Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Lavaca County

141 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Lavaca County by USDA PLANTS. 45 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Lavaca County, Texas

Native species: 141 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 45 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 141 native species): Percent of the 141 native species in each growth type

Tree 6% (8)
Shrub 2% (3)
Wildflower (forb) 54% (76)
Grass or grass-like 35% (49)
Vine 3% (4)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (54%), 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 9a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 45

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

Garden-ready native plants of Lavaca County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American beautyberry Callicarpa americana	Shrub	6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6b
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
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
Carolina foxtail Alopecurus carolinianus	Grass or grass-like	1.7 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
cucumberleaf sunflower Helianthus debilis	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 9b
delta arrowhead Sagittaria platyphylla	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6a
eastern narrowleaf sedge Carex amphibola	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
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
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
flatstem spikerush Eleocharis compressa	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
halberdleaf rosemallow Hibiscus laevis	Wildflower (forb)	8 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 6a
honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos	Tree	70 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
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
longleaf woodoats Chasmanthium sessiliflorum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7a
marsh flatsedge Cyperus pseudovegetus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 8a
panicledleaf ticktrefoil Desmodium paniculatum	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
pecan Carya illinoinensis	Tree	120 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis	Grass or grass-like	11 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
redtop panicgrass Panicum rigidulum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
salt heliotrope Heliotropium curassavicum	Wildflower (forb)	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
shortbristle horned beaksedge Rhynchospora corniculata	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
slender little bluestem Schizachyrium tenerum	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8b
smooth beggartick Bidens laevis	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12b
summer grape Vitis aestivalis	Vine	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5a
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
turkey tangle fogfruit Phyla nodiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 in	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5b
velvet panicum Dichanthelium scoparium	Grass or grass-like	4.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
winter bentgrass Agrostis hyemalis	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
yellow flatsedge Cyperus flavescens	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b

Other native species recorded here 96

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.

annual phlox Phlox drummondii
azure blue sage Salvia azurea
Baldwin's flatsedge Cyperus croceus
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
beaked panicgrass Panicum anceps
bluestem pricklypoppy Argemone albiflora
branched foldwing Dicliptera brachiata
button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Canada spikesedge Eleocharis geniculata
carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Carolina ponysfoot Dichondra carolinensis
Carolina woollywhite Hymenopappus scabiosaeus
chaffweed Anagallis minima
chairmaker's bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus
clasping milkweed Asclepias amplexicaulis
common carpetgrass Axonopus fissifolius
cylindricfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia glandulosa
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
downy milkpea Galactia volubilis
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis
Florida paspalum Paspalum floridanum
fragrant spikesedge Kyllinga odorata
fringed nutrush Scleria ciliata
gaping grass Steinchisma hians
globe beaksedge Rhynchospora globularis
globe flatsedge Cyperus echinatus
grassy arrowhead Sagittaria graminea
green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
heartwing sorrel Rumex hastatulus
hirsute sedge Carex complanata
hogwort Croton capitatus
juniper leaf Polypremum procumbens
keeled bulrush Isolepis carinata
lace grass Eragrostis capillaris
largeseed forget-me-not Myosotis macrosperma
Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
lesser duckweed Lemna aequinoctialis
littlehead nutrush Scleria oligantha
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
low spearwort Ranunculus pusillus
marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
narrowleaf primrose-willow Ludwigia linearis
neckweed Veronica peregrina
nits and lice Hypericum drummondii
obedient plant Physostegia virginiana
pasture heliotrope Heliotropium tenellum
plains snakecotton Froelichia floridana
prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
procession flower Polygala incarnata
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
rosemallow Hibiscus lasiocarpos
roundfruit hedgehyssop Gratiola virginiana
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
shortstalk chickweed Cerastium brachypodum
sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
slender lespedeza Lespedeza virginica
slender snakecotton Froelichia gracilis
small skullcap Scutellaria parvula
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
southern sedge Carex austrina
spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
squirreltail fescue Vulpia elliotea
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
starved panicgrass Dichanthelium depauperatum
stout rush Juncus nodatus
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas vervain Verbena halei
toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
whorled marshpennywort Hydrocotyle verticillata
whorled milkwort Polygala verticillata

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, Lavaca County and Texas
Measure	Lavaca County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	141	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	45	61	656
Tree	8	—	164
Shrub	3	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	76	—	877
Grass or grass-like	49	—	431
Vine	4	—	83
Fern	1	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Lavaca County.

Colorado County, TX 76 garden-ready
DeWitt County, TX 50 garden-ready
Fayette County, TX 89 garden-ready
Gonzales County, TX 164 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: Lavaca County (county FIPS 48285), Texas. 141 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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