Quick answer: 95 native plants for pollinators are native to California, 57 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
95 species
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- Arroyo lupine Lupinus succulentus · 2 states
- Baby blue eyes Nemophila menziesii · 3 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum · 3 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
- 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
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chaparral yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei · 2 states
- Chinese houses Collinsia heterophylla · 1 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia · 1 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita · 1 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Crevice alumroot Heuchera micrantha · 4 states
- Deerbrush Ceanothus integerrimus · 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
- Farewell-to-spring Clarkia amoena · 4 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus · 1 states
- Giant red paintbrush Castilleja miniata · 13 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
- Henderson's shooting star Dodecatheon hendersonii · 3 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Hummingbird sage Salvia spathacea · 1 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Lacy phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia · 3 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Lewis' mock orange Philadelphus lewisii · 5 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
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Pacific aster Symphyotrichum chilense · 3 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red-flowering currant Ribes sanguineum · 4 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 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
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia · 14 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seaside daisy Erigeron glaucus · 2 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Silver lupine Lupinus albifrons · 1 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
- Tidy tips Layia platyglossa · 3 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina · 3 states
- Vine maple Acer circinatum · 3 states
- Western azalea Rhododendron occidentale · 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
Native plants for pollinators in California: what to know
95 of the 131 plants native to California in this directory fit this need: 73% of the state's list, close to the 72% 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 drought-tolerant, 43 are also good for birds, 38 are also deer-resistant.
80 of them grow in full or partial sun and 21 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 Bearberry and Bigleaf maple. For wildlife, 95 support pollinators, 43 provide food or cover for birds and 15 are caterpillar host plants.
57 of the 95 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
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct