Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Rusk County

245 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Rusk County by USDA PLANTS. 97 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

Rusk County, Texas

Native species: 245 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 97 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 245 native species): Percent of the 245 native species in each growth type

Tree 11% (26)
Shrub 2% (5)
Wildflower (forb) 43% (105)
Grass or grass-like 36% (87)
Vine 6% (15)
Fern 3% (7)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (43%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (36%).

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 8b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 97

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

Garden-ready native plants of Rusk County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American beautyberry Callicarpa americana	Shrub	6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 6b
American elm Ulmus americana	Tree	120 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
American pokeweed Phytolacca americana	Wildflower (forb)	7.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
autumn bluegrass Poa autumnalis	Grass or grass-like	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
black cherry Prunus serotina	Tree	80 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
black willow Salix nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
blackgum Nyssa sylvatica	Tree	95 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
blunt broom sedge Carex tribuloides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
blunt spikerush Eleocharis obtusa	Grass or grass-like	1.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11a
broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
butterweed Packera glabella	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
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
Carolina fanwort Cabomba caroliniana	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
cat greenbrier Smilax glauca	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea	Fern	4.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens	Vine	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
common rush Juncus effusus	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
common selfheal Prunella vulgaris	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
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
dwarf St. Johnswort Hypericum mutilum	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
eastern narrowleaf sedge Carex amphibola	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
field paspalum Paspalum laeve	Grass or grass-like	2.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6a
flowering dogwood Cornus florida	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
golden tickseed Coreopsis tinctoria	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 12b
graybark grape Vitis cinerea	Vine	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6b
green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens	Grass or grass-like	5.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 2a
greenwhite sedge Carex albolutescens	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
hairy lespedeza Lespedeza hirta	Wildflower (forb)	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
haspan flatsedge Cyperus haspan	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8a
Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium	Grass or grass-like	4.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
knotgrass Paspalum distichum	Grass or grass-like	11 in	Sun	High	Zone 6a
late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
loblolly pine Pinus taeda	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 6b
longleaf woodoats Chasmanthium sessiliflorum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7a
maleberry Lyonia ligustrina	Shrub	9 ft	Shade-tolerant	—	Zone 5a
Maryland senna Senna marilandica	Wildflower (forb)	6.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5b
narrowleaf silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
needleleaf rosette grass Dichanthelium aciculare	Grass or grass-like	1.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 7b
New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus	Shrub	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
nodding lady's tresses Spiranthes cernua	Wildflower (forb)	1.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
orangegrass Hypericum gentianoides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 12a
oval-leaf sedge Carex cephalophora	Grass or grass-like	2.6 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4a
parsley hawthorn Crataegus marshallii	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
peppervine Nekemias arborea	Vine	1 in	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
possumhaw Viburnum nudum	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
prairie fleabane Erigeron strigosus	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
purple lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis	Grass or grass-like	11 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3a
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
rattlesnake fern Botrychium virginianum	Fern	1.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
red buckeye Aesculus pavia	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
redtop panicgrass Panicum rigidulum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4a
roundhead rush Juncus validus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 7a
roundleaf greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
rufous bulrush Scirpus pendulus	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
sassafras Sassafras albidum	Tree	75 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
shallow sedge Carex lurida	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
shoreline sedge Carex hyalinolepis	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
slender woodoats Chasmanthium laxum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
smooth sumac Rhus glabra	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora	Tree	100 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
southern sugar maple Acer floridanum	Tree	50 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
splitbeard bluestem Andropogon ternarius	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5b
strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
sugarcane plumegrass Saccharum giganteum	Grass or grass-like	9.8 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides	Grass or grass-like	4 in	Sun	High	Zone 3b
thinfruit sedge Carex flaccosperma	Grass or grass-like	1 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
velvet panicum Dichanthelium scoparium	Grass or grass-like	4.3 ft	Shade-tolerant	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
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
wax myrtle Morella cerifera	Tree	10 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7a
white edge sedge Carex debilis	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 6a
white oak Quercus alba	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
whitegrass Leersia virginica	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3a
winged elm Ulmus alata	Tree	65 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
winged sumac Rhus copallinum	Tree	8 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4b
woolgrass Scirpus cyperinus	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
wrinkleleaf goldenrod Solidago rugosa	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a

Other native species recorded here 148

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.

amberique-bean Strophostyles helvola
American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
angularfruit milkvine Matelea gonocarpos
annual phlox Phlox drummondii
arrowfeather threeawn Aristida purpurascens
arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
Atlantic pigeonwings Clitoria mariana
azure blue sage Salvia azurea
Baldwin's flatsedge Cyperus croceus
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
beaked panicgrass Panicum anceps
bearded shorthusk Brachyelytrum erectum
bigtop lovegrass Eragrostis hirsuta
blackseed speargrass Piptochaetium avenaceum
bloody butcher Trillium recurvatum
bristly flatsedge Cyperus hystricinus
broad beechfern Phegopteris hexagonoptera
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Carolina lily Lilium michauxii
Carolina puccoon Lithospermum caroliniense
Carolina vetch Vicia caroliniana
chinquapin Castanea pumila
Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
clustered beaksedge Rhynchospora glomerata
coastal lovegrass Eragrostis refracta
coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex
creeping eryngo Eryngium prostratum
creeping lespedeza Lespedeza repens
crippled cranefly Tipularia discolor
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
downy lobelia Lobelia puberula
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
downy ragged goldenrod Solidago petiolaris
early buttercup Ranunculus fascicularis
ebony spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
elmleaf goldenrod Solidago ulmifolia
fall witchgrass Digitaria cognata
false aloe Manfreda virginica
fescue sedge Carex festucacea
field pansy Viola bicolor
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
globe flatsedge Cyperus echinatus
Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
greater marsh St. Johnswort Triadenum walteri
green dragon Arisaema dracontium
gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
hairy umbrella-sedge Fuirena squarrosa
heartwing sorrel Rumex hastatulus
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
hirsute sedge Carex complanata
hogwort Croton capitatus
humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
Java-bean Senna obtusifolia
largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
leathery rush Juncus coriaceus
little floating bladderwort Utricularia radiata
littlehead nutrush Scleria oligantha
littlehip hawthorn Crataegus spathulata
lizard's tail Saururus cernuus
longflower beeblossom Oenothera filiformis
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata
man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
Maryland meadowbeauty Rhexia mariana
mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
meadow garlic Allium canadense
Missouri violet Viola missouriensis
Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
narrowleaf pinweed Lechea tenuifolia
netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
netted nutrush Scleria reticularis
nits and lice Hypericum drummondii
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
openflower rosette grass Dichanthelium laxiflorum
palegreen orchid Platanthera flava
Parlin's pussytoes Antennaria parlinii
pine barren flatsedge Cyperus retrorsus
pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
Plukenet's flatsedge Cyperus plukenetii
potato dwarfdandelion Krigia dandelion
poverty dropseed Sporobolus vaginiflorus
prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
Ravenel's rosette grass Dichanthelium ravenelii
robin's plantain Erigeron pulchellus
rosy sedge Carex rosea
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
shaggy crabgrass Digitaria villosa
shiny wedgescale Sphenopholis nitida
silky prairie clover Dalea villosa
silver plumegrass Saccharum alopecuroides
silvery everlasting Gamochaeta argyrinea
slender crabgrass Digitaria filiformis
slender Indiangrass Sorghastrum elliottii
slender lespedeza Lespedeza virginica
slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
slimleaf panicgrass Dichanthelium linearifolium
slimpod rush Juncus diffusissimus
slimspike threeawn Aristida longespica
smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
smallfruit spikerush Eleocharis microcarpa
smooth small-leaf ticktrefoil Desmodium marilandicum
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
spoonleaf purple everlasting Gamochaeta purpurea
spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
squirreltail fescue Vulpia elliotea
St. Andrew's cross Hypericum hypericoides
standing-cypress Ipomopsis rubra
Standley's goosefoot Chenopodium standleyanum
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas vervain Verbena halei
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
twoflower melicgrass Melica mutica
violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
watershield Brasenia schreberi
whip nutrush Scleria triglomerata
white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
whitetinge sedge Carex albicans
whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata
wild yam Dioscorea villosa
woollysheath threeawn Aristida lanosa
yankeeweed Eupatorium compositifolium
yellow thistle Cirsium horridulum

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.

annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
climbing false buckwheatPolygonum scandens

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, Rusk County and Texas
Measure	Rusk County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	245	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	97	61	656
Tree	26	—	164
Shrub	5	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	105	—	877
Grass or grass-like	87	—	431
Vine	15	—	83
Fern	7	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Rusk County.

Cherokee County, TX 110 garden-ready
Gregg County, TX 138 garden-ready
Nacogdoches County, TX 193 garden-ready
Panola County, TX 69 garden-ready
Shelby County, TX 86 garden-ready
Smith County, TX 116 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: Rusk County (county FIPS 48401), Texas. 245 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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