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.

As of May 2023, here is a list of what we have growing for the Spring Gardenfest sale

Photos are 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 $3 for seed packets, $5 for a small tree pots and cactus pots(half-gallon), $8 for gallon pots, $10 for tall tree pots, $25 for 5-gallon pots, and $35 for 10-gallon pots.

This table of native plants is sortable - click on a heading to sort by that parameter. Click again to reverse the sort order. If you want to see the plants still available after our most recent plant sale, click the "Available as of..." heading (you may need to click again to reverse the order) and see all of the sale plants at the top of the list.

Scientific Name	Common Name	Photo	Available as of 5/1/2023	Family	Form	Flower	Sun	Water/ Soil
Scientific	Common	Photo	Growing	Family	Form	Flower	Sun	Water/ Soil
Achillea millefolium	Yarrow		16 tree pots	Asteraceae	Herb	White		some
Ambrosia dumosa	Burrobrush			Asteraceae	Shrub	White (sometimes yellow or pink)
Amelanchier alnifolia	Western Serviceberry		3 5-gallon pots	Rosaceae	Shrub	White
Amelanchier utahensis	Utah Serviceberry			Rosaceae	Shrub	White
Anemopsis californica	Yerba mansa		16 tree pots	Sauruaceae	Herb	White		lots
Angelica lineariloba	Sierra Angelica, Soda Straw			Apiaceae	Herb	White	full to partial	regular, don't overwater
Apocynum cannabinum	Indian hemp, dogbane			Apocynaceae	Herb	White
Aquilegia formosa	Crimson columbine		48 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			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			Fabaceae	Herb	Pink	Full	gravelly
Astragalus newberryi	Newberry's milkvetch			Fabaceae	Herb	Pink		gravelly
Astragalus purshii	Woolypod milkvetch			Fabaceae	Herb	Pink		dry, sandy, gravelly
Atriplex canescens	Four-winged saltbush			Chenopodiaceae	Shrub	Green	Full	well-drained
Baileya multiradiata	Desert Marigold		46 tree pots	Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow	Full	well-drained
Balsamorhiza sagittata	Arrow-leaved balsamroot			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow	Full	well-drained
Betula occidentalis	Water birch		13 tall tree pots	Betulaceae	Tree	N/A		lots
Boechera pulchra (formerly genus Arabis)	Beautiful rockcress		32 tree pots	Brassicaceae	Herb	Pink	Full
Calystegia longipes	Bush morning glory			Convolvulaceae	Herb	White	Full	dry, rocky
Castilleja applegatei	Indian paintbrush			Orobanchaceae	Herb	Red	Full	well-drained
Castilleja linariifolia	Desert paintbrush			Orobanchaceae	Herb	Red	Full	Paintbrush are hemiparasites and need to live with their host plant. These seeds came from plants living with rabbitbrush.
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
Ceanothus velutinus	Tobacco Brush			Rhamnaceae	Shrub	White	Full	Dry open slopes
Celtis laevigata var. reticulata	Western hackberry			Ulmaceae	Tree	N/A
Cercis occidentalis	Western redbud			Fabaceae	Shrub	Pink-purple	full	regular water
Cercocarpus ledifolius	Mountain mahogany		32 tree pots	Rosaceae	Shrub	White	Full sun to part shade	Water monthly
Chamaebatiaria millefolium	Fern bush			Rosaceae	Shrub	White	Full	well-drained
Chilopsis linearis	Desert willow			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			Ranunculaceae	Vine	White	Full	regular
Coleogyne ramosissima	Blackbrush			Rosaceae	Shrub	Yellow
Cryptantha confertiflora	Golden forget-me-not			Boraginaceae	Herb	Yellow	Full	rocky
Datura wrightii	Jimson weed			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		13 tree pots	Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	very well-drained
Ephedra nevadensis	Desert ephedra			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			Onagraceae	Herb	Red
Eremogone kingii var. glabrescens	King's sandwort			Caryophyllaceae	Herb	White
Eriastrum densifolium	Heavenly blue		4 tree pots	Polemoniaceae	Herb	Blue
Ericameria albida	White rabbitbrush			Asteraceae	Shrub	White		Alkali
Ericameria cooperi	Cooper's goldenbush			Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	well-drained
Ericameria nauseosa	Rubber rabbitbrush			Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	Alkali
Erigeron compactus	Fernleaf fleabane			Asteraceae	Herb	White and Purple
Eriogonum elatum	Tall buckwheat			Polygonaceae	Herb	White and Pink	Full	well-drained
Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium	California buckwheat		10 tree pots	Polygonaceae	Shrub	White and Pink		very little water; well-drained
Eriogonum nudum var. westonii	Nude buckwheat, Weston's buckwheat		2 tree pots	Polygonaceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	good drainage
Eriogonum umbellatum var. nevadense	Sulphur buckwheat			Polygonaceae	Herb	Yellow		little water: gravel-good drainage
Eriogonum wrightii	Wright's buckwheat			Polygonaceae	Herb	Pink
Eriophyllum confertiflorum	Golden yarrow, wooly sunflower			Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow
Erysimum capitatum	Western wallflower			Brassicaceae	Herb	Orange
Erythranthe cardinalis	Scarlet monkey flower			Phrymaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)	Herb	Red
Erythranthe guttata (formerly Mimulus guttatus)	Yellow monkey flower		22 tree pots	Phrymaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)	Herb	Yellow
Erythranthe lewisii	Lewis' monkey flower			Phrymaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)	Herb	Pink
Forestiera pubescens	Desert olive			Oleaceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	good drainage
Frangula californica (formerly genus Rhamnus)	Coffeeberry			Rhamnaceae	Shrub	Whitish (creamy yellowish)	sun to part-shade	Evergreen, low water needs
Frangula californica ssp. tomentella	Hoary coffeeberry or California buckthorn			Rhamnaceae	Shrub	White
Grayia spinosa	Spiny hopsage		16 tree pots	Chenopodiaceae	Shrub	Pink
Helianthus nuttallii	Nuttall's sunflower			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*			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Iris missouriensis	Blue flag iris			Iridaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple		lots - keep damp
Koeleria macrantha	Junegrass			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Krascheninnikovia lanata	Winterfat			Chenopodiaceae	Shrub	White
Lepidium fremontii	Desert allysum		28 tree pots	Brassicaceae	Herb	White	Full	good drainage
Leymus cinereus	Great basin wild rye			Poaceae	Grass	N/A	Full	good drainage
Leymus triticoides	Creeping wild rye			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Linum lewisii	Blue flax		24 tree pots	Linaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple		tolerates watering
Lonicera involucrata	Twinberry				Shrub
Lupinus argenteus	Sierra bush lupine		7 tree pots	Fabaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple
Lupinus argenteus var. heteranthus	Shrubby lupine			Fabaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple
Lupinus excubitus	Inyo bush lupine, grape soda lupine			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			Loasaceae	Herb	Yellow		gravelly good drainage
Mirabilis alipes	Rose four-o’clock			Nyctaginaceae	Herb	Pink	Partial shade	dry gravelly
Mirabilis laevis var. villosa (formerly M. bigelovii)	Bigelow's desert four-o'clock / Wishbone bush			Nyctaginaceae	Herb	Pink	Full to partial	well-drained
Mirabilis multiflora	Large four-o’clock		5 tree pots	Nyctaginaceae	Herb	Pink	Full	no extra water once established
Monardella linoides	Flax leaf mountain balm		12 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
Muhlenbergia rigens	Deer grass		6 tree pots	Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Oenothera caespitosa ssp. marginata	Large white evening primrose		27 tree pots	Onagraceae	Herb	White		regular water good drainage
Oenothera californica ssp. avita	White desert primrose		16 tree pots	Onagraceae	Herb	White		good drainage
Oenothera elata	Hooker's evening primrose			Onagraceae	Herb	Yellow
Oenothera xylocarpa	Wood fruit evening primrose			Onagraceae	Herb	Yellow	Full	regular water good drainage
Opuntia basilaris	Beavertail cactus		16 cactus pots	Cactaceae	Cactus :)	Red or Pink	Full	well-drained soil/very little water
Cylindropuntia echinocarpa	Silver Cholla			Cactaceae	Cactus	Yellow	Full
Opuntia phaeacantha	Mojave prickly pear			Cactaceae	Cactus	Yellow	Full	well-drained soil/very little water
Opuntia polyacantha	Grizzly bear prickly pear		13 cactus pots	Cactaceae	Cactus	Yellow	Full	well-drained soil, very little water
Packera multilobata	Lobeleaf groundsel			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Penstemon eatonii	Firecracker penstemon			~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Red
Penstemon floridus var. austinii	Austin’s penstemon			~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Pink
Penstemon floridus var. floridus	Rose penstemon*			~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Pink
Penstemon fruticiformis	Desert mountain penstemon		17 tree pots	~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Blue or Purple (pale)
Penstemon heterodoxus	Whorled penstemon			Plantaginaceae	Herb	Purple
Penstemon incertus	Mojave beardtongue			~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Shrub	Blue or Purple
Penstemon monoensis	Mono penstemon			~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Purple or Pink
Penstemon palmeri	Palmer's penstemon		16 tree pots	~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Pink	Full sun	well-drained soil
Penstemon patens	Owens valley penstemon			~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Purple
Penstemon pseudospectabilis	Desert penstemon		48 tree pots	~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae
Penstemon rostriflorus	Scarlet penstemon			~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Red
Penstemon speciosus	Showy penstemon			~~Scrophulariaceae~~ Plantaginaceae	Herb	Blue
Pericome caudata	Mountain tail-leaf			Asteraceae	Herb	Orange
Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides	Daggerpod			Brassicaceae	Herb	Purple or Pink
Phlox stansburyi	Cold desert phlox			Polemoniaceae	Herb	Pink
Pinus jeffreyi	Jeffrey pine			Pinaceae	Tree	N/A
Populus fremontii	Fremont Cottonwood			Salicaceae	Tree	N/A
Populus tremuloides	Quaking Aspen			Salicaceae	Tree	N/A
Drymocallis (formerly Potentilla) glandulosa	Sticky Cinquefoil			Rosaceae		Yellow
Prosopis pubescens	Screw-bean mesquite			Fabaceae	Tree or Shrub	Yellow
Proboscida parviflora var. hookaminana	Devil's Claw or Double Claw		23 tree pots	Martyniaceae	Herb	Pink
Prunus andersonii	Desert peach		13 tree pots	Rosaceae	Shrub	Pink
Psorothamnus arborescens	Indigo bush			Fabaceae	Shrub	Purple
Psorothamnus polydenius	Nevada dalea			Fabaceae	Shrub	Purple
Purshia tridentata	Bitterbrush			Rosaceae	Shrub	Yellow
Quercus kelloggii	Black Oak			Fagaceae	Tree	N/A	Afternoon Shade	Sandy Soil
Quercus wislizeni	Interior Live Oak
Ribes cereum	Wax Currant			Grossulariaceae	Shrub	Pink or White
Rosa woodsii	Woods' Rose			Rosaceae	Shrub	Pink	Tolerates some shade
Rudbeckia californica	California coneflower		16 tree pots	Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Scutellaria mexicana	Bladder sage			Lamiaceae	Shrub	Purple and white
Salix gooddingii	Black willow			Salicaceae	Tree	N/A
Salvia dorrii	Purple sage*			Lamiaceae	Shrub	Purple
Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea	Blue elderberry			Caprifoliaceae	Tree (or large shrub)	White or creamy yellow
Schoenoplectus americanus	Chairmaker's bulrush			Cyperaceae	Herb	N/A
Senecio flaccidus	Mono ragwort			Asteraceae	Shrub	Yellow
Senegalia greggii	Catclaw			Fabaceae	Shrub	Yellow	Full	Well-drained
Solidago californica	California goldenrod		14 tree pots	Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Solidago spectabilis	Basin goldenrod			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Sphaeralcea ambigua	Apricot globe mallow*		16 tree pots	Malvaceae	Herb	Orange
Sphenosciadium capitellatum	Ranger's buttons			Apiaceae	Herb	White
Sporobolus airoides	Alkali sacaton		16 tree pots	Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Stanleya elata	Panamint prince’s plume			Brassicaceae	Herb	Yellow
Stanleya pinnata	Desert prince’s plume*			Brassicaceae	Herb	Yellow
Stipa hymenoides (formerly genus Oryzopsis, aka Achnatherum hymenoides)	Indian rice grass			Poaceae	Grass	N/A	Partial shade	sandy soil
Stipa nevadensis (formerly genus Achnatherum)	Nevada needlegrass			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Stipa speciosa (formerly genus Achnatherum)	Desert needlegrass			Poaceae	Grass	N/A
Townsendia scapigera	Easter daisy			Asteraceae	Herb	White
Xylorhiza tortifolia	Mojave aster			Asteraceae	Herb	White or Purple
Wyethia mollis	Mule ears			Asteraceae	Herb	Yellow
Yucca brevifolia	Joshua tree			Agavaceae	Tree	White	full sun	well-drained soil, little or no summer water
Hesperoyucca whipplei (formerly Yucca whipplei)	Our Lord's candle			Agavaceae	Shrub	White	will tolerate partial shade	well-drained soil

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

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, RT Hawke, and Daniel Passarini. 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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Native Plants For Eastern Sierra Gardens

Photo Credits