Quick answer: 48 deer-resistant native plants are native to California, 29 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
48 species
- Arroyo lupine Lupinus succulentus · 2 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 states
- Black sage Salvia mellifera · 1 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- California flannelbush Fremontodendron californicum · 3 states
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chaparral yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei · 2 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita · 1 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens · 5 states
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · 2 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Douglas iris Iris douglasiana · 3 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus · 1 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Hummingbird sage Salvia spathacea · 1 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia · 3 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Littleflower penstemon Penstemon procerus · 11 states
- Miniature lupine Lupinus bicolor · 4 states
- Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana · 9 states
- Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis · 6 states
- Nettleleaf giant hyssop Agastache urticifolia · 9 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Royal penstemon Penstemon speciosus · 6 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Silver lupine Lupinus albifrons · 1 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White sage Salvia apiana · 1 states
- Woollypod milkweed Asclepias eriocarpa · 1 states
Deer-resistant native plants in California: what to know
48 of the 131 plants native to California in this directory fit this need: 37% of the state's list, well above the 28% 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: 38 are also good for pollinators, 38 are also drought-tolerant, 22 are also good for birds.
43 of them grow in full or partial sun and 7 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arroyo lupine and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as Bearberry and California flannelbush. For wildlife, 38 support pollinators, 22 provide food or cover for birds and 4 are caterpillar host plants.
29 of the 48 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow: 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.
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun