Native plants for Rains County, Texas
32 native plants recorded in Rains County, Texas
USDA has only 39 plant records of any kind for Rains County, against 4,671 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 32 below as a floor.
By type: 18 wildflowers and herbs, 8 grasses and sedges, 4 low woody plants, 2 vines. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 8 of them (25%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Rains County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 8 | 0 | 24 |
| Half shade | 6 | 2 | 24 |
| Under trees | 4 | 4 | 24 |
| Heavy clay | 8 | 0 | 24 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 5 | 3 | 24 |
| Never watered | 1 | 7 | 24 |
| Stays soggy | 7 | 1 | 24 |
Sun all day in Rains County: 8 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 4 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Dotted smartweed (Polygonum punctatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Ravenfoot sedge (Carex crus-corvi) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Rufous bulrush (Scirpus pendulus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Thinfruit sedge (Carex flaccosperma) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1 ft mature · perennial - Shoreline sedge (Carex hyalinolepis) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial - Stiff marsh bedstraw (Galium tinctorium) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 0.8 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed - Delta arrowhead (Sagittaria platyphylla) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed - Marsh seedbox (Ludwigia palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Half shade in Rains County: 6 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 3 grasses and sedges. The first 6, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Dotted smartweed (Polygonum punctatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Rufous bulrush (Scirpus pendulus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Ravenfoot sedge (Carex crus-corvi) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Shoreline sedge (Carex hyalinolepis) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial - Delta arrowhead (Sagittaria platyphylla) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed - Marsh seedbox (Ludwigia palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Under trees in Rains County: 4 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Dotted smartweed (Polygonum punctatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Rufous bulrush (Scirpus pendulus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Delta arrowhead (Sagittaria platyphylla) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed - Marsh seedbox (Ludwigia palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Heavy clay in Rains County: 8 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 4 grasses and sedges. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Dotted smartweed (Polygonum punctatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Ravenfoot sedge (Carex crus-corvi) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Rufous bulrush (Scirpus pendulus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Thinfruit sedge (Carex flaccosperma) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1 ft mature · perennial - Shoreline sedge (Carex hyalinolepis) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial - Stiff marsh bedstraw (Galium tinctorium) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 0.8 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed - Delta arrowhead (Sagittaria platyphylla) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed - Marsh seedbox (Ludwigia palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Sandy, drains fast in Rains County: 5 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 1 grasses and sedges. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Dotted smartweed (Polygonum punctatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Rufous bulrush (Scirpus pendulus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Stiff marsh bedstraw (Galium tinctorium) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 0.8 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed - Delta arrowhead (Sagittaria platyphylla) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed - Marsh seedbox (Ludwigia palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Never watered in Rains County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Ravenfoot sedge (Carex crus-corvi) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Stays soggy in Rains County: 7 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 3 grasses and sedges. The first 7, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Stiff marsh bedstraw (Galium tinctorium) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 0.8 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Dotted smartweed (Polygonum punctatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Delta arrowhead (Sagittaria platyphylla) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Marsh seedbox (Ludwigia palustris) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.2 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Rufous bulrush (Scirpus pendulus) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Thinfruit sedge (Carex flaccosperma) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1 ft mature · perennial · takes saturated soil - Shoreline sedge (Carex hyalinolepis) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4 ft mature · perennial · takes saturated soil
Natives Rains County has that most of Texas does not
2 natives here are on file in no more than 13 of Texas's 254 counties. A few of them:
- Tapertip dodder (Cuscuta attenuata): 9 counties
- Rufous bulrush (Scirpus pendulus): 13 counties
Where to start in Rains County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Rains County gives you the most rated choice (8 plants), and Dotted smartweed (Polygonum punctatum) is the easiest start on that list. Never watered is the hard one here: 1 rated plant, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 24 unrated natives too.