Quick answer: 113 native plants for shade are native to Texas, 88 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
113 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana · 13 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bittersweet Celastrus scandens · 33 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American strawberry bush Euonymus americanus · 23 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- American wisteria Wisteria frutescens · 14 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica · 31 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 34 states
- Clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulis · 7 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Devil's walking stick Aralia spinosa · 21 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dwarf palmetto Sabal minor · 6 states
- Early azalea Rhododendron prinophyllum · 17 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora · 25 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Northern catalpa Catalpa speciosa · 9 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia · 9 states
- Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens · 3 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides · 4 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie onion Allium stellatum · 12 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii · 11 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 18 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet sage Salvia coccinea · 3 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa · 11 states
- Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana · 17 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Texas sacahuista Nolina texana · 1 states
- Three-flower melic grass Melica nitens · 17 states
- Titi cyrilla Cyrilla racemiflora · 8 states
- Two-wing silverbell Halesia diptera · 8 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica · 19 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild hyacinth (Atlantic camas) Camassia scilloides · 20 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
- Yellow necklacepod Sophora tomentosa · 1 states
- Yellow passionflower Passiflora lutea · 21 states
Native plants for shade in Texas: what to know
113 of the 249 plants native to Texas in this directory fit this need: 45% of the state's list, close to the 47% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 91 are also good for pollinators, 82 are also good for birds, 63 are also drought-tolerant.
49 of them grow in full or partial sun and 113 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Bloodroot to trees such as American basswood and American beech. For wildlife, 91 support pollinators, 82 provide food or cover for birds and 43 are caterpillar host plants.
88 of the 113 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American wisteria, Apache plume, Eastern bluestar: 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun