Fire Resistant Plant List
These native and well-adapted species are good candidates for a fire-safe landscape in San Mateo County. They are low in resin, hold moisture well, or accumulate little dead material, and most are available from nurseries specializing in California natives.
No plant is fireproof. Every plant on this list must be irrigated to its needs and kept free of dead twigs and leaves to remain fire-resistant. A drought-stressed or litter-filled plant will burn in a wildfire regardless of species. And no plant, however rated, belongs in Zone 0, the first 5 feet around your home. Placement and maintenance matter more than species: see our fire-safe landscaping guidance.
Some of these plants do well along the coast, others in warmer inland areas. A native plant nursery can recommend species suited to your site. Download this list as a printable PDF.
Native Shrubs
- Coffeeberry (prostrate) Frangula californica
- Spiny redberry Rhamnus crocea
- California lilac (many spp.) Ceanothus spp.
- Golden yarrow Eriophyllum confertiflorum
- California rose Rosa californica
- Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus
- Creeping snowberry Symphoricarpos mollis
- Silk tassel bush Garrya elliptica
- Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia
- Western redbud Cercis occidentalis
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
- Bush poppy Dendromecon rigida
- Currant (many species) Ribes spp.
- Holly-leafed cherry Prunus ilicifolia
- Mountain mahogany Cercocarpus betuloides
Native Shrubs for Riparian or Irrigated Areas
- Mock orange Philadelphus lewisii
- California barberry Berberis pinnata
- Blue elderberry Sambucus mexicana
- Thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus
- Creek dogwood Cornus sericea ssp. occidentalis
- Flowering currant Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum
- Bush anemone Carpenteria californica
Native Ferns
- Western sword fern Polystichum munitum
- Giant chain fern Woodwardia fimbriata
- Coastal wood fern Dryopteris arguta
- Bracken Pteridium aquilinum
Native Perennials
- Yarrow Achillea millefolium
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica
- Chaparral penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon centranthifolius
- California buttercup Ranunculus californicus
- Hummingbird sage Salvia spathacea
- Western columbine Aquilegia formosa
- Sticky monkeyflower Diplacus aurantiacus
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum
- California goldenrod Solidago velutina ssp. californica
- Creeping sage Salvia sonomensis
- Coyote mint Monardella villosa
Native Groundcovers and Bunchgrasses
- Blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium bellum
- Douglas iris Iris douglasiana
- Yerba buena Clinopodium douglasii
- Woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
- Dudleya Dudleya cymosa
- Pacific stonecrop Sedum spathulifolium
- Spreading rush Juncus patens
- Foothill sedge Carex tumulicola
- Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra
- Deer grass Muhlenbergia rigens
- California fescue Festuca californica
Native Trees
- Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia
- Black oak Quercus kelloggii
- Canyon live oak Quercus chrysolepis
- California buckeye Aesculus californica
- Madrone Arbutus menziesii
- Catalina ironwood Lyonothamnus floribundus
Native Trees for Riparian or Irrigated Areas
- Coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens
- Western sycamore Platanus racemosa
- Valley oak Quercus lobata
- Willows Salix spp.
- Big-leaf maple Acer macrophyllum
For an extended list of plants rated for fire performance across multiple references, see our expanded fire-safe plant list. For regional plant guidance covering the same Bay Area conditions, see Fire Safe Marin's fire-smart plant resources.
Note on manzanita and coyote brush: low-growing cultivars of some natives (bearberry, prostrate coyote brush) appear on fire-resistant lists while their wildland forms appear on fire-prone lists. The difference is form and maintenance. Low, irrigated, litter-free groundcover forms behave well; tall, unmanaged, woody stands do not. Keep both out of the first 5 feet around structures.