
tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides Grass or grass-like 4 in Sun High Zone 3b
turkey tangle fogfruit Phyla nodiflora Wildflower (forb) 2 in Sun–part shade Low Zone 5b
turtleweed Batis maritima Shrub 1 in Sun Medium Zone 9a
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
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun High Zone 3b
wax myrtle Morella cerifera Tree 10 ft Sun High Zone 7a
white sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
widgeongrass Ruppia maritima Wildflower (forb) 2 in Sun High Zone 7a
wild tantan Desmanthus virgatus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 9a
yellow trumpetbush Tecoma stans Tree 20 ft Sun Low Zone 9a
yellow waterlily Nymphaea mexicana Wildflower (forb) — Sun High Zone 7a

Other native species recorded here 148

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 bluehearts Buchnera americana
  • American star-thistle Centaurea americana
  • American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
  • annual marsh elder Iva annua
  • annual seepweed Suaeda linearis
  • biannual lettuce Lactuca ludoviciana
  • bigpod sesbania Sesbania herbacea
  • bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
  • blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
  • bluestem pricklypoppy Argemone albiflora
  • bouquet mudplantain Heteranthera multiflora
  • bright green spikerush Eleocharis olivacea
  • bristly scaleseed Spermolepis echinata
  • buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
  • camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
  • Canada spikesedge Eleocharis geniculata
  • carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
  • Carolina fimbry Fimbristylis caroliniana
  • Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
  • Carolina mosquitofern Azolla caroliniana
  • Carolina ponysfoot Dichondra carolinensis
  • catchfly prairie gentian Eustoma exaltatum
  • chaffweed Anagallis minima
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
  • creeping burhead Echinodorus cordifolius
  • creeping lovegrass Neeragrostis reptans
  • crested anoda Anoda cristata
  • crested saltbush Atriplex cristata
  • crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
  • cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
  • cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
  • cutleaf groundcherry Physalis angulata
  • Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
  • denseflower knotweed Polygonum glabrum
  • desert horsepurslane Trianthema portulacastrum
  • diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
  • dwarf saltwort Salicornia bigelovii
  • erect spiderling Boerhavia erecta
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
  • gaping grass Steinchisma hians
  • grand redstem Ammannia robusta
  • grassleaf mudplantain Heteranthera dubia
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
  • Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
  • hairyseed paspalum Paspalum pubiflorum
  • heartleaf nettle Urtica chamaedryoides
  • herb of grace Bacopa monnieri
  • hogwort Croton capitatus
  • hooded arrowhead Sagittaria calycina
  • humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
  • husk tomato Physalis pubescens
  • hyssopleaf sandmat Chamaesyce hyssopifolia
  • ivyleaf groundcherry Physalis hederifolia
  • Java-bean Senna obtusifolia
  • juniper leaf Polypremum procumbens
  • kiss me quick Portulaca pilosa
  • lace grass Eragrostis capillaris
  • lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
  • lesser duckweed Lemna aequinoctialis
  • longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
  • Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
  • Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
  • lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
  • Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
  • manyflower marshpennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
  • marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
  • marsh fimbry Fimbristylis castanea
  • Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
  • matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
  • mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
  • neckweed Veronica peregrina
  • pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
  • Pennsylvania everlasting Gamochaeta pensylvanica
  • Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
  • pillpod sandmat Chamaesyce hirta
  • pineland threeseed mercury Acalypha ostryifolia
  • pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
  • pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • poorjoe Diodia teres
  • prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
  • prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
  • prickly fanpetals Sida spinosa
  • prostrate sandmat Chamaesyce prostrata
  • purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
  • purple spikerush Eleocharis atropurpurea
  • Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
  • red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
  • redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
  • redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • rough Mexican clover Richardia scabra
  • saltmarsh false foxglove Agalinis maritima
  • sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
  • sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
  • scarlet spiderling Boerhavia coccinea
  • shore little bluestem Schizachyrium littorale
  • shortleaf spikesedge Kyllinga brevifolia
  • silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
  • sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
  • slim amaranth Amaranthus hybridus
  • small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
  • small Venus' looking-glass Triodanis biflora
  • smooth false buttonweed Spermacoce glabra
  • sorrelvine Cissus trifoliata
  • southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
  • southern cattail Typha domingensis
  • southern cutgrass Leersia hexandra
  • southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
  • southern sandbur Cenchrus echinatus
  • spiny naiad Najas marina
  • spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
  • spotted pondweed Potamogeton pulcher
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
  • spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
  • starved panicgrass Dichanthelium depauperatum
  • terrestrial water-starwort Callitriche terrestris
  • Texas bergia Bergia texana
  • Texas goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides
  • Texas signalgrass Urochloa texana
  • Texas star Sabatia campestris
  • Texas vervain Verbena halei
  • thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
  • upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
  • Vahl's fimbry Fimbristylis vahlii
  • velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
  • verrucose seapurslane Sesuvium verrucosum
  • Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
  • warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
  • wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
  • whorled marshpennywort Hydrocotyle verticillata
  • Willdenow's sedge Carex willdenowii
  • winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
  • woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
  • yellow spikerush Eleocharis flavescens
  • yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
Also listed as native and introduced here 6

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.

  • cayenne pepperCapsicum annuum
  • common pepperweedLepidium densiflorum
  • common reedPhragmites australis
  • floating primrose-willowLudwigia peploides
  • Mexican teaDysphania ambrosioides
  • 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.

Native species counts, Cameron County and Texas
MeasureCameron CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 244 145 1,683
Garden-ready natives 96 61 656
Tree 12 — 164
Shrub 5 — 90
Wildflower (forb) 138 — 877
Grass or grass-like 74 — 431
Vine 14 — 83
Fern 1 — 38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Cameron 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
Cameron County (county FIPS 48061), Texas. 244 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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