Native plants · Texas
Native plants of Limestone County
116 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Limestone County by USDA PLANTS. 44 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
Limestone County, Texas
- Native species
- 116 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 44 Typical Texas county: 61
- Share by type (all 116 native species)
-
Percent of the 116 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (44%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (36%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 44
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 beautyberry Callicarpa americana | Shrub | 6 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 6b |
| American water-willow Justicia americana | Wildflower (forb) | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| blackjack oak Quercus marilandica | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.2 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| calico aster Symphyotrichum lateriflorum | Wildflower (forb) | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4a |
| Canada wildrye Elymus canadensis | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3a |
| Carolina elephantsfoot Elephantopus carolinianus | Wildflower (forb) | 2.7 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 6a |
| climbing hempvine Mikania scandens | Vine | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 3b |
| common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta | Wildflower (forb) | 10 in | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| coon's tail Ceratophyllum demersum | Wildflower (forb) | — | Sun–part shade | 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 |
| dotted blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| dwarf St. Johnswort Hypericum mutilum | Wildflower (forb) | 2.6 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum | Tree | 28 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 6a |
| flowering dogwood Cornus florida | Tree | 30 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 4b |
| graybark grape Vitis cinerea | Vine | 50 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 6b |
| Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5b |
| Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium | Grass or grass-like | 4.6 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| manyspike flatsedge Cyperus polystachyos | Grass or grass-like | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 12a |
| planertree Planera aquatica | Tree | 50 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 7a |
| possumhaw Ilex decidua | Tree | 33 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| 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 |
| ravenfoot sedge Carex crus-corvi | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4b |
| rice cutgrass Leersia oryzoides | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 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 |
| saw greenbrier Smilax bona-nox | Vine | 4 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 5b |
| 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 |
| thinfruit sedge Carex flaccosperma | Grass or grass-like | 1 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 6b |
| Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi | Grass or grass-like | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens | Vine | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4a |
| valley redstem Ammannia coccinea | Wildflower (forb) | 1.6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus | Grass or grass-like | 2.5 ft | Shade-tolerant | Medium | Zone 4b |
| water oak Quercus nigra | Tree | 90 ft | Sun | High | Zone 5a |
| wax myrtle Morella cerifera | Tree | 10 ft | Sun | High | Zone 7a |
| yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea | Vine | 16 ft | Shade-tolerant | Low | Zone 5a |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 72
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.
- annual marsh elder Iva annua
- bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
- blackseed speargrass Piptochaetium avenaceum
- branched foldwing Dicliptera brachiata
- Canada toadflax Nuttallanthus canadensis
- Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
- coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
- common carpetgrass Axonopus fissifolius
- creeping eryngo Eryngium prostratum
- cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
- densetuft hairsedge Bulbostylis capillaris
- Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
- fall witchgrass Digitaria cognata
- fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
- fringed nutrush Scleria ciliata
- gaping grass Steinchisma hians
- globe beaksedge Rhynchospora globularis
- Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
- Great Plains lady's tresses Spiranthes magnicamporum
- grooved flax Linum sulcatum
- hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
- hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
- hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
- Harvey's beaksedge Rhynchospora harveyi
- Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
- hogwort Croton capitatus
- keeled bulrush Isolepis carinata
- lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
- Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
- limestone adderstongue Ophioglossum engelmannii
- littlehead nutrush Scleria oligantha
- Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
- low nutrush Scleria verticillata
- narrowleaf pinweed Lechea tenuifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- neckweed Veronica peregrina
- Pickering's dawnflower Stylisma pickeringii
- pineywoods dropseed Sporobolus junceus
- pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
- plains snakecotton Froelichia floridana
- Plukenet's flatsedge Cyperus plukenetii
- prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
- prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
- prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
- procession flower Polygala incarnata
- purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
- red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
- Richard's yelloweyed grass Xyris jupicai
- rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
- sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
- sensitive partridge pea Chamaecrista nictitans
- shortstalk chickweed Cerastium brachypodum
- slender crabgrass Digitaria filiformis
- slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
- slender yelloweyed grass Xyris torta
- slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
- slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
- smallhead doll's daisy Boltonia diffusa
- southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
- spring coralroot Corallorhiza wisteriana
- squirreltail fescue Vulpia elliotea
- stout rush Juncus nodatus
- Texas star Sabatia campestris
- thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
- Vahl's fimbry Fimbristylis vahlii
- Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
- western wallflower Erysimum asperum
- white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
- white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
- whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
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.
- common reedPhragmites australis
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 | Limestone County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 116 | 145 | 1,683 |
| Garden-ready natives | 44 | 61 | 656 |
| Tree | 9 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 1 | — | 90 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 51 | — | 877 |
| Grass or grass-like | 42 | — | 431 |
| Vine | 11 | — | 83 |
| Fern | 2 | — | 38 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Limestone County.
- Falls County, TX 26 garden-ready
- Freestone County, TX 151 garden-ready
- Hill County, TX 29 garden-ready
- Leon County, TX 163 garden-ready
- McLennan County, TX 187 garden-ready
- Robertson County, TX 242 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
- Limestone County (county FIPS 48293), Texas. 116 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