I have 3 of these plants in my yard. I would like to know if these will become small trees. The yellow stick in the photo is 3 ft long. Thank you.

It looks like Privet in the foreground and Nandina behind.

Yes and yes.

These Privet (Ligustrum sp.) will become behemoths which will swallow your landscape - and prodigiously reproduce themselves from seed and infest the rest of your property and landscapes far and wide.

Hyperbole besides, this is not a relationship to foster. Some good small trees for Texas include Yaupon Holly, Possumhaw Holly, and Crape-myrtle.

Thank you. I will replace the privets with a few Texas mountain Laurel seedlings I saved from the neighborhood. I will keep my eyes open for the recommended plants. Thank you.

You are so welcome.

I'm just a tree geek from KY - but I've visited and driven through Texas, including just the other day (10/22/21) on my way home cross country on US 60.

There are great plants people and gardeners from Texas that can and should offer even more quality advice about wonderful showy and highly contributive (is that a word?) plants for Texas - plants that will not only inspire your enjoyment, but participate in the local ecosystem to support the birds, bugs, bees, and all the other good things that make the world go 'round.

What plant is the 3rd photo? It looks much like the one I saw at Dallas Zoo and posted in this PLANT ID forum.

3. Looks like Pistacia mexicana

The third photo might also be Evergreen Sumac, a great native bushy plant that often blooms in the fall in my area, south-central Texas, southern Hill Country, west of San Antonio.

Thank you. I will check both names.

I'm amazed and pleased that one of those pictures raised some interest.

That fruiting plant was photographed near/in Big Bend National Park, on a visit there in mid November 2014. That image time was 6:05 pm, so we were about a half hour away from Chisos Mountain Lodge where we stayed in the park.

Obviously not a labeled plant, it was eye catching from the road due to the dark green leaves and bright fruit in an otherwise generally muted fall xeric landscape.

I have two other images of the plant. I will fall into the Sumac relative camp, due to the compound foliage, terminal (nibbled upon) fruit clusters, and some obvious hairiness upon inspection of the one closeup image.