Native plants · Texas

Native plants of Wichita County

187 plant species are recorded as native to Texas in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in Wichita County by USDA PLANTS. 74 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

Wichita County, Texas

Native species: 187 Typical Texas county: 145 (median of 254 counties)
Garden-ready natives: 74 Typical Texas county: 61
Share by type (all 187 native species): Percent of the 187 native species in each growth type

Tree 7% (14)
Shrub 4% (7)
Wildflower (forb) 61% (114)
Grass or grass-like 24% (45)
Vine 4% (7)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (61%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (24%).

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 74

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

Garden-ready native plants of Wichita County, Texas
Plant	Type	Height	Light	Water use	Hardy to
alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoides	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
American elm Ulmus americana	Tree	120 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 2b
American licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota	Wildflower (forb)	4 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
big bluestem Andropogon gerardii	Grass or grass-like	6 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 2b
black willow Salix nigra	Tree	100 ft	Sun	High	Zone 1b
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
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
Canada germander Teucrium canadense	Wildflower (forb)	3.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3a
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
Chickasaw plum Prunus angustifolia	Tree	12 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 4b
clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	High	Zone 10b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis	Tree	15 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 4a
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens	Grass or grass-like	4.9 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3b
cosmopolitan bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
crested pricklypoppy Argemone polyanthemos	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
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
downy paintedcup Castilleja sessiliflora	Wildflower (forb)	1.3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides	Tree	190 ft	Sun	High	Zone 3a
eastern redbud Cercis canadensis	Tree	30 ft	Shade-tolerant	Low	Zone 4b
false indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa	Shrub	15 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
featherplume Dalea formosa	Shrub	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
golden crownbeard Verbesina encelioides	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
golden currant Ribes aureum	Shrub	10 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
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 ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 2b
hairy grama Bouteloua hirsuta	Grass or grass-like	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
heartleaf peppervine Ampelopsis cordata	Vine	2 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 6b
honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa	Tree	50 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 6a
Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 5b
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
inland rush Juncus interior	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
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
Missouri goldenrod Solidago missouriensis	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 3b
Missouri gourd Cucurbita foetidissima	Vine	1 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 5a
needle spikerush Eleocharis acicularis	Grass or grass-like	8 in	Sun	Medium	Zone 5a
Nuttall's povertyweed Monolepis nuttalliana	Wildflower (forb)	10 in	Sun	Medium	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
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata	Grass or grass-like	3.2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3a
purple locoweed Oxytropis lambertii	Wildflower (forb)	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
purple poppymallow Callirhoe involucrata	Wildflower (forb)	1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea	Wildflower (forb)	3 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
purple threeawn Aristida purpurea	Grass or grass-like	1.4 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 4a
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
red mulberry Morus rubra	Tree	70 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 4a
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
sand dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus	Grass or grass-like	3 ft	Sun	Low	Zone 3b
saw greenbrier Smilax bona-nox	Vine	4 ft	Shade-tolerant	Medium	Zone 5b
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
stiff dogwood Cornus foemina	Tree	16 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 7a
sugarberry Celtis laevigata	Tree	80 ft	Shade-tolerant	High	Zone 5a
switchgrass Panicum virgatum	Grass or grass-like	5 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
tapertip flatsedge Cyperus acuminatus	Grass or grass-like	1.3 ft	Sun–part shade	High	Zone 3b
tiny mousetail Myosurus minimus	Wildflower (forb)	5 in	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 12b
Torrey's rush Juncus torreyi	Grass or grass-like	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3b
turkey tangle fogfruit Phyla nodiflora	Wildflower (forb)	2 in	Sun–part shade	Low	Zone 5b
upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera	Wildflower (forb)	3.1 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
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
western wheatgrass Pascopyrum smithii	Grass or grass-like	2 ft	Sun	Medium	Zone 3a
white prairie clover Dalea candida	Wildflower (forb)	2 ft	Sun–part shade	Medium	Zone 3b
woolly plantain Plantago patagonica	Wildflower (forb)	6 in	Sun	Low	Zone 12b

Other native species recorded here 113

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 bluehearts Buchnera americana
American star-thistle Centaurea americana
American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
annual buckwheat Eriogonum annuum
annual marsh elder Iva annua
aromatic aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
awned halfchaff sedge Lipocarpha aristulata
azure blue sage Salvia azurea
Baldwin's ironweed Vernonia baldwinii
buffalobur nightshade Solanum rostratum
carelessweed Amaranthus palmeri
Carolina anemone Anemone caroliniana
Carolina canarygrass Phalaris caroliniana
Carolina coralbead Cocculus carolinus
Carolina draba Draba reptans
Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
Carolina larkspur Delphinium carolinianum
Carolina woollywhite Hymenopappus scabiosaeus
clammy groundcherry Physalis heterophylla
coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
Cuman ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya
curlycup gumweed Grindelia squarrosa
curlytop knotweed Polygonum lapathifolium
curvepod fumewort Corydalis curvisiliqua
Dakota mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida
diamond-flowers Stenaria nigricans
dwarf hackberry Celtis pumila
early wildrye Elymus macgregorii
Engelmann's daisy Engelmannia peristenia
feather fingergrass Chloris virgata
field pansy Viola bicolor
flatspine stickseed Lappula occidentalis
fourpoint evening primrose Oenothera rhombipetala
Great Plains flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus
green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis
gum bully Sideroxylon lanuginosum
hairyfruit chervil Chaerophyllum tainturieri
Heller's rosette grass Dichanthelium oligosanthes
Hopi tea greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum
lacy tansyaster Machaeranthera pinnatifida
lanceleaf blanketflower Gaillardia aestivalis
lanceleaf fogfruit Phyla lanceolata
lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora
Louisiana broomrape Orobanche ludoviciana
Louisiana vetch Vicia ludoviciana
Madagascar dropseed Sporobolus pyramidatus
marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
mat sandbur Cenchrus longispinus
meadow garlic Allium canadense
Missouri foxtail cactus Escobaria missouriensis
mucronate sprangletop Leptochloa panicea
narrowleaf purple coneflower Echinacea angustifolia
narrowleaf stoneseed Lithospermum incisum
neckweed Veronica peregrina
Nuttall's sensitive-briar Mimosa nuttallii
pale spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
pinkladies Oenothera speciosa
prairie broomweed Amphiachyris dracunculoides
prairie burnet Sanguisorba annua
prairie cupgrass Eriochloa contracta
prairie groundcherry Physalis hispida
prairie sandmat Chamaesyce missurica
prairie spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis
prairie sunflower Helianthus petiolaris
prostrate sandmat Chamaesyce prostrata
Pursh seepweed Suaeda calceoliformis
queen's-delight Stillingia sylvatica
red lovegrass Eragrostis secundiflora
redseed plantain Plantago rhodosperma
ribseed sandmat Chamaesyce glyptosperma
rosemallow Hibiscus lasiocarpos
rough false pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida
sand sagebrush Artemisia filifolia
scarlet beeblossom Oenothera suffrutescens
shaggy dwarf morning-glory Evolvulus nuttallianus
shortstalk chickweed Cerastium brachypodum
showy evening primrose Oenothera grandis
silverleaf nightshade Solanum elaeagnifolium
silverscale saltbush Atriplex argentea
sixangle spurge Euphorbia hexagona
slender yellow woodsorrel Oxalis dillenii
slickseed fuzzybean Strophostyles leiosperma
small Venus' looking-glass Triodanis biflora
sneezeweed Helenium amarum
snow on the mountain Euphorbia marginata
soft-hair marbleseed Onosmodium bejariense
southern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum divaricatum
southern sedge Carex austrina
Spanish gold Grindelia papposa
spotted water hemlock Cicuta maculata
stiffstem flax Linum rigidum
stout rush Juncus nodatus
Texas croton Croton texensis
Texas star Sabatia campestris
Texas vervain Verbena halei
thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
tumble windmill grass Chloris verticillata
tumblegrass Schedonnardus paniculatus
velvetweed Oenothera curtiflora
verrucose seapurslane Sesuvium verrucosum
Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica
Virginia winged rockcress Sibara virginica
warty caltrop Kallstroemia parviflora
warty spurge Euphorbia spathulata
western horsenettle Solanum dimidiatum
western rockjasmine Androsace occidentalis
western tansymustard Descurainia pinnata
white heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides
whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
winged pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium
witchgrass Panicum capillare
woolly tidestromia Tidestromia lanuginosa

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, Wichita County and Texas
Measure	Wichita County	Typical county	Statewide
Native species	187	145	1,683
Garden-ready natives	74	61	656
Tree	14	—	164
Shrub	7	—	90
Wildflower (forb)	114	—	877
Grass or grass-like	45	—	431
Vine	7	—	83
Fern	0	—	38

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with Wichita County.

Archer County, TX 27 garden-ready
Baylor County, TX 5 garden-ready
Clay County, TX 36 garden-ready
Wilbarger County, TX 19 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: Wichita County (county FIPS 48485), Texas. 187 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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