Native Plants For Eastern Sierra Gardens

These are some native plant species have been available in the past at our Native Plant Sales. Scientific names are linked to CalFlora, where you can find photos and information about each species (opens in a new window). Be sure to click on the photo on the Calflora page for a gallery of photos on CalPhotos, which will present a more complete picture of how each plant may look in your garden.

View or download a printable list of plants with photos for the 2012 Plant Sale (pdf)

Photos from the CalPhotos Photo Database - click on the thumbnails for full-size photos and photography credits. More about photographers below the list.

Prices at our Annual Plant Sale: Plant prices are currently $2.00 or 3 for $5.00 for Super Cells, $4.00 for a 22 oz cup, $5.00 for a small tree pot and $8.00 for gallon pots.

This database of native plants is sortable - click on a heading to sort by that parameter. Click again to reverse the sort order.

Scientific Name	Common Name	Photo	2012 Sale	Family	Form	Flower	Sun	Water/ Soil
Scientific	Common	Photo	Growing	Family	Form	Flower	Sun	Water/ Soil
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow		19 tree pots	Asteraceae	Herb	White		some
Achnatherum nevadensis (now Stipa nevadensis)	Nevada needlegrass			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Achnatherum speciosum	Desert needlegrass		21 tree pots	Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Anemopsis californica	Yerba mansa		4 gallons 19 tree pots	Sauruaceae	Herb	White		lots
Angelica lineariloba	Sierra Angelica, Soda Straw		12 gallons	Apiaceae	Herb	White	full to partial	regular, don't overwater
Apocynum cannabinum	Indian hemp, dogbane			Apocynaceae	Herb	White
Aquilegia formosa	Crimson columbine		40 tree pots	Ranunculaceae	Herb	Red		lots
Arnica mollis	Cordilleran Arnica			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Artemisia arbuscula	Low sagebrush			Asteraceae	Shrub	Greenish White
Artemisia tridentata	Great Basin sagebrush		4 tree pots	Asteraceae	Shrub	Greenish White	Full	good drainage drought tolerant
Asclepias fascicularis	Narrow-leaf milkweed			Asclepiadaceae	Herb	White
Asclepias speciosa	Showy milkweed			Asclepiadaceae	Herb	Pink	Full	very little
Astragalus coccineus	Scarlet milkvetch			Fabaceae	Herb	Red	Full	gravelly, sandy, in rocks
Astragalus lentiginosus	Paper locoweed		13 tree pots	Fabaceae	Herb	Pink	Full	gravelly
Astragalus newberryi	Newberry's milkvetch			Fabaceae	Herb	Pink		gravelly
Astragalus purshii	Woolypod milkvetch		15 tree pots	Fabaceae	Herb	Pink		dry, sandy, gravelly
Atriplex canescens	Four-winged saltbush			Chenopodiaceae	Shrub	Green	Full	well-drained
Balsamorhiza sagittata	Arrow-leaved balsamroot		~~3 tree pots~~	Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow	Full	well-drained
Betula occidentalis	Water birch		9 gallons 1 tree pot	Betulaceae	Tree	N/A		lots
Boechera pulchra (formerly genus Arabis)	Beautiful rockcress		1 gallon 3 tree pots	Brassicaceae	Herb	Pink	Full
Calystegia longipes	Bush morning glory		9 tree pots	Convolvulaceae	Herb	White	Full	dry, rocky
Castilleja applegatei	Indian paintbrush			Orobanchaceae	Herb	Red	Full	well-drained
Ceanothus greggii var. vestitus	Desert Ceanothus			Rhamnaceae	Shrub	White	Full	well-drained; no water in summer
Ceanothus leucodermis	Chaparral whitethorn			Rhamnaceae	Shrub	White or Blue	Full	well-drained; no water in summer
Celtis laevigata var. reticulata	Western hackberry			Ulmaceae	Tree	N/A
Cercocarpus ledifolius	Mountain mahogany		12 gallons	Rosaceae	Shrub	White	Full sun to part shade	Water monthly
Chamaebatiaria millefolium	Fern bush		8 gallons	Rosaceae	Shrub	White	Full	well-drained
Chilopsis linearis	Desert willow		15 gallons	Bignoniaceae	Tree	Pink
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus	Curly-leaf rabbitbrush			Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow
Chrysolepsis sempervirens	Bush Chinquapin			Fagaceae	Shrub	N/A	Full to partial	gravelly
Clematis ligusticifolia	Virgin's Bower		3 gallons 31 tree pots	Ranunculaceae	Vine	White	Full	regular
Coleogyne ramosissima	Blackbrush			Rosaceae	Shrub	Yellow
Cryptantha confertiflora	Golden forget-me-not		6 gallons 1 tree pot	Boraginaceae	Herb	Yellow	Full	rocky
Datura wrightii	Jimson weed		31 tree pots	Solanaceae	Herb	White		very little water, alkali soil
Delphinium parishii	Desert larkspur			Ranunculaceae	Herb	Blue	Full	well-drained
Elymus elymoides	Squirreltail			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Encelia actoni	Bush sunflower or Acton encelia		40 tree pots 1 gallon	Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	very well-drained
Ephedra nevadensis	Desert ephedra		3 gallons	Ephedraceae	Shrub	Yellow
Ephedra viridis	Green ephedra			Ephedraceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	well-drained
Epilobium angustifolium	Fireweed			Onagraceae	Herb	Purple or Pink
Epilobium canum (formerly Zauschneria californica)	California fuschia		48 tree pots	Onagraceae	Herb	Red
Eremogone kingii var. glabrescens	King's sandwort			Caryophyllaceae	Herb	White
Eriastrum densifolium	Heavenly blue			Polemoniaceae	Herb	Blue
Ericameria cooperi	Cooper's goldenbush		3 gallons 8 tree pots	Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	well-drained
Erigeron compactus	Fernleaf fleabane			Asteraceae	Herb	White and Purple
Eriogonum elatum	Tall buckwheat		5 gallons	Polygonaceae	Herb	White and Pink	Full	well-drained
Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium	California buckwheat		5 tree pots	Polygonaceae	Shrub	White and Pink		very little water; well-drained
Eriogonum nudum var. westonii	Nude buckwheat, Weston's buckwheat			Polygonaceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	good drainage
Eriogonum umbellatum var. nevadense	Sulphur buckwheat		10 gallons 8 tree pots	Polygonaceae	Herb	Yellow		little water: gravel-good drainage
Eriogonum wrightii	Wright's buckwheat		4 gallons	Polygonaceae	Herb	Pink
Eriophyllum confertiflorum	Golden yarrow, wooly sunflower			Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow
Erysimum capitatum	Western wallflower			Brassicaceae	Herb	Orange
Forestiera pubescens	Desert olive		4 tree pots	Oleaceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	good drainage
Frangula californica (formerly genus Rhamnus)	Coffeeberry			Rhamnaceae	Shrub	Whitish (creamy yellowish)
Frangula californica ssp. tomentella	Hoary coffeeberry or California buckthorn			Rhamnaceae	Shrub	White
Grayia spinosa	Spiny hopsage			Chenopodiaceae	Shrub	Pink
Helianthus nuttallii	Nuttall's sunflower		25 tree pots	Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow	Full	occasional deep watering
Heliomeris multiflora var. nevadensis	Nevada goldeneye			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Heuchera rubescens	Coral bells or pink alumroot			Saxifragaceae	Herb	Pink
Hesperostipa comata	Needle and thread grass*		10 tree pots	Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Hymenoclea salsola New genus: Ambrosia	Burrobrush, desert pearl			Asteraceae	Shrub	White (sometimes yellow or pink)
Iris missouriensis	Blue flag iris		4 tree pots	Iridaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple		lots - keep damp
Koeleria macrantha	Junegrass			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Krascheninnikovia lanata	Winterfat		30 gallons	Chenopodiaceae	Shrub	White
Lepidium fremontii	Desert allysum			Brassicaceae	Herb	White	Full	good drainage
Leymus cinereus	Great basin wild rye		50 tree pots	Poaceae	Grass	N/A	Full	good drainage
Leymus triticoides	Creeping wild rye			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Linum lewisii	Blue flax			Linaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple		tolerates watering
Lupinus argenteus	Sierra bush lupine		2 gallons	Fabaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple
Lupinus argenteus var. heteranthus	Shrubby lupine			Fabaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple
Lupinus excubitus	Inyo bush lupine, grape soda lupine		9 gallons	Fabaceae	Shrub	Blue or Purple		good drainage some water
Lupinus magnificus	Panamint mountain lupine			Fabaceae	Shrub	Purple or Pink		gravelly
Lupinus polyphyllus	Creek lupine			Fabaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple
Lupinus pratensis	Inyo meadow lupine			Fabaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple		moist soil
Malacothamnus fremontii	Bush mallow			Malvaceae	Shrub	Pink	Full	good drainage
Mentzelia laevicaulis	Blazing Star		9 tree pots 1 gallon	Loasaceae	Herb	Yellow		gravelly good drainage
Mimulus cardinalis	Scarlet monkey-flower			Phrymaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)	Herb	Red
Mimulus guttatus	Yellow monkeyflower			Phrymaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)	Herb	Yellow
Mimulus lewisii	Lewis monkeyflower			Phrymaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)	Herb	Pink
Mirabilis alipes	Rose four-o’clock			Nyctaginaceae	Herb	Pink	Partial shade	dry gravelly
Mirabilis multiflora	Large four-o’clock			Nyctaginaceae	Herb	Pink	Full	no extra water once established
Monardella linoides	Flax leaf mountain balm		45 tree pots	Lamiaceae	Herb	Pink or Purple	morning sun, afternoon shade	gravelly soil, wet in winter, dry in summer
Monardella odoratissima	Mountain pennyroyal, desert mint			Lamiaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple	Full sun to partial shade	some water good drainage
Muhlenbergia asperifolia	Scratch grass			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Oenothera caespitosa ssp. marginata	Large white evening primrose		14 tree pots 1 gallon	Onagraceae	Herb	White		regular water good drainage
Oenothera californica ssp. avita	White desert primrose		4 gallons	Onagraceae	Herb	White		good drainage
Oenothera elata	Hooker's evening primrose		3 tree pots	Onagraceae	Herb	Yellow
Oenothera xylocarpa	Wood fruit evening primrose			Onagraceae	Herb	Yellow	Full	regular water good drainage
Opuntia basilaris	Beavertail cactus		5 cactus pots	Cactaceae	Cactus :)	Red or Pink	Full	well-drained soil/very little water
Packera multilobata	Lobeleaf groundsel			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Penstemon eatonii	Firecracker penstemon		44 tree pots	Scrophulariaceae	Herb	Red
Penstemon floridus var. austinii	Austin’s penstemon			Scrophulariaceae	Herb	Pink
Penstemon floridus var. floridus	Rose penstemon*		40 tree pots	Scrophulariaceae	Herb	Pink
Penstemon fruticiformis	Desert mountain penstemon		30 tree pots	Scrophulariaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple (pale)
Penstemon incertus	Mojave beardtongue		14 gallons 74 tree pots	Scrophulariaceae	Shrub	Blue or Purple
Penstemon monoensis	Mono penstemon			Scrophulariaceae	Herb	Purple or Pink
Penstemon patens	Owens valley penstemon			Scrophulariaceae	Herb	Purple
Penstemon rostriflorus	Scarlet penstemon			Scrophulariaceae	Herb	Red
Penstemon speciosus	Showy penstemon			Scrophulariaceae	Herb	Blue
Pericome caudata	Mountain tail-leaf			Asteraceae	Herb	Orange
Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides	Daggerpod		1 gallon	Brassicaceae	Herb	Purple or Pink
Phlox stansburyi	Cold desert phlox		1 tree pots	Polemoniaceae	Herb	Pink
Pinus jeffreyi	Jeffrey pine			Pinaceae	Tree	N/A
Populus tremuloides	Quaking Aspen		2 very large pots ($20)	Salicaceae	Tree	N/A
Prosopis pubescens	Screw-bean mesquite			Fabaceae	Tree or Shrub	Yellow
Prunus andersonii	Desert peach		12 gallons	Rosaceae	Shrub	Pink
Psorothamnus arborescens	Indigo bush		5 gallons	Fabaceae	Shrub	Purple
Purshia tridentata	Bitterbrush		18 gallons	Rosaceae	Shrub	Yellow
Ribes cereum	Wax Currant		2 tree pots	Grossulariaceae	Shrub	Pink or White
Rudbeckia californica	California coneflower			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Salazaria mexicana	Bladder sage			Lamiaceae	Shrub	Purple and white
Salix gooddingii	Black willow			Salicaceae	Tree	N/A
Salvia dorrii	Purple sage*		15 tree pots	Lamiaceae	Shrub	Purple
Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea	Blue elderberry		6 gallons	Caprifoliaceae	Tree (or large shrub)	White or creamy yellow
Schoenoplectus americanus	Chairmaker's bulrush		6 gallons	Cyperaceae	Herb	N/A
Senecio flaccidus	Mono ragwort			Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow
Solidago californica	California goldenrod		10 gallons 4 tree pots	Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Solidago spectabilis	Basin goldenrod			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Sphaeralcea ambigua	Apricot globe mallow*		14 tree pots	Malvaceae	Herb	Orange
Sphenosciadium capitellatum	Ranger's buttons			Apiaceae	Herb	White
Sporobolus airoides	Alkali sacaton		15 tree pots	Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Stanleya elata	Panamint prince’s plume		8 tree pots	Brassicaceae	Herb	Yellow
Stanleya pinnata	Desert prince’s plume*		53 tree pots	Brassicaceae	Herb	Yellow
Stipa hymenoides (formerly genus Oryzopsis)	Indian rice grass			Poaceae	Grass	N/A	Partial shade	sandy soil
Townsendia scapigera	Easter daisy			Asteraceae	Herb	White
Xylorhiza tortifolia	Mojave aster		~~38 tree pots~~	Asteraceae	Herb	White or Purple
Wyethia mollis	Mule ears		~~12 tree pots~~	Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow

An asterisk following the name* indicates plant is one of the "ten best native plants for your eastern Sierra garden" (with well-drained soil)

View or download a printable list of plants with photos for the 2012 Plant Sale (pdf)

Photo Credits

Plant photos from the CalPhotos Photo Database - click on the thumbnails for full-size photos with photography credits.

Thank you to the photographers who gave permission to use their beautiful photos of Eastern Sierra plants and scenery here and elsewhere on the Bristlecone Chapter website: Stephen Ingram, Steve Matson, and Larry Blakely.

I would also like to thank and acknowledge the following photographers who made their works freely available on CalPhoto for non-commercial use: Gary Monroe, Keir Morse, Steven Thorsted, Jean Pawek, Brent Miller, Dean Wm. Taylor, Victoria Marshall, Robert Sivinski, G. F. Hrusa, Robert Steers, Barry Breckling, J. G. Riend, Vernon Smith, and RT Hawke. Appreciation to St. Mary's College for the extensive collection of photos from Brother Alfred Brousseau, which are also available for non-commercial use, and to the the CalAcademy Manzanita Image Project photographers whose works are free for non-commercial use with notification: Gerald and Buff Corsi, Charles Webber, and Glen and Martha Vargas.

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