shrub
Texas sage (Texas ranger)
Leucophyllum frutescens
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Leucophyllum frutescens is an evergreen shrub for gardens in zones 8–10. It grows 5–8 ft tall and 4–6 ft wide, so plant it 4.5 ft apart. Give it full sun and little water once established. It flowers purple in June to October. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. It is native to Texas and the South-Central states. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf and the Pacific Northwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Leucophyllum frutescens
- Plant type
- Shrub, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 8 to 10
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Needs sharp drainage; dies in wet or heavily watered soil.
- Mature size
- 5–8 ft tall × 4–6 ft wide
- Spacing
- 4.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Bloom
- Jun–Oct · purple
- Roles in a bed
- Structure
- Styles
- low water, natural
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; no known toxic compounds.
- Native to
- South-Central
- Pot size and price
- 3-gallon pot, typically $25–$40 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer to root it in, then taper off; established plants need little extra water.
- Pruning
- Do not shear into balls; thin lightly in late winter.
Sources: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center native plant database; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Texas A&M AgriLife deer-resistant landscape plant lists; state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9, Southwest (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Texas sage (Texas ranger), across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Autumn sageSalvia greggiishrub · zones 7–11
- Blackfoot daisyMelampodium leucanthumperennial · zones 5–10
- Upright rosemary 'Tuscan Blue'Salvia rosmarinus 'Tuscan Blue'shrub · zones 8–11
- Parry's penstemonPenstemon parryiperennial · zones 7–10
- Apache plumeFallugia paradoxashrub · zones 4–9
- Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun'Gaillardia × grandiflora 'Arizona Sun'perennial · zones 3–10
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Texas sage (Texas ranger): same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
- California lilac 'Concha'Ceanothus 'Concha'zones 8–10 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Apache plumeFallugia paradoxazones 4–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Indian hawthornRhaphiolepis indicazones 8–11 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Manzanita 'Howard McMinn'Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'zones 8–10 · flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants