Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Hutchinson County

179 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Hutchinson County by USDA PLANTS. 78 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

Hutchinson County, Texas

Native species: 179 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 78 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 179 native species): Percent of the 179 native species in each growth type

Tree 6% (11)
Shrub 7% (13)
Wildflower (forb) 61% (110)
Grass or grass-like 22% (39)
Vine 2% (4)
Fern 1% (2)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (22%).

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 7a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 78

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

Garden-ready native plants of Hutchinson County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus	Tree	15 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
alkali buttercup Ranunculus cymbalaria	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 3b
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 vetch Vicia americana	Vine	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
arumleaf arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
beaked spikerush Eleocharis rostellata	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2b
black grama Bouteloua eriopoda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
black willow Salix nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1b
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
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
Canada germander Teucrium canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	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
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis	Wildflower (forb)	5.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
common spikerush Eleocharis palustris	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
featherplume Dalea formosa	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
freckled milkvetch Astragalus lentiginosus	Shrub	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea	Wildflower (forb)	8.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
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
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
lyreleaf greeneyes Berlandiera lyrata	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
narrowleaf willow Salix exigua	Tree	10 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
oneseed juniper Juniperus monosperma	Tree	40 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
pale evening primrose Oenothera pallida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides	Tree	60 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
plains pricklypear Opuntia polyacantha	Shrub	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata	Grass or grass-like	8 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii	Wildflower (forb)	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
Rocky Mountain beeplant Cleome serrulata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12b
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
sand lovegrass Eragrostis trichodes	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
sandhill muhly Muhlenbergia pungens	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5b
scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
scratchgrass Muhlenbergia asperifolia	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	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 horsetail Equisetum laevigatum	Fern	5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
soapweed yucca Yucca glauca	Shrub	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
tanseyleaf tansyaster Machaeranthera tanacetifolia	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
tenpetal blazingstar Mentzelia decapetala	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera	Wildflower (forb)	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale	Wildflower (forb)	2 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 prairie clover Dalea candida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata	Shrub	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2a
Woods' rose Rosa woodsii	Shrub	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
woolly locoweed Astragalus mollissimus	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 101

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 buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
annual marsh elder Iva annua
bald spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda
Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
blowout grass Redfieldia flexuosa
buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
carelessweed Cyclachaena xanthiifolia
carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
denseflower knotweed Polygonum glabrum
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
downy ragged goldenrod Solidago petiolaris
Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
fineleaf hymenopappus Hymenopappus filifolius
flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
Fremont's goosefoot Chenopodium fremontii
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
mealy goosefoot Chenopodium incanum
Michaux's stitchwort Minuartia michauxii
narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
narrowleaf goosefoot Chenopodium leptophyllum
narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
pale dock Rumex altissimus
plains bluegrass Poa arida
pony beebalm Monarda pectinata
prairie groundsel Packera plattensis
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
Schweinitz's flatsedge Cyperus schweinitzii
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
slender lipfern Cheilanthes feei
slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
snowball sand verbena Abronia fragrans
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
southern cattail Typha domingensis
Spanish gold Grindelia papposa
Spanish needles Bidens bipinnata
spinystar Escobaria vivipara
spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
swamp verbena Verbena hastata
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
Texas croton Croton texensis
Texas vervain Verbena halei
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
western poison ivy Toxicodendron rydbergii
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
western wallflower Erysimum asperum
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
whitest evening primrose Oenothera albicaulis
witchgrass Panicum capillare

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.

common pepperweedLepidium densiflorum
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, Hutchinson County and Texas
Measure	Hutchinson County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	179	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	78	61	656
Tree	11	—	164
Shrub	13	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	110	—	877
Grass or grass-like	39	—	431
Vine	4	—	83
Fern	2	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Hutchinson County.

Carson County, TX 39 garden-ready
Hansford County, TX 38 garden-ready
Moore County, TX 28 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: Hutchinson County (county FIPS 48233), Texas. 179 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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