Texas Ecoregion
Trans-Pecos (Chihuahuan Desert)
9 native plants suited to the Trans-Pecos of Texas.
The Trans-Pecos is the West Texas portion of the Chihuahuan Desert, west of the Pecos River. It is the driest part of Texas, with elevations from 2,500 to over 7,000 feet, alkaline rocky soils, and dramatic temperature swings. Native plants here are adapted to extremes: low rainfall, intense sun, sparse cover.
Conditions: Alkaline rocky soils over limestone or igneous bedrock, less than 15 inches annual rainfall in lowlands, hot dry summers, cold winters at higher elevations.
Cities and areas: El Paso, Marfa, Alpine, Fort Stockton, Big Bend.
9 Native Plants for the Trans-Pecos
All non-toxic per the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center plant database. Click a plant for full ecoregion-specific maintenance and HOA-friendly notes.
Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
Blackfoot Daisy
Melampodium leucanthum
Damianita
Chrysactinia mexicana
Desert Willow
Chilopsis linearis
Flame Acanthus
Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii
Gregg's Mistflower
Conoclinium greggii
Plateau Goldeneye
Viguiera dentata
Prairie Verbena
Glandularia bipinnatifida
Texas Ranger
Leucophyllum frutescens
711 More Natives for the Trans-Pecos
From our full plant database, HOA-friendly picks first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status.
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Wild Onion
Allium cernuum
Tall Grama Grass
Bouteloua curtipendula
Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata
Purple Prairie-clover
Dalea purpurea
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Aromatic Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Prairie Junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
Prairie Phlox
Phlox pilosa
Longhead-coneflower
Ratibida columnifera
Low Poppymallow
Callirhoe involucrata
Scarlet Sage
Salvia coccinea
Wafer-ash
Ptelea trifoliata
Golden Currant
Ribes aureum
Canada Wild Rye
Elymus canadensis
White Prairie Clover
Dalea candida
Firewheel
Gaillardia pulchella
American Germander
Teucrium canadense
Solomon's-plume
Maianthemum racemosum
Dotted Gayfeather
Liatris punctata
Horsemint
Monarda citriodora
White Heath Aster
Symphyotrichum ericoides
Deer Grass
Muhlenbergia rigens
Standing Cypress
Ipomopsis rubra
California-poppy
Eschscholzia californica
Mealy Blue Sage
Salvia farinacea
Candle Anemone
Anemone cylindrica
Golden columbine
Aquilegia chrysantha
Chinkapin Oak
Quercus muehlenbergii
Mexican Feathergrass
Nassella tenuissima
Pigeonberry
Rivina humilis
Lyreleaf Greeneyes
Berlandiera lyrata
Apricot globemallow
Sphaeralcea ambigua
Canadian Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis
Buffalo Grass
Bouteloua dactyloides
Soapweed yucca
Yucca glauca
Horseherb
Calyptocarpus vialis
Prairie Spiderwort
Tradescantia occidentalis
Four-nerve Daisy
Tetraneuris scaposa
Antelope Horn Milkweed
Asclepias asperula
Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus betuloides
Showing 48 of 711. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Trans-Pecos
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Lemmons marigold
Fall is when it shines, with golden flowers on tall mounds.
- Lindheimers senna
Fall is the peak bloom.
- Bridgess penstemon
Fall is quiet. Leave the evergreen foliage in place and keep water light.
- Pineneedle beardtongue
Fall is a good time to plant and do a light trim.
- Foxglove beardtongue
Fall is a second chance to divide and to save seed.
- Eastern purple coneflower
Fall is seed time. Decide what to cut and what to leave.
- Purple prairie clover
Fall is seed time. Let the seed ripen before you cut anything.
- Beebrush
Fall keeps blooming through November.
- Four nerve daisy
Fall brings a secondary bloom flush for four nerve daisy in El Paso as temperatures cool and monsoon moisture fades.
- Blue sage
Fall is when mountain blue sage's flower show tends to wind down, and cooling El Paso temperatures are a natural cue to start reducing water further.
Build a plan for the Trans-Pecos
Pollinator Patch turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the El Paso area.