Quick answer: 39 native plants for wet soil and rain gardens are native to Texas, 34 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
39 species
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- Bald cypress Taxodium distichum · 16 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii · 7 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides · 4 states
- Prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata · 25 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet rosemallow Hibiscus coccineus · 9 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Titi cyrilla Cyrilla racemiflora · 8 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
Native plants for wet soil and rain gardens in Texas: what to know
39 of the 249 plants native to Texas in this directory fit this need: 16% of the state's list, close to the 15% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through November, with the most in bloom in April. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 31 are also good for birds, 28 are also shade-tolerant, 28 are also good for pollinators.
27 of them grow in full or partial sun and 28 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bloodroot and Desert marigold to trees such as American holly and Bald cypress. For wildlife, 28 support pollinators, 31 provide food or cover for birds and 15 are caterpillar host plants.
34 of the 39 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Crimson-eyed rose-mallow, Eastern bluestar, Mountain azalea: 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.
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct