Native Plant List – Arizona & New Mexico
This is a "starter" list of native plants for Arizona and New Mexico. It is intended for residential or commercial landscapers who want to create attractive and varied native landscapes.
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Arizona and New Mexico Trees
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sun | Moisture | Height | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitethorn Acacia | Acacia constricta | F | D | 10' | Caliche okay. White blossoms. |
| Sweet Acacia | Acacia farnesiana | F | D | 15' | Yellow fragrant blossoms. Fast grower. |
| Desert Willow | Chilopsis linearis | F | D | 20' | Pink or purple flowers attract hummingbirds. Deciduous. |
| Arizona Cyprus | Cupressus arizonica | F | A | 70' | Drought and heat tolerant. Soft, grey-green foliage. |
| Gregg Ash | Fraxinus greggii | F-P | A-D | 15' | Good food for wildlife. |
| Fantex Ash | Fraxinus velutina | F | A | 40' | Lush look. Holds dense canopy. |
| Arizona Walnut | Juglans major | F | A-W | 40-50' | Male & female flowers on same tree. Deciduous. |
| Ironwood | Olneya tesota | F | D | 25' | Protect from extended frost. Slow grower. |
| Emory Oak | Quercus emoryi | P | D-A | 66' | Acorns are food for many mammals and birds. |
Arizona and New Mexico Shrubs
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sun | Moisture | Height | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Acacia | Acacia angustissima | F-P | A | 4' | Generally thornless. White blossoms. |
| False Indigo Bush | Amorpha fruticosa | F | A | 6-10' | Erosion control. Wildlife food and cover. |
| Desert Honeysuckle | Anisacanthus thurberi | F | D | 4' | Red flowers and brown seeds. |
| Sand Sagebrush | Artemisia filifolia | F | D | 4' | Evergreen. Provides ground cover for wildlife. |
| Four-Wing Saltbush | Atriplex canescens | F | D | 5' | Great for birds. Good for erosion control. |
| Quail Brush | Atriplex lentiformis | F | D | 8' | Great for birds. Hedges. Deciduous. |
| Fairy Duster | Calliandra eriophylla | F | D | 3' | Pink, fluffy ball-shaped blossoms. Evergreen. |
| Desert Hackberry | Celtis pallida | F | D | 8' | Great for wildlife. Hedges. Spiny. Erosion control. |
| Mountain Mahogany | Cercocarpus montanus | F-P | D | 16' | White/pink blossoms. Evergreen. |
| Fern Bush | Chamaebatiaria millefolium | F-P | A-D | 5' | Attracts butterflies. Semi-evergreen. White blossoms. |
| Western White Clematis | Clematis ligusticifolia | P | A | 15' | White blossoms. Tolerates many soils. |
| Ragged Rock Flower | Crossosoma bigelovii | F | D | 4' | Fragrant flowers. |
| Feather Dalea | Dalea formosa | F | D | 2' | Good for low border or groundcover. |
| Mormon Tea | Ephedra nevadensis | F | D | 3' | Slow growth. Inconspicuous yellow flowers. |
| Joint Fir | Ephedra trifurca | F | D | 6' | Male plants produce yellow flowers in spring. |
| Turpentine Bush | Ericameria laricifolia | F | D | 2' | Yellow clusters of blossoms in fall. |
| Flat-topped Buckwheat | Eriogonum fasciculatum v. poliofolium | F | D | 1.5' | Tortoises like it. White blossoms in spring. |
| SW Coral Bean | Erithrina flabelliformis | F | D | to 10' | Poisonous scarlet beans. |
| Apache Plume | Fallugia paradoxa | F | A-D | 6' | Hedge plant. Fuzzy fruit. |
| Desert Olive | Forestiera neomexicana | F | D | 12' | Fruit great for wildlife. |
| Ocotillo | Fouquiera splendens | F | D | 12' | Vulnerable to overwatering. |
| Desert Rose-mallow | Hibiscus coulteri | F | D | 3' | Nice blossoms. Grows well under larger shrubs. |
| Rock Hibiscus | Hibiscus denudatus | F | D | 2' | Lavender flowers. |
| Creosote Bush | Larrea tridentate | F | D | 6' | Slow growing. |
| Desert Wolfberry | Lycium andersonii | F | D | 6' | Red berries. Great for wildlife. |
| Mariola | Parthenium incanum | F | D | 2' | Evergreen. White blossoms. Tough. |
| Hoary Rosmarymint | Poliomintha incana | F | D | 4' | Excellent fragrance. |
| Honey Mesquite | Prosopis glandulosa | F | D | 25' | Great for shade and wildlife. |
| Scrub Oak | Quercus turbinella | P | D | 8' | Evergreen. |
| Littleleaf Sumac | Rhus microphylla | F-P | D | 8' | Fruit great for wildlife. Deciduous. Can be hedge. |
| Sugar Sumac | Rhus ovata | F-P | D | 10' | Evergreen. More water/shade needed at lower elevations. |
| New Mexico Locust | Robinia neomexicana Vaquelina californica | F | D | to 15' | Pink blossoms. Seeds may be poisonous. |
| Arizona Rosewood | Vaquelina californica | F | D | 14' | Evergreen. |
Arizona and New Mexico Perennials
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sun | Moisture | Height | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Agave | Agave deserti | F | D | 1.5' | Forms colonies to 10' diameter. Yellow flowers. |
| Palmer Agave | Agave palmeri | F-P | D | 3' | Flowers to 15' stalk. Hillsides and oak woodland. |
| Parry's Agave | Agave parryi | P | D | 2' | One of the most cold-hardy agave plants. |
| Antelope Horns | Asclepias asperula | F-P | D-A | 8-24" | Clustered pale flowers. Seed pods curve, look like horns. |
| Purple Aster | Aster bigelovii | F | D | 2.5' | Lavender blossoms. Reseeds prolifically. |
| Desert Bahia | Bahia absinthifolia | F | D | 1' | Yellow blossoms. |
| Desert Spoon | Dasylirion wheeleri | F-P | D | 4' | Slow growth. |
| Showy Fleabane | Erigeron speciosus | S | A | 1.5' | Semi-evergreen. |
| Wright Buckwheat | Eriogonum wrightii | F | D | 1.5' | Blooms July - October. |
| Butterfly Mist | Eupatorium greggii | F-P | A | 1.5' | Attracts butterflies. |
| Snakeweed | Guttierrizia sarothrae | F | D | 1.5' | Good groundcover. Yellow blossoms. Tough plant. |
| Camphorweed | Heterotheca subaxillaris | F | D | 5' | Yellow/orange blossoms. Grows well in disturbed areas. |
| Blue Flax | Linum lewisii | F | D | 2' | Vase-shaped with light blue blossoms. |
| Snapdragon-vine | Maurandya antirrhiniflora | F-P | D | 10' | Beautiful blossoming vine. Does well in hanging baskets. |
| Blackfoot Daisy | Melampodium leucanthum | F-P | D | 8" | Attractive to bees, butterflies, birds. Resistant to deer. |
| Bigelow Nolina | Nolina bigelovii | F | D | 8' | Requires well-drained soils. |
| Tufted Evening Primrose | Oenothera caespitosa | F | A | 1' | Showy flower. |
| Penstemon | Penstemon spp. | F | A | to 3' | Wide variety of flower colors. Attract bees, hummingbirds. |
| Violet Ruellia | Ruellia nudiflora | S | A | 1' | Long, tubular, funnel-shaped flowers. |
| Lindheimer Senna | Senna lindheimeriana | F-P | D | 5' | Yellow flowers, soft green leaves. Resistant to deer. |
| Goldenrod | Solidago Sparsiflora | P | D | 6' | Yellow blossoms. |
| Globe Mallow | Spharalcea ambigua | F | D | 3' | Short-lived, reseeds. |
| Banana Yucca | Yucca baccata | F | D | 4' | Very tough plant. |
| Soaptree Yucca | Yucca elata | F | D | 15' | NM state flower. Light shade ok. Don't cut dead leaves. |
| Prairie Zinnia | Zinnia grandiflora | F | D | 6" | Yellow blossoms. |
Arizona and New Mexico Grasses
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Sun | Moisture | Height | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Beard Grass | Andropogon saccharoides | F-P | D | 2' | Attractive to wildlife. Self-seeds freely. |
| Purple Threeawn | Aristida purpurea | P | D | 1' | Purplish-hued bunchgrass. Good fill-in grass. |
| Sideoats Grama | Bouteloua curtipendula | F-P | D | 2' | Reseeds easily. High forage value. |
| Blue Grama | Bouteloua gracilis | F-P | D | 1.5' | Good erosion control. Great for tortoises. |
| Hairy Grama | Bouteloua hirsuta | F-P | D | 2' | Does well at lower elevations. |
| Slender Hairgrass | Deschampsia elongata | P | A | 2.5' | Blossoms in fall. |
| Arizona Cottontop | Digitaria californica | F | D | 3' | Blooms late summer to fall. Tortoise grass. |
| Salt Grass | Distichlis stricta | F | A | 1' | Salt tolerant. Good greywater plant. |
| Bottlebrush Squirreltail | Elymus elymoides | P | A | 1.5' | Requires more water & shade a lower elevations. |
| Brittlebrush | Encelia farinose | F | D | 3' | Yellow flowers. Vulnerable to overwatering. |
| Arizona Fescue | Festuca arizonica | F-P | D | 2-4' | Fine blades. High forage value. |
| Curly Mesquite | Hilaria belangeri | F | D | 6" | Short sod grass. Prefers loamy soils. |
| June Grass | Koeleria micrantha | P | A | 1' | High forage value. Larger at higher elevations. |
| Bush-muhly | Muhlenbergia porteri | F | L | 3' | Purplish. High forage value. Great for tortoises. |
| Beargrass | Nolina microcarpa | F-P | D | 5' | Handsome flowering clumps. |
| Vine Mesquite | Panicum obtusum | F-P | A-D | 1' | Low, spreading grass. |
| Switchgrass | Panicum virgatum | F-P | A | 3-5' | Large bunchgrass. |
| Indian Grass | Sorghastrum nutens | P | A | 3' | Large bunchgrass. |
| Alkali Sacaton | Sporobolus airoides | F | D | 2' | Small bunchgrass. |
| Sand Dropseed | Sporobolus cryptandrus | F | D | 2-5' | Prefers well-drained soil. |
| Sun Exposure | Soil Moisture | Drought Tolerance |
|---|---|---|
| F = Full Sun | W = Wet | E = Excellent |
| P = Part Sun | A = Average | G = Good |
| S = Shade | D = Dry | M = Moderate |
| P = Poor |
