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Trees
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Arroyo Willow
Salix lasiolepis
- Height 7 - 35 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - May
- This is the most common willow in California.
- It's deciduous and is found near water.
- Look for narrow leaves that are wider near the tip than at the base.
- CA native.
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Leaves are about 5 inches long, smooth-sided and narrow. They're pale/hairy underneath, and wider near the tip than near the base.
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Classic pussies with yellow stamens. The buds are fused together (not overlapping) before they open.
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This willow has many trunks, sometimes growing as a tree, and sometimes as a tangled shrub.
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Big-Leaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
- Height 50 - 100 ft.
- CA Bloom Apr - May
- You'll probably notice the maple leaves first; they're large and grow opposite each other.
- Leaves are green in the summer, yellow in the fall, and absent in the winter.
- In spring, small greenish-yellow flowers hang in clusters below newly emerging leaves.
- Big Leaf Maples do well near water and in dappled shade.
- CA native
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Leaves are quite large, up to 12" wide, with deep indents. No other maple in the U.S. has leaves this big.
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Flower clusters droop from emerging leaves.
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Two winged fruits grow side by side, creating a helicopter-like lift when they're blown away on the wind.
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Blackwood Acacia
Acacia melanoxylon
- Height 50 - 100 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - Mar
- This acacia tree has twisted reddish-brown pods.
- The trunk has high levels of tannin, which causes dark stains when people handle it (thus Blackwood).
- Generally found in coastal disturbed areas.
- Not CA native
- Somewhat Invasive
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Pale yellow spherical flowers show many stamens. These develop into reddish-brown pods.
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Mature leaves are generally wide but occasionally have divided fern-like tips. Young leaves are divided too.
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Blackwood Acacia grows to be a substantial tree.
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California Bay Laurel
Umbellularia californica
- CA Bloom Nov - May
- Height to 60 feet.
- The foliage of this classic California tree smells like bay leaves.
- Clusters of small flowers grow at the end of branches where new leaves emerge.
- Flowers turn into a plump 1 inch fruit resembling avocados, to which the tree is related.
- CA Native - endemic to the California Floristic Province.
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Leaves are fairly narrow, with a central vein and smooth edges, ending in a point. They have a leathery feel, and a spicy smell when crushed.
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Green fruit turns purple when mature. Leathery skin covers oily flesh that surrounds a pit (similar to avocado).
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Bay Laurels can grow to be substantial trees, thickly covered with their spicy-smelling leaves.
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California Buckeye
Aesculus californica
- Height 12 - 40 ft.
- CA Bloom May - Jul
- Buckeye trees are conspicuous from afar; pale green leaves in early spring, full of flowers in early summer, and bare-branched well before other trees lose their leaves in the fall.
- Each aromatic flower has 4 pink or white petals and long stamens.
- The fruit resembles a buck's eye - brown and about 2 inches across.
- CA native
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Buckeye trees become covered with columns of sweet-smelling flowers.
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5-part compound leaves are palmate (shaped like a hand). Leaf edges are finely-toothed and bud in early February.
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Trees in the open form a dome shape, often growing 40 feet tall and 40 feet wide. They can live 250 years.
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California Nutmeg
Torreya californica
- This is an evergreen yew tree.
- Its flat needle arrangement can be mistaken for redwood until you feel the tips of the hard, sharp needles.
- Although a conifer, seeds are contained in a fleshy fruit rather than a cone.
- Found in shady canyons, widely interspersed among other trees.
- CA native
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Aromatic needles are arranged on a flat plane like a redwood, but they're hard and quite sharp at the tips.
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Female trees produce a green 1.5 inch fruit that matures to purple in about 18 months.
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Nutmeg is a moderate-sized tree that grows on cool wet slopes.
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Coast Live Oak
Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia
- CA Bloom Feb - Mar
- Height to 40 feet.
- This beautiful tree has a thick trunk and heavy arching branches.
- Trunks are silver grey in color.
- These trees live near the coast, from Mendocino county to Baja California.
- CA native
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When unrestricted, Live Oaks grow wide and tall, with a thick canopy of evergreen, leathery leaves.
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Leaves often curl under and have spiny edges. Acorns grow at the end of twigs.
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Male flowers are pale green. Female flowers are hard to find, inconspicuous at the base of new leaves.
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Coast Redwood
Sequoia sempervirens
- Coast Redwoods are huge, growing over 200 feet tall, with trunks over 20 feet in diameter.
- They thrive in foggy valleys with lots of moisture, where they form dense stands of straight-trunked trees.
- Redwoods are native to the coastal fog belt from Monterey to southern Oregon.
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Interlocking roots create a strong foundation for these huge, columnar giants – the tallest living things on earth.
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Needles form a flat surface, about 1" across. They taper to a point at the end of each year's growth.
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Look for distinctive tan needles on the ground. Thick bark and vigorous sprouting help redwoods survive dozens of fires over their lives.
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Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
- These huge conifer trees can exceed 200 feet and live over 500 years.
- Their needles are short and grow in all directions.
- Cones have distinctive "mouse-tails" between the scales.
- Douglas Fir is common in the Northern California coastal ranges and Sierras.
- CA native.
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Needles are about 1" long and grow in all directions.
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The cone has "mouse tails" coming from under each scale.
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Trunks grow straight and tall. Branches stick out like ladder rungs.
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Holly
Ilex aquifolium
- CA Bloom Feb - Mar
- Here's the holly we associate with Christmas.
- It has small white flowers with four petals.
- Flowers turn into bright red shiny berries in the fall.
- Alternate leaves have spines near the ground, but are smooth up high.
- Found in cool wooded areas.
- Not CA native
- Moderately Invasive
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Evergreen Holly leaves have spiny teeth, are shiny dark green on top and lighter underneath.
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Bright red berries and shiny dark green leaves are a Christmas decoration staple.
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This shrub can grow to tree size if it has plenty of light and water.
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Madrone
Arbutus menziesii
- Height 25 - 130 ft.
- I like every part of the Madrone - its smooth brown bark, its thick waxy oval leaves, its delicate clusters of urn-shaped flowers, and its red berries.
- It's found on the edge of forests where it can find light and water.
- CA native. Its native range extends along the coast north to British Columbia.
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A beautiful tree with a smooth brown trunk, wide spreading limbs, and dark green leaves.
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Tiny white urn-shaped flowers hang down on little stalks. The leaf is fairly smooth-edged and waxy.
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Red berries show up nicely in front of dark green leaves.
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Red Alder
Alnus rubra
- Height to 75 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - Mar
- Like other Alders, this substantial tree is riparian, finding a home in or near water.
- Its leaves are alternate and strongly veined.
- Red Alder is an early settler in areas opened up by logging or other human activity.
- CA native
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Leaves are wide at the base and come to a point at the tip. Leaf edges are toothed with strong veins going to each tooth.
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Here you can see the white bark of Red Alder, which is often bigger than the other stream-side vegetation around it.
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A deciduous tree with white bark, Red Alder stands out in the center of this picture. Creek dogwood below and to the left has red twig tips.
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Tanbark Oak
Notholithocarpus densiflorus
- CA Bloom Jun - Oct
- Although not a member of the Oak genus (Quercus), Tanbark Oak shares many characteristics with "true" oaks.
- Its distinctive leathery evergreen leaves are 3-5 inches long.
- They have indented veins ending in small bumps on the leaf margin.
- They have acorns but with spiky tops.
- CA native
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Look for a leathery leaf with many strong veins, each leading to a point on the edge of the leaf. Edges are often curled under.
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The underside of the leaf is often fuzzy, a good quick ID characteristic.
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Acorn tops are woody, covered with slender scales that point outwards and recurve.
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Shrubs
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Baneberry
Actaea rubra
- Height 8 in. - 3 ft.
- CA Bloom May - Jul
- Baneberry is a shrub that grows to about 3 feet tall.
- Leaves are coarsely toothed.
- Bright red or white berries are hard to miss, and warn animals that they're poisonous.
- White showy flower clusters.
- Found in shady, moist woodland.
- CA native
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Leaves have deeply toothed margins. Poisonous berries are red or white, with a black dot.
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White showy clusters of flowers stand out on their own stalks. Each flower has many long stamens.
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Leaves are compound and sharply toothed. Leaves and flowers are on separate stalks.
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Blueblossom
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- This shrub is covered with evergreen leaves and produces prodigious display of sweet-smelling flowers.
- Look for grooves running the length of the stem.
- It comes in a variety of sizes, up to 30 feet tall.
- Does well on poor soil. Found in a wide variety of settings.
- CA native
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Hundreds of sweet-smelling tiny flowers form lavender balls of color accented with white or yellow.
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Leaves have 3 parallel veins. The underside is dull, but the top is a shiny dark green.
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Blueblossom is full of flowers when it blooms, March to May.
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California Blackberry
Rubus ursinus
- Height 3 - 6 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - May
- This shrub forms an impenetrable thicket of branches, full of narrow prickles.
- You'll notice bright white flowers with many stamens.
- Found in canyons, coastal stream banks and disturbed areas
- CA native
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Separate petals, with green leafy sepals in between. This male flower has many stamens.
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Prickles are short, narrow, and plentiful. Himalayan Blackberry has wider, longer, and less densely-packed prickles.
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Red fruit turns black with maturity. Leaves in 3s, coarsely toothed, are hairy and have spines. Veins are indented on the leaves.
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California Hazelnut
Corylus cornuta ssp. californica
- CA Bloom Jan - Mar
- This shrub has open branching, and grows to 10 feet.
- Leaves are soft, alternate, and deeply veined.
- The stem changes direction at each leaf node.
- Found on stream banks and slopes
- CA native
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Soft fuzzy leaves have toothed edges. Veins are indented. Leaves fall off in the winter.
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The flower matures to a hazelnut, protected by a hard shell and fuzzy sheath.
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Male catkins form in the fall and last until spring.
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California Honeysuckle
Lonicera hispidula
- CA Bloom Apr - Jul
- This is a woody vine that can climb 30 feet into trees. You'll notice them hanging down from branches.
- Vines end in pink trumpet flowers whose lips fold back to reveal long stamens.
- Common in canyons, stream sides and woodlands, especially near the coast.
- CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.
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Vines end in pink flowers, full of nectar (thus, Honeysuckle). Hummingbird and bees pollinate the flowers in their search for the nectar.
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Pollinated flowers turn into bright-red translucent berries.
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Leaves near the flower wrap around the stem. Leaves further down are opposite.
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Canary Ivy
Hedera canariensis
- CA Bloom Aug - Nov
- This evergreen vine climbs up to 100 feet tall on trees, cliffs and walls.
- Its ivy-shaped leaves are up to 8 inches wide, leathery, and glossy dark green.
- Spheres of small yellow-green flowers turn into black berries.
- Found in woodland and disturbed areas.
- Not native.
- Highly Invasive
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Canyon Gooseberry
Ribes menziesii
- CA Bloom Jan - Apr
- Gooseberries and Currants are small shrubs with beautiful flowers and berries.
- Canyon Gooseberry grows about 6 feet tall, with moderately-spaced thin stems full of prickles.
- Beautiful hanging flowers develop into purple gooseberries.
- CA Native
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Leaves are hairy and soft, and remind me of small (less than 2" across) maple leaves.
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The flower has purple sepals that fold backwards, short white petals that hang down, and stamens that stick out the bottom.
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Thin prickles along the stem make this a Gooseberry. Currants look similar but don't have prickles.
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Climbing Bedstraw
Galium porrigens var. porrigens
- Height to 5 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - Apr
- Climbing Bedstraw has whorls of four leaves regularly spaced along the stem.
- It is covered in prickly hairs, good for climbing over itself and other objects.
- CA native. Found only in California and nearby.
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Look for whorled leaves in groups of 4, small yellow flowers with 4 petals, a square stem, and white berries.
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Flowers are small, about 1/10" across.
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Square stems and leaves have prickly hairs, good for clinging.
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Coffeeberry
Frangula californica ssp. californica
- Height to 15 ft.
- CA Bloom Apr - Jun
- Leaves are evergreen, about 3 inches long, pointed, and have a strong central vein.
- Berries are a variety of colors, finishing at red or black at maturity.
- Stems are often red
- CA native. Endemic to California.
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Coffeeberry is a dense shrub, often darker green than the surrounding plants. Look for shiny narrow leaves.
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Flowers, and later berries, nestle at the base of the leaves, which are long and pointed.
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Berries are round, and end up being red or black.
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Coyote Brush
Baccharis pilularis
- CA Bloom Sep - Jan
- Coyote Brush, a common evergreen shrub, is often the tallest plant in its neighborhood.
- Its leaves are distinctive, sort of rectangular and with bumpy sides.
- Male flowers grow on separate plants from female.
- CA native
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Coyote Brush has many 1-inch green leaves growing on a thicket of brittle, woody branches.
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1-inch leaves are leathery and stay wide until the very end. Their margins show triangular bumps.
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In the winter, pollinated flowers develop seeds that float away on the wind.
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Creek Dogwood
Cornus sericea ssp. sericea
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- Creek Dogwood creates a thicket of red stems near streams - especially visible in the winter when the leaves are off.
- Small 4-petaled white flowers grow in clusters, and turn into clusters of white berries in the fall.
- Found along streams.
- CA native
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Clusters of 4-petaled flowers turn into white berries. Red stems stand out near creeks in the winter.
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Leaves are deciduous, opposite, and smooth-edged. Their veins curve to parallel with the edge. Early leaves fold inward.
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Red bark is quite visible in winter. Creek Dogwood grows to 12 feet tall.
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Creeping Snowberry
Symphoricarpos mollis
- CA Bloom Apr - Jul
- Small pink flowers hang in small bunches.
- Distinctive white berries
- Thin, small, smooth-edged leaves.
- CA native
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Smally light pink flowers in a cluster.
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Plant low to the ground.
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Delicate roundish leaves and prominent white berries.
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English Ivy
Hedera helix
- CA Bloom May - Jun
- A common vine that can take over ground areas, trees, and walls.
- Found in moist shady areas.
- Not CA native
- Highly Invasive
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This evergreen vine forms a solid ground cover, as well as climbing up tall trees and walls.
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Groups of flowers turn into yellow or purple berries in winter.
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Notice flower and berry stalks all coming from a common point ( umbels). Leaf stalks ( petioles) are long.
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Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum
- CA Bloom Jan - Mar
- Currants have no spines, while Gooseberries do.
- Flowers are pink and white.
- Currant and Gooseberry leaves are similar - wrinkled with many veins.
- CA native
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This woody shrub has no spines. Tight hanging clusters of pinkish flowers turn into dark purple berries.
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Flowers form hanging clusters. Leaves are wrinkled with many veins and have a resinous smell.
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5-petaled flowers are pink and white, growing closely together.
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French Broom
Genista monspessulana
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- French Broom covers hillsides with brilliant sprays of yellow pea flowers.
- Leaves are short and oval, in 3s.
- Fuzzy seed pods.
- Lots of space between branches.
- Not CA native
- Highly Invasive
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Groups of 4 to 10 flowers appear at the end of short stalks. Slight fragrance.
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3 leaflets. Stem is round with 8 to 10 ridges along the outer edge.
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French Broom is invasive, covering hills and valleys.
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Himalayan Blackberry
Rubus armeniacus
- CA Bloom Apr - Aug
- This invasive blackberry produces an impenetrable tangle of prickly canes and showy pink flowers.
- Stems are 5-sided with large prickles. Our local native Blackberry (Rubus ursinus has round stems with many tiny prickles.
- Leaves are dark green above and pale below.
- Not CA native.
- Highly Invasive
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Flowers are about 1 inch wide, with 5 petals and many dark-tipped stamens. Stout prickles.
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Leaves are in patterns of 5 the first year, and in groups of 3 on second year side branches.
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Stout prickles are spaced out on a thick (up to 1 inch wide) cane. (Native blackberry has smaller prickles, closer together).
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Huckleberry
Vaccinium ovatum
- Height to 9 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - Jun
- Evergreen leaves are thick, toothed, and about 1 inch long, ending in a point.
- Leaves and stems are often red.
- Tight clusters of 1/4" berries ripen in June and stay on the bush through the fall.
- CA native
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Bunches of small, pink and white, urn-shaped flowers hang down, indicating a member of the Heath Family.
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The Huckleberry berry is delicious. It starts out green, then red, and ends up purple-black. All sorts of animals eat them.
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This dark and shiny-leaved shrub does well in acidic soil at the edges of mixed evergreen and conifer forests.
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Modesty
Whipplea modesta
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- Technically a shrub, this vine with bark on its main stem looks more like a flower, with flowers and leaves attached to vegetative side stems.
- Opposite leaves
- Found in shady places
- CA native
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Modesty is modest - a small low-growing plant that is mostly leaves, with flowers forming little white balls at the top of short stems.
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Up close, the flower is beautiful and fragrant. It has 5 separate petals and white-tipped stamens around a yellow center.
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Notice the opposite leaves on a plant that grows perhaps 6 inches above its woody vine stem.
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Old Man's Beard
Clematis vitalba
- Old Man's Beard has showy flowers with four white petals and many long stamens.
- The flowers of this species have both stamens and pistils.
- Look for opposite heart-shaped leaves and a grooved stem.
- Not CA native.
- Moderately Invasive
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This vigorous vine drapes over plants. Its showy seeds make it easy to spot.
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Heart shaped leaves, roughly serrated.
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Grooved stem. Opposite leaves.
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Oregon Grape
Berberis nervosa
- CA Bloom Apr - May
- Flowers grow in low, erect clusters, each with six petals.
- Holly-like leaves grow taller than the flowers. They're opposite, and their veins spread from the base, rather than from a central vein.
- Found in conifer forests.
- CA native
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Opposite leathery sharp-toothed evergreen leaflets, shiny on top, like holly leaves. Underneath is paler.
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Flowers grow in clusters low to the ground. They grow into a dark purple berries.
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Leaf stalks can grow many feet long. Flower bunches are generally under 1 foot tall.
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Pitcher Sage
Lepechinia calycina
- Height to 7 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - Jun
- This Mint Family shrub smells like a mint and has 4 ribs along the stem.
- Bark, stem and leaves are covered in long hairs.
- Widespread in the coastal foothills and eastern Sierras, it grows above 400 feet and below 2,900.
- CA native.
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Evergreen leaves are coarse, bumpy and hairy. The flower is an open trumpet shape.
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The flower's bottom lip is larger than four others that curl back. Brown papery sepals protect the base of the flower.
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Crinkled leaves are opposite and have indented veins. Flowers grow along the top of the stem.
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Poison Oak
Toxicodendron diversilobum
- CA Bloom Mar - Jun
- Poison Oak can cause a rash if you touch it.
- Leaves are distinctive, with 3 lobed leaflets.
- It grows both as a woody shrub (to 12 feet) and as a vine (to 100 feet), so you may find it hanging down from trees.
- CA native
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Leaves are in 3 parts and are often red by late summer. They're shiny and lobed like some oak leaves.
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In winter, look for stiff alternate branches which point away from the stem. "Short sticks - up to their old tricks."
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Small, greenish-cream flowers connect to the stem on a stalk. They produce a berry-like fruit.
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Red Elderberry
Sambucus racemosa var. racemosa
- CA Bloom Jul - Aug
- Red Elderberry has large clusters of fragrant white flowers that grow into rounded bunches of bright red berries.
- Each flower has 5 separate white petals and long stamens.
- They also have large compound leaves that have a strong odor when crushed.
- CA native
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Large compound leaves with 7 leaflets. Each leaflet can be up to 6 inches long. Edges are irregularly serrated.
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Fragrant flower clusters are rounded (not flat topped like other Elderberries).
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Bright red berries form a rounded cluster.
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Salal
Gaultheria shallon
- CA Bloom Apr - May
- This coastal evergreen shrub has beautiful urn shaped flowers and edible berries.
- It grows to 6 feet or more, sometimes erect and sometimes sideways.
- The stem zigzags between leaves and flowers.
- Found at the edge of moist forests.
- CA native
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Delicate pink urns hanging along one side of a stalk. Leaves are dark green and shiny on top and lighter and rough below.
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Alternate leaves are 4" long, and have small serrations. They're wide at the base and pointed at the tip.
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Flowers develop into dark blue berries, slightly hairy, and showing star-shaped creases at the bottom.
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Spreading Gooseberry
Ribes divaricatum var. pubiflorum
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- Like all Gooseberries, this plant has mitten-like leaves and thorns.
- Spreading Gooseberry is a deciduous shrub growing to 9 feet tall.
- Found on coastal bluffs and forest edges.
- CA native
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Leaves are "mitten-shaped. Red and white flowers hang down with stamens protruding. Thorns.
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Red sepals point back while white petals point down. Yellow-tipped stamens hang below the petals.
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Flowers and edible berries are on branching stalks.
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Sticky Monkey Flower
Diplacus aurantiacus
- Height to 4 ft.
- CA bloom Mar - Aug
- Sticky Monkey Flower is an easy plant to learn, with its orange flowers and sticky dark green leaves.
- Leaves are are 2 to 3 inches long, narrow and evergreen.
- Found in brushy areas and open woodlands.
- CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.
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This common shrub has many orange trumpet flowers. Feel the leaves - they're sticky!
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Leaves are opposite. Flower stalks (pedicels), at leaf nodes, support orange trumpet-shaped flowers.
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Leaves are dark green, leathery, narrow and sticky. Their edges often roll under. The underside is a lighter color and hairy.
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Thimbleberry
Rubus parviflorus
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- Flowers are about 2" across, and turn into raspberry-like berries.
- Leaves are big (up to 8" wide) and remind me of fuzzy maple leaves.
- Grows to 8 feet tall.
- This is a common understory plant in damp places.
- CA native
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White star-shaped flowers, 2" wide, stand out against the delicate green leaves that cover this mid-size shrub.
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The leaf (up to 8" wide) is like a fuzzy maple leaf with deep veins.
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Raspberry-shape berries are hollow in the center, like a thimble (thus its name).
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Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia
- CA Bloom Jun - Aug
- This evergreen shrub (or small tree) grows to 15 feet or more.
- Leaves are about 3 inches long, shiny dark green above and paler below.
- Bright red berries (pomes) appear Nov - Feb
- Toyon is found along the coast and the western Sierra foothills, in chaparral and mixed oak woodlands. It is drought tolerant.
- CA native
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Shiny, dark-green, toothed leaves and large clusters of red berries make this plant easy to spot.
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White 5-petaled flowers cluster at the end of branches in summer.
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Flowers turn into orange and red berries, which stay on the plant well into winter.
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Western Azalea
Rhododendron occidentale
- CA Bloom May - Jun
- Look for Rhododendron flowers - 5 white or pink petals often with a yellow spot on one of the petals.
- Alternate leaves are large, up to 4 inches long, and deciduous.
- Found along stream banks and other wetlands.
- CA native
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Fragrant flowers about 2 inches across, often with yellow on the inside.
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Leaves about an inch wide and 4 inches long.
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Shrub, grows to 16 feet tall.
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Western Burning Bush
Euonymus occidentalis
- CA Bloom Apr - Jun
- This shrub has thin widely-spread branches growing to 15 feet.
- It has beautiful small flowers made up of a variety of reds and browns.
- Leaves vary from 1 to 5 inches long, are opposite, narrow and pointed.
- Found on stream banks and canyons.
- CA native
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Bright red 3-part fruits are conspicuous in the late summer.
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Leaves are narrow and pointed, and are arranged in opposite pairs
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Small brown or pink flowers are about 1/4" across and have nectar in the center.
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Wood Rose
Rosa gymnocarpa
- Height to 6 ft.
- CA Bloom May - Jun
- Small pink rose flowers (about 1" across) grow singly or in small clusters on branchlets throughout the shrub.
- Slender stems have thin, straight prickles, densely grouped.
- Found in shady places from British Columbia to California.
- Similar plants.
- CA native
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5 separate petals open up about 1 inch across. Many yellow-tipped male stamens surround 5-10 female pistils in the center.
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Stems protect themselves with many needle-like prickles. Compound leaves form 3 or 4 opposite pairs plus a terminal leaflet.
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Gymnocarpa means naked fruit. This rose hip has no leafy sepals attached, which is unusual for roses.
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Flowers
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Alum Root
Heuchera micrantha
- CA Bloom May - June
- Alum Root sends wispy stems two feet in the air, supporting dozens of tiny white or pink flowers.
- Leaves at the base of plant are shaped like mittens.
- Found in wet areas, often near moss.
- CA native
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Tiny flowers on leafless wispy stems about 2 feet tall.
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Leaves connect to the base of the plant on long stalks. They're fuzzy and roundish.
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Leaves form a thick basal cluster, with tiny flowers appearing to be suspended in air above them.
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Bee Plant
Scrophularia californica
- Height 2 - 4 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - May
- Bee plant is tall, with prominent triangular leaves and tiny brownish-red flowers.
- Small flowers are less than 1/2" across and have a nectar disk to reward pollinating bees.
- Opposite leaves have stalks that connect to the stem.
- Found in moist places below 8,000 feet.
- CA native
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This view of the flower from below shows two rounded petals on top, two side petals, and one folded out like a tongue.
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A square stem supports large, opposite, toothed leaves. This might make you think "Mint" but it's not.
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Bee Plant grows several feet high with opposite, narrow leaves sticking straight out. Flowers are on horizontal stalks near the top.
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Blue Windflower
Anemone grayi
- Height 4 in. - 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - Jun
- This lovely flower, named for the wind, is a treat to find on the forest floor.
- It generally has 5 "petals" (actually they're sepals).
- Found in coastal areas in Northern California.
- CA native
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The flower has 5 or 6 white or blue "petals" and tall stamens reaching above a cluster of green pistils.
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Leaves are deeply divided and radiate sideways below the flower.
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Found on moist shaded evergreen forest floors. A single flower sits atop a 12-inch stalk.
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Blue-Eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium bellum
- Height 1 - 2 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- This is not a grass but an iris.
- At the top of each stem are violet flowers with darker purple lines leading to a yellow center.
- It's common in open, usually moist areas.
- CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.
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Beautiful 1/2" wide flowers have blue to violet petals and a golden yellow center to guide pollinators in.
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Leaves are grass-like, narrow with parallel veins.
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The ovary is below the flower and, if pollinated, develops into a capsule-like fruit.
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Broadleaf Helleborine
Epipactis helleborine
- CA Bloom Apr - Dec
- Leaves are distinctive, with indented parallel veins.
- Orchid flowers are a variety of pinks and browns.
- Found in shady woods, on dry banks.
- Not CA native
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Leaves are broad and ribbed. Showy nodding orchid flowers grow along an erect stem.
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Upper orchid petals shelter the flower, with a lower labellum making a landing platform for pollinators.
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Grows to 3 feet tall.
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Brook Foam
Boykinia occidentalis
- CA Bloom Jun - Aug
- A loose cluster of tiny white star-like flowers grows on a two-foot stalk.
- Large roundish toothed leaves grow on their own stalks, nearer the ground.
- Found on shady stream banks.
- CA native
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A spray of tiny white 5-petaled flowers grows above large leaves (4" wide) that are roundish and deeply toothed.
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Flowers (less than 1/4" across) have 5 pointed white petals.
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Each flower base is a narrow cup surrounded by green sepals, which opens up into white petals.
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Bull Thistle
Cirsium vulgare
- CA Bloom June - Sept
- This thistle has spiny everything.
- A pear-shaped spiny base supports a 2-inch-tall purple flower.
- Dead flowers with many spines stay on the plant for a long time.
- Bull Thistle is common in disturbed areas.
- Not CA native.
- Moderately Invasive
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A fairly thin pear-shaped spiny bulge below flower is a good way to distinguish this species.
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Bull Thistle has big spines all the way up the stem, on the leaves, and around the flower.
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Here is a basal rosette of thick, toothed leaves.
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California Buttercup
Ranunculus californicus
- Height 6 in. - 2 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - May
- This bright yellow flower is 1" across, with 7 to 22 shiny petals.
- Buttercups flower in early spring, and die back (including the leaves) in the summer.
- Found on coastal bluffs, grassland, woodland and moist meadows.
- CA native
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The buttercup looks like butter, with 7 to 22 elliptic, overlapping, shiny yellow petals.
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Each buttercup flower gets its own stalk. The center is a half sphere of packed green pistils, surrounded by dozens of yellow stamens.
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Long-stalked basal leaves have 3 deeply- lobed leaflets. Leaves on the flower stems have narrow divisions.
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California Harebell
Asyneuma prenanthoides
- CA Bloom Jun - Jul
- This lovely flower is tiny (less than 1/2" across) but worth a close look.
- Five narrow petals often curl back above five green sepals that form a cup at the base of the flower.
- Alternate leaves, over 2 inches long, have large teeth.
- Found in redwood forests.
- CA native
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5 narrow flower petals surround a long style. Green sepals below the flower form a cup topped with 5 spreading points.
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Flowers are tiny (1/2" across), and connect to a stiff stem.
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Leaves or roughly oval and have large teeth. Stems are rigid. Grows to four feet.
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California Hemp
Hoita macrostachya
- CA Bloom Jun - Jul
- California Hemp is an erect shrub topped by bunches of purple pea flowers.
- This hairy plant has widely-spaced three-part leaves.
- The fruit is a hairy brown pod.
- Found in a variety of moist areas.
- CA native
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Pea-like flowers bunch tightly together on sturdy stalks.
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Compound leaves are on long stalks, leaving a lot of space around them.
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Grows to 6 feet tall, shown here in a stream bed where it can get plenty of water.
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California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica
- CA Bloom Feb - Sep
- Height to 18".
- Flowers have four large overlapping petals. They're orange most places, but usually yellow with an orange center along the coast.
- CA native, and the state flower
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Thin orange petals overlap each other. Notice the sheath covering the young bud. Petals close at night and open in the morning.
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Leaves are grey-green and are much divided. The round flat base just below the petals is distinctive and edged in rose-pink.
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Across the state, California Poppies fill grassy areas with an orange display from April to July.
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Checker Lily
Fritillaria affinis
- Height 1 - 3 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- Nodding brown and green flowers are about 2 inches across. They have a nice musky smell.
- Several whorls of leaves appear near the bottom of the stem.
- Common in woodlands and grasslands in the Pacific Northwest.
- CA native
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Flowers have 6 brown or green tepals with mottled yellow and green areas. They hang upside down like bells from a drooping stalk.
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Narrow leaves are whorled near the bottom, and then grow next to flower stalks near the top of the stem.
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Leaves are parallel veined. The stem is erect and grows from a bulb.
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Chickweed
Stellaria media
- CA Bloom Feb - Sep
- This low-lying plant forms green mats with distinctive white flowers.
- Each petal is deeply divided, making a "mouse ears" effect.
- Opposite leaves have obvious veins.
- Found in disturbed areas in woodlands and meadows.
- Not CA native
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5 deeply lobed white petals often look like 10. Green pointed sepals between the petals.
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Opposite leaves are oval and come to a point.
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Grows to a foot or so. Lies along the ground in dense mats.
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Coast Hedge Nettle
Stachys chamissonis
- CA Bloom May - Oct
- This is not Stinging Nettle. Although it has hairs, Coast Hedge Nettle doesn't sting.
- It smells like mint.
- Deep pink trumpet flowers have purple bases.
- Leaves are opposite, large, hairy and aromatic.
- It grows in hedges in wet, swampy areas.
- CA native
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Dark-pink trumpet flowers connect along the stem. Notice their hairy purplish bases.
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Leaves have indented veins and wavy edges, up to 7 inches long.
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The stem is square in cross section, hairy, and erect to about 8 feet tall.
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Coast Man-Root
Marah oregana
- CA Bloom Mar - Jun
- This is a cucumber plant with a root the size of a man.
- It grows rapidly right after rain, and has very large leaves - up to 8" across.
- Male flowers appear in groups near the top of the stem. Female flowers usually appear individually.
- Found in shrubby or open areas.
- Similar to California Manroot.
- CA native
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Flowers, on horizontal stalks, have 5 separate greenish-white petals that come to a point. The center is yellow.
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Leaves are quite large and glossy. Tendrils allow the vine to drape itself over other shrubs.
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The fruit is a roundish cucumber covered with spines.
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Coastal Burnweed
Senecio minimus
- CA Bloom Jun - Sep
- Small yellow or purple aster flowers cover this attractive but invasive bush.
- Toothed leaves are narrow and up to 8 inches long.
- Found in disturbed coastal areas
- Not CA native
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One plant can develop over 100 aster-like flowers, shown here in seed. Grows to 7 feet tall.
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When flowers mature the fruit develops a pappus to help it float away in the wind.
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When the fruits blow away you can see the white receptacles where they sat, and the brown phyllaries that used to protect the flowers.
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