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Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Wharton County

105 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Wharton County by USDA PLANTS. 47 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Wharton County, Texas

Native species
105 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives
47 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 105 native species)
Percent of the 105 native species in each growth type
Tree 11% (12)
Wildflower (forb) 50% (53)
Grass or grass-like 35% (37)
Vine 2% (2)
Fern <1% (1)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (50%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (35%).

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

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 47

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

Garden-ready native plants of Wharton County, Texas
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
bald cypress Taxodium distichum Tree 130 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5b
blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
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
Canada goldenrod Solidago altissima Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
common goldstar Hypoxis hirsuta Wildflower (forb) 10 in Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4a
composite dropseed Sporobolus compositus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 3b
dwarf palmetto Sabal minor Tree 9 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
fragrant flatsedge Cyperus odoratus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 11b
fringeleaf wild petunia Ruellia humilis Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 4a
greater bladder sedge Carex intumescens Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
green hawthorn Crataegus viridis Tree 30 ft Sun High Zone 5a
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
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
limestone wild petunia Ruellia strepens Wildflower (forb) 3.6 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 6a
little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low 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
longspike tridens Tridens strictus Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 2a
longtom Paspalum denticulatum Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 8b
marsh seedbox Ludwigia palustris Wildflower (forb) 2 in Sun High Zone 4a
mescal bean Sophora secundiflora Tree 15 ft Sun Medium Zone 8a
Osage-orange Maclura pomifera Tree 35 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
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
Pennsylvania smartweed Polygonum pensylvanicum Wildflower (forb) 3.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
Philadelphia fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
plains lovegrass Eragrostis intermedia Grass or grass-like 2.7 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
poverty rush Juncus tenuis Grass or grass-like 1.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3b
prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
redtop panicgrass Panicum rigidulum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 4a
roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii Tree 20 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
shortbristle horned beaksedge Rhynchospora corniculata Grass or grass-like 6.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 3a
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
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius Wildflower (forb) 5.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
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
wild tantan Desmanthus virgatus Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 9a
yaupon Ilex vomitoria Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 8a

Other native species recorded here 58

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.

  • aquatic milkweed Asclepias perennis
  • bearded flatsedge Cyperus squarrosus
  • blood panicgrass Dichanthelium consanguineum
  • branched foldwing Dicliptera brachiata
  • bushy knotweed Polygonum ramosissimum
  • button eryngo Eryngium yuccifolium
  • camphor pluchea Pluchea camphorata
  • Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
  • Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
  • Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
  • Cherokee sedge Carex cherokeensis
  • clasping Venus' looking-glass Triodanis perfoliata
  • common carpetgrass Axonopus fissifolius
  • crowpoison Nothoscordum bivalve
  • Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
  • downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis
  • eastern fox sedge Carex triangularis
  • Florida paspalum Paspalum floridanum
  • flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata
  • gaping grass Steinchisma hians
  • green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
  • hairy waterclover Marsilea vestita
  • Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
  • Juda's bush Iresine rhizomatosa
  • juniper leaf Polypremum procumbens
  • keeled bulrush Isolepis carinata
  • lateflowering thoroughwort Eupatorium serotinum
  • Leavenworth's sedge Carex leavenworthii
  • littlehip hawthorn Crataegus spathulata
  • Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
  • matted sandmat Chamaesyce serpens
  • meadow garlic Allium canadense
  • Missouri violet Viola missouriensis
  • mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
  • narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
  • pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
  • prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
  • prairie tea Croton monanthogynus
  • prostrate sandmat Chamaesyce prostrata
  • roundseed panicgrass Dichanthelium sphaerocarpon
  • rusty blackhaw Viburnum rufidulum
  • slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
  • small Venus' looking-glass Triodanis biflora
  • smallfruit spikerush Eleocharis microcarpa
  • sneezeweed Helenium amarum
  • snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
  • southern cutgrass Leersia hexandra
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • Texas signalgrass Urochloa texana
  • Texas vervain Verbena halei
  • toothed spurge Euphorbia dentata
  • tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
  • white crownbeard Verbesina virginica
  • white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
  • whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
  • willowleaf aster Symphyotrichum praealtum

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, Wharton County and Texas
MeasureWharton CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 105 145 1,683
Garden-ready natives 47 61 656
Tree 12 — 164
Shrub 0 — 90
Wildflower (forb) 53 — 877
Grass or grass-like 37 — 431
Vine 2 — 83
Fern 1 — 38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Wharton County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

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
Wharton County (county FIPS 48481), Texas. 105 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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