Sierra Vista Area Plant List

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The Sierra Vista Area Plant List, with common name, botanical name, and other plant information
Botanical Name Common Name Size Water Use Sun Exposure Native Plant?sort ascending Evergreen? Remarks
Phlox tenuifolia Desert Phlox 2' H & W Moderate Full sun, Partial shade Yes No

Perennial - Mounded white flowers
Garrya wrightii Silk Tassel 8' H 6'W None to little Full sun, Partial shade Yes Yes

Shrub - Flame resistant - Can be used as an informal hedge - Grown mainly for their pendulous male and female catkins
Baccharis sarothroides Desert Broom 5' H & W Little to moderate Full sun Yes Yes

Shrub - Purchase male plants only, females produce messy cottony seed clusters - Extremely drought tolerant and can take poor soil
Bouteloua curtipendula Side-oats Grama 1-2' H 2' W None to little Full sun Yes No

Warm season grass - Grows from seed or division - Use in borders or rock gardens
Celtis pallida Desert Hackberry 10' H & W Little to moderate Full sun, Partial shade Yes No

Deciduous Tree or Shrub - Flame resistant - Good choice for screen barrier or erosion control or near buildings
Cassia wislizenii Shrubby Senna 5-8'H 5-10-'W Little to moderate Full sun Yes No

Deciduous Shrub - Brilliant yellow flowers in late summer
Baileya multiradiata Desert Marigold 1.5' H & 1' W Little Full sun Yes Yes

Annual or Perennial - Flame resistant - Short-lived, but freely reseeds
Mammillaria spp. Pincushions 2 - 6" H None to little Partial shade Yes Yes

Some Cactus - Many species - Globe or cylindrical shape - Keep dry in winter to induce bloom - Many species
Chilopsis linearis Desert Willow 15-30'H 10-20'W Little to moderate Full sun Yes No

Deciduous Tree or Shrub - Flame resistant - Flowers spring to fall, producing trumpet-shaped blossoms that attract hummingbirds - Sterile varieties not messy - Usually multi-trunked - Thin growth to enhance picturesque shape
Prosopis pubescens Screwbean Mesquite 30' H & W Little Full sun Yes No

Deciduous Tree or Shrub - Seed pods tightly coiled in a spiral curl - Highly prized in dried arrangements
Sedum spp. Sedum, Stonecrop See remarks Little to moderate Full sun, Partial shade Yes Yes

Some Perennial - Flame resistant - Many species - Check nursery for sizes - Will not take foot traffic
Eysenhardtia orthocarpa Kidneywood 20' H 12' W None to little Full sun Yes No

Deciduous Tree or Shrub - Excellent Tree for small spaces - White vanilla scented flowers spring to summer
Quercus turbinella Desert Scrub Oak 10' H & W Little Full sun Yes Yes

Shrub - Water during dry spells - Can be trained as a small Tree
Asclepias linaria Pineleaf Milkweed 2' H 3' W Little Full sun Yes Yes

Shrub - Toxic, all parts of many Asclepias species are poisonous if ingested - Marginal - Needle-like leaves, 2" white-flower clusters bloom Mar - Dec.
Condalia lycioides, mexicana, spathulata Crucillo 8-' H - 10' W Little Full sun Yes Yes

Shrub - Impenetrable security barrier - Slow growing

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