white flowering currantRibes indecorumShrub, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
California natives rated for California: water needs by climate zone
Each plant shows its water use rating for each of the six California climate zones. Minutes opens the sprinkler calculator with the plant and a climate city preset.
Page 5 of 5: white flowering currant to yucca.
white flowering currantRibes indecorumShrub, California native
white hedgenettleStachys albensPerennial, California native- NCH
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
white sageSalvia apianaShrub, California native, Arboretum All-Star- NCVL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
White sagebrushArtemisia ludovicianaPerennial, California native- NCVL
- CVL
- SCM
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
whitebark ceanothusCeanothus leucodermisShrub, California native- NCVL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIVL
- HD×
- LD×
whiteleaf manzanitaArctostaphylos viscidaShrub, California native- NCVL
- CVL
- SC×
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
wild gingerAsarum caudatumGround cover, Perennial, California native- NCM
- CVM
- SCH
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
wild mock orangePhiladelphus lewisii (P. californicus)Shrub, California native- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
Winter Glow manzanitaArctostaphylos 'Winterglow'Ground cover, Shrub, California native- NCM
- CV?
- SCL
- SIM
- HD×
- LD×
winterfatKrascheninnikovia lanataShrub, California native- NCL
- CV?
- SCVL
- SIL
- HDL
- LD?
wishbone bushMirabilis laevis var. crassifolia (Mirabilis californica)Perennial, California native- NCL
- CV?
- SCVL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
wolfberryLycium fremontiiShrub, California native- NC?
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
Wood Rose, Baldhip RoseRosa gymnocarpaShrub, California native- NCM
- CVVL
- SCL
- SIM
- HDM
- LD?
Wood's compact manzanitaArctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Wood's Compact'Ground cover, California native- NCL
- CVM
- SCL
- SI×
- HD×
- LD×
woodland phaceliaPhacelia bolanderiPerennial, California native- NCM
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HD?
- LD?
woolly blue curlsTrichostema lanatumPerennial, Shrub, California native- NCVL
- CVVL
- SCVL
- SIVL
- HD×
- LD×
Woolly BrickellbushBrickellia incanaShrub, California native- NCL
- CV?
- SCVL
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
woolly leaf ceanothusCeanothus tomentosus var. olivaceusShrub, California native- NCL
- CV?
- SCVL
- SIVL
- HD×
- LD×
Woolly LotusAcmispon heermanniiPerennial, California native- NC?
- CV?
- SCVL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
woolly sunflowerEriophyllum lanatum & cvsPerennial, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
woolly yerba santaEriodictyon tomentosumShrub, California native- NCL
- CVVL
- SCVL
- SIVL
- HDVL
- LD?
woolly-leaf sunflowerViguiera lanataShrub, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
Wright BuckwheatEriogonum wrightiiShrub, California native- NCVL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIL
- HD?
- LDL
yampahPerideridia kelloggiiPerennial, California native- NCM
- CVL
- SC?
- SIVL
- HD?
- LD?
Yankee Point ceanothusCeanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Yankee Point'Shrub, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIM
- HD×
- LD×
yarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)Ground cover, Perennial, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
yawning penstemonKeckiella brevifloraShrub, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
yellow flowered mossDraba oligospermaGround cover, California native- NC?
- CV?
- SC?
- SI?
- HD?
- LD?
yellow gooseberryRibes quercetorumShrub, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
yellow penstemonKeckiella antirrhinoidesShrub, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCL
- SIL
- HD×
- LD×
yellow sand verbenaAbronia latifoliaPerennial, California native- NCVL
- CVVL
- SCVL
- SI×
- HD?
- LD?
yerba buenaClinopodium douglasii (Satureja douglasii)Perennial, California native- NCL
- CVM
- SCM
- SIL
- HD?
- LD?
yerba mansaAnemopsis californicaGround cover, Perennial, California native- NCH
- CVM
- SCM
- SIM
- HDH
- LD?
yuccaHesperoyucca spp. (Yucca whipplei, Yucca californica)Shrub, Succulent, California native- NCL
- CVL
- SCVL
- SIL
- HDL
- LDL
Photo credits, 34 images from Wikimedia Commons
- white flowering currant: Anthony Valois and the National Park Service, Public domain
- white hedgenettle: Unknown author, Public domain
- white sage: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- White sagebrush: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- whitebark ceanothus: Anthony Valois and the National Park Service, Public domain
- whiteleaf manzanita: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5 (licence)
- wild ginger: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5 (licence)
- wild mock orange: born1945, CC BY 2.0 (licence)
- Winter Glow manzanita: NPS, Public domain
- winterfat: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- wishbone bush: Joe Decruyenaere, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- wolfberry: Mike, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- Wood Rose, Baldhip Rose: Walter Siegmund, CC BY 2.5 (licence)
- Wood's compact manzanita: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- woodland phacelia: Stickpen, Public domain
- woolly blue curls: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- Woolly Brickellbush: Joe Decruyenaere, CC BY-SA 2.0 (licence)
- woolly leaf ceanothus: Stickpen, Public domain
- Woolly Lotus: Stickpen, Public domain
- woolly sunflower: Kurt Stüber, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- woolly yerba santa: wonton_soup, CC BY 4.0 (licence)
- woolly-leaf sunflower: Gaiacoyote, CC0 (licence)
- Wright Buckwheat: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- yampah: John Rusk from Berkeley, CA, United States of America, CC BY 2.0 (licence)
- Yankee Point ceanothus: Consultaplantas, CC BY-SA 4.0 (licence)
- yarrow: O. Pichard, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- yawning penstemon: tomhilton, CC BY 2.0 (licence)
- yellow flowered moss: JW Stockert, Public domain
- yellow gooseberry: Daderot, CC0 (licence)
- yellow penstemon: Stickpen, Public domain
- yellow sand verbena: Eric in SF, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
- yerba buena: Gordon Leppig & Andrea J. Pickart, Public domain
- yerba mansa: Calibas, Public domain
- yucca: Rebou, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence)
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Zones: NC North-Central Coastal, CV Central Valley, SC South Coastal, SI South Inland, HD High and Intermediate Desert, LD Low Desert. Ratings: VL very low water, L low, M moderate, H high, ? not rated for that zone, × not suited to that zone. Ratings are the University of California WUCOLS IV list.
How to use this list
- MinutesOpen the calculator with this plant set. The preset city is in a zone where WUCOLS rates the plant. Set your sprinkler type and watering days.
- GuideRead a plant watering guide. Links appear for plants covered by our 1023 written guides.
- PlanBuild your personal watering plan. Put your plants and city together for monthly sprinkler minutes on a printable sheet.
Sources
- WUCOLS IV plant list, University of California, snapshot of the live databaseRead August 23, 2026 on ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS
- Appendix C reference evapotranspiration table behind the six zonesRead August 23, 2026 on water.ca.gov/-/media/DWR-Website/Web-Pages/Programs/Water-Use-And-Efficiency/MWELO-Rulemaking/Final-MWELO-Text-and-Appendices_20250103.pdf