Quick answer: 85 deer-resistant native plants are native to Texas, 73 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
85 species
- American century plant Agave americana · 2 states
- American smoketree Cotinus obovatus · 2 states
- American wisteria Wisteria frutescens · 14 states
- Antelope-horns milkweed Asclepias asperula · 2 states
- Autumn sage Salvia greggii · 2 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue wild indigo Baptisia australis · 23 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 34 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri · 3 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens · 5 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Engelmann's prickly pear (cactus apple) Opuntia engelmannii · 1 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green milkweed Asclepias viridis · 2 states
- Gulf muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris · 16 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Huisache Vachellia farnesiana · 1 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Large penstemon (shell-leaf beardtongue) Penstemon grandiflorus · 12 states
- Largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora · 25 states
- Leadplant Amorpha canescens · 16 states
- Lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora · 10 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata · 22 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mealy blue sage Salvia farinacea · 1 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Narrow-leaf coneflower Echinacea angustifolia · 11 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida · 23 states
- Pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida · 17 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Plains coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria · 16 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie onion Allium stellatum · 12 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain zinnia Zinnia grandiflora · 6 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Scarlet sage Salvia coccinea · 3 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa · 11 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Texas bluebonnet (state flower) Lupinus texensis · 2 states
- Texas mountain laurel Dermatophyllum secundiflorum · 1 states
- Texas sacahuista Nolina texana · 1 states
- Twistleaf yucca Yucca rupicola · 1 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
Deer-resistant native plants in Texas: what to know
85 of the 249 plants native to Texas in this directory fit this need: 34% of the state's list, above the 28% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through December, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 74 are also good for pollinators, 58 are also drought-tolerant, 36 are also good for birds.
71 of them grow in full or partial sun and 27 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Antelope-horns milkweed and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as American smoketree and American wisteria. For wildlife, 74 support pollinators, 36 provide food or cover for birds and 24 are caterpillar host plants.
73 of the 85 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American smoketree, American wisteria, Autumn sage: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov