Native plants · Texas

Native plants of San Patricio County

251 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in San Patricio County by USDA PLANTS. 95 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 4 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

San Patricio County, Texas

Native species: 251 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 95 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 251 native species): Percent of the 251 native species in each growth type

Tree 5% (13)
Shrub 2% (4)
Wildflower (forb) 50% (125)
Grass or grass-like 39% (98)
Vine 3% (8)
Fern 1% (3)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (50%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (39%).

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 zones 9b to 10a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 95

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

Garden-ready native plants of San Patricio County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
bitter panicgrass Panicum amarum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
black willow Salix nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
broadleaf signalgrass Urochloa platyphylla	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 9a
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
Canada germander Teucrium canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
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
Carolina desert-thorn Lycium carolinianum	Shrub	9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 9a
cedar elm Ulmus crassifolia	Tree	90 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 6a
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
curly-mesquite Hilaria belangeri	Grass or grass-like	10 in	Sun	Low	Zone 8b
cylinder jointtail grass Coelorachis cylindrica	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5a
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
dwarf palmetto Sabal minor	Tree	9 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
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
farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum	Tree	28 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11b
giant cutgrass Zizaniopsis miliacea	Grass or grass-like	9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 8b
giant goldenrod Solidago gigantea	Wildflower (forb)	8.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
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 cordgrass Spartina spartinae	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 9a
hairawn muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 8a
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
Indian woodoats Chasmanthium latifolium	Grass or grass-like	4.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
inland rush Juncus interior	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Jesuit's bark Iva frutescens	Wildflower (forb)	9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7b
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
little barley Hordeum pusillum	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
live oak Quercus virginiana	Tree	50 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 8a
longtom Paspalum denticulatum	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 8b
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
mescal bean Sophora secundiflora	Tree	15 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8a
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
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 12a
orangegrass Hypericum gentianoides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 12a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata	Wildflower (forb)	2.4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum	Wildflower (forb)	3.9 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia	Grass or grass-like	2.7 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
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
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
red mulberry Morus rubra	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
redbay Persea borbonia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 8a
redroot flatsedge Cyperus erythrorhizos	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11a
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
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
seaoats Uniola paniculata	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 8a
seashore dropseed Sporobolus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 9a
seashore paspalum Paspalum vaginatum	Grass or grass-like	1 in	Sun	High	Zone 8b
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora	Grass or grass-like	3.5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
squarestem spikerush Eleocharis quadrangulata	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun	High	Zone 4b
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
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
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
tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
tapertip rush Juncus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
teal lovegrass Eragrostis hypnoides	Grass or grass-like	4 in	Sun	High	Zone 3b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
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
valley redstem Ammannia coccinea	Wildflower (forb)	1.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
vine mesquite Panicum obtusum	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 5a
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
wax myrtle Morella cerifera	Tree	10 ft	Sun	High	Zone 7a
whiteroot rush Juncus brachycarpus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 5a
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
yaupon Ilex vomitoria	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a

Other native species recorded here 156

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.

Alabama lipfern Cheilanthes alabamensis
American bluehearts Buchnera americana
American star-thistle Centaurea americana
American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
annual marsh elder Iva annua
annual phlox Phlox drummondii
annual seepweed Suaeda linearis
Baldwin's flatsedge Cyperus croceus
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
bigtop lovegrass Eragrostis hirsuta
blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
bluejacket Tradescantia ohiensis
bluestem pricklypoppy Argemone albiflora
branched foldwing Dicliptera brachiata
bristly scaleseed Spermolepis echinata
button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
Canada spikesedge Eleocharis geniculata
carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina fimbry Fimbristylis caroliniana
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Carolina mosquitofern Azolla caroliniana
chaffweed Anagallis minima
chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
clustered mille graines Oldenlandia uniflora
coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
cottonbatting plant Pseudognaphalium stramineum
creeping lovegrass Neeragrostis reptans
crested saltbush Atriplex cristata
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
dwarf saltwort Salicornia bigelovii
dwarf sundew Drosera brevifolia
early wildrye Elymus macgregorii
eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
field lovegrass Eragrostis elliottii
fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
gaping grass Steinchisma hians
grassleaf mudplantain Heteranthera dubia
green carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
green comet milkweed Asclepias viridiflora
gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
hairy pinweed Lechea mucronata
hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
hairyseed paspalum Paspalum pubiflorum
heartleaf nettle Urtica chamaedryoides
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
herb of grace Bacopa monnieri
hogwort Croton capitatus
humped bladderwort Utricularia gibba
Juda's bush Iresine rhizomatosa
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
lesser duckweed Lemna aequinoctialis
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
manyflower marshpennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
marsh fimbry Fimbristylis castanea
matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
meadow garlic Allium canadense
mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
Muhlenberg's sedge Carex muehlenbergii
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
neckweed Veronica peregrina
nits and lice Hypericum drummondii
Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
pine barren flatsedge Cyperus retrorsus
pineywoods dropseed Sporobolus junceus
pink thoroughwort Fleischmannia incarnata
pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
poorjoe Diodia teres
prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
prairie threeawn Aristida oligantha
prickly fanpetals Sida spinosa
procession flower Polygala incarnata
purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
Richard's yelloweyed grass Xyris jupicai
rough dropseed Sporobolus clandestinus
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
salt sandspurry Spergularia salina
sand spikerush Eleocharis montevidensis
shore little bluestem Schizachyrium littorale
shortbeak beaksedge Rhynchospora nitens
showy evening primrose Oenothera grandis
sidebeak pencilflower Stylosanthes biflora
silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
slender plantain Plantago heterophylla
slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
slimspike threeawn Aristida longespica
small Venus' looking-glass Triodanis biflora
smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
southern cutgrass Leersia hexandra
southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
southern sandbur Cenchrus echinatus
southern sedge Carex austrina
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 croton Croton texensis
Texas signalgrass Urochloa texana
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas vervain Verbena halei
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
tropical flatsedge Cyperus surinamensis
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
twoflower melicgrass Melica mutica
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
Virginia winged rockcress Sibara virginica
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
whip nutrush Scleria triglomerata
white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
yellow spikerush Eleocharis flavescens
yellowseed false pimpernel Lindernia dubia
zigzag bladderwort Utricularia subulata

Also listed as native and introduced here 4

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
cayenne pepperCapsicum annuum
floating primrose-willowLudwigia peploides
Mexican teaDysphania ambrosioides

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, San Patricio County and Texas
Measure	San Patricio County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	251	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	95	61	656
Tree	13	—	164
Shrub	4	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	125	—	877
Grass or grass-like	98	—	431
Vine	8	—	83
Fern	3	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with San Patricio County.

Aransas County, TX 106 garden-ready
Bee County, TX 25 garden-ready
Live Oak County, TX 29 garden-ready
Nueces County, TX 83 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: San Patricio County (county FIPS 48409), Texas. 251 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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