Our quality of life in the desert depends on water. It is critical to every aspect of our lives, and we must learn to conserve and extend this limited resource. Up to half of household water, in some cases as much as three-quarters, goes into our landscapes. By selecting low-water-use plants and watering them properly, home gardeners and landscape professionals have a unique opportunity to reduce the amount of water it takes to keep our landscapes attractive, healthy, and thriving.

The plants on this website are listed in and comply with the Arizona Department of Water Resources "Drought Tolerant/Low Water Use Plant List" for the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA).

The plants featured in these pages were chosen by a team of landscape professionals. They selected plants that are drought hardy, tolerant of heat and cold, and adapted to our soil conditions. Many are native to our region, while others come from arid climates around the world. Most are readily available at local nurseries or plant sales. View the list of plants included in the booklet as a pdf or as a web page.

Genus: One or more species of plants that share many characteristics. They usually have similar flowers and fruit. Genus is the first part of a plant's botanical name and is designated with an initial capital.

Species: Plants that have different characteristics from other plants within the same genus. It is usually the second part of a plant's botanical name, and the first letter is in lower case.

Common Name: A name that has no botanical standing. Common names are easier to spell and pronounce, but many plants have more than one common name or share the same common name, which can cause confusion about a plant's identity.

Variety: A variation of a plant species that occurs naturally in the wild. Designated with the abbreviation v. or var. preceding the name. Dodonaea viscosa v. pupurea is a naturally occurring variation of Dodonaea viscosa with purplish leaves.

Cultivar: A plant that is cultivated, or developed and grown by nurseries (as opposed to occurring naturally in the wild) for its desirable characteristics. Cultivar is a combination of the words "cultivated variety." Cultivar names are enclosed by single quotes. Also see TRADEMARKED PLANTS.

Trademarked Plants (TM): Plant selections developed by nurseries for certain desirable characteristics. On plant labels and in written materials, typically enclosed by single quotes and designated by TM next to the plant's name.


Understanding Plant Names

The Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA) is a voluntary, non-profit corporation established by municipalities in Maricopa County for the development of urban water resources policy.