Water Smart Plant Picker

Woody perennial, deciduous tree. Large slow growing native with beautiful spring foliage. Large, glossy, green leaves with bristly tipped lobes. Large acorns within tree. Susceptible to Sudden Oak Death.

Woody perennial, deciduous tree. Fast growing and one of the best local natives for large properties. Dark green leaves and dark brown to pale gray, ridged bark. Not susceptible to Sudden Oak Death.

Quercus suber is an evergreen tree with unique bark characteristics. The bark contains high amounts of suberin, which is a waxy substance that is waterproof. With that, the bark has been used to produce corks for wine bottles for years. The trees’ average growth is around 40-70 feet tall and wide. They can grow bigger, but it’s not very common.

Two species of Rhaphiolepis and many cultivars are widely available in California. These evergreen, flowering shrubs and small trees provide attractive foliage and clusters of pink or white flowers from spring into fall followed by dark blue fruits.

• Indian hawthorn (R. indica, 4-5’ x 5-6’) has a mounding growth habit and is available in many cultivars at local nurseries offering a range of size and flower variations.
• i. ‘Majestic Beauty’ (R. montic 10-18’ x 8-10’) deserves special mention as it is larger than other available cultivars and can be trained as a small, single- or multi-trunked tree.
• Yeddo hawthorn (R. umbellata, 4-8’ x 4-8’) has white flowers and more leathery leaves than Indian hawthorn.

Diverse group of resilient shrubs and trees, including several that are native to California, that provide form, foliage, and habitat value.

• Lemonade berry (R. integrifolia, 4-20‘ x 4-20’) is native to coastal Southern California and Baja California. This evergreen shrub provides white-to-pink clusters of flowers in late winter and early spring followed by sticky, reddish fruits. Lemonade berry is more suitable for coastal climates, whereas sugar bush will also grow in hotter areas.
• Sugar bush (R. ovata, 4-10’ x 4-10’) is native to dry slopes away from the coast in Southern California and Baja California. Similar to lemonade berry with more reddish flowers and leaves that are often folded down the center.
• African sumac (R. lancea, 15-25’ x 20-30’) is an evergreen tree from South Africa with willow-like leaves and graceful weeping habit.

Note: The infamous poison oak was previously classified within the Rhus genus, but has since been reclassified to the more appropriate sounding Toxicodendron diversilobum.

Chinese evergreen elm has proven to be one of the most resistant species to Dutch elm disease and is a good choice for California gardens where a large tree is needed. This tree from China, Korea, and Japan has a broad, rounded canopy and is semi-evergreen in milder climate zones. Exfoliating bark provides additional interest. Several cultivars are available offering different leaf characteristics.

Attractive deciduous shrub or small tree from the Mediterranean region to central Asia that produces spikes of fragrant lavender-blue flowers in summer into fall. Several varieties provide white or pink flowers.