Native plants · Texas
Native plants of Guadalupe County
133 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Guadalupe County by USDA PLANTS. 50 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
Guadalupe County, Texas
- Native species
- 133 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 50 Typical Texas county: 61
- Share by type (all 133 native species)
-
Percent of the 133 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (62%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (26%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 50
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 cupscale Sacciolepis striata | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5b |
| American holly Ilex opaca | Tree | 40 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5a |
| black willow Salix nigra | Tree | 100 ft | Sun | High | Zone 1b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| broadleaf arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia | Wildflower (forb) | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis | Wildflower (forb) | 5.9 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4a |
| cucumberleaf sunflower Helianthus debilis | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 9b |
| cylinder jointtail grass Coelorachis cylindrica | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 5a |
| dwarf St. Johnswort Hypericum mutilum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 11b |
| 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 |
| Gulf Coast spikerush Eleocharis cellulosa | Grass or grass-like | 2.6 ft | Sun | High | Zone 8b |
| haspan flatsedge Cyperus haspan | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 8a |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca | Grass or grass-like | 3.3 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| mescal bean Sophora secundiflora | Tree | 15 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 8a |
| 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 |
| Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.8 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| pickerelweed Pontederia cordata | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia | Grass or grass-like | 2.7 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| post oak Quercus stellata | Tree | 60 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 poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| purple threeawn Aristida purpurea | Grass or grass-like | 1.4 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| roundhead rush Juncus validus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 7a |
| 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 |
| Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides | Vine | — | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 9b |
| 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 |
| sugarcane plumegrass Saccharum giganteum | Grass or grass-like | 9.8 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| wild tantan Desmanthus virgatus | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 9a |
| winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis | Grass or grass-like | 3.5 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| yellow waterlily Nymphaea mexicana | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun | High | Zone 7a |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 83
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.
- American bluehearts Buchnera americana
- American burnweed Erechtites hieraciifolius
- annual marsh elder Iva annua
- annual phlox Phlox drummondii
- bearded skeletongrass Gymnopogon ambiguus
- bluestem pricklypoppy Argemone albiflora
- brownish beaksedge Rhynchospora capitellata
- camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
- camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- clustered mille graines Oldenlandia uniflora
- common carpetgrass Axonopus fissifolius
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
- denseflower knotweed Polygonum glabrum
- diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
- downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
- downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
- Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
- fall witchgrass Digitaria cognata
- great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
- hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
- hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
- hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
- Harvey's beaksedge Rhynchospora harveyi
- heartwing sorrel Rumex hastatulus
- Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
- hogwort Croton capitatus
- juniper leaf Polypremum procumbens
- lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
- largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
- lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
- littlehip hawthorn Crataegus spathulata
- longflower beeblossom Oenothera filiformis
- Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
- low nutrush Scleria verticillata
- netted nutrush Scleria reticularis
- nits and lice Hypericum drummondii
- Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
- Pennsylvania everlasting Gamochaeta pensylvanica
- Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
- Pickering's dawnflower Stylisma pickeringii
- pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
- pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
- poorjoe Diodia teres
- prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
- prickly fanpetals Sida spinosa
- queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
- red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
- Richard's yelloweyed grass Xyris jupicai
- roughfruit scaleseed Spermolepis divaricata
- sessileleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium sessilifolium
- silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
- slender threeseed mercury Acalypha gracilens
- smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
- sneezeweed Helenium amarum
- snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
- soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
- spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
- spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
- St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
- tall lespedeza Lespedeza stuevei
- Texas star Sabatia campestris
- Texas toadflax Nuttallanthus texanus
- Texas vervain Verbena halei
- thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
- toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
- tropical flatsedge Cyperus surinamensis
- tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
- twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
- Virginia dwarfdandelion Krigia virginica
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
- warty panicgrass Panicum verrucosum
- wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
- western horsenettle Solanum dimidiatum
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
- whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
- yankeeweed Eupatorium compositifolium
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.
- floating primrose-willowLudwigia peploides
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 | Guadalupe County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 133 | 145 | 1,683 |
| Garden-ready natives | 50 | 61 | 656 |
| Tree | 9 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 3 | — | 90 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 83 | — | 877 |
| Grass or grass-like | 34 | — | 431 |
| Vine | 4 | — | 83 |
| Fern | 0 | — | 38 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Guadalupe County.
- Bexar County, TX 107 garden-ready
- Caldwell County, TX 49 garden-ready
- Comal County, TX 89 garden-ready
- Gonzales County, TX 164 garden-ready
- Hays County, TX 122 garden-ready
- Wilson County, TX 26 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
- Guadalupe County (county FIPS 48187), Texas. 133 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