These are some of the most widely used, and widely available desert plants in the Phoenix area.
TREES
| *Acacia smallii |
sweet acacia |
| Acacia stenophylla |
shoe string acacia |
| Acacia willardiana |
palo blanco |
| *Celtis pallida |
desert hackberry |
| *Cercidium floridum |
blue palo verde |
| *Cercidium microphyllum |
little-leaf palo verde |
| Cercidium praecox |
palo brea |
| *Chilopsis linearis |
desert willow |
| *Lysiloma thornberi |
fern-of-the-desert |
| *Olneya tesota |
ironwood |
| Pithecellobium flexicaule |
Texas ebony |
| Prosopis sp. |
South American mesquite |
| *Prosopis velutina |
honey mesquite |
PERENNIALS AND SHRUBS
| *Atriplex lentiformis |
quail bush |
| Caesalpinia gilliesii |
yellow bird of paradise |
| Caesalpinia pulcherrima |
red bird of paradise |
| Calliandra californica |
Baja fairyduster |
| *Calliandra eriophylla |
fairyduster |
| *Cordia parvifolia |
little-leaf cordia |
| Dalea pulchra |
bush dalea |
| *Dodonaea viscosa |
hopbush |
| *Encelia farinosa |
brittlebush |
| *Fouquieria splendens |
ocotillo |
| *Justicia californica |
chuparosa |
| Justicia ovata |
red firecracker |
| *Larrea tridentata |
creosote |
| Leucophyllum spp. |
Texas ranger |
Salvia greggii
|
autumn sage |
| Sophora secundiflora |
Texas mountain laurel |
| *Tecoma stans |
Arizona yellow bells |
| *Vauquelinia californica |
Arizona rosewood |
GROUNDCOVERS
| *Dalea greggii |
trailing smoke bush |
| Lantana montevidensis |
trailing lantana
|
| Oenothera speciosa |
Mexican primrose |
| Verbena peruviana |
|
| Verbena tenera |
|
| (V. pulchella) |
|
VINES
| Antigonon leptopus |
queen's wreath |
| Mascagnia macroptera |
yellow orchid vine |
PERENNIAL WILDFLOWERS
| *Baileya multiradiata |
desert marigold |
| *Melampodium leucanthum |
blackfoot daisy
|
| *Penstemon parryi |
beardtongue |
| *Penstemon eatoni |
beardtongue
|
| Sphaeralcea ambigua |
globe mallow |
SUCCULENTS
| *Agave murpheyi |
|
| Agave vilmoriniana |
octopus agave |
| Aloe vera |
aloe vera |
| *Carnegeia gigantea |
saguaro |
| *Dasylirion wheeleri |
desert spoon |
| *Echinocereus engelmannii |
hedgehog cactus |
| *Ferocactus spp. |
barrel cactus |
| Hesperaloe parviflora |
red yucca |
| *Nolina microcarpa |
beargrass |
| *Opuntia basilaris |
beavertail prickly pear |
| Opuntia engelmannii |
prickly pear |
| *Opuntia santa-rita |
purple prickly pear |
| Portulacaria afra |
elephant food |
| *Yucca baccata |
banana yucca |
| *Yucca elata |
soaptree yucca |
*indicates an Arizona native
