Notes: Click on the column headings to sort the table. The first click sorts the column into ascending order; the second click sorts in reverse order.
Common names link to external pages with pictures and further descriptions of plants. Links are to non-commercial sites only. Additional information about a plant may be available from the results of a general Web search. Plant and seed vendors want you to succeed in growing their plants as much as you do and often offer excellent advice for selecting and growing plants.
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Size | Water | Sun | Native? | Evergreen? | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achnatherum hymenoides | Indian Rice grass | 1-2' H & W | No to little water | Full sun | Cool season grass - Leaves green in cool weather, golden brown in summer heat - Useful plant in desert landscapes | ||
| Agave americana | Century Plant | 6' H 10' W | No to little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Succulent - Variegated varieties available - Be sure you want a large plant before you buy it | |
| Agave lechuguilla | Lechuguilla | 10-20"H 8"W | No to little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Succulent - Note small size - Colonizes | |
| Agave palmeri | Palmer's Agave | 3-4' H & W | No to little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Yes | Succulent - The most common agave found in the grasslands in this area |
| Agave parryi | Parry's Agave | 2-3' W | No to little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Yes | Succulent - 2 - 3' rosettes - Several varieties available |
| Agave parryi var. huachucensis | Huachuca Agave | 2 - 3' W | No to little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Yes | Succulent - Common in the Huachuca Mountains |
| Agave parviflora | Agave Parviflora | 6"H 8"W | No to little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Succulent - Petite plants ideal for pots or small patio areas | |
| Agave scabra | Rough-leaved Agave | 4' H & W | No to little water | Full sun | Yes | Succulent - Wide gray-green leaves rough on the back | |
| Agave utahensis | Agave Utah | 1'H 2'W | No to little water | Full sun | Yes | Succulent - This species highly variable in form, size, and color - Often forms large clumps | |
| Agave victoriae reginae | Agave Victoria | Clumps 1' W | No to little water | Full sun//partial shade | Yes | Succulent - Slow growing, can stand in ground or pot 20 years before flowering, and then die | |
| Aristida purpurea | Purple Three-Awn | 12 - 24"H 1' W | No to little water | Full sun | Yes | Warm and cool season grass - Purple-tinted stems and flowers | |
| Bothriochloa barbinodis | Cane Beardgrass | 3'H 1.5'W | No to little water | Full sun/partial shade | Warm season grass - Can be scattered throughout a desert landscape | ||
| Bouteloua curtipendula | Side-oats Grama | 1-2' H 2' W | No to little water | Full sun | Yes | Warm season grass - Grows from seed or division - Use in borders or rock gardens | |
| Bouteloua gracilis | Blue Grama Grass | 1.5' H 1' W | Little water | Full sun | Yes | Warm season turf and pasture grass - If used as turf it is not low water use | |
| Digitaria californica | Arizona Cottontop | 2'H 1'W | No to little water | Full sun | Yes | Warm season grass - Lovely silvery seedheads | |
| EchinoCactus grusonii | Golden Barrel Cactus | 3' H 2' W | No water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Cactus - Marginal - Best known barrel - Combines well with other cacti and Succulents | |
| Echinocereus pectinatus varieties | Arizona or Texas Rainbow Hedgehog | 1' H | No water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Yes | Some Cactus - Alternating reddish and pale yellow horizontal bands on stem |
| Echinocereus triglochidiatus | Claret Cup | 6"H | No water | Full sun | Yes | Yes | Cactus - One of nearly 50 hedgehogs - Showy red flowers - Forms clumps |
| Elytrigia elongata 'Jose Select' | Jose Select Tall Wheatgrass | 4-5'H 1.5"W | Moderate water | Full sun | Warm season grass - Grows in any soil including highly alkaline clay | ||
| FeroCactus wislizenii | Fishhook Barrel Cactus | 10' H 3' W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Yes | Cactus - Yellow or yellow-edged flowers in fall - Hooked spines like fishhooks |
| Mammillaria spp. | Pincushions | 2 - 6" H | No to little water | Partial shade | Yes | Yes | Some Cactus - Many species - Globe or cylindrical shape - Keep dry in winter to induce bloom - Many species |
| Muhlenbergia capellensis | Regal Mist | 3' H & W | Little water | Full sun | Warm season grass - Spectacular dusky pink in the fall | ||
| Muhlenbergia capillaris | Pink Muhly | 3'H - 6'W | Little water | Full sun/partial shade | Warm season grass - Very drought tolerant, looks better and gets bigger if given some water | ||
| Muhlenbergia emersleyi | Bull Grass | 1.5'H 3-4'W | Little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Warm season grass - Feathery spikes are purplish to reddish, fading to cream with age | |
| Muhlenbergia spp. | Muhly/Deer Grass | Size varies | Little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Yes | Some native in mild winters - Warm season grass |
| Nassella tenuissima | Mexican Feather Grass/Needle Grass | 2'H 2-3'W | Little water | Full sun | Warm season grass - Among finest textured and most billowy looking of all grasses - Can be invasive | ||
| Opuntia basilaris | Beavertail Cactus | 1' H 4' W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Cactus - Purplish pads - Very common in Arizona landscapes | |
| Opuntia bigelovii | Teddybear Cholla | 3-6' H 3' W | Little water | Full sun | Yes | Cactus - Marginal - Beautiful, but treacherous | |
| Opuntia echinocarpa | Silver Cholla | 3' H & W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Cactus - Spines not sharply barbed | |
| Opuntia ellisiana | Tiger Tongue | 4'H 6'W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Cactus - Spineless small pads - Tidy prickly pear | |
| Opuntia englemannii | Engleman's Prickly Pear | 4' H 10' W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Yes | Cactus - Most common prickly pear in Arizona |
| Opuntia imbricata | Tree Cholla | 6- 8 'H 10'W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Cactus - Deep pink flowers followed by green fruit - Shrubby when young, then treelike | |
| Opuntia leptocaulis | Desert Christmas Cactus | 2 - 3' H & W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Cactus - Thin stems with bright red fruit | |
| Opuntia macrocentra | Purple Prickly Pear | 4'H 6'W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Yes | Cactus - Spines are half white and half dark - 'Tubac' is said to hold purple color throughtout year |
| Opuntia santa-rita | Santa Rita Prickly Pear | 4'H 6'W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Yes | Cactus - The purple coloration of this prickly pear becomes more pronounced with drought or cold weather |
| Opuntia spinosior | Cane Cholla | 8' H 4' W | Little water | Full sun | Yes | Yes | Cactus - Favored nesting plant by Cactus wrens and thrashers - Magenta flowers, yellow fruit |
| Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Sky' | Prairie Sky | 4 - 5'H 2'W | Moderate water | Full sun | Warm season grass - Tight growing upright columns of sky blue foliage | ||
| Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' | Purple Fountain Grass | 5' H & W | Little water | Full sun/partial shade | Warm season grass - This attractive pennisetum variety usually does not self-sow - The green variety is invasive | ||
| Sporobolus airoides | Alkali Sacaton | 3' H & W | Little to moderate water | Full sun | Yes | Native - Warm season grass - Showy five foot tall, arching flower plumes in summer | |
| Sporobulos wrightii | Big Sacaton | 4-5'H & W | Little to moderate water | Full sun | Yes | Warm season grass - Arching blue-green leaves form a clump 3-4' high and wide. Feathery golden yellow seedheads nearly double the plants height in late summer to early fall | |
| Yucca baccata | Banana Yucca | 3' H 5' W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Yes | Succulent, tree or shrub - Flame resistant - Fruits look like short green bananas - Keep pointed leaves away from walkways, patios,or play areas. |
| Yucca elata | Soaptree Yucca | 6-20'H 8-10'W | No water | Full sun | Yes | Yes | Succulent tree or shrub - Flame resistant - Slow grower - 2' flowers on 3' Annual spikes - Very common in grasslands |
| Yucca glauca | Plain Soapweed | 3-4' H & W | No to little water | Full sun | Yes | Succulent - In the summer green-white flowers are borne on narrow spikes 4' above foliage | |
| Yucca rigida | Blue Yucca | 12' H 5' W | No to little water | Full sun | Yes | Succulent tree or shrub - Marginal - Dense spikes appear in spring or early summer | |
| Yucca rostrata | Beaked Yucca | 12' H 9' W | No to little water | Full sun | Yes | Succulent - Treelike - Trunk covered with soft gray fuzz - Showy spikes of creamy white flowers | |
| Yucca schottii | Mountain Yucca | 6-15' H 3-4'W | No to little water | Full sun/partial shade | Yes | Yes | Succulent - Clusters of white flowers from spring to midsummer |