California

Native plants in San Diego

47 plants native to this area with Sow catalog pages.

7 of them need no watering beyond San Diego’s own rainfall

Showing 47 plants

Sort

Trees2

Toyon

Toyon

Heteromeles arbutifolia

Photo: Chuck Wilson · CC0 1.0
Sensation Boxelder

Sensation Boxelder

Acer negundo 'Sensation'

Shrubs13

White Sage

White Sage

Salvia apiana

No watering neededPhoto: Rod · CC0 1.0
Pozo Blue Sage

Pozo Blue Sage

Salvia x leucophylla 'Pozo Blue'

Cleveland Sage

Cleveland Sage

Salvia clevelandii 'Winifred Gilman'

Autumn Amber Prostrate Three-leaf Sumac

Autumn Amber Prostrate Three-leaf Sumac

Rhus trilobata 'Autumn Amber'

No watering needed
Toyon

Toyon

Heteromeles arbutifolia

Photo: Chuck Wilson · CC0 1.0
Matilija Poppy

Matilija Poppy

Romneya coulteri

Photo: barranquer · CC BY 4.0
Fragrant Sumac

Fragrant Sumac

Rhus aromatica

Photo: Susan Berry · CC0 1.0
False Indigo Bush

False Indigo Bush

Amorpha fruticosa

Photo: Dmitry Trutsko · CC BY 4.0
Evergreen Currant

Evergreen Currant

Ribes viburnifolium

No watering neededPhoto: Trevor Van Loon · CC BY 4.0
Pigeon Point Dwarf Coyote Bush

Pigeon Point Dwarf Coyote Bush

Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point'

Chester Blackberry

Chester Blackberry

Rubus ursinus 'Chester'

Sacred Datura

Sacred Datura

Datura wrightii

No watering neededPhoto: Rachel Smith · CC0 1.0
Golden Crownbeard

Golden Crownbeard

Verbesina encelioides

No watering neededPhoto: Center for Urban Ecology · CC0 1.0

Grasses3

Deergrass

Deergrass

Muhlenbergia rigens

Photo: Leah Gardner · CC0 1.0
Alkali Sacaton

Alkali Sacaton

Sporobolus airoides

No watering neededPhoto: Steve Matson · CC BY 4.0
Blue Arrows Soft Rush

Blue Arrows Soft Rush

Juncus effusus 'Blue Arrows'

Perennials28

California Poppy

California Poppy

Eschscholzia californica

Photo: klicklo · CC BY 4.0
Western Blue-eyed Grass

Western Blue-eyed Grass

Sisyrinchium bellum

Photo: jen · CC0 1.0
Common Yarrow

Common Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Photo: rappman · CC BY 4.0
Common Sunflower

Common Sunflower

Helianthus annuus

Photo: Francesco Santoro · CC BY 4.0
Narrowleaf milkweed

Narrowleaf milkweed

Asclepias fascicularis

Photo: Ryan Donnelly · CC BY 4.0
California figwort

California figwort

Scrophularia californica

Photo: Casey H. Richart · CC BY 4.0
Tidy Tips

Tidy Tips

Layia platyglossa

Photo: Adam J. Searcy · CC BY 4.0
Bird's Eyes

Bird's Eyes

Gilia tricolor 'Bird's Eyes'

California Buttercup

California Buttercup

Ranunculus californicus

Photo: lazarus · CC BY 4.0
Scouring Rush

Scouring Rush

Equisetum hyemale

Photo: GBIF contributor · CC BY 4.0
Lewis Flax

Lewis Flax

Linum lewisii

Photo: Leah Gardner · CC0 1.0
Checker Mallow

Checker Mallow

Sidalcea malviflora 'Rosaly'

White Baby Blue Eyes

White Baby Blue Eyes

Nemophila menziesii 'Snow White'

Globe Gilia

Globe Gilia

Gilia capitata

Photo: Judi Sanders · CC BY 4.0
Arroyo Lupine

Arroyo Lupine

Lupinus succulentus

Photo: Ike Ikemori · CC BY 4.0
Woodland Clarkia

Woodland Clarkia

Clarkia unguiculata 'Woodland Clarkia'

Chinese Houses

Chinese Houses

Collinsia heterophylla

Photo: joergmlpts · CC BY 4.0
Tufted Poppy

Tufted Poppy

Eschscholzia caespitosa

Photo: Leah Gardner · CC0 1.0
Tiny Lupine

Tiny Lupine

Lupinus microcarpus 'microcarpus'

Tarragon

Tarragon

Artemisia dracunculus

Photo: Jesse Rorabaugh · CC0 1.0
California Poppy

California Poppy

Platystemon californicus

Photo: Leah Gardner · CC0 1.0
Parry's Phacelia

Parry's Phacelia

Phacelia parryi

Photo: John Cowles · CC0 1.0
Sacred Datura

Sacred Datura

Datura wrightii

No watering neededPhoto: Rachel Smith · CC0 1.0
Largeflower Collomia

Largeflower Collomia

Collomia grandiflora

Photo: Steve Matson · CC BY 4.0
Golden Crownbeard

Golden Crownbeard

Verbesina encelioides

No watering neededPhoto: Center for Urban Ecology · CC0 1.0
Hairy Gumweed

Hairy Gumweed

Grindelia hirsutula

Photo: Mary K. Hanson · CC BY 4.0
Rosilla Sneezeweed

Rosilla Sneezeweed

Helenium puberulum

Photo: Ken-ichi Ueda · CC BY 4.0
Western Thistle

Western Thistle

Cirsium occidentale

Photo: Mike Butler · CC BY 4.0

Ferns2

Southern Maidenhair Fern

Southern Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum capillus-veneris

Photo: Martin Purdy · CC BY 4.0
Water Clover

Water Clover

Marsilea vestita

Photo: Steve Matson · CC BY 4.0

Succulents2

Whipple's Yucca

Whipple's Yucca

Hesperoyucca whipplei

Photo: Skyler K · CC BY 4.0
Chalk Dudleya

Chalk Dudleya

Dudleya pulverulenta

No watering neededPhoto: Mike Butler · CC BY 4.0

More of California

Browse every cityView all North American native plants in California

Design a San Diego garden with these plants

Snap a photo of your yard and Sow places real, zone-matched plants into it — then keeps the watering and care schedule for everything you plant.

Join Sow for Free