Quick answer: 66 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Nevada, 39 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
66 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
- Aspen fleabane Erigeron speciosus · 7 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 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
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 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
- Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens · 5 states
- Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa · 4 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Great Valley gumweed Grindelia camporum · 2 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Lacy phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia · 3 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Mormon tea Ephedra viridis · 1 states
- Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana · 9 states
- Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis · 6 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa · 16 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
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Silvery lupine Lupinus argenteus · 2 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Snowbrush ceanothus Ceanothus velutinus · 10 states
- Sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum · 10 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis · 5 states
- Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale · 3 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Wax currant Ribes cereum · 2 states
- Western redbud Cercis occidentalis · 4 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
Drought-tolerant native plants in Nevada: what to know
66 of the 97 plants native to Nevada in this directory fit this need: 68% of the state's list, well above the 56% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 48 are also good for pollinators, 32 are also deer-resistant, 31 are also good for birds.
59 of them grow in full or partial sun and 14 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arrowleaf balsamroot and Aspen fleabane to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and Bearberry. For wildlife, 48 support pollinators, 31 provide food or cover for birds and 12 are caterpillar host plants.
39 of the 66 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Common yarrow, Indian blanket: 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
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Jun