Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Kenedy County

162 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Kenedy County by USDA PLANTS. 55 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

Kenedy County, Texas

Native species: 162 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 55 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 162 native species): Percent of the 162 native species in each growth type

Tree 2% (4)
Shrub 2% (3)
Wildflower (forb) 55% (89)
Grass or grass-like 35% (56)
Vine 6% (10)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (55%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (35%).

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 9b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 55

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

Garden-ready native plants of Kenedy County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
Arizona cottontop Digitaria californica	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
bayhops Ipomoea pes-caprae	Vine	1 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 9a
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2b
big sacaton Sporobolus wrightii	Grass or grass-like	5.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
bitter panicgrass Panicum amarum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
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
bushy seaside tansy Borrichia frutescens	Shrub	2.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 9a
cane bluestem Bothriochloa barbinodis	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7b
Carolina desert-thorn Lycium carolinianum	Shrub	9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 9a
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
false daisy Eclipta prostrata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 10b
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
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
green sprangletop Leptochloa dubia	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
Gulf Coast spikerush Eleocharis cellulosa	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun	High	Zone 8b
gulf cordgrass Spartina spartinae	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 9a
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
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
knotgrass Paspalum distichum	Grass or grass-like	11 in	Sun	High	Zone 6a
lavender thrift Limonium carolinianum	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6b
Malabar sprangletop Leptochloa fusca	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
manyspike flatsedge Cyperus polystachyos	Grass or grass-like	1.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 12a
needleleaf rosette grass Dichanthelium aciculare	Grass or grass-like	1.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 7b
needlepod rush Juncus scirpoides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 7a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia	Grass or grass-like	2.7 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
roving sailor Maurandella antirrhiniflora	Vine	10 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 6b
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
saltmeadow cordgrass Spartina patens	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7a
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
seashore dropseed Sporobolus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 9a
Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides	Vine	—	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 9b
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
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
tanglehead Heteropogon contortus	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Sun	Low	Zone 8a
toad rush Juncus bufonius	Grass or grass-like	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 12a
turkey tangle fogfruit Phyla nodiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 in	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5b
turtleweed Batis maritima	Shrub	1 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 9a
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera	Wildflower (forb)	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
widgeongrass Ruppia maritima	Wildflower (forb)	2 in	Sun	High	Zone 7a
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
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 12b
yellow waterlily Nymphaea mexicana	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 7a

Other native species recorded here 107

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 bluehearts Buchnera americana
American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
annual phlox Phlox drummondii
annual seepweed Suaeda linearis
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Canada toadflax Nuttallanthus canadensis
Carolina fimbry Fimbristylis caroliniana
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
catchfly prairie gentian Eustoma exaltatum
chaffweed Anagallis minima
clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
creeping lovegrass Neeragrostis reptans
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
dwarf saltwort Salicornia bigelovii
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
erect spiderling Boerhavia erecta
fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
gaping grass Steinchisma hians
grand redstem Ammannia robusta
green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
heartleaf nettle Urtica chamaedryoides
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
herb of grace Bacopa monnieri
hogwort Croton capitatus
juniper leaf Polypremum procumbens
kiss me quick Portulaca pilosa
lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
manyflower marshpennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
marsh fimbry Fimbristylis castanea
matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
mudbabies Echinodorus tenellus
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
pine barren flatsedge Cyperus retrorsus
pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
poorjoe Diodia teres
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prickly fanpetals Sida spinosa
procession flower Polygala incarnata
purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
purple spikerush Eleocharis atropurpurea
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
redwhisker clammyweed Polanisia dodecandra
ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
Richard's yelloweyed grass Xyris jupicai
rough Mexican clover Richardia scabra
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
salt sandspurry Spergularia salina
sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
sandhill amaranth Amaranthus arenicola
scarlet spiderling Boerhavia coccinea
shore little bluestem Schizachyrium littorale
showy evening primrose Oenothera grandis
silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
slimspike threeawn Aristida longespica
smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
sorrelvine Cissus trifoliata
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
southern cattail Typha domingensis
spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
sunbright Phemeranthus parviflorus
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
Texas signalgrass Urochloa texana
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas toadflax Nuttallanthus texanus
Texas vervain Verbena halei
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
tropical flatsedge Cyperus surinamensis
upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
verrucose seapurslane Sesuvium verrucosum
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
whorled milkwort Polygala verticillata
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
yankeeweed Eupatorium compositifolium
yellow thistle Cirsium horridulum
yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia

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.

cayenne pepperCapsicum annuum

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, Kenedy County and Texas
Measure	Kenedy County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	162	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	55	61	656
Tree	4	—	164
Shrub	3	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	89	—	877
Grass or grass-like	56	—	431
Vine	10	—	83
Fern	0	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Kenedy County.

Willacy County, TX 53 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: Kenedy County (county FIPS 48261), Texas. 162 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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