I think desert-tropicals.com has a good list

It has been in the 90's here and we have not had any rain in several weeks. I was just looking around our non-irrigated yard today and most things were a bit wilted and unhappy, even the natives. However, a few things looked fresh as a daisy. These were: jatropha peregrina, dwarf powderpuff, selloum philodendron, costus woodsonii, chinese fan palms, coconut palms, variegated coral tree, jatropha multifida.

This would be a good question to put to the Australian forum. There are lots of drought resistant plants native to Oz; they often need water to get established but then can go long periods without. Grevilleas are great, some of the melaleucas are good, geraldton wax are gorgeous, etc. My husband's aunt has a garden on a sand island (ie no moisture retention in the soil at all) and we haven't had much rain lately so everyone is on water restrictions. Her natives still look good, everything else is just sad.

Sourcing the right plants over there will be the tricky part, and remember that not all Oz natives are drought resistant. Maybe find out what you can get, then post some queries to the Australian forum?

By definition a "tropical" is also a plant that thrives in high humidity. A "tropical" that is drought tolerant has adapted well to living off water in the air. How it would do in the arid desert is probably a different story.

Following up on Middlejanes' comments--how cold do you get there in your part of New Mexico (what USDA Hardiness zone)? If you are at least a zone 9--there are a few succulents that are wonderful accents "shrubs", but also certain kangaroo paws/cat's paws and a snow eucalyptus may work for you. Again, depending if you have a warm winter (never below 35 F), there are pachypodiums that have flowers resembling frangipani, and there are such a broad range of foliage forms and textures in the Euphorbia family that will really help create a softer tropical look.

I'm in zone 7b. What zone is Nambian Grape (Cyphostemma juttae) in? I didn't see it in the plant database.

I live in a very arid climate in Arizona and lots of folks are able to get traditional tropical plants to grow well here. I would say that you don't necessarily need to live in humid zone 9 to make it work.

Being in New Mexico, you might need to grow your tropicals in containers and bring them indoors during the colder months of the year.

For example, there's an Arizona branch of the Rare Fruit Growers Society (folks who grow bananas, papayas, etc., etc.). It takes some babying sometimes, from what I've heard. Like, you have to pick a good spot in your yard so it's warm enough and protected from extreme cold if it's a permanent landscape plant.

I say, "Go for it!" Start with something small and experiment. People grow tropicals in Minnesota, so you can do it in New Mexico, too. :-)