Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Cooke County

181 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Cooke County by USDA PLANTS. 72 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 3 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Cooke County, Texas

Native species: 181 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 72 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 181 native species): Percent of the 181 native species in each growth type

Tree 6% (11)
Shrub 2% (4)
Wildflower (forb) 56% (101)
Grass or grass-like 27% (49)
Vine 6% (11)
Fern 3% (5)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (56%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (27%).

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 8a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 72

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

Garden-ready native plants of Cooke County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American lotus Nelumbo lutea	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
American pokeweed Phytolacca americana	Wildflower (forb)	7.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Atlantic camas Camassia scilloides	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	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
burningbush Euonymus atropurpureus	Tree	10 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	—
Bush's sedge Carex bushii	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
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
Canadian milkvetch Astragalus canadensis	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
chinquapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
common maidenhair Adiantum capillus-veneris	Fern	1.7 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
common persimmon Diospyros virginiana	Tree	55 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun–part shade	High	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 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
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
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
frost grape Vitis vulpina	Vine	83 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
Georgia bulrush Scirpus georgianus	Grass or grass-like	4.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea	Wildflower (forb)	8.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
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
groundnut Apios americana	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
inland rush Juncus interior	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
knotgrass Paspalum distichum	Grass or grass-like	11 in	Sun	High	Zone 6a
lanceleaf tickseed Coreopsis lanceolata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6b
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 bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
longspike tridens Tridens strictus	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 2a
Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
nodding lady's tresses Spiranthes cernua	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 12a
Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra	Tree	68 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
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 threeawn Aristida purpurea	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
roundhead rush Juncus validus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 7a
rufous bulrush Scirpus pendulus	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
sawtooth sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
stalkless yellowcress Rorippa sessiliflora	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12b
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
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
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi	Grass or grass-like	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
turkey tangle fogfruit Phyla nodiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 in	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5b
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 avens Geum canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa	Wildflower (forb)	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 109

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.

amberique-bean Strophostyles helvola
American bird's-foot trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus
American star-thistle Centaurea americana
annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
annual marsh elder Iva annua
aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
ashy sunflower Helianthus mollis
awned halfchaff sedge Lipocarpha aristulata
Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
bluejacket Tradescantia ohiensis
bluntlobe cliff fern Woodsia obtusa
bristly scaleseed Spermolepis echinata
buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
Canada spikesedge Eleocharis geniculata
Carolina draba Draba reptans
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
compassplant Silphium laciniatum
creeping lespedeza Lespedeza repens
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
Dudley's rush Juncus dudleyi
dwarf horseweed Conyza ramosissima
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
Great Plains lady's tresses Spiranthes magnicamporum
green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
grooved flax Linum sulcatum
groovestem Indian plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum
groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
hairy sunflower Helianthus hirsutus
Harvey's beaksedge Rhynchospora harveyi
heartwing sorrel Rumex hastatulus
hoary verbena Verbena stricta
honeyvine Cynanchum laeve
Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
large beardtongue Penstemon grandiflorus
largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
limestone adderstongue Ophioglossum engelmannii
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
Macoun's false bindweed Calystegia macounii
man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
meadow garlic Allium canadense
Mexican plum Prunus mexicana
mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
narrowleaf paleseed Leucospora multifida
narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
oneseed bur cucumber Sicyos angulatus
pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
roughfruit scaleseed Spermolepis divaricata
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
shortpod draba Draba brachycarpa
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
slimleaf milkweed Asclepias stenophylla
slimpod rush Juncus diffusissimus
soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
southern cattail Typha domingensis
southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
southern sedge Carex austrina
Spanish gold Grindelia papposa
spinystar Escobaria vivipara
spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
stiff sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus
tall thoroughwort Eupatorium altissimum
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
Texas bergia Bergia texana
Texas bluegrass Poa arachnifera
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas vervain Verbena halei
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
western horsenettle Solanum dimidiatum
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
witchgrass Panicum capillare

Also listed as native and introduced here 3

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.

hedge false bindweedCalystegia sepium
Kentucky bluegrassPoa pratensis
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, Cooke County and Texas
Measure	Cooke County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	181	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	72	61	656
Tree	11	—	164
Shrub	4	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	101	—	877
Grass or grass-like	49	—	431
Vine	11	—	83
Fern	5	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Cooke County.

Denton County, TX 105 garden-ready
Grayson County, TX 171 garden-ready
Montague County, TX 41 garden-ready
Wise County, TX 43 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: Cooke County (county FIPS 48097), Texas. 181 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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