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)	• Corkystem Passionflower (Passiflora pallida)	• Snapdragon Vine (Maurandella antirrhiniflora)
• Apaac (Urvillea ulmacea)	• Lesser Balloon Vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum)	• Stinking Passionflower (Passiflora foetida)
• Climbing Hempvine (Mikania scandens)	• Littlefruit Slipplejack (Serjania brachycarpa)	• White Twinevine (Funastrum clausum)
• Climbing Milkweed (Funastrum cynanchoides)	• Mexican Snailseed (Cocculus diversifolius)

Aromatic

• Flor de San Juan	• Mexican Oregano	• Texas Kidney
• Huisache	• Night-blooming Cereus	• Tiny Tim or Dogweed
• La Coma	• Texas Ebony	• Whitebrush
• Low Croton (leaves)

Edible

• Brasil (berry)	• Honey Mesquite (bean)	• Spanish Dagger (yucca & petals)
• Chile Piquin (berry)	• Mammillaria (fruit)	• Strawberry Pitaya (fruit)
• Christmas Cactus (fruit)	• Manzanita (barbados cherry) (berry)	• Texas Ebony (bean)
• Granjeno (berry)	• Prickly Pear (pads & fruit)	• Turk's Cap (fruit)

Evergreens

• Cenizo (Purple Sage)	• Manzanita (Barbados Cherry)	• Tamaulipan Fiddlewood
• Elbowbush	• Spanish Dagger (Yucca)	• Texas Ebony
• Guayacan

Wildflowers

• Bush Sunflower	• Lazy Daisy or Blackfoot Daisy	• Pink Primrose
• Coreopsis (Golden Wave)	• Locoweed	• Pink Mint
• Cowpen Daisy	• Mexican Hat	• Scarlet Sage (Tropical Sage)
• Horsemint	• Ojo de Vibora	• Tiny Tim or Dogweed
• Indian Blanket	• Palafoxia

For Pots

• Chisme	• Lorna's Savory	• Tiny Tim or Dogween
• Cenizo (Purple Sage)	• Pigeonberry	• Whitebrush
• Heart-leaf Hibiscus	• Texas Frogfruit (Hanging Pot)

For Ponds

• Arrowhead	• Ludwigia	• Spike Rush
• Black Willow	• Runyon's Water Willow	• Water Hyssop
• Cattail	• Seaside Goldenrod	• Water Lily (Blue or Yellow)

Valley Specialties

• Barreta	• Guayacan	• Runyon's Esenbeckia (Limoncillo)
• Flor de San Juan	• Night-blooming Cereus	• Texas Ebony

Trees

FOR ORNAMENTAL BEAUTY	FOR SHADE	FOR BIRDS
• Guayacan	• Cedar Elm	• Anacua (Sandpaper Tree)
• Mexican Caesalpinia	• Honey Mesquite	• Brasil
• Palo Verde	• Rio Grande Ash	• Coral Bean
• Retama	• Tepeguaje	• Granjeno
• Tepeguaje	• Texas Ebony	• Texas Persimmon
• Texas Sabal Palm
• Wild Olive (Anacahuita)

Butterfly Plants

NECTAR	HOST
• Betony-leaf Mistflower	• Carlowrightia
• Crucita	• Colima
• Frogfruit (Silky-leaf or Texas)	• Low Croton
• Lantana (Texas, Velvet, Desert)	• Manzanita (Barbados Cherry)
• Scarlet Sage (Tropical Sage)	• Passionvine (Corky-stemmed or Blue)
• Snakeherb	• Ruellia (Wild Petunia)
• Spring Mistflower	• Runyon's Water Willow
• Taperleaf Heliotrope (Scorpion's Trail)	• Texas Kidney
• Turk's Cap	• Vasey Adelia
• Whitebrush	• Wedelia

Xeriscape

CACTUS	SHRUB/TREE
• Alioche (Berliander, Yellow-flowered)	• Blackbrush
• Desert Christmas Cactus	• Candelilla
• Fishhook Cactus	• Cenizo (Purple Sage)
• Fitch's Rainbow	• Leatherstem
• Glory of Texas	• Manfreda
• Horse Crippler	• Mexican Oregano
• LRGV Barrel Cactus	• Southwest Bernardia
• Mammillaria (Little Chiles, Pincushion)	• Whitebrush
• Prickly Pear
• Runyon's Coryphantha (Dumpling Cactus)
• Strawberry Pitaya

Shrubs

• Cenizo (Purple Sage)	SHADE TOLERANT
• Croton (Low or Cortez)	• Chile Piquin
• Crucillo	• Croton (Low or Cortez)
• Elbowbush	• Manzanita (Barbados Cherry)
• Golden-eye Daisy (Skeleton-leaf)	• Scarlet Sage (Tropical SAge)
• Manzanita (Barbados Cherry)	• Southwest Bernardia
• Mistflower (Crucita, Spring)	• Torchwood (Texas or Sierra Madre)
• Shrubby Blue Sage	• Tube-tongue
• Tamaulipan Fiddlewood	• Turk's Cap
• Texas Baby Bonnets	• White Plumbago
• Texas Kidneywood
• Turk's Cap
• Whitebrush

Birding & Nature

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