Texas prairie dawn was first discovered in 1891 by F. W. Thurow, describing the species as "rare in the sandy soils in Houston, Harris County, probably extinct".  Because the plants’ suitable habitat is limited to a very small geographic area, it was not encountered by botanists for 100 years and was thought to be extinct.  In March 1981, James W. Kessler, (Texas A&M University), began searching for Hymenoxys texana in the same area that Thurow searched and rediscovered three small populations growing in shallow wet depressions.  These were the first collections since the discovery of the species in 1891. 

    Hymenoxys texana was placed on the Federal Endangered Species List on March 13, 1986 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today, much of Texas prairie dawn’s habitat is protected on public lands administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.