Native plants · Texas
Native plants of Oldham County
146 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Oldham County by USDA PLANTS. 64 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 3 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.
County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP
Oldham County, Texas
- Native species
- 146 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
- Garden-ready natives
- 64 Typical Texas county: 61
- Share by type (all 146 native species)
-
Percent of the 146 native species in each growth type
Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (58%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (27%).
The native plant list
Garden-ready natives 64
Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.
| Plant | Type | Height | Light | Water use | Hardy to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 water horehound Lycopus americanus | Wildflower (forb) | 1.8 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides | Grass or grass-like | 6 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| 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 |
| Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia | Tree | 12 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 4b |
| chokecherry Prunus virginiana | Tree | 25 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens | Grass or grass-like | 4.9 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3b |
| cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus | Grass or grass-like | 3.2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 5a |
| dotted blazing star Liatris punctata | Wildflower (forb) | 2 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides | Tree | 190 ft | Sun | High | Zone 3a |
| featherplume Dalea formosa | Shrub | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| fourwing saltbush Atriplex canescens | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea | Wildflower (forb) | 8.2 ft | Sun–part shade | Medium | Zone 4a |
| golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 12b |
| green prairie coneflower Ratibida tagetes | Wildflower (forb) | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| 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 |
| Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans | Grass or grass-like | 6 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| James' galleta Pleuraphis jamesii | Grass or grass-like | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana | Wildflower (forb) | 10 in | Sun | Medium | Zone 12a |
| oneseed juniper Juniperus monosperma | Tree | 40 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 6a |
| peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides | Tree | 60 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| poverty threeawn Aristida divaricata | Grass or grass-like | 1.3 ft | Sun–part shade | Low | Zone 6b |
| prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata | Grass or grass-like | 8 ft | Sun | High | 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 |
| purpleleaf willowherb Epilobium coloratum | Wildflower (forb) | 3.3 ft | Sun–part shade | High | Zone 4a |
| roughfruit amaranth Amaranthus tuberculatus | Wildflower (forb) | 6.6 ft | Sun | High | Zone 4a |
| rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa | Shrub | 4 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sand bluestem Andropogon hallii | Grass or grass-like | 6.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3b |
| sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus | Grass or grass-like | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3b |
| scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea | Wildflower (forb) | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 5a |
| 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 |
| soapweed yucca Yucca glauca | Shrub | 1 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4b |
| squirreltail Elymus elymoides | Grass or grass-like | 1.5 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 3a |
| sugarberry Celtis laevigata | Tree | 80 ft | Shade-tolerant | High | Zone 5a |
| switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Grass or grass-like | 5 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera | Wildflower (forb) | 3.1 ft | Sun | Medium | Zone 3a |
| 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 |
| white sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana | Wildflower (forb) | 3 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 4a |
| winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata | Shrub | 2 ft | Sun | Low | Zone 2a |
| woolly plantain Plantago patagonica | Wildflower (forb) | 6 in | Sun | Low | Zone 12b |
No garden-ready natives match these filters. Try clearing one.
Other native species recorded here 82
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 buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
- Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
- bastard toadflax Comandra umbellata
- bigbract verbena Verbena bracteata
- blue skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
- buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
- bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
- camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
- catchfly prairie gentian Eustoma exaltatum
- chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
- coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
- Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
- Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
- diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
- Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
- Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
- false buffalograss Munroa squarrosa
- feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
- fetid marigold Dyssodia papposa
- flatspine bur ragweed Ambrosia acanthicarpa
- flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
- foxtail barley Hordeum jubatum
- groundplum milkvetch Astragalus crassicarpus
- Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
- James' cryptantha Cryptantha cinerea
- lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
- least duckweed Lemna minuta
- lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
- lemon scurfpea Psoralidium lanceolatum
- longleaf groundcherry Physalis longifolia
- Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
- matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
- narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
- narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
- narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
- Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
- pale dock Rumex altissimus
- pony beebalm Monarda pectinata
- prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
- prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
- prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
- purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
- queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
- ram's horn Proboscidea louisianica
- rough barnyardgrass Echinochloa muricata
- rush skeletonplant Lygodesmia juncea
- sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
- scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
- shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
- shortbeak arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostra
- silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
- sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
- sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
- 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
- stemless four-nerve daisy Tetraneuris acaulis
- stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
- swamp verbena Verbena hastata
- Texas bluegrass Poa arachnifera
- Texas croton Croton texensis
- tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
- tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
- tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
- twistspine pricklypear Opuntia macrorhiza
- veiny dock Rumex venosus
- velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
- wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
- wedgeleaf Phyla cuneifolia
- western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
- western wallflower Erysimum asperum
- white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
- whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
- witchgrass Panicum capillare
- woolly sedge Carex pellita
- woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
- Wright's plantain Plantago wrightiana
Also listed as native and introduced here 3
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
- common reedPhragmites australis
- toothed spurgeEuphorbia dentata
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 | Oldham County | Typical county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native species | 146 | 145 | 1,683 |
| Garden-ready natives | 64 | 61 | 656 |
| Tree | 9 | — | 164 |
| Shrub | 10 | — | 90 |
| Wildflower (forb) | 85 | — | 877 |
| Grass or grass-like | 40 | — | 431 |
| Vine | 1 | — | 83 |
| Fern | 1 | — | 38 |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a ZIP code with Oldham County.
- Quay County, NM 65 garden-ready
- Deaf Smith County, TX 87 garden-ready
- Hartley County, TX 67 garden-ready
- Potter County, TX 62 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
- Oldham County (county FIPS 48359), Texas. 146 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