Best Drought-Tolerant Plants

Tough, water-wise plants that shrug off dry spells once established.

40 plants, every one native to North America, routinely available from nurseries, and photographed. Ordered by USDA drought tolerance, strongest first. Traits are quoted from USDA PLANTS, never estimated — how we source this. The Plant Finder searches the full catalogue, including plants that miss this bar.

1. 
   alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanusZone 2+ · part shade · 15 ft · native
2. 
   alkali sacaton Sporobolus airoidesZone 3+ · full sun · 3 ft · native
3. 
   American beech Fagus grandifoliaZone 2+ · shade · 80 ft · native
4. 
   American dunegrass Leymus mollisZone 7+ · full sun · 4 ft · native
5. 
   antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentataZone 2+ · part shade · 6 ft · native
6. 
   Arizona sycamore Platanus wrightiiZone 6+ · full sun · 80 ft · native
7. 
   arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittataZone 3+ · part shade · 2 ft · native
8. 
   basin big sagebrush Artemisia tridentataZone 5+ · full sun · 9 ft · native
9. 
   beach naupaka Scaevola sericeaZone 10+ · part shade · 10 ft · native
10. 
    beach plum Prunus maritimaZone 6+ · full sun · 12 ft · native
11. 
    beardless wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicataZone 3+ · full sun · 2.5 ft · native
12. 
    beardless wildrye Leymus triticoidesZone 2+ · full sun · 3 ft · native
13. 
    big bluestem Andropogon gerardiiZone 6+ · full sun · 7 ft · native
14. 
    big galleta Pleuraphis rigidaZone 8+ · full sun · 3 ft · native
15. 
    big sagebrush Artemisia tridentataZone 2+ · full sun · 4 ft · native
16. 
    big saltbush Atriplex lentiformisZone 7+ · full sun · 10 ft · native
17. 
    bigcone Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga macrocarpaZone 5+ · full sun · 75 ft · native
18. 
    Bigelow's tansyaster Machaeranthera bigeloviiZone 10+ · full sun · 4 ft · native
19. 
    bitter panicgrass Panicum amarumZone 9+ · full sun · 5 ft · native
20. 
    bitternut hickory Carya cordiformisZone 2+ · full sun · 75 ft · native
21. 
    black grama Bouteloua eriopodaZone 4+ · full sun · 2 ft · native
22. 
    black locust Robinia pseudoacaciaZone 3+ · full sun · 60 ft · native
23. 
    blackjack oak Quercus marilandicaZone 5+ · full sun · 25 ft · native
24. 
    bladderpod spiderflower Cleome isomerisZone 7+ · full sun · 5 ft · native
25. 
    blue grama Bouteloua gracilisZone 2+ · full sun · 1 ft · native
26. 
    blue wildrye Elymus glaucusZone 3+ · shade · 3.3 ft · native
27. 
    bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicataZone 3+ · full sun · 3 ft · native
28. 
    boxelder Acer negundoZone 2+ · shade · 60 ft · native
29. 
    bristlecone pine Pinus aristataZone 3+ · full sun · 40 ft · native
30. 
    bristly locust Robinia hispidaZone 4+ · full sun · 7 ft · native
31. 
    broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicusZone 5+ · full sun · 3 ft · native
32. 
    bur oak Quercus macrocarpaZone 3+ · part shade · 100 ft · native
33. 
    butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosaZone 3+ · full sun · 2 ft · native
34. 
    California buckthorn Frangula californicaZone 7+ · full sun · 5 ft · native
35. 
    cane bluestem Bothriochloa barbinodisZone 7+ · full sun · 4 ft · native
36. 
    chinquapin Castanea pumilaZone 5+ · part shade · 20 ft · native
37. 
    clasping coneflower Dracopis amplexicaulisZone 10+ · full sun · 2 ft · native
38. 
    cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galliZone 3+ · full sun · 30 ft · native
39. 
    common hackberry Celtis occidentalisZone 2+ · shade · 60 ft · native
40. 
    common juniper Juniperus communisZone 2+ · full sun · 10 ft · native

Every plant here is drawn from the USDA PLANTS database; the traits behind this list are quoted from it, not estimated. See data & sources.

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