Drought-Resistant Trees Native to California

Cypress

• California has several native varieties of cypress. Cypresses are actually bushes that can be grown into a tree. Cupressus bakeri is a slow, tough grower that only requires water to get established. The tecate cypress grows naturally in the mountains of southern California and requires no water after it is established in all but the harshest desert areas of California. Other drought-tolerant cypresses native to California include the gowen cypress that grows to 15 feet, the Cupressus macnabiana that is native to northern California, the Monterey cypress that grows to 50 feet, the fast-growing piute cypress and the sargent cypress that only requires water the first year.

California Sycamore

• Native to areas next to rivers and streams, the California sycamore tolerates many of the conditions existing in California such as heat, drought, moisture and smog. Its bark is mottled in appearance during the winter months after it has shed its leaves. As a deciduous tree, it also grows fast, reaching up to 50 feet in height. The California sycamore requires full sun in a native sandy soil and does not need additional fertilizer when it is being planted.

Mesquite Trees

• The honey mesquite and the screwbean mesquite are native to California. The mesquites occur naturally in the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. The screwbean mesquite is so named due to its seed pods that spiral tightly. The mesquites' flowers are yellow in color and its fruit is edible. Both types of mesquite are deciduous trees. The screwbean mesquite is not as cold hardy as the honey mesquite. Both types do not require water after the plants are established.

Oak

• California is home to many drought-resistant varieties of oak. Of the various varieties, the coast live oak and the scrub oak are the two most common trees in the cities of California. The oaks fall into four types. There are evergreen and deciduous oaks that have acorns that mature in one season and there are evergreen and deciduous oaks that have acorns that mature in two seasons. One-season-maturing-evergreen oaks include Quercus agrifolia, Quercus dumosa and Quercus turbinella. One-season-maturing-deciduous oaks include Quercus douglassi, Quercus engelmannii and Quercus lobata. Evergreen oaks whose acorns mature in two seasons include Quercus chrysolepis, Quercus parvula and tanbark oak. The deciduous oak trees whose acorns mature in two seasons include Quercus kelloggii and Quercus palmeri. Some oak varieties have sharp points on their leaves while other oak varieties have smooth leaves.