EPA Level III Ecoregion
Sonoran Basin and Range
601 native plants for the Sonoran Basin and Range ecoregion (Phoenix area).
The Sonoran Basin and Range covers Phoenix, Tucson, and the Coachella Valley around Palm Springs. It is the hottest ecoregion in the country, softened by two rainy seasons: winter storms and the summer monsoon. Sonoran natives like penstemon, desert milkweed, and chuparosa time their growth to those rains and carry a front yard through 110-degree summers that finish off conventional landscaping.
Conditions: Rocky, alkaline desert soils, 3–12 inches of biseasonal rainfall, the hottest summers in the United States.
Cities and areas: Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Palm Springs, Scottsdale, Yuma.
601 Native Plants for the Sonoran Basin and Range
HOA-friendly picks listed first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status. Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Aromatic Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Wafer Ash
Ptelea trifoliata
Prairie Wildrye
Elymus canadensis
Solomon's-plume
Maianthemum racemosum
Firewheel
Gaillardia pulchella
Narrowleaf Milkweed
Asclepias fascicularis
Deer Grass
Muhlenbergia rigens
California Fuchsia
Epilobium canum
California-poppy
Eschscholzia californica
Blackfoot Daisy
Melampodium leucanthum
Golden columbine
Aquilegia chrysantha
California Wild Buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Pigeonberry
Rivina humilis
Scarlet Bugler
Penstemon centranthifolius
Fiddleneck
Phacelia tanacetifolia
Apricot globemallow
Sphaeralcea ambigua
Coastal Tidytips
Layia platyglossa
Firecracker penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Prairie Verbena
Glandularia bipinnatifida
Arroyo Lupine
Lupinus succulentus
Black Sage
Salvia mellifera
Showy Penstemon
Penstemon spectabilis
Blue Thimble-flower
Gilia capitata
Prairie Spiderwort
Tradescantia occidentalis
Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus betuloides
White Sage
Salvia apiana
Antelope Horn Milkweed
Asclepias asperula
Palmer's abutilon
Abutilon palmeri
Skunkbush Sumac
Rhus trilobata
California Sycamore
Platanus racemosa
Blue Elderberry
Sambucus mexicana
Four-wing Saltbush
Atriplex canescens
Banana yucca
Yucca baccata
California Sagebrush
Artemisia californica
Desert Marigold
Baileya multiradiata
Esperanza
Tecoma stans
Parry's agave
Agave parryi
California Live Oak
Quercus agrifolia
Cuneate Ceanothus
Ceanothus cuneatus
Canyon Live Oak
Quercus chrysolepis
Blue Wild Rye
Elymus glaucus
California-laurel
Umbellularia californica
Bigberry Manzanita
Arctostaphylos glauca
Showing 48 of 601. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Sonoran Basin and Range
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- California live oak
Fall is the tail end of the safer pruning window and a good time to plan next year's watering now that the heat is easing.
- Canbys bluegrass
Fall is when this grass wakes back up. Cooler temperatures and the first rains trigger fresh green growth.
- Firecracker penstemon
Fall is cleanup and reset time. Cooler weather returns and the plant can catch a second wind before winter.
- Prairie verbena
Fall often brings a second wave of blooms, especially if you trimmed the plant back in summer.
- Utah ash
Fall is this tree's best season to look at. The leaves turn a bright, clear yellow before dropping, and it is also the right time to start easing off on water.
- Sixweeks fescue
Fall is germination time. The first real rain of the season wakes up seed that has been sitting in the soil since last spring.
- Prairie wildrye
Fall is when this cool season grass perks back up as temperatures drop, and it is a good window for cleanup or new plantings.
- Hairy grama
Growth slows and seed heads dry to tan as days shorten. Watering can taper off, and this is a good window to trim for a tidy winter look if you prefer that over leaving seed heads for birds.
- Sideoats grama
Fall is when the foliage shifts from blue-green to a warm coppery bronze, and growth slows as the plant heads toward winter dormancy.
- Whorled milkweed
Fall, roughly October and November in the low desert, is a second mild growing stretch when seed pods form and the plant can be tidied up or divided.
Build a plan for the Sonoran Basin and Range
Pollinator Patch turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Phoenix area.