The Lonestar State is known for many things– friendly people, incredible food, and a vibrant, proud history to name a few– but Texas is also famous for the unrivaled beauty of its diverse natural landscapes. Texas is one of the most ecologically rich states in America (second only to California), and boasts the highest number of bird and reptile species in the country. It has the second-highest number of plants and mammals, and the third-largest rate of endemism; 425 of its 5,500 native flora species are found nowhere else in the world.
Texas is divided into 10 major ecoregions, each with its own unique habitats, resources, and ecosystems. All are under threat from land conversion, fragmentation, development, and climate change– less than 1% of the original Blackland Prairie remains, and the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes and South Texas Plains are in danger of losing rare animals and plant communities forever.
Texas has always been big, bold, and wild. Landowners and managers within its borders have a unique opportunity to help safeguard Texas’ rough splendor, by protecting biodiversity and restoring some of what has been lost. There is so much that can still be saved.
Anyone with a backyard or plantable space (including container gardens on apartment balconies) can contribute by growing native plants that support ecosystems by conserving water, providing food and shelter for wildlife, and reducing pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The right plant in the right place needs little in the way of human intervention and gives much in return. Here are some of the best Texas-native shrubs to beautify (and rewild) your home landscape.
1) Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii)
Turk’s cap– also called wax mallow, Mexican apple, or sleeping hibiscus– is a deciduous perennial shrub native to central Texas, from the southern Edwards Plateau southwest and eastward across the Gulf Coast prairies and marshes all the way to Florida. In the Lone Star State, it grows on limestone slopes and edges, in wooded arroyos, and in riparian forests (including palm groves). Turk’s cap is widely cultivated as an ornamental.
Its crimson, pendant blooms are loosely furled whorls of soft petals with protruding stamens that never fully open but persist from late spring through the first frost. Its leaves are pale green, simple, and palmate. All parts of this plant are edible; its flowers have a pleasant, fresh flavor and may be added raw to salads or dried for herbal teas. The berry-like fruits taste similar to apples and are good in jellies, preserves, or simmered into Mexican apple agua fresca. Indigenous peoples brew the leaves into infusions for nursing coughs and urinary ailments or apply them as poultices to treat inflammation. Leaves can also be pickled and stuffed to make Greek-style dolmas. Birds and small mammals relish the fruit, and the red, tubular flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds and other pollinators.
This species is the larval host for the Turk’s cap white skipper (Heliopetes macaira). Wax mallow is easy to grow, versatile, and adaptable. It grows best with morning sun and afternoon shade in moist, well-drained woodland soils, but thrives in a variety of sites. Use it in shaded perennial borders, hummingbird or pollinator gardens, or as an accent plant. This plant grows up to 10 ft, but usually nearer to 3 – 6 ft. Popular cultivars include pink-blooming ‘Pam Puryear’ and variegated-leaf ‘Fiesta.’
2) Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata)
Agarita or currant-of-Texas is an evergreen perennial shrub native to desert shrub and grassland communities from coastal south Texas northwest through the Trans-Pecos to southern Arizona and New Mexico. It grows primarily in juniper woodlands, chaparral, and on open rocky limestone slopes and flats. Agarita is an unforgettable, multifaceted plant; every part of it is useful. Profuse lemon-yellow flowers smell like honey and bloom in late February, providing critical early-season nectar for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Trifoliate leaves are gray-green, stiff, and holly-like with spiny tips– the foliage makes a formidable barrier that offers excellent cover for birds (particularly quail) and small game. Some people plant it under their teenagers’ windows.
May brings abundant bright red berries with a complex sweet-tart flavor. A variety of wildlife feasts on the tasty fruit, from insects and songbirds to raccoons, opossums, and foxes. Deer leave it alone, dissuaded by the tough needle-pointed leaves. For vintners or jelly-makers, the time-honored method of harvest is to lay a tarp down beneath the shrub and thump it with a broom– though field botanists recommend poking around with the handle first to check for rattlesnakes. Agarita berries and seeds have been identified in rockshelter deposits in southwestern Texas that date back to 8000 BCE– they were found in coprolites (fossilized human waste) in ancient latrines, establishing their use by hunter-gatherers lodging in the site during the Paleolithic Era.
Agarita has been utilized by Indigenous Texans for food and medicine going back millennia– and modern foragers are still reaping its benefits today. Tea brewed from the leaves relieves nausea related to motion sickness or hangovers (and chewing fresh or dried leaves will have the same effect). Tinctures made from the yellow root wood (which contains berberine) soothe digestive ailments and may even act as an antimicrobial or antiseptic agent. Growing your own agarita at home is easy– this plant is versatile and low-maintenance, adapting to almost any well-drained soil and requiring little supplemental water. It typically forms a hedge 6 ft tall and wide, sometimes reaching up to 10 ft. This plant is exceptionally tolerant of heat and drought.
3) Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria)
Yaupon holly is an evergreen perennial shrub native to eastern Texas from the Cross Timbers and Blackland Prairies south to Matagorda Bay and west to the edge of the Edwards Plateau. It occurs in low maritime woods, sandy pinelands, limestone uplands, and humus-rich hammocks. Yaupon is a top-performing landscape plant in the Lonestar State, strikingly ornamental, with a number of horticultural selections featuring varying growth habits. Notable cultivars include the round, compact dwarf yaupon, which grows to 3 – 4 ft; the bold and dramatic weeping yaupon; columnar ‘Will Fleming’ or ‘Scarlet’s Peak’; and yellow-berried ‘Anna’s Choice’. The wild type is a handsome, densely-branching shrub with pale silvery bark that grows 12 – 25 ft and may be trained into a small tree.
Like most Ilex species, yaupon holly is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers (small, white, and inconspicuous in I. vomitoria) are on separate plants– berries are borne on female plants, and for every 3 – 5 females you will need a male suitor within 50 ft for fruitset. Chances are good that one of the male cultivars is already nearby (‘Schillings’ and ‘Nana’ dwarfs are ubiquitous hedge plants of the South), but these are too often sheared into flowerless topiary ‘meatballs,’ eliminating the potential for pollen exchange– better to wait until November when branches are berry-laden to choose your own plants if you want to be sure of fruit. The berries themselves are profuse and lucent red, maturing through the winter. Songbirds gorge on them in early spring, but they are unpalatable to humans.
Yaupon’s glossy, round-toothed leaves are the star of the show– they contain caffeine! Ilex vomitoria is the only species native to the continental U.S. that produces the stimulant. Indigenous peoples dried, roasted, and brewed the leaves into a tea similar to yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) that is loaded with antioxidants and still drunk today. The species name vomitoria comes from emetics that were added to some decoctions for ceremonial purposes. The best way to prepare your own yaupon tea is to air-dry the leaves for two weeks and then lightly roast them in the oven before brewing.
Grow yaupon holly in sun or shade in a variety of soils– I. vomitoria is tolerant of both drought and poor drainage, but more sun is better for fruit production.
4) Flame acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii)
Flame acanthus or Texas firecracker is an upright deciduous perennial shrub endemic to Texas and parts of northern Mexico (its parent species Anisacanthus quadrifidus ranges down through Oaxaca and southern Mexico). It is found in shrublands, matorral, and on rocky banks and floodplains on the southern Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains. Flame acanthus grows 3 – 5 ft tall with slender stems and pale, peeling bark that adds winter interest. Its leaves are narrow, lanceolate, and sunny green, giving a nice contrast to vermillion trumpet-shaped blooms that appear in midsummer and last through to the first frost.
Texas firecracker is a magnet for hummingbirds and an excellent choice for pollinator gardens. This plant is the larval host for several species of Lepidoptera, including the banded peacock butterfly (Anartia fatima), the Tulcis crescent (Anthanassa tulcis), the rosita patch (Chlosyne rosita), and the Texan crescentspot (Anthanassa texana). Flame acanthus is heat-, cold-, salt-, and drought-tolerant, and adapts to a variety of soils. Plant it in full sun or partial shade. It is suitable for xeriscape or rock gardens and containers.
5) Texas rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala)
Texas rock rose or Texas swampmallow is a deciduous perennial shrub endemic to the Lonestar State, from the Edwards Plateau south through the Rio Grande Plains. Somewhat rare in the wild, it occurs primarily on dry, rocky slopes and in open woodlands, pastures, and savannas. Pavonia lasiopetala is a Texas Superstar Plant and a popular selection for home landscapes for its showy pink flowers. It grows easily in a garden setting and performs well throughout the state in a wide range of conditions, usually reaching heights of 3 – 4 ft.
Texas rock rose’s velvety-soft dark green foliage is punctuated by brilliant fuschia-colored blossoms with golden yellow stamens that look like mini hibiscus flowers and are about 1.5 inches across. This plant can take a beating from intense sun, heat, or drought and keeps on blooming from spring through fall. The flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Deer and small mammals browse the leaves, and the seeds are eaten by many species of game birds.
P. lasiopetala is a superb choice for xeriscapes, rock gardens, and transitional plantings that link the cultivated garden with surrounding wildscapes. It also makes a lovely low-maintenance foundation shrub or informal hedge, and is suitable for containers– it has a distinctly Texan flair, and adds a unique sense of place. Texas rock rose does tend to be short-lived, lasting only a few years, but never fear– it is a prolific reseeder. Plant it in full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil.
6) Esperanza (Tecoma stans var. angustata)
Esperanza or yellow bells is a deciduous perennial shrub native to the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Desert regions in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico. The Texas native var. angustata is one of three varieties of the parent species Tecoma stans. Though the other two are not native to the United States, T. stans var. stans has been widely introduced and has naturalized in some areas in southern and eastern Texas. The earliest U.S. specimen of var. stans was recorded in the Florida Keys in 1873, but it is considered an exotic invasive in the Sunshine State; it is indigenous to the tropical Americas and the West Indies.
Texas-native yellow bells can be found on rocky slopes near San Antonio and in the Trans Pecos– it can be identified by its lanceolate leaflets, which are narrower and more sharply and deeply serrated than its cousins’. Esperanza is prized for its large, vibrant yellow blooms. Its flowers are funnel-shaped, characteristic of the Bignoniaceae (trumpet vine) family, which also includes the closely related desert willow and catalpa trees.
Yellow bells are usually 3 – 6 ft tall, but sometimes reach 10 – 25 ft. Indigenous peoples have used this species to make medicine, hunting bows, and a beer-like beverage (prepared from a tincture of the roots). Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are drawn to its bright, fragrant flowers.
Southwest-native var. angustata is adapted to cold, drought, monsoon rains, and dry spells– some plants may die back to the ground during especially harsh winters, but the native variety will fare better than tropical specimens (often sold at nurseries). ‘Gold Star’ is a popular cultivar and a Texas Superstar Plant, but blooms earlier than var. angustata and seems to have intermediate characteristics with var. Stans. Some horticultural selections like yellow bells ‘Sangria’ will have red-orange blossoms. For best results, check the scientific name before purchasing plants.
Texas-native esperanza makes a stunning, long-blooming specimen or accent shrub for xeriscapes, rock gardens, and perennial borders. Plant it in full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil, and be sure to let the ground dry out between waterings.
7) Texas lantana (Lantana urticoides)
Texas lantana or calico bush is a deciduous perennial shrub native to the Southwest, from east Texas west to southern Arizona, and south to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is found nearly throughout Texas, in chaparral, fields, thickets, sandy woods, and roadsides. Texas lantana is a showstopper, whether it’s cultivated in a home garden or growing wild in the brush country. It is widely sold as an ornamental for its flashy vermillion and gold-yellow blooms. The rounded flowerheads are actually dense clusters of tiny trumpet-shaped blossoms that are enticing to butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. They persist from mid-spring through the hottest, driest part of summer and into fall.
Texas lantana has developed a unique adaptation to aid its own reproduction– the corollas of its small flowers transition from lemon-yellow to orange-red over time, a change triggered by pollination: studies suggest that yellow attracts pollinators more strongly to flowers yet to be pollinated than red does. Vibrant blooms give way to blue-black, berry-like drupes that are delectable to songbirds but toxic to humans, pets, and livestock. Dark green leaves are rough, coarsely-toothed, and aromatic when crushed– this species is highly deer-resistant.
Lantana urticoides is sometimes confused with its tropical cousin, West Indian lantana (Lantana camara), which is an invasive ecological disaster and an economic pest– unfortunately, it is still hugely popular in the horticultural trade. When shopping for plants, take care to check scientific names and choose reputable nurseries; lantanas are known to hybridize and may be erroneously sold under the wrong name.
The native L. urticoides is a fantastic landscape plant, low-maintenance, heat- and drought-tolerant. It is an impeccable choice for xeriscapes, rock gardens, and pollinator plantings. Give it full sun and well-drained soil. Texas lantana grows 2 – 6 ft tall and spreads up to 6 ft. It may be pruned in winter to manage size and shape.
8) Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora)
Texas mountain laurel or mescal bean is an evergreen, multi-trunked shrub native to New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico. In Texas it occurs in wet grasslands, chaparral, shrubsteppe, and savanna habitats, primarily on the Edwards Plateau, the Rio Grande Plains, and in the Trans-Pecos. Texas mountain laurel is an exquisite specimen plant that adds delightful color, texture, and fragrance to any landscape. It has deep, glossy green foliage, velvety twigs, and upright branches that reach between 8 – 20 ft tall, and sometimes up to 33 ft (it is sometimes pruned to grow as a small tree).
Like many species in the Fabaceae or pea family, Sophora secundiflora has alternate, pinnately compound leaves, and papilionaceous flowers borne in terminal racemes. Its pendulous, blue-violet or purple blooms have a delicious, heady aroma that reminds many people of grape soda or Kool-Aid. Note that all parts of this plant are poisonous to humans, pets, and livestock; its use for wildlife is limited, though rock squirrels eat the flowers, and the nectar is palatable to bees.
Texas mountain laurel is an important early spring food source for insect pollinators. Honeybees are especially fond of it, but honey made by bees that forage on it exclusively is toxic. ‘Mad honey’ may even have a hypnotic effect– it has a long history of use in war: honey made from Rhododendron nectar was used to poison soldiers in ancient Turkey and Greece, and Union troops who stumbled upon beehives near stands of northeastern mountain laurels (Kalmia latifolia) during the Civil War became ill and disoriented. Indigenous peoples of the Southwest recognized the narcotic properties of S. secundiflora, and crushed its fiery orange seed pods into powder for ritual and medicinal purposes.
Mescal bean seeds are ubiquitous in archeological sites of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands– radiocarbon dating indicates that they were used as far back as 6,500 years ago, and probably much earlier. Mescal beans– with their red-orange, lacquer-like coating– were sewn onto ritual loincloths, strung onto necklaces, and gathered in hunter’s kits and medicine bundles. The purgative and psychoactive effects of this species’ fruits and seeds made it a powerful, religiously-significant plant worthy of trade and ceremonial garb; it was utilized by vision-seekers and became integral to early societies in the region. It holds a position of honor still today, instilling a unique pride of place into landscapes across its native range.
To grow Texas mountain laurel in your own garden, plant it in deep, well-drained rocky soil– it likes alkaline best. Give it full to partial sun and regular water while its roots are becoming established. Sophora secundiflora is a larval host for the genista broom moth (Uresiphita reversalis); many people consider genista caterpillars to be a pest, but they pose no significant harm to the plant and are a tasty treat for birds and lizards.
9) Autumn sage (Salvia greggii)
Autumn, cherry, or red Chihuahuan sage is a semi-evergreen perennial shrub native to central and west Texas and south to San Luis Potosi in Mexico. It occurs mainly in the Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau ecoregions, on well-drained rocky slopes. This species is a prolific bloomer that requires little water– it grows 2 – 3 ft tall and flowers from June to October. It’s a nursery favorite with numerous cultivars available. Notable horticultural selections include cold-hardy ‘Wild Thing,’ vibrant ‘Radio Red,’ and pink ‘Playa Rosa.’
Autumn sage most commonly has scarlet-colored flowers where it grows wild, but varies across its range; its two-lipped blossoms may be any shade of red, salmon-pink to orange, purple, or white, and grow in whorled racemes that rise above the mounded foliage. It is pollinated by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds (who are especially fond of the red-flowered varieties). Leaves are pale green, obovate, and aromatic when crushed– they are edible and have a complex minty flavor with lemony undertones. The flowers are palatable as well, with a crunchy sweetness that is lovely in salads.
Salvia greggii has long been used in traditional medicine, particularly in the form of infusions or decoctions to treat oral and digestive ailments– recent studies indicate that its high content of natural metabolites makes it a good candidate for novel functional foods or pharmaceuticals targeting diabetes and obesity prevention.
Autumn sage is versatile, adaptable, and easy to grow; use it in xeriscapes, foundation plantings, perennial borders, or containers. It prefers well-drained rocky soils and full sun. This species does best with little human interference– giving it fertilizer or too much water can kill it. It can be cut back by ⅓ in early spring to encourage thicker, more compact foliage and rejuvenate the plant.
10) Wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera)
Wax myrtle or southern bayberry is a large multi-trunked evergreen shrub native to the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States and peninsular Florida, south through the West Indies into Mexico and Central America. In Texas, it is indigenous primarily to the Blackland Prairies, Post Oak Savanna, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, and East Texas Pineywoods where it grows in moist forests, wetlands, and riparian corridors.
Wax myrtle grows 6 – 20 ft high with an open crown and attractive willowy branches. Its leaves are glossy gray-green, resinous, and wedge-shaped. Foliage is aromatic and thought to repel insects– it is sometimes planted around foundations to ward off pests, and a sprig of wax myrtle in a drawer is reputed to keep cockroaches away. Texas foragers use the dried leaves in teas or as a substitute for bay leaves in seasoning for seafood boils or Cajun pasta dishes. The flowers of southern bayberry are yellow-green and inconspicuous, borne in catkins.
Bees and butterflies visit this plant for nectar from February to April, and it is the larval host for the red-banded hairstreak butterfly (Calycopis cecrops). Pale blue berry-like drupes appear on female plants in late spring (with a male needed nearby for pollination) and persist through the winter. The fruit is a high-energy food source for birds in the colder months, devoured in great quantities by yellow-rumped warblers (formerly myrtle warblers), palm warblers, ruby-crowned kinglets, brown thrashers, gray catbirds, and more.
The waxy coating that glazes the fruits– in addition to preventing the drupes from drying out in arid climates and keeping them afloat in wetter ones– has long been used to make fragrant bayberry candles. If you want to make your own (perhaps for a pagan money spell), boil the berries in water and collect the wax that rises to the surface. Poultices and tinctures of the root bark, harvested in the fall, are traditionally used to treat inflammation or bacterial infections, increase circulation, and stimulate perspiration (herbal remedies made from this species are slightly narcotic and should not be used during pregnancy).
Wax myrtle makes an excellent screen or specimen shrub and is well-suited to home landscapes. It is popular in nurseries, with both standard and dwarf varieties available. Note that dwarf wax myrtle (Myrica pusilla or Myrica cerifera var. pumila) is stoloniferous, produces colonies, and prefers sandy coastal soils (it will not tolerate clay). M. cerifera, on the other hand, is adaptable as long as it has adequate moisture while becoming established.
Plant wax myrtle in full sun for the best fruit production. It is tolerant of heat, salt spray, flooding, and drought once it has settled in (though it may be damaged by wind, snow, or ice). It responds well to frequent pruning and has nitrogen-fixing abilities.
11) Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra)
Barbados cherry, acerola, or wild crapemyrtle is a semi-evergreen perennial shrub native to the Caribbean and southern Texas down through Mexico, Central and South America. In Texas, it occurs in thickets, mattoral, and palm groves in the South Texas Plains and Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes. Barbados cherry grows into a soft, airy mound of arching branches that typically reach up to about 9 ft (but sometimes up to 18 ft). Leaves are glossy dark green. Foliage is browsed by deer and provides cover for nesting birds and other wildlife.
Cymes of dainty pink, five-petaled flower heads with yellow stamens bloom from March through December in Texas. This species flowers and fruits at the same time, attracting a variety of pollinators, songbirds, and berry-loving mammals throughout its long season– where winters are mild, it may be evergreen and bloom all year. The fleshy fruits are actually berry-like drupes that ripen to bright red (or yellow, in some varieties) and are chock full of vitamin C and antioxidants. The acerola cherry is a superfruit, containing an exorbitant amount of ascorbic acid (50 to 100 times more per 100g than oranges or lemons)– eating just one fulfills the daily recommended dose for adults!
Malpighia glabra has been widely planted and cultivated throughout much of human history; in Indigenous cultures, it has been used to treat a variety of ailments from liver problems and dysentery to coughs and colds. In the age of Spanish exploration, sailors discovered from native peoples that the fruits are an effective treatment for scurvy, relieving symptoms completely within a week. Modern foragers eat the berries raw or process them for jellies, jams, juices, and wine. Just one shrub is needed for fruitset, but the berry yield is higher with two or more genetically diverse plants.
Plant Barbados cherry in partial shade in well-drained soil (it adapts well to most loams, including sand and clay, but needs good drainage), and give it plenty of water while it’s becoming established. Many cultivars are available in nurseries, including dwarf selections suitable for containers.
