Native plants for King County, Texas
64 native plants recorded in King County, Texas
USDA has only 85 plant records of any kind for King County, against 4,671 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 64 below as a floor.
By type: 31 wildflowers and herbs, 13 grasses and sedges, 5 shrubs, 6 low woody plants, 9 trees. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 11 of them (17%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in King County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 11 | 0 | 53 |
| Half shade | 9 | 2 | 53 |
| Under trees | 9 | 2 | 53 |
| Heavy clay | 10 | 1 | 53 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 10 | 1 | 53 |
| Never watered | 7 | 4 | 53 |
| Stays soggy | 3 | 8 | 53 |
Sun all day in King County: 11 rated natives
4 trees, 3 grasses and sedges, 2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 shrubs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 ft mature · rapid growth - Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) shrubs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial - Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 12 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight
Half shade in King County: 9 rated natives
3 trees, 2 grasses and sedges, 2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 shrubs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · high shade tolerance - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 ft mature · rapid growth · high shade tolerance - Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) shrubs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial · high shade tolerance - Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 12 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · toxicity: slight - Black willow (Salix nigra) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance
Under trees in King County: 9 rated natives
3 trees, 2 grasses and sedges, 2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 shrubs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 ft mature · rapid growth - Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) shrubs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial - Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 12 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight - Black willow (Salix nigra) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial
Heavy clay in King County: 10 rated natives
3 grasses and sedges, 3 trees, 2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 shrubs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 ft mature · rapid growth - Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) shrubs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial - Black willow (Salix nigra) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial
Sandy, drains fast in King County: 10 rated natives
3 grasses and sedges, 3 trees, 2 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants, 1 shrubs. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 ft mature · rapid growth - Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) shrubs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial - Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 12 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · toxicity: slight
Never watered in King County: 7 rated natives
3 grasses and sedges, 1 low woody plants, 1 shrubs, 1 wildflowers and herbs, 1 trees. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance - Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial - Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) shrubs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial · high drought tolerance - Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 9 ft mature · rapid growth - Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial
Stays soggy in King County: 3 rated natives
3 trees. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Black willow (Salix nigra) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · rapid growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) trees
USDA growing data on file · photo available · moderate growth · perennial
Natives King County has that most of Texas does not
1 natives here are on file in no more than 13 of Texas's 254 counties. A few of them:
- Viscid tansyaster (Rayjacksonia annua): 12 counties
Where to start in King County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where King County gives you the most rated choice (11 plants), and Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis) is the easiest start on that list. Stays soggy is the hard one here: 3 rated plants, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 53 unrated natives too.