Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Collin County

166 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Collin County by USDA PLANTS. 64 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 1 more species is listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Collin County, Texas

Native species: 166 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 64 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 166 native species): Percent of the 166 native species in each growth type

Tree 13% (21)
Shrub 2% (3)
Wildflower (forb) 63% (104)
Grass or grass-like 17% (29)
Vine 5% (9)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (63%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (17%).

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 8b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 64

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

Garden-ready native plants of Collin County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American elm Ulmus americana	Tree	120 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
American water horehound Lycopus americanus	Wildflower (forb)	1.8 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
black walnut Juglans nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
blackjack oak Quercus marilandica	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
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
cedar elm Ulmus crassifolia	Tree	90 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6a
clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus	Shrub	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
cylinder jointtail grass Coelorachis cylindrica	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5a
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
giant cutgrass Zizaniopsis miliacea	Grass or grass-like	9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 8b
graybark grape Vitis cinerea	Vine	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
green hawthorn Crataegus viridis	Tree	30 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata	Vine	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6b
honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
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
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens	Wildflower (forb)	3.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 6a
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
nimblewill Muhlenbergia schreberi	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
Osage-orange Maclura pomifera	Tree	35 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
panicledleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium paniculatum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6a
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
possumhaw Ilex decidua	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii	Wildflower (forb)	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
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
sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
sharpwing monkeyflower Mimulus alatus	Wildflower (forb)	2.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
smooth sumac Rhus glabra	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
stiff goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum	Wildflower (forb)	3.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
sweetscent Pluchea odorata	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens	Vine	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Virginia threeseed mercury Acalypha virginica	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
white ash Fraxinus americana	Tree	90 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
white avens Geum canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
whitegrass Leersia virginica	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
winged sumac Rhus copallinum	Tree	8 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b

Other native species recorded here 102

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 star-thistle Centaurea americana
annual marsh elder Iva annua
beach false foxglove Agalinis fasciculata
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
bighead pygmycudweed Evax prolifera
blue wild indigo Baptisia australis
bluejacket Tradescantia ohiensis
branched foldwing Dicliptera brachiata
button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina desert-chicory Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Carolina woollywhite Hymenopappus scabiosaeus
chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
curvepod fumewort Corydalis curvisiliqua
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
desert biscuitroot Lomatium foeniculaceum
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
dwarf horseweed Conyza ramosissima
early wildrye Elymus macgregorii
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
hairy sunflower Helianthus hirsutus
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
hairyseed paspalum Paspalum pubiflorum
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
honeyvine Cynanchum laeve
hyssopleaf sandmat Chamaesyce hyssopifolia
kidneyshape sedge Carex reniformis
lanceleaf ragweed Ambrosia bidentata
Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
light poppymallow Callirhoe alcaeoides
longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
longstyle sweetroot Osmorhiza longistylis
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
manyflower marshpennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
mapleleaf goosefoot Chenopodium simplex
matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
meadow garlic Allium canadense
Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
narrowleaf gumweed Grindelia lanceolata
narrowleaf paleseed Leucospora multifida
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
neckweed Veronica peregrina
Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
pale dock Rumex altissimus
pasture heliotrope Heliotropium tenellum
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
Pickering's dawnflower Stylisma pickeringii
pineland threeseed mercury Acalypha ostryifolia
pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
queendevil Hieracium gronovii
redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
roundseed St. Johnswort Hypericum sphaerocarpum
rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
sand bittercress Cardamine parviflora
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
shortbeak arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostra
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slender threeseed mercury Acalypha gracilens
slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
stemless evening primrose Oenothera triloba
stretchberry Forestiera pubescens
tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
Texas bluegrass Poa arachnifera
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
violet lespedeza Lespedeza violacea
Virginia winged rockcress Sibara virginica
warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
western horsenettle Solanum dimidiatum
western rough goldenrod Solidago radula
white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
wingstem Verbesina alternifolia
witchgrass Panicum capillare
woolly dutchman's pipe Aristolochia tomentosa

Also listed as native and introduced here 1

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.

white sagebrushArtemisia ludoviciana

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, Collin County and Texas
Measure	Collin County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	166	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	64	61	656
Tree	21	—	164
Shrub	3	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	104	—	877
Grass or grass-like	29	—	431
Vine	9	—	83
Fern	0	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Collin County.

Dallas County, TX 201 garden-ready
Denton County, TX 105 garden-ready
Fannin County, TX 81 garden-ready
Grayson County, TX 171 garden-ready
Hunt County, TX 100 garden-ready
Rockwall County, TX 23 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: Collin County (county FIPS 48085), Texas. 166 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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