Native Plants / Nevada

Nevada
Nevada Native Plants
A plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region or ecosystem without human introduction. There are many benefits to growing native plants. First, these plants are better adapted to soils, moisture, and weather than exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world. They need fewer fertilizers, and pesticides or use less water. Second, they are unlikely to escape and become invasive, destroying natural habitats. Third, they support wildlife, providing shelter and food for native birds and insects, while exotic plants do not.
Acer negundo (Box Elder)
Hardy and fast-growing, Acer negundo (Box Elder) is a suckering, vigorous, deciduous tree of upright habit with an irregular rounded canopy of widely spreading branches. The opposite, pinnately compound, light green leaves are composed of 3-7 leaflets, 6-15 in. long (15-37 cm), which turn a dull yellow in the fall.
Achillea millefolium (White Yarrow)
Achillea millefolium (White Yarrow) is a graceful perennial wildflower that produces an abundance of huge, flat clusters, 5 in. across (12 cm), packed with 20-25 creamy-white flowers.
Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry)
Perfect for shade gardens, Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry) is herbaceous perennial forming bushy clumps of finely divided, bright green foliage, enhanced by clusters of small fluffy white flowers in late spring and early summer. Borne on conspicuous red stems which rise above the foliage, they give way to pea-sized glossy scarlet berries in summer.
Adiantum capillus-veneris (Southern Maidenhair Fern)
Adiantum capillus-veneris (Southern Maidenhair Fern) is a slowly spreading, semi-evergreen fern forming a mound of gently arching or pendant, twice divided, delicate fronds adorned with wiry, black stems.
Agastache urticifolia (Nettleleaf Giant Hyssop)
Robust and long-lived, Agastache urticifolia (Nettleleaf Giant Hyssop) is a tall, herbaceous, strongly aromatic, perennial boasting dense flowering spikes, 6 in. long (15 cm), packed with tiny, white to rose or violet flowers with protruding stamens. Blooming in early to late summer, they are borne atop stout, square, glabrous leafy stems. They are a nectar source for many bees, moths, hummingbirds and butterflies, including monarch butterflies.
Agave utahensis (Utah Agave)
Regarded as one of the most cold-tolerant agaves, Agave utahensis (Utah Agave) is a small, evergreen perennial succulent forming rosettes of thick, narrow, upward-curving, spiny-edged, blue-gray leaves with a long dark spine at their tips.
Allium schoenoprasum (Chives)
Cultivated for its culinary uses and ornamental garden appeal, Allium schoenoprasum (Chives) is a small bulbous perennial forming a dense clump of thin, narrowly cylindrical, grass-like, dark green leaves. Blooming in late spring to early summer, attractive, pale lavender, rounded umbels are borne on erect stems atop the foliage. Both flowers and leaves are edible.
Alnus rhombifolia (White Alder)
Fast-growing, Alnus rhombifolia (White Alder) is a medium-sized deciduous tree of graceful habit with a straight trunk, and a pyramidal crown in youth, becoming more oval with age. The slender, horizontal branches spread out, then droop at the tips. The ash gray bark is thin and smooth on young trees, becoming scaly on mature trees. The foliage of broadly ovate, finely toothed leaves, 4 in. long (10 cm), emerges apple green before turning glossy dark green.
Amelanchier alnifolia (Serviceberry)
Domesticated for fruit production, Amelanchier alnifolia (Serviceberry) is a deciduous, upright, suckering shrub with four seasons of interest. In mid-spring, compact clusters of fragrant, white flowers emerge just before the leaves.
Amelanchier utahensis (Utah Serviceberry)
A rewarding choice for any garden, Amelanchier utahensis (Utah Serviceberry) is a many-branched, deciduous shrub or small tree of rounded growth habit with four seasons of interest. In spring, finely serrated, green leaves alternately line the young, reddish growth and the soft gray of the smooth, mature branches. Clusters of white, rose-like flowers, each with five widely-spaced narrow petals, cover the shrub from base to tip of each branch until early summer. The entire shrub is snowy white.
Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly Everlasting)
Ideal to complement colorful perennials in beds or borders, award-winner Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) is a rewarding bushy perennial topped with bountiful clusters of long-lasting, buttonlike flowers which are perfect for dried floral arrangements.
Andropogon glomeratus (Bushy Bluestem)
An impressive ornamental grass for moist soils, Andropogon glomeratus (Bushy Bluestem) is a clump-forming, warm-season grass forming a sturdy and upright tuft of tall, flattened leaf blades. Emerging blue-green in spring, the foliage turns rich coppery-orange in the fall. Elegant tall flowering stems rise above the foliage in late summer to early fall, bearing densely clustered, clublike, silvery pink to white panicles.
Anemone multifida (Pacific Anemone)
Anemone multifida (Pacific Anemone) is a charming herbaceous perennial forming loose clumps of slender, silky stems clad with long-petioled, finely divided downy leaves. In late spring to late summer, solitary, silky, poppy-like flowers, 1 in. across (2.5 cm), greenish, yellowish or purplish outside, yellowish-white inside, appear for several weeks atop the stems.
Anemopsis californica (Yerba Mansa)
Anemopsis californica (Yerba Mansa) is a vigorously spreading, low-growing perennial boasting erect flower spikes in late spring and summer. Rising just above the foliage, each spike is topped with tiny, scented, white flowers clustered into a cone. 4-9 large white spoon-shaped bracts at the base of each spike look like petals.
Antennaria parvifolia (Small-Leaf Pussytoes)
A low-growing western native, Antennaria parvifolia (Small-Leaf Pussytoes) is a stoloniferous, mat-forming perennial forming a beautiful carpet of fine-textured, broad spatulate to oblanceolate, silver-gray leaves that remain attractive year-round.