Plants & Gardens

Most of the habitat at Quinta Mazatlan is Tamaulipan Thornforest (sometimes called Thornscrub Forest), characterized by dense thickets of woody vegetation, closed canopy, and a limited herbaceous layer. The majority of the thornforest at Quinta Mazatlan is secondary growth – following time as a citrus orchard –  with sections of it enhanced with planted native trees and shrubs.

The sanctuary also features a variety of native plant gardens, from a xeric cactus garden to butterfly and hummingbird gardens. More than 350 plant species have been documented at Quinta Mazatlan, including those planted by people or brought in by other natural processes. Almost any time of year, our plants will have flowers or fruits that help highlight the changing seasons. 

 

Hummingbird Plants


• Coral Bean (Erythrina herbacea)

• Anacahuita / Wild Olive (Cordia boissieri)

• Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus)
• Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinea)

Bird-friendly Plants

• Anacua (Ehretia anacua)

• Berlandier's Fiddlewood (Citharexylum berlandieri)

• Brasil (Condalia hookeri)

• Brush Holly (Xylosma flexuosa)

• Chile Piquin (Capsicum annuum)

•Granjeno (Celtis pallida)

•  Coma (Sideroxylon celastrinum)

• Manzanita (Malpighia glabra)

• Pigeonberry (Rivina humilis)

• Potato Tree (Solanum erianthum)

• Tropical Sage (Salvia coccnea)

• Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigate)

• Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana)

• Triangle Cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus)

• Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus)

• Velvet Lantana (Lantana velutina)

Groundcovers


• Betony-Leaf Mistflower (Conoclinium betonicifolium)

• Cisme (Portulaca pilosa)

• Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)

• Gregg's Tube Tongue (Justicia pilosella)

• Straggler Daisy (Calyptocarpus vialis)

• Sunshine Mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa)

• Tridax Daisy (Tridax procumbers)

• Violet Ruellia (Ruellia nudiflora)

• Wavyleaf Snakeherb (Dyschoriste crenulata)

• Wooly Stemodia (Stemodia lanata) 

Vines


• Alamo Vine (Distimake dissectus)

• Apaac (Urvillea ulmacea)

• Climbing Hempvine (Mikania scandens)

• Climbing Milkweed (Funastrum cynanchoides)

• Corkystem Passionflower (Passiflora pallida)

• Lesser Balloon Vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum)

• Littlefruit Slipplejack (Serjania brachycarpa)

• Mexican Snailseed (Cocculus diversifolius)

• Snapdragon Vine (Maurandella antirrhiniflora)

• Stinking Passionflower (Passiflora foetida)

• White Twinevine (Funastrum clausum)

Aromatic

• Bushy Lippia (Lippia alba)

• Mexican Oregano (Lippia origanoides)

• Shrubby Blue Sage (Salvia ballotiflora)

• Sweet Stem / Vara Dulca (Aloysia macrostachya) 

• Whitebrush (Aloysia gratissima)

Wildflowers

• Awnless Bushsunflower (Simsia calva)

• Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)

• Cowpen Daisy (Verbesina encelioides)

• Firewheel / Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)

• Lady Daisy (Aphanostephanus species)

• Lemon Beebalm / Purple Horsemint (Monarda citriodora)

• Pricklyleaf species / Tiny Tim (Thymophylla species)

• Showy Evening Primrose / Pinkladies (Oenothera speciosa) 

• Texas Palafox (Palafoxia texana)

• Topical Sage (Salvia coccinea)

• Upright Prairie Coneflower / Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera)

For Pots

• Chisme (Portulaca pilosa)

• Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)

• Gregg's Tube Tongue (Justicia pilosella)

• Heart Leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus martianus)

• Tridax Daisy (Tridax procumbens)

• Violet Ruellia (Ruellia nudiflora)

• Wavyleaf Snakeherb (Dyschoriste crenulata)

• Wooly Stemodia (Stemodia lanata)

Trees

• Anacahuita (Cordia boissieri)

• Anacua (Ehretia anacua)

• Blackbrush (Vachellia rigidula)

• Brasil (Condalia hookeri)

• Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia)

• Colima (Zanthoxylum fagara)

• Coma (Siderxylon celastrinum)

• Coral Bean (Erythrina herbacea)

• Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)

• Granjeno (Celtis pallida)

• Guajillo   (Senegalia berlandieri)

• Guayacan (Guaiacum angustifolium)

• Honey Mesquite (Neltuma glandulosa)

• Huisache (Vachellia farnesiana)

• Mexican Ash (Fraxinus berlandieriana)

• Retama (Parkinsonia aculeata)

• Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigata)

• Tenaza (Havardia pallens)

• Tepeguaje (Leucaena pulverulenta)

• Texas Ebony (Ebenopsis ebano)

• Texas Paloverde  (Parkinsonia texana)

• Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana)

• Texas Sabal Palm (Sabal mexicana)

• Wright Acacia (Senegalia wrightii)

Butterfly Plants

NECTAR

• Betonyleaf Mistflower (Conoclinium betonicifolium)

• Bushy Lippia (Lippia alba)

• Crucita (Chromolaena odorata)

• Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)

• Southern Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago mexicana)

• Tamaulipan Spring Mistflower (Tamaulipa azurea)

• Texas Lantana (Lantana urticoides)

• Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinea)

• Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus)

• Velvet Lantana (Lantana velutina)

• Whitebrush (Aloysia gratissima)

HOST

• Colima (Zanoxylum fagara)

• Corkystem Passionvine (Passiflora pallida)

• Gregg’s Tube Tongue (Justicia pilosella)

• Low Croton (Croton humilis)

• Manzanita / Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra)

• Small-flower Wrightwort (Carlowrightia parviflora)

• Stinking Passionflower (Passiflora foetida)

• Texas Kidneywood (Eysenhardtia texana)

• Vasey’s Adelia (Adelia vaseyi)

• Violet Ruellia (Ruellia nudiflora)

Xeriscape

CACTUS

• Berlandier’s Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus berlandieri)

• Dahlia Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus poselgeri)

• Fitch’s Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus fitchii)

• Glory of Texas (Thelocactus bicolor)

• Horse Crippler (Homalocephala texensis)

• Ladyfinger Cactus (Echinocereus pentalophus)

• Little Nipple Cactus (Mammillaria heyderi)

• Miniature Barrel Cactus (Hamatocactus setispinus)

• Strawberry Cactus (Echinocereus enneacanthus)

• Tasajillo (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis)

• Texas Pricklypear (Opuntia lindheimeri)

• Texas Plains Pricklypear (Opuntia alta)

SHRUB/TREE

• Blackbrush (Vachellia rigidula)

• Candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphyilitica)

• Leatherstem (Jatropha dioica)

• Tuberoses (Manfreda species)

• Mexican Oregano (Lippia origanoides)

• Southwest Bernardia (Bernardia myricifolia)

• Whitebrush (Aloysia gratissima)

Shrubs

• Babybonnets (Coursetia axillaris)

• Berlandier’s Fiddlewood (Citharexylum berlandieri)

• Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens)

• Cortez’s Croton (Croton cortesianus)

• Crucita (Chromolaena odorata)

• Crucillo (Randia obcordata)

• Manzanita / Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra)

• Narrowleaf Forestiera / Elbowbush (Forestieria angustifolia)

• Shrubby Blue Sage (Salvia ballotiflora)

• Skeletonleaf Goldeneye (Sidneya tenuifolia)

• Tamaulipan Spring Mistflower (Tamaulipa azurea)

• Texas Kidneywood (Eysenhardtia texana)

• Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus)

• Whitebrush (Aloysia gratissima)

SHADE TOLERANT

• Chile Pequin (Capsicum annuum)

• Manzanita / Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra)

• Texas Torchwood (Amyris texana)

• Gregg’s Tube Tongue (Justicia pilosella)

• Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus)

• White Plumbago (Plumbago zeylanica)

Birding & Nature

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