Texas Ecoregion
Cross Timbers
12 native plants suited to the Cross Timbers of Texas.
The Cross Timbers is a transitional belt of post oak and blackjack oak woodlands that separates the eastern Pineywoods from the western Great Plains. In Texas, it covers the Fort Worth area and the western counties of North Texas. Soils are sandy and acidic over sandstone, contrasting with the heavy clay of the adjacent Blackland Prairie.
Conditions: Sandy to sandy-loam soils over sandstone, mildly acidic, 28–35 inches annual rainfall, oak-dominated woodlands.
Cities and areas: Fort Worth, Wichita Falls, Mineral Wells, Stephenville, Decatur.
12 Native Plants for the Cross Timbers
All non-toxic per the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center plant database. Click a plant for full ecoregion-specific maintenance and HOA-friendly notes.
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Cedar Sage
Salvia roemeriana
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Indian Blanket
Gaillardia pulchella
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Mealy Blue Sage
Salvia farinacea
Mexican Plum
Prunus mexicana
Passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Texas Bluebonnet
Lupinus texensis
Texas Lantana
Lantana urticoides
965 More Natives for the Cross Timbers
From our full plant database, HOA-friendly picks first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status.
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Wild Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
New Jersey-tea
Ceanothus americanus
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Brown-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia triloba
Blue Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata
Inland Sea Oats
Chasmanthium latifolium
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Smooth Spiderwort
Tradescantia ohiensis
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Pale Purple Coneflower
Echinacea pallida
Purple Prairie Clover
Dalea purpurea
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
American Fox Sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Tall Blazing Star
Liatris aspera
Aromatic Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Azure Sage
Salvia azurea
Gulf Muhly
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Prairie Junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
River Birch
Betula nigra
Leadplant
Amorpha canescens
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Fall Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Eastern Bluestar
Amsonia tabernaemontana
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum
Prairie Petunia
Ruellia humilis
Black Haw
Viburnum prunifolium
Mexican Hat
Ratibida columnifera
Showing 48 of 965. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Cross Timbers
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Horsemint
Fall is the seed season. What you leave on the ground now decides how many plants you get next spring.
- Longbract wild indigo
Fall needs little from you.
- Oakleaf hydrangea
Fall is when the leaves color up and you can ease off watering.
- Rabbiteye blueberry
Fall care for rabbiteye blueberry around Fort Worth, TX: renew the mulch and check the soil.
- Satsuma mandarin
Fall care for Satsuma mandarin around Fort Worth, TX: plan the move indoors, since satsuma is hardiest only after it has cooled down.
- Meyer lemon
Fall care for Meyer lemon around Fort Worth, TX: plan the move indoors and ease the light down first.
- Common pear
Fall care for common pear around Fort Worth, TX: harvest European hybrids, and watch for decline.
- European plum
Fall care for European plum around Fort Worth, TX: test the soil and keep young trees growing steadily.
- Japanese persimmon
Fall care for Japanese persimmon around Fort Worth, TX: let the fruit ripen on the tree and guard it from wildlife.
- Fig
Fall care for fig around Fort Worth, TX: pick the late crop, rake up spotted leaves, and get ready for the first hard freeze.
Build a plan for the Cross Timbers
Pollinator Patch turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Fort Worth area.