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Native plants · Texas

Native plants of El Paso County

188 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in El Paso County by USDA PLANTS. 97 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

El Paso County, Texas

Native species
188 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives
97 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 188 native species)
Percent of the 188 native species in each growth type
Tree 8% (15)
Shrub 12% (23)
Wildflower (forb) 44% (83)
Grass or grass-like 30% (57)
Vine 2% (3)
Fern 4% (7)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (44%), 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 8a to 8b (2023 map).

The native plant list

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

Garden-ready natives 97

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

Garden-ready native plants of El Paso County, Texas
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
American tarwort Flourensia cernua Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa Shrub 6 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
Arizona cottontop Digitaria californica Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
banana yucca Yucca baccata Shrub 4 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
bastardsage Eriogonum wrightii Shrub 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6a
big sacaton Sporobolus wrightii Grass or grass-like 5.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
black grama Bouteloua eriopoda Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
blue grama Bouteloua gracilis Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
broom snakeweed Gutierrezia sarothrae Shrub 1.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides Grass or grass-like 6 in Sun Medium Zone 3b
bush muhly Muhlenbergia porteri Grass or grass-like 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 8b
California bulrush Schoenoplectus californicus Grass or grass-like 6.6 ft Sun High Zone 9a
California poppy Eschscholzia californica Wildflower (forb) 1.2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 8a
Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
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
candy barrelcactus Ferocactus wislizeni Tree 11 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
cane bluestem Bothriochloa barbinodis Grass or grass-like 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 7b
catclaw acacia Senegalia greggii Tree 20 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
Columbia needlegrass Achnatherum nelsonii Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 10a
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
creosote bush Larrea tridentata Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
desert willow Chilopsis linearis Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 5a
desertbroom Baccharis sarothroides Shrub 12 ft Sun Low Zone 10a
devil's beggartick Bidens frondosa Wildflower (forb) 4 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 12a
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
featherplume Dalea formosa Shrub 3 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens Shrub 4 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 11b
freckled milkvetch Astragalus lentiginosus Shrub 1.4 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
Gambel oak Quercus gambelii Tree 40 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
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
green prairie coneflower Ratibida tagetes Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
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
hardstem bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus Grass or grass-like 9.8 ft Sun High Zone 3b
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
Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
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
lemonscent Pectis angustifolia Wildflower (forb) 8 in Sun Low Zone 5a
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
littleleaf mock orange Philadelphus microphyllus Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
littleleaf sumac Rhus microphylla Tree 10 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
longleaf jointfir Ephedra trifurca Shrub 15 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
mesa dropseed Sporobolus flexuosus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima Vine 1 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
mule-fat Baccharis salicifolia Shrub 10 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
muttongrass Poa fendleriana Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
New Mexico locust Robinia neomexicana Tree 25 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa Tree 60 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
ocotillo Fouquieria splendens Shrub 10 ft Sun Low Zone 7a
oneseed juniper Juniperus monosperma Tree 40 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia Grass or grass-like 2.7 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
poverty threeawn Aristida divaricata Grass or grass-like 1.3 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6b
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
redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 11a
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
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
sanddune wallflower Erysimum capitatum Wildflower (forb) 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4b
scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia Grass or grass-like 2 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
screwbean mesquite Prosopis pubescens Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7a
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
smooth beggartick Bidens laevis Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
smooth horsetail Equisetum laevigatum Fern 5 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
soaptree yucca Yucca elata Tree 20 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
spreading alkaliweed Cressa truxillensis Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun Medium Zone 6a
squirreltail Elymus elymoides Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun Low Zone 3a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata Tree 80 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
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
tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
toad rush Juncus bufonius Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 12a
tobosagrass Pleuraphis mutica Grass or grass-like 2.3 ft Sun Low Zone 7b
Torrey's jointfir Ephedra torreyana Shrub 1 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
vine mesquite Panicum obtusum Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
whitethorn acacia Vachellia constricta Tree 9 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 4a
winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata Shrub 2 ft Sun Low Zone 2a
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Low Zone 12b
yellow trumpetbush Tecoma stans Tree 20 ft Sun Low Zone 9a

Other native species recorded here 91

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 bugseed Corispermum americanum
  • American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
  • annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
  • annual muhly Muhlenbergia minutissima
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
  • blackstem spleenwort Asplenium resiliens
  • bluejacket Tradescantia ohiensis
  • bluntleaf yellowcress Rorippa curvipes
  • bog yellowcress Rorippa palustris
  • bottlebrush sedge Carex hystericina
  • bristly scaleseed Spermolepis echinata
  • carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
  • Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
  • cottonbatting plant Pseudognaphalium stramineum
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
  • desert horsepurslane Trianthema portulacastrum
  • Emory's sedge Carex emoryi
  • Equisetum ×ferrissii Equisetum ×ferrissii
  • eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
  • false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
  • false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
  • feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
  • flatspine bur ragweed Ambrosia acanthicarpa
  • flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
  • foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
  • foxtail prairie clover Dalea leporina
  • Fremont's goosefoot Chenopodium fremontii
  • Geyer's sandmat Chamaesyce geyeri
  • great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
  • hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
  • hoary tansyaster Machaeranthera canescens
  • Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
  • horned pondweed Zannichellia palustris
  • James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
  • lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
  • least duckweed Lemna minuta
  • lesser wirelettuce Stephanomeria minor
  • Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
  • Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
  • mealy goosefoot Chenopodium incanum
  • Mexican Mosquito Fern Azolla microphylla
  • mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
  • narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • nodding onion Allium cernuum
  • pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
  • plains bluegrass Poa arida
  • plains springparsley Cymopterus acaulis
  • prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
  • prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
  • purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
  • ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
  • ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
  • River Broom-Rape Orobanche riparia
  • rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
  • salt sandspurry Spergularia salina
  • sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
  • scarlet spiderling Boerhavia coccinea
  • silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
  • silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
  • sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
  • sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
  • sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
  • slender lipfern Cheilanthes feei
  • slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
  • small pondweed Potamogeton pusillus
  • Spanish gold Grindelia papposa
  • spike dropseed Sporobolus contractus
  • spinystar Escobaria vivipara
  • spiral ditchgrass Ruppia cirrhosa
  • spreading fleabane Erigeron divergens
  • stretchberry Forestiera pubescens
  • tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
  • Texas croton Croton texensis
  • threenerve goldenrod Solidago velutina
  • tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
  • verrucose seapurslane Sesuvium verrucosum
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
  • western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
  • white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
  • whorled marshpennywort Hydrocotyle verticillata
  • winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
  • woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
  • Wright's cudweed Pseudognaphalium canescens
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.

  • common pepperweedLepidium densiflorum
  • tapertip cupgrassEriochloa acuminata
  • 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, El Paso County and Texas
MeasureEl Paso CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 188 145 1,683
Garden-ready natives 97 61 656
Tree 15 — 164
Shrub 23 — 90
Wildflower (forb) 83 — 877
Grass or grass-like 57 — 431
Vine 3 — 83
Fern 7 — 38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with El Paso 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
El Paso County (county FIPS 48141), Texas. 188 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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