Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Sutton County

135 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Sutton County by USDA PLANTS. 37 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

Sutton County, Texas

Native species: 135 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 37 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 135 native species): Percent of the 135 native species in each growth type

Tree 5% (7)
Shrub 5% (7)
Wildflower (forb) 61% (83)
Grass or grass-like 20% (27)
Vine 6% (8)
Fern 2% (3)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (20%).

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 8a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 37

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

Garden-ready native plants of Sutton County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
Arizona cottontop Digitaria californica	Grass or grass-like	4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
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
curly-mesquite Hilaria belangeri	Grass or grass-like	10 in	Sun	Low	Zone 8b
dotted blazing star Liatris punctata	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
featherplume Dalea formosa	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
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
green sprangletop Leptochloa dubia	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
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
Indianhemp Apocynum cannabinum	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
lemonscent Pectis angustifolia	Wildflower (forb)	8 in	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
littleleaf leadtree Leucaena retusa	Tree	25 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 8b
littleleaf sumac Rhus microphylla	Tree	10 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
mescal bean Sophora secundiflora	Tree	15 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8a
Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
oniongrass Melica bulbosa	Grass or grass-like	1.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3a
plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia	Grass or grass-like	2.7 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
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
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
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
tobosagrass Pleuraphis mutica	Grass or grass-like	2.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 7b
trumpet creeper Campsis radicans	Vine	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
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
wild tantan Desmanthus virgatus	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 9a

Other native species recorded here 98

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 star-thistle Centaurea americana
annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
annual phlox Phlox drummondii
bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Carolina woollywhite Hymenopappus scabiosaeus
chickenthief Mentzelia oligosperma
common carpetgrass Axonopus fissifolius
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
curvepod fumewort Corydalis curvisiliqua
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
downy phlox Phlox pilosa
Drummond's false pennyroyal Hedeoma drummondii
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
false boneset Brickellia eupatorioides
feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
fiveangled dodder Cuscuta pentagona
flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
great ragweed Ambrosia trifida
gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
heartleaf nettle Urtica chamaedryoides
Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
hyssopleaf sandmat Chamaesyce hyssopifolia
Illinois pondweed Potamogeton illinoensis
ivyleaf groundcherry Physalis hederifolia
Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
kiss me quick Portulaca pilosa
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
narrowleaf four o'clock Mirabilis linearis
neckweed Veronica peregrina
Nuttall's prairie parsley Polytaenia nuttallii
pale dock Rumex altissimus
pasture heliotrope Heliotropium tenellum
Pennsylvania pellitory Parietaria pensylvanica
pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
pitseed goosefoot Chenopodium berlandieri
prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
prostrate sandmat Chamaesyce prostrata
purple cliffbrake Pellaea atropurpurea
Red River scaleseed Spermolepis inermis
redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
scarlet spiderling Boerhavia coccinea
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
sixweeks threeawn Aristida adscensionis
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
slimpod Venus' looking-glass Triodanis leptocarpa
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
sorrelvine Cissus trifoliata
southern sedge Carex austrina
spinystar Escobaria vivipara
stemless evening primrose Oenothera triloba
stream orchid Epipactis gigantea
stretchberry Forestiera pubescens
Texas bergia Bergia texana
threeflower melicgrass Melica nitens
toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
trailing fleabane Erigeron flagellaris
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
upright burhead Echinodorus berteroi
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
wavyleaf thistle Cirsium undulatum
wedgeleaf draba Draba cuneifolia
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
white four o'clock Mirabilis albida
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa
Wright's plantain Plantago wrightiana

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.

white sagebrushArtemisia ludoviciana

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, Sutton County and Texas
Measure	Sutton County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	135	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	37	61	656
Tree	7	—	164
Shrub	7	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	83	—	877
Grass or grass-like	27	—	431
Vine	8	—	83
Fern	3	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Sutton County.

Edwards County, TX 55 garden-ready
Kimble County, TX 65 garden-ready
Val Verde County, TX 104 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: Sutton County (county FIPS 48435), Texas. 135 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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