Quick answer: 91 drought-tolerant native plants are native to California, 51 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
91 species
- Alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus · 15 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- 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
- Blue palo verde Parkinsonia florida · 3 states
- Blueblossom Ceanothus thyrsiflorus · 1 states
- Bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata · 16 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum · 2 states
- California coffeeberry Rhamnus californica · 1 states
- California flannelbush Fremontodendron californicum · 3 states
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chaparral yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei · 2 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita · 1 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coulter's Matilija poppy Romneya coulteri · 1 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 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
- Elegant clarkia Clarkia unguiculata · 1 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus · 1 states
- Globe gilia Gilia capitata · 5 states
- Golden currant Ribes aureum · 3 states
- Great Valley gumweed Grindelia camporum · 2 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 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
- Lewis' mock orange Philadelphus lewisii · 5 states
- Miniature lupine Lupinus bicolor · 4 states
- Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana · 9 states
- Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis · 6 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Oregon white oak Quercus garryana · 3 states
- Pacific aster Symphyotrichum chilense · 3 states
- Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii · 3 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa · 16 states
- Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra · 1 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Royal penstemon Penstemon speciosus · 6 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Seaside daisy Erigeron glaucus · 2 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Siskiyou lewisia Lewisia cotyledon · 2 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Snowbrush ceanothus Ceanothus velutinus · 10 states
- Sticky monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus · 2 states
- Sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum · 10 states
- Tall Oregon grape Mahonia aquifolium · 3 states
- Tidy tips Layia platyglossa · 3 states
- Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia · 1 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina · 3 states
- Western blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium bellum · 2 states
- Western redbud Cercis occidentalis · 4 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White sage Salvia apiana · 1 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Woollypod milkweed Asclepias eriocarpa · 1 states
Drought-tolerant native plants in California: what to know
91 of the 131 plants native to California in this directory fit this need: 69% 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 May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 69 are also good for pollinators, 38 are also deer-resistant, 35 are also good for birds.
82 of them grow in full or partial sun and 15 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arrowleaf balsamroot and Arroyo lupine to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and Bearberry. For wildlife, 69 support pollinators, 35 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
51 of the 91 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun