Native plants for Kent County, Texas
91 native plants recorded in Kent County, Texas
USDA has only 117 plant records of any kind for Kent County, against 4,671 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 91 below as a floor.
By type: 49 wildflowers and herbs, 14 grasses and sedges, 7 shrubs, 18 low woody plants, 3 trees. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 10 of them (11%), and only those can be matched to a spot below. High-plains beeblossom (Oenothera cinerea), Mexican tea (Dysphania ambrosioides) and 1 more are also recorded as introduced.
What fits each kind of spot in Kent County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 10 | 0 | 81 |
| Half shade | 9 | 1 | 81 |
| Under trees | 9 | 1 | 81 |
| Heavy clay | 5 | 5 | 81 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 8 | 2 | 81 |
| Never watered | 8 | 2 | 81 |
| Stays soggy | 2 | 8 | 81 |
Sun all day in Kent County: 10 rated natives
5 grasses and sedges, 3 wildflowers and herbs, 2 low woody plants. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Purple poppymallow (Callirhoe involucrata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Common maidenhair (Adiantum capillus-veneris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Tobosagrass (Pleuraphis mutica) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial
Half shade in Kent County: 9 rated natives
5 grasses and sedges, 2 low woody plants, 2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Purple poppymallow (Callirhoe involucrata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Tobosagrass (Pleuraphis mutica) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Little barley (Hordeum pusillum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · rapid growth · high shade tolerance
Under trees in Kent County: 9 rated natives
5 grasses and sedges, 2 low woody plants, 2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Purple poppymallow (Callirhoe involucrata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Tobosagrass (Pleuraphis mutica) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Little barley (Hordeum pusillum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · rapid growth
Heavy clay in Kent County: 5 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges, 1 low woody plants. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Tobosagrass (Pleuraphis mutica) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Common maidenhair (Adiantum capillus-veneris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Little barley (Hordeum pusillum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · rapid growth
Sandy, drains fast in Kent County: 8 rated natives
4 grasses and sedges, 2 low woody plants, 2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Purple poppymallow (Callirhoe involucrata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Tobosagrass (Pleuraphis mutica) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - White sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · also listed as introduced in this region
Never watered in Kent County: 8 rated natives
4 grasses and sedges, 2 low woody plants, 2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Purple poppymallow (Callirhoe involucrata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.1 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Tobosagrass (Pleuraphis mutica) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 2.3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - White sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance · also listed as introduced in this region
Stays soggy in Kent County: 2 rated natives
1 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Common maidenhair (Adiantum capillus-veneris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.7 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Little barley (Hordeum pusillum) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · rapid growth
Natives Kent County has that most of Texas does not
3 natives here are on file in no more than 13 of Texas's 254 counties. A few of them:
- Stevens' fiddleleaf (Nama stevensii): 9 counties
- Sandhill goosefoot (Chenopodium cycloides): 12 counties
- Viscid tansyaster (Rayjacksonia annua): 12 counties
Where to start in Kent County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Kent County gives you the most rated choice (10 plants), and Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) is the easiest start on that list. Stays soggy is the hard one here: 2 rated plants, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 81 unrated natives too.