WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE APPROVED PLANT LIST This approved plant list has been developed to serve as a tool to determine the placement of vegetation within the Wildland Urban Interface areas. The approved plant list has been compiled from several similar lists which pertain to the San Francisco Bay Area and to the State of California. This approved plant list is not intended to be used outside of the San Mateo County area. The “required distance” for each plant is how far the given plant is required to be from a structure. If a plant within the approved plant list is not provided with a “required distance”, the plant has been designated as a fire-resistant plant and may be placed anywhere within the defensible space area. The designation as a fire-resistant plant does not exempt the plant from other Municipal Codes. For example, as per Hillsborough Municipal Code, all trees crowns, including those that have been designated as fire resistant, are required to be 10 feet in distance from any structure. Fire resistant plants have specific qualities that help slow down the spread of fire, they include but are not limited to: • Leaves tend to be supple, moist and easily crushed • Trees tend to be clean, not bushy, and have little deadwood • Shrubs are low-growing (2’) with minimal dead material • Taller shrubs are clean, not bushy or twiggy • Sap is water-like and typically does not have a strong odor • Most fire-resistant trees are broad leafed deciduous (lose their leaves), but some thick-leaf evergreens are also fire resistant. The use of plants that are not found on this list must be provided with supplemental information regarding the fire-resistance of the plant in question. Supplemental information should include the average height, average width, resistances and other factors that may influence the fire-resistance of the plant. Remember that fire-resistant plants are not fire-proof, all plants will burn if exposed to enough heat. 1 Latin Name Common Name Plant Type Distance Requirement Abelia Grandiflora Glossy Abelia Shrub 10' Required Abelia Grandiflora 'Prostrata' Prostrate Glossy Abelia Groundcover 5' Required Abies Spp. Firs Tree 100' Required Abutilon Hybridum Flowering Maple Shrub 10' Required Acacia Farnesiana Sweet Acacia Tree 15' Required Acacia Greggii Catclaw Acacia Tree 50' Required Acacia Melanoxylon Australian Blackwood Tree 30' Required Acacia Salicina Willow Acacia Tree 15' Required Acacia Smallii N/A Tree 15' Required Acacia Stenophylla Shoestring Acacia Tree 15' Required Acacia Redolens Desert Carpet Acacia Groundcover 30' Required Acacia Spp. Acacia Species Shrub or 100' Tree Required Acanthus Mollis Bear’s Breech Shrub Acer Buergeranum Trident Maple Tree 5' Required Acer Circinatum Vine Maple Tree 5' Required Acer Grinnala Amur Maple Tree Acer Griseum Paperbark Maple Tree 5' Required Acer Macrophyllum Big-leaf Maple Tree 30' Required Acer Negundo Box Elder Tree 50' Required Acer Palmatum Japanese Maple Tree Acer Rubrum Red Maple Tree Acer Saccharinum Silver Maple Tree 30' Required Acer Saccarum Sugar Maple Tree Acer Spp. Maple Tree Achillea Spp. Yarrow Shrub Achillea Filipendulina Fernlead Yarrow Shrub Achillea Millefolium Yarrow Shrub 30' Required Achillea Tomentosa Woolly Yarrow Groundcover Achrontophoenix Cunninghamiana King Palm Tree Acuba Japonica ‘Variegata’ Gold-Dust Plant Shrub Adenostoma Fasciculatum Charmise Shrub 100' Required Adenostoma Sparsifolium Red Shanks Shrub 100' Required Aechmea Recurvata Bromeliad Shrub Aeonium Spp. Aeonium Succulent Aesculus Californica California Buckeye Tree 30' Required Agapanthus Spp. Lily-of-the-Nile Shrub 2 Agave Spp. Agave Succulent Agonis Flexuosa Peppermint Tree Tree 50' Required Ajuga Crispa Giant Ajuga Shrub Ajuga Reptans Carpet Bugle Groundcover Ajuga Spp. Carpet Bugle Groundcover Albizia Julibrissin Silk Tree Tree 50' Required Alnus Cordata Italian Alder Tree 50' Required Alnus Rhombifolia White Alder Tree 30' Required Alnus Rubra Red Alder Tree 30' Required Alocasia Macrorrhiza Elphant’s Ear Shrub Aloe Spp. Aloe Succulent Alyogyne Huegelii Blue Alyogyne Shrub 5' Required Anigozanthos Spp. Kangaroo Paw Shrub Aquilegia Formosa Western Columbine Shrub 30' Required Arabis Spp. California Rockcress Groundcover Aralia Sieboldii Japanese Aralia Shrub Arbutus Menziesii Madrone Tree Arbutus 'Marina' N/A Tree 15' Required Arbutus Unedo Strawberry Tree Tree Arbutus Unedo ‘Compacta’ Strawberry Compacta Arbutus Shrub 5' Required Arbutus Unedo ‘Elfin King’ Elfin Elfin Arbutus Shrub 5' Required Achontophoenix Cunningmamiana King Palm Tree Arctostaphylos Edmundsii Little Sur Manzanita Groundcover 30' Required Arctostaphylos Hookeri Monterey Carpet Shrub 30' Required Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Bearberry Shrub 30' Required Arctostaphylos Spp. Manzanita Shrub 100' Required Arctotheca Calendula Silver Spreader Groundcover Armeria Maritima Common Thrift Groundcover Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ Powis Castle Shrub 50' Required Artemisia Californica Sagebrush (California) Shrub 100' Required Artemisia Caucasica Silver Spreader Groundcover Artemisia Pycnocephala Sandhill Sage Shrub Artemisia Stelleriana Beach Worm Wood Shrub 50' Required Atriplex Lentiformis Breweri Saltbush Shrub Atriplex Semibaccata Australian Saltbush Shrub Asarum Caudatum Wild Ginger Groundcover 30' Required Asparagus Densiflorus Asparagus Fern Shrub Aspidistra Elatior Cast-Iron Plant Shrub Asplenium Bulbiferum Mother Fern Shrub Astelia Chathemica Silver Spear Shrub 3 Aster Chilensis Wild Aster Shrub 30' Required Aucuba Japonica Gold Aucuba Plant Shrub 5' Required Baccharis Spp. Various Shrub 100' Required Baccharis Pilularis Dwarf Coyote Brush Groundcover 100' Required Bambusa Spp. Bamboo Tree 100' Required Bauhinia Variegata Purple Orchid Tree Tree 50' Required Begonia Richmondensis Richmond Begonia Shrub Berberis Spp. Barberry Shrub Berberis Pinnata California Barberry Shrub Berberis Thunbergii Japanese Barberry Shrub 50' Required Berberis Thunbergii 'Cultivars' N/A Shrub Beschornia Yuccoides Red Yucca Shrub Bergenia Spp. Bergenia Shrub Betula Jacuemontii Himilayan Birch Tree 10' Required Betula Nigra River Birch Tree 10' Required Betula Pendula European White birch Tree 10' Required Bougainvillea Spp. Bougainvillea Shrub 50' Required Brodiaea Laxa Grass Nut Shrub 30' Required Brachychiton Acerifolius Flame Tree Tree 50' Required Brachychiton Populneus Kurrajong Bottle Tree Tree 50' Required Brahea Armata Blue Hesper Palm Tree 10' Required Brahea Edulis Guadalupe Palm Tree Brugmansia Spp. Angel’s Trumpet Shrub Buddlein Spp. Butterfly Bush Shrub Buddleja Davidii Butterfly Bush Shrub 50' Required Butia Capitata Pindo Palm Tree 10' Required Buxus Microphylla Japonica Japanese Microphylla Shrub 5' Required Buxus Microphylla Koreana Korean Microphylla Shrub 5' Required Buxus Sempervirens European Box Shrub 30' Required Buxus Spp. Boxwood Shrub Caesalpinia Gilliesii Bird of Paradise Bush Shrub Caesalpinia Mexicana Mexican Bird of Paradise Shrub Caesalpina Pulcherrima Red Bird of Paradise Shrub Calamagrostis Foliosa Mendocino Reed Grass Groundcover Calliandra Californica Baja Fairy Duster Shrub 50' Required Calliandra Eriophylla Fairy Duster Shrub 50' Required Callistemon Citrinus Lemon Bottlebrush Tree 50' Required Callistemon Citrinus 'Compacta' Bottlebrush Shrub 50' Required Callistemon Viminalis N/A Shrub 30' Required 4 Callistemon Viminalis (Tree) Weeping Bottlebrush Tree 10' Required Calocedrus Decurrens Incense Cedar Tree 50' Required Calodendrum Capense Cape Chestnut Tree 50' Required Calycanthus Occidentalis Spice Bush Shrub 50' Required Camellia Spp. Camellia Shrub Carex Spp. Sedge Groundcover Carex Tumulicola Foothill Sedge Groundcover Carissa Grandiflora Natal Plum Shrub Carissa Macrocarpa Natal Plum Shrub 10' Required Carpenteria Californica Bush Anemone Shrub Carpobrotus Spp. Ice Plant Succulent Carya Illinoinensis Pecan Tree 50' Required Cassia (Senna) Artemisiodies Feathery Cassia Shrub 10' Required Castanopsis Chrysophylla Giant Chinquapin Shrub 100' Required Catalpa Spp. Catalpa Tree Ceanothus Gloriosis Point Reyes Ceanothus Shrub 30' Required Ceanothus Griseus Carmel Creeper Shrub 30' Required Ceanothus Maritimus Maritime Ceanothus Shrub 30' Required Ceanothus Spp. Wild Lilac Shrub Ceanothus Thrysiflorus California Lilac Shrub Cedrus Deodara Deodar Cedar Tree 30' Required Cedrus Spp. Cedars Tree 100' Required Celtis Occidentalis Common Hackberry Tree Centaurea Cineraria Dusty Milly Shrub Centranthus ruber Red Valerian Shrub Cerastium Tomentosum Snow-in-Summer Groundcover Ceratastigma Plumbaginoides Hardy Plumbago Groundcover Ceratonia Siliqua Carob Tree Cercidium Floridum Blue Palo Verde Tree Cercidium Microphyllum Littleleaf Palo Verde Tree Cercis Canadensis Eastern Redbd Shrub 5' Required Cercis Occidentalis Eastern Redbud Shrub Cercis Texensis Texas White Shrub 5' Required Cercocarpus Betuloides (Tree) Mountain Iron Tree Cercocarpus Betuloides Mountain Mahogany Shrub Chamaecyparis Spp. False Cypress Tree 100' Required Chamaemelum Nobile Chamomile Groundcover Chamaerops Humilis Mediterranean Fan Palm Tree Chilopsis Linearis Desert Willow Tree 15' Required 5 Chionanthus Retusus Chinese Fringe Tree Tree Chitalpa x Tashkentensis Chitalpa Tree Choisya Ternata Mexican Orange Shrub 50' Required Chondropetulam Tectorum Cape Rush Shrub Chorisia Speciosa Floss Silk Tree Tree 50' Required Cinnamomum Camphora Camphor Tree Tree Cistus Salviifolius Sageleaf Rockrose Groundcover 50' Required Cistus Spp. Rockrose Shrub 30' Required Citrus Spp. Citrus Tree Clivia Minata Clivia Shrub Cocculus Laurifolius