Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Victoria County

175 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Victoria County by USDA PLANTS. 73 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

Victoria County, Texas

Native species: 175 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 73 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 175 native species): Percent of the 175 native species in each growth type

Tree 9% (15)
Shrub <1% (1)
Wildflower (forb) 57% (99)
Grass or grass-like 30% (53)
Vine 4% (7)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (57%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (30%).

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 9a to 9b (2023 map).

The native plant list

Garden-ready natives 73

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

Garden-ready native plants of Victoria County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
American lotus Nelumbo lutea	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
boxelder Acer negundo	Tree	60 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
brownseed paspalum Paspalum plicatulum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a
bur oak Quercus macrocarpa	Tree	100 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima	Wildflower (forb)	5 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
cardinalflower Lobelia cardinalis	Wildflower (forb)	5.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4a
Carolina elephantsfoot Elephantopus carolinianus	Wildflower (forb)	2.7 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
common blue violet Viola sororia	Wildflower (forb)	4 in	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4a
common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 4a
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
cucumberleaf sunflower Helianthus debilis	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 9b
cylinder jointtail grass Coelorachis cylindrica	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5a
disk waterhyssop Bacopa rotundifolia	Wildflower (forb)	1 in	Sun	High	Zone 4a
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	High	Zone 5a
eastern narrowleaf sedge Carex amphibola	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
eastern swampprivet Forestiera acuminata	Tree	33 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5b
eastern woodland sedge Carex blanda	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4b
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum	Grass or grass-like	3.3 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis	Wildflower (forb)	2.6 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	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 ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
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
halberdleaf rosemallow Hibiscus laevis	Wildflower (forb)	8 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 6a
haspan flatsedge Cyperus haspan	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 8a
honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
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
inland rush Juncus interior	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
late purple aster Symphyotrichum patens	Wildflower (forb)	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 3b
laurel oak Quercus laurifolia	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 7a
little barley Hordeum pusillum	Grass or grass-like	1.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
longleaf pondweed Potamogeton nodosus	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 3b
longspike tridens Tridens strictus	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 2a
marsh flatsedge Cyperus pseudovegetus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	High	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
northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa	Tree	60 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
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
peppervine Nekemias arborea	Vine	1 in	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6a
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus	Wildflower (forb)	2.8 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
poorland flatsedge Cyperus compressus	Grass or grass-like	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 11a
prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya	Wildflower (forb)	3.5 ft	Sun	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
purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
ravenfoot sedge Carex crus-corvi	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 4b
red buckeye Aesculus pavia	Tree	25 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii	Tree	20 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 4b
seashore dropseed Sporobolus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 9a
shortbristle horned beaksedge Rhynchospora corniculata	Grass or grass-like	6.6 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 6a
southern waternymph Najas guadalupensis	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
splitbeard bluestem Andropogon ternarius	Grass or grass-like	3.9 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5b
spring spiderlily Hymenocallis liriosme	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 7b
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	Medium	Zone 10b
twoheaded water-starwort Callitriche heterophylla	Wildflower (forb)	—	Sun	High	Zone 4a
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera	Wildflower (forb)	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus	Grass or grass-like	2.5 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4b
waterthread pondweed Potamogeton diversifolius	Wildflower (forb)	3.2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
yaupon Ilex vomitoria	Tree	25 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 8a
yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea	Vine	16 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 5a
yellow trumpetbush Tecoma stans	Tree	20 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 9a

Other native species recorded here 102

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.

American white waterlily Nymphaea odorata
annual phlox Phlox drummondii
arrowhead rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis
azure blue sage Salvia azurea
Baldwin's flatsedge Cyperus croceus
beaked cornsalad Valerianella radiata
bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
blue mudplantain Heteranthera limosa
bluejacket Tradescantia ohiensis
bluestem pricklypoppy Argemone albiflora
branched foldwing Dicliptera brachiata
Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina clover Trifolium carolinianum
Carolina desert-chicory Pyrrhopappus carolinianus
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Cherokee sedge Carex cherokeensis
common carpetgrass Axonopus fissifolius
crossvine Bignonia capreolata
crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
cusp dodder Cuscuta cuspidata
cylindricfruit primrose-willow Ludwigia glandulosa
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
eyebane Chamaesyce nutans
fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis
field lovegrass Eragrostis elliottii
flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
gaping grass Steinchisma hians
globe flatsedge Cyperus echinatus
green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
hogwort Croton capitatus
hyssopleaf sandmat Chamaesyce hyssopifolia
Jersey tea Ceanothus herbaceus
kidneyshape sedge Carex reniformis
lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
largebracted plantain Plantago aristata
largeseed forget-me-not Myosotis macrosperma
lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
lax hornpod Mitreola petiolata
Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
Long's sedge Carex longii
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
low spearwort Ranunculus pusillus
lowland rotala Rotala ramosior
Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
marsh lady's tresses Spiranthes odorata
meadow garlic Allium canadense
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
openflower rosette grass Dichanthelium laxiflorum
pasture heliotrope Heliotropium tenellum
prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
prickly fanpetals Sida spinosa
prune-fruit sedge Carex corrugata
purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum
purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
purplerocket Iodanthus pinnatifidus
red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
shortstalk chickweed Cerastium brachypodum
silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
sixweeks fescue Vulpia octoflora
sleepy silene Silene antirrhina
slender snakecotton Froelichia gracilis
slimflower scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum
small Venus' looking-glass Triodanis biflora
smallflower fumewort Corydalis micrantha
smallhead doll's daisy Boltonia diffusa
snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
soft goldenaster Chrysopsis pilosa
soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
southern sedge Carex austrina
spiked crested coralroot Hexalectris spicata
spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
tapered rosette grass Dichanthelium acuminatum
Texas croton Croton texensis
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas toadflax Nuttallanthus texanus
Texas vervain Verbena halei
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
tufted lovegrass Eragrostis pectinacea
violet woodsorrel Oxalis violacea
Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
Virginia groundcherry Physalis virginiana
Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
Virginia saltmarsh mallow Kosteletzkya virginica
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa

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.

floating primrose-willowLudwigia peploides

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, Victoria County and Texas
Measure	Victoria County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	175	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	73	61	656
Tree	15	—	164
Shrub	1	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	99	—	877
Grass or grass-like	53	—	431
Vine	7	—	83
Fern	0	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Victoria County.

Calhoun County, TX 79 garden-ready
DeWitt County, TX 50 garden-ready
Goliad County, TX 42 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: Victoria County (county FIPS 48469), Texas. 175 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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