Native plants · Texas
Native plants of Comal County
237 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Comal County by USDA PLANTS. 89 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
Comal County, Texas
- Native species
- 237 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 89 Typical Texas county: 61
- Share by type (all 237 native species)
-
Percent of the 237 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (56%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (18%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 89
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American beautyberry Callicarpa americana | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 6b |
| American lotus Nelumbo lutea | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| American sycamore Platanus occidentalis | Tree | 100 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| American water-willow Justicia americana | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| bald cypress Taxodium distichum | Tree | 130 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5b |
| big bluestem Andropogon gerardii | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2b |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima | Wildflower (forb) | 5 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| Carolina buckthorn Frangula caroliniana | Tree | 20 ft | Shade-tolerant | — | Zone 4b |
| Carolina fanwort Cabomba caroliniana | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| cedar elm Ulmus crassifolia | Tree | 90 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6a |
| cliff fendlerbush Fendlera rupicola | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun | Low | 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 blue violet Viola sororia | Wildflower (forb) | 4 in | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4b |
| common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata | Tree | 25 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| common maidenhair Adiantum capillus-veneris | Fern | 1.7 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4a |
| coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 5a |
| curly-mesquite Hilaria belangeri | Grass or grass-like | 10 in | Sun | Low | Zone 8b |
| dotted blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| eastern redbud Cercis canadensis | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana | Tree | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 3a |
| eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 4b |
| fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa | Shrub | 15 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| gray goldenrod Solidago nemoralis | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| 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 sprangletop Leptochloa dubia | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata | Vine | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6b |
| honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa | Tree | 50 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| 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 |
| Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| knotgrass Paspalum distichum | Grass or grass-like | 11 in | Sun | High | Zone 6a |
| leadplant Amorpha canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | 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 |
| little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| little walnut Juglans microcarpa | Tree | 20 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 7a |
| littleleaf leadtree Leucaena retusa | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 8b |
| littleleaf sumac Rhus microphylla | Tree | 10 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| live oak Quercus virginiana | Tree | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 8a |
| longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| mescal bean Sophora secundiflora | Tree | 15 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 8a |
| Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima | Vine | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| northern spicebush Lindera benzoin | Tree | 12 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| Nuttall oak Quercus texana | Tree | 110 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| panicledleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium paniculatum | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 6a |
| 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 |
| plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia | Grass or grass-like | 2.7 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| possumhaw Ilex decidua | Tree | 33 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| red buckeye Aesculus pavia | Tree | 25 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| red mulberry Morus rubra | Tree | 70 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii | Tree | 20 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 4b |
| roving sailor Maurandella antirrhiniflora | Vine | 10 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 6b |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| smallspike false nettle Boehmeria cylindrica | Wildflower (forb) | 3.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| smooth beggartick Bidens laevis | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus | Grass or grass-like | 1.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| tobosagrass Pleuraphis mutica | Grass or grass-like | 2.3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 7b |
| turkey tangle fogfruit Phyla nodiflora | Wildflower (forb) | 2 in | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 5b |
| twoheaded water-starwort Callitriche heterophylla | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| white panicle aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum | Wildflower (forb) | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 3b |
| wild tantan Desmanthus virgatus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 9a |
| yaupon Ilex vomitoria | Tree | 25 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 8a |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
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.
Hidden while “Garden-ready only” is on.
- Alabama lipfern Cheilanthes alabamensis
- American star-thistle Centaurea americana
- angularfruit milkvine Matelea gonocarpos
- annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
- annual marsh elder Iva annua
- annual ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia
- arrowfeather threeawn Aristida purpurascens
- awned halfchaff sedge Lipocarpha aristulata
- azure blue sage Salvia azurea
- Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
- bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
- bighead pygmycudweed Evax prolifera
- bigpod sesbania Sesbania herbacea
- bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
- blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
- blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
- branched foldwing Dicliptera brachiata
- bristly greenbrier Smilax tamnoides
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
- camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
- Canada spikesedge Eleocharis geniculata
- Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
- Carolina woollywhite Hymenopappus scabiosaeus
- clustered blacksnakeroot Sanicula odorata
- creeping primrose-willow Ludwigia repens
- crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- curvepod fumewort Corydalis curvisiliqua
- Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
- diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
- Drummond's aster Symphyotrichum drummondii
- early wildrye Elymus macgregorii
- eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
- Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
- erect centella Centella erecta
- eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
- false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
- fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
- Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
- Great Plains lady's tresses Spiranthes magnicamporum
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
- green dragon Arisaema dracontium
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
- gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
- hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
- hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
- hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
- heartleaf four o'clock Mirabilis nyctaginea
- heartleaf nettle Urtica chamaedryoides
- heartleaf skullcap Scutellaria ovata
- Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
- herb of grace Bacopa monnieri
- humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
- hyssopleaf sandmat Chamaesyce hyssopifolia
- Illinois pondweed Potamogeton illinoensis
- Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
- Juda's bush Iresine rhizomatosa
- lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
- lax hornpod Mitreola petiolata
- lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
- limestone adderstongue Ophioglossum engelmannii
- Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
- manyflower marshpennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
- meadow garlic Allium canadense
- meadow spikemoss Selaginella apoda
- mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
- narrowleaf gumweed Grindelia lanceolata
- narrowleaf paleseed Leucospora multifida
- narrowleaf pinweed Lechea tenuifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- neckweed Veronica peregrina
- Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
- oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
- pasture heliotrope Heliotropium tenellum
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
- pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
- poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
- prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
- prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
- prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
- prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
- prostrate sandmat Chamaesyce prostrata
- prune-fruit sedge Carex corrugata
- purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
- red columbine Aquilegia canadensis
- Red River scaleseed Spermolepis inermis
- redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
- redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
- rope dodder Cuscuta glomerata
- rough Mexican clover Richardia scabra
- roundleaf ragwort Packera obovata
- rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
- sand grape Vitis rupestris
- sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
- sandpaper vervain Verbena scabra
- shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
- silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
- slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
- slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
- slimspike threeawn Aristida longespica
- sneezeweed Helenium amarum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
- sorrelvine Cissus trifoliata
- southeastern wildrye Elymus glabriflorus
- southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
- spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
- spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
- St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
- standing-cypress Ipomopsis rubra
- stemless evening primrose Oenothera triloba
- stretchberry Forestiera pubescens
- tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
- Texas croton Croton texensis
- Texas signalgrass Urochloa texana
- Texas vervain Verbena halei
- threeflower melicgrass Melica nitens
- tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
- twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
- upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
- Vahl's fimbry Fimbristylis vahlii
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
- water lettuce Pistia stratiotes
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
- western horsenettle Solanum dimidiatum
- western rough goldenrod Solidago radula
- western silver aster Symphyotrichum sericeum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
- white snakeroot Ageratina altissima
- whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
- whorled marshpennywort Hydrocotyle verticillata
- willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woodland lettuce Lactuca floridana
- Wright's plantain Plantago wrightiana
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.
- cayenne pepperCapsicum annuum
- 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.
| Measure | Comal County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 237 | 145 | 1,683 |
| Garden-ready natives | 89 | 61 | 656 |
| Tree | 26 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 10 | — | 90 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 132 | — | 877 |
| Grass or grass-like | 43 | — | 431 |
| Vine | 19 | — | 83 |
| Fern | 7 | — | 38 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Comal County.
- Bexar County, TX 107 garden-ready
- Blanco County, TX 89 garden-ready
- Guadalupe County, TX 50 garden-ready
- Hays County, TX 122 garden-ready
- Kendall County, TX 60 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
- Comal County (county FIPS 48091), Texas. 237 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