Arid Plant List an illustrated guide to common landscape plants used in and around the Tucson area

Compiled by the Master Gardeners of the University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension.

listed alphabetically by common name (switch to list alphabetized by botanical name)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
common name	Botanical name	family
A
Afghan pine	Pinus eldarica	Pinaceae
African aloe	Aloe saponaria	Liliaceae
African daisy	Dimorphotheca aurantiaca	Asteraceae
African sumac	Rhus lancea	Anacardiaceae
Aleppo pine	Pinus halepensis	Pinaceae
Algerian ivy	Hedera canariensis	Araliaceae
Aloe vera, medicinal aloe	Aloe barbadensis	Liliaceae
American planetree	Platanus occidentalis	Platanaceae
American sycamore	see American planetree
Anaqua	see Sandpaper tree
Arborvitae	see Oriental arborvitae
Argentine mesquite	Prosopis alba	Fabaceae
Arizona ash	Fraxinus velutina	Oleaceae
Arizona Canyon grape	Vitis_arizonica	Vitaceae
Arizona cypress	Cupressus arizonica	Cupressaceae
Arizona mesquite	see Velvet mesquite
Arizona rosewood	Vauquelinia californica	Rosaceae
Asparagus fern	Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri'	Liliaceae
Autumn sage	Salvia greggii	Lamiaceae

B
Baja desert thorn	see Wolfberry
Baja fairy duster	Calliandra californica	Fabaceae
Baja reullia	see Desert reullia
Banks rose	see Tombstone rose
Banana yucca	Yucca baccata	Agavaceae
Bear grass	Nolina microcarpa	Agavaceae
Black dalea	Dalea frutescens	Fabaceae
Bladderpod	Cleome isomeris	Capparaceae
Blanket flower	Gaillardia grandiflora	Asteraceae
Blue chihuahuan sage	Salvia chamaedryoides	Lamiaceae
Blue leaf wattle	Acacia saligna	Fabaceae
Blue mist	see Butterfly mist
Blue palo verde	Cercidium floridum	Fabaceae
Blue Texas ranger	see Chihuahuan rain sage
Blue yucca	Yucca rigida	Agavaceae
Boojum  New Photos	Fouquieria columnaris	Fouquieriaceae
Bottle tree	Brachychiton populneus	Sterculiaceae
Bougainvillea  New Photos	Bougainvillea glabra	Nyctaginaceae
Boxwood	Buxus microphylla japonica	Buxaceae
Brittle bush	Encelia farinosa	Asteraceae
Buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum	Polygonaceae
Buffalo grass	Buchloe_dactyloides	Gramineae
Bulbine	Bulbine frutescens	Liliaceae
Bunny ears	Opuntia microdasys	Cactaceae
Bush dalea	Dalea pulchra	Fabaceae
Bush lantana	Lantana camara	Verbenaceae
Butterfly mist	Ageratum corymbosum	Asteraceae

C	top
California buckwheat	see Buckwheat
California fan palm	Washingtonia filifera	Palmae
California pepper tree	Schinus molle	Anacardiaceae
Canary island broom	see Sweet broom
Canary Island date palm	Phoenix canariensis	Palmae
Canary Island pine	Pinus canariensis	Pinaceae
Cape honeysuckle	Tecomaria capensis	Bignoniaceae
Cat-claw acacia	Acacia greggii	Fabaceae
Catclaw vine	Macfadyena unguis-cati	Bignoniaceae
Cat's claw ivy	see Catclaw vine
Cenizo	see Silver leaf ranger
Century plant	Agave americana	Agavaceae
Chaparral sage	see Cleveland sage
Chaste tree	see Monk's pepper
Chihuahuan orchid shrub	Bauhinia lunarioides	Fabaceae
Chihuahuan rain sage	Leucophyllum laevigatum	Scrophulariaceae
Chilean mesquite	Prosopis chilensis	Fabaceae
Chinaberry	Melia azedarach	Meliaceae
Chinese mastic tree	see Chinese pistache
Chinese pistache	Pistacia chinensis	Anacardiaceae
Chocolate flower	Berlandiera lyrata	Asteraceae
Chuparosa	Justicia californica	Acanthaceae
Cleveland sage	Salvia clevelandii	Lamiaceae
Common Myrtle	see True myrtle
Common ruellia	Ruellia brittoniana	Acanthaceae
Common trumpet creeper	Campsis radicans	Bignoniaceae
Coral vine	see Queen's wreath
Cow's tongue prickly pear	Opuntia lindheimeri	Cactaceae
Crape myrtle	Lagerstroemia indica	Lythraceae
Creeping fig	Ficus pumila	Moraceae
Creosote bush	Larrea tridentata	Zygophyllaceae
Cross vine	Bignonia capreolata	Bignoniaceae

D	top
Date palm	Phoenix dactylifera	Palmae
Deer grass	Muhlenbergia rigens	Poaceae
Desert hackberry	Celtis pallida	Ulmaceae
Desert ironwood	Olneya tesota	Fabaceae
Desert marigold	Baileya multiradiata	Asteraceae
Desert Milkweed	Asclepias subulata	Asclepidaceae
Desert mock orange	see Rhyolite bush
Desert Museum palo verde	Parkinsonia aculeata hybrid	Fabaceae
Desert penstemon	see Parry's penstemon
Desert ruellia	Ruellia peninsularis	Acanthaceae
Desert spoon	Dasylirion wheeleri	Agavaceae
Desert thorn	see Wolfberry
Desert willow	Chilopsis linearis	Bignoniaceae
Dogweed	see Golden dyssodia
Damianita daisy	Chrysactinia mexicana	Asteraceae
E
Edible fig	Ficus carica	Moraceae
Engelmann's prickly pear	Opuntia engelmannii	Cactaceae
Evergreen pear	Pyrus kawakamii	Rosaceae
Emu bush	Eremophila decipiens	Myoporaceae
Evergreen pistache	Pistacia lentiscus	Anacardiaceae

F
False mesquite	see Native fairy duster
Fan-tex ash	Fraxinus velutina 'Fan-tex'	Oleaceae
Faxon yucca	Yucca faxoniana	Agavaceae
Feathery cassia	Cassia artemisioides	Fabaceae
Feathery senna	see Feathery cassia
Fig	see Edible fig
Fineleaf verbena	see Moss verbena
Fishhook barrel cactus	Ferocactus wislizenii	Cactaceae
Firecracker bush	see Mexican honeysuckle
Flooded gum	Eucalyptus rudis	Myrtaceae
Foothills palo verde	Cercidium microphyllum	Fabaceae
Fortnight lily	Moraea bicolor	Iridaceae
Fountain grass	see Purple fountain grass
Fragrant cloud	see Sierra bouquet
Fragrant rain sage	see Sierra bouquet
Fremont cottonwood	see Western cottonwood
Frogfruit	Lippia nodiflora	Verbenaceae
G	top
Germander	Teucrium chamaedrys	Labiatae
Globe mallow	Sphaeralcea ambigua	Malvaceae
Glossy abelia	Abelia grandiflora	Caprifoliaceae
Glossy privet	Ligustrum lucidum	Oleaceae
Goat nut	see Jojoba
Golden barrel	Echinocactus grusonii	Cactaceae
Golden dyssodia	Dyssodia pentachaeta	Asteraceae
Goodding verbena	Verbena gooddingii	Verbenaceae
Gopher plant	Euphorbia rigida	Euphorbiaceae
Greg ash	Fraxinus greggii	Oleaceae

H
Heavenly bamboo	Nandina domestica	Berberidaceae
Hollywood juniper	see Hollywood twisted juniper
Hollywood twisted juniper	Juniperus chinensis 'Torulosa'	Cupressaceae
Honey locust	Gleditsia triacanthos	Fabaceae
Honey mesquite	Prosopis glandulosa	Fabaceae
Hop bush	see Hopseed bush
Hopseed bush	Dodonaea viscosa	Sapindaceae
I
Indian fig	Opuntia ficus-indica	Cactaceae
Indian teakwood	see Sissoo
Italian cypress	Cupressus sempervirens	Cupressaceae
J
Jacaranda	Jacaranda mimosifolia	Bignoniaceae
Japanese mock orange	see Mock orange
Japanese privet	see Waxy privet
Japanese yew	Podocarpus macrophyllus	Podocarpaceae
Jojoba	Simmondsia chinensis	Simmondaceae
Juniper	Juniperus sabina	Cupressaceae
K
Karroo thorn acacia	Acacia Karroo	Fabaceae
Knife acacia	Acacia cultiformis	Fabaceae

L	top
Lady Banks rose	see Tombstone rose
Lantana	see Bush lantana or            Trailing lantana
Laurel-leaf cocculus	Cocculus laurifolius	Menispermaceae
Leather leaf acacia	Acacia craspedocarpa	Fabaceae
Little leaf cordia	Cordia parvifolia	Boraginaceae
Little leaf palo verde	see Foothills palo verde
Little leaf sumac	Rhus microphylla	Anacardiaceae
Lucky Nut	see Yellow oleander

M
Mastic tree	see Evergreen pistache
Medicinal aloe	see Aloe vera
Mediterranean fan palm	Chamaerops humilis	Palmae
Mexican barrio ruellia	see Common ruellia
Mexican bird of paradise	Caesalpinia mexicana	Fabaceae
Mexican blue palm	Brahea armata	Arecacea
Mexican bush sage	Salvia leucantha	Lamiaceae
Mexican ebony	Pithecellobium mexicanum	Fabaceae
Mexican evening primrose	Oenothera berlandieri	Onagraceae
Mexican fan palm	Washingtonia robusta	Palmae
Mexican honeysuckle	Justicia spicigera	Acanthaceae
Mexican palo verde	Parkinsonia aculeata	Fabaceae
Mexican sunflower	Tithonia fruticosa	Asteraceae
Mock orange	Pittosporum tobria	Pittosporaceae
Monk's pepper	Vitex agnus-castus	Verbenaceae
Moss verbena	Verbena tenuisecta (pulchella)	Verbenaceae
Mountain marigold	see Mount Lemmon marigold
Mount Atlas pistache	Pistacia atlantica	Anacardiaceae
Mount Lemmon marigold	Tagetes lemmonii	Asteraceae
Mulga tree	Acacia aneura	Fabaceae

N	top
Native bird	see Yellow bird of Paradise
Native fairy duster	Calliandra eriophylla	Fabaceae
Native mesquite	see Velvet mesquite
Netleaf hackberry	Celtis reticulata	Ulmaceae
O
Ocotillo	Fouquieria splendens	Fouquieriaceae
Octopus agave	Agave vilmoriniana	Agavaceae
Oleander	Nerium oleander	Apocynaceae
Olive tree	Olea europaea	Oleaceae
Oriental arborvitae	Platycladus orientalis	Cupressaceae
Organ pipe cactus	Stenocereus thurberi	Cactaceae
Owl's clover	Castilleja exserta	Scrophulariaceae

P
Palo blanco	Acacia willardiana	Fabaceae
Paper flower	Psilostrophe cooperi	Helenieae
Parry's agave	Agave parryi huachucensis	Agavaceae
Parry's penstemon	Penstemon parryi	Scrophulariaceae
Pendulous yucca	Yucca recurvifolia	Agavaceae
Periwinkle	see Vinca
Pineapple guava	Feijoa sellowiana	Myrtaceae
Pink muhly	Muhlenbergia capillaris	Poaceae
Pomegranate	Punica granatum	Punicaceae
Prostrate acacia	Acacia redolens	Fabaceae
Purple fountain grass	Pennisetum setaceum 'Cupreum'	Poaceae
Pyracantha	Pyracantha species	Rosaceae
Q
Queen palm	Syagrus romanzoffianum	Palmae
Queen's wreath	Antigonon leptopus	Polygonaceae
R
Ragged Rockflower	see Rhyolite bush
Red bird of paradise	Caesalpinia pulcherrima	Fabaceae
Red Chihuahuan sage	see Autumn sage
Red gum	Eucalyptus camaldulensis	Myrtaceae
Red river gum	see Red gum
Red yucca	Hesperaloe parviflora	Agavaceae
Regal Mist	see Pink Muhly
Rhyolite bush	Crossososma bigelovii	Crossosoma
Rio Grande	see Fan-tex ash
Roman myrtle	see True myrtle
Rosemary	Rosemarinus officinalis 'Prostratus'	Labiatae

S	top
Sago palm	Cycas revoluta	Cycadaceae
Saguaro	Carnegiea gigantea	Cactaceae
Salt cedar	Tamarix chinensis	Tamaricaceae
Sandpaper tree	Ehretia anacua	Boraginaceae
Sandpaper verbena	Verbena rigida	Verbenaceae
Santa Rita prickly pear	Opuntia violaceae santa rita	Cactaceae
Screwbean mesquite	Prosopis pubescens	Fabaceae
Shrimp plant	Justicia brandegaeana	Acanthaceae
Sierra bouquet	Leucophyllum prunosum	Scrophulariaceae
Sierra Negra	see Black dalea
Silver leaf sage	see Silver leaf ranger
Silver leaf ranger	Leucophyllum candidum	Scrophulariaceae
Sissoo	Dalbergia sissoo	Fabaceae
Soaptree yucca	Yucca elata	Agavaceae
Sotol	see Desert spoon
Southern live oak	Quercus virginiana	Fagaceae
Southern magnolia	Magnolia grandiflora	Magnoliaceae
Spanish bayonet	see Faxon yucca
Spanish dagger	Yucca gloriosa	Agavaceae
Staghorn cholla	Cylindropuntia versicolor	Cactaceae
Star jasmine	Trachelospermum jasminoides	Apocynaceae
Sundrops	Calylophus hartwegii	Onagraceae
Sweet acacia	Acacia smallii	Fabaceae
Sweet broom	Genista racemosa	Fabaceae

T
Tamalepian sage	see Sierra bouquet
Teddy bear cholla	Cylindropuntia bigelovii	Cactaceae
Texas ebony	Ebenopsis ebano (Pithecellobium flexicaule)	Fabaceae
Texas honey	see Honey mesquite
Texas mountain laurel	Sophora secundiflora	Fabaceae
Texas olive	Cordia boissieri	Boraginaceae
Texas ranger	Leucophyllum frutescens	Scrophulariaceae
Texas red sage	see Autumn sage
Tombstone rose	Rosa banksiae	Rosaceae
Toothless spoon	Dasylirion longissima	Agavaceae
Tornillo	see Screwbean mesquite
Trailing indigo bush	Dalea greggii	Fabaceae
Trailing lantana	Lantana montevidensis (velutina)	Verbenaceae
Triangle-leaf bursage	Ambrosia deltoidea	Asteraceae
True myrtle	Myrtus communis	Myrtaceae
Trumpet bush	see Yellow bells
Tuna cactus	see Indian fig
Turpentine bush	Ericameria laricifolia	Asteraceae
Twisted juniper	see Hollywood twisted juniper
Twisted myrtle	Myrtus communis 'Boetica'	Myrtaceae

V	top
Velvet mesquite	Prosopis velutina	Fabaceae
Vinca	Vinca major	Apocynaceae

W
Waxleaf acacia	see Leather leaf acacia
Waxy privet	Ligustrum japonicum	Oleaceae
Waxleaf privet	see Waxy privet
Weber's agave	Agave weberii	Agavaceae
Weeping bottlebrush	Callistemon viminalis	Myrtaceae
Weeping wattle	see Blue leaf wattle
Weeping wattle	see Willow acacia
Western cottonwood	Populus fremontii	Salicaceae
Western hackberry	see Netleaf hackberry
Western redbud	Cercis occidentalis	Fabaceae
White mulberry	Morus alba 'Fruitless'	Moraceae
White primrose	Oenothera caespitosa	Onagraceae
White thorn acacia	Acacia constricta	Fabaceae
Willard's acacia	see Palo blanco
Willow acacia	Acacia salicina	Fabaceae
Wolfberry	Lycium brevipes	Solanaceae
Woolly butterfly bush	Buddleia marrubifolia	Loganiaceae
X
Xylosma	Xylosma congestum	Flacourtiaceae
Y
Yellow bells	Tecoma stans angustata	Bignoniaceae
Yellow bird of paradise	Caesalpinia gilliesii	Fabaceae
Yellow oleander	Thevetia peruviana	Apocynaceae
Yellow bunny ears	see Bunny ears
Yellow orchid vine	Mascagnia macroptera	Malpighiaceae
Yellow paper daisy	see Paper flower
Yellow trumpet vine	see Cat claw ivy
Yew pine	see Japanese yew
Z
Zebra aloe	see African aloe
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This page was first created June 11, 2001 and last modified April 19, 2008.