Quick answer: 106 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Arizona, 64 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
106 species
- Alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus · 15 states
- American century plant Agave americana · 2 states
- Anderson wolfberry Lycium andersonii · 1 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Antelope-horns milkweed Asclepias asperula · 2 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Arizona rosewood Vauquelinia californica · 1 states
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- Arroyo lupine Lupinus succulentus · 2 states
- Aspen fleabane Erigeron speciosus · 7 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Beavertail prickly pear Opuntia basilaris · 1 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue palo verde Parkinsonia florida · 3 states
- Bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata · 16 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum · 2 states
- California flannelbush Fremontodendron californicum · 3 states
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Candy barrel cactus (fishhook barrel) Ferocactus wislizeni · 1 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chaparral yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei · 2 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Chuparosa Justicia californica · 1 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri · 3 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deerbrush Ceanothus integerrimus · 5 states
- Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens · 5 states
- Desert bluebells Phacelia campanularia · 2 states
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · 2 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa · 4 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Engelmann's hedgehog cactus Echinocereus engelmannii · 1 states
- Fairy duster Calliandra eriophylla · 1 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Garrett's firechalice Zauschneria garrettii · 4 states
- Globe gilia Gilia capitata · 5 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis · 2 states
- Lacy phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia · 3 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Miniature lupine Lupinus bicolor · 4 states
- New Mexico locust Robinia neomexicana · 2 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens · 3 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Parry's agave Agave parryi · 2 states
- Parry's penstemon Penstemon parryi · 1 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Pineleaf penstemon Penstemon pinifolius · 2 states
- Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa · 16 states
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea · 18 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red barberry Mahonia haematocarpa · 1 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain penstemon Penstemon strictus · 5 states
- Rocky Mountain zinnia Zinnia grandiflora · 6 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Saguaro Carnegiea gigantea · 1 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum · 10 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tidy tips Layia platyglossa · 3 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis · 5 states
- Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale · 3 states
- Velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina · 3 states
- Western redbud Cercis occidentalis · 4 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
- Yellow bells (esperanza) Tecoma stans · 3 states
Drought-tolerant native plants in Arizona: what to know
106 of the 127 plants native to Arizona in this directory fit this need: 83% of the state's list, well above the 56% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through December, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 86 are also good for pollinators, 52 are also deer-resistant, 49 are also good for birds.
92 of them grow in full or partial sun and 22 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Antelope-horns milkweed and Arrowleaf balsamroot to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and Arizona rosewood. For wildlife, 86 support pollinators, 49 provide food or cover for birds and 21 are caterpillar host plants.
64 of the 106 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Common yarrow, Harebell: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec