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Alkali Bulrush
Bolboschoenus maritimus
- CA Bloom Aug - Sep
- Flat, narrow stems to about four feet tall.
- Found near the edge of salt water.
- Widespread in California and around the world.
- CA native
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Flowers dark brown with tan bristles.
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Flowers group in the joint of flat stems.
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Stands erect with noticeable brown flowers
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Alkali Mallow
Malvella leprosa
- CA Bloom Apr - Oct
- White to yellow mallow-shaped flower grows pink with age.
- Grows along the ground to perhaps 16 inches long, on hairy stems.
- Leaves are alternate, hairy, and with toothed or wavy margins.
- Grows quickly beside agricultural fields.
- CA native
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5 petals form a cup, starting out white or yellow and turning pink with age. Stem is hairy and grows along the ground.
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Leaves have wavy edges, growing to over an inch wide.
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Grows rapidly in alkaline (salty) soils. Often found near agricultural fields.
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American Vetch
Vicia americana ssp. americana
- Height 1 - 2 ft.
- CA Bloom May - Jun
- Flowers with pink, violet and white parts.
- Tendrils, modified leaves, allow the plant to climb on others.
- The vine stem can grow to 4 feet long, but the plant is generally under 2 feet tall.
- Alternate compound leaves.
- Widespread understory plant.
- CA native
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Small but bright flowers
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Lots of small compound leaflets.
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Long thin leaves and purple flowers make this a vetch.
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Annual Beard Grass
Polypogon monspeliensis
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Annual Beard Grass is topped by large, fluffy spikes. They're framed by flat, rough, green leaves to 8" long.
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Soft, dense spikelets are green until they mature. There are lots of spikelets in the spike, each producing 3 awns.
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Long awns let light through around the edge but the center is opaque.
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Annual Blue Grass
Poa annua
- Annual Bunch Grass 1-8"
- 3-6 florets per spikelet
- No awns
- CA Bloom Apr - May
- Poa is an ancient Greek word for "fodder".
- This sweet grass is grazed by farm animals.
- Seeds are distributed 8 months a year.
- Not CA native
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Bright green or yellow-green leaves are soft, generally flat and come to a blunt point at the tips.
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Like all Bluegrasses, the inflorescence is open and spikelets have no awns. Florets are membranous.
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Annual Blue Grass grows quickly in disturbed areas. Plants are small but have many leaves.
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Annual June Grass, Bristly Koeleria
Koeleria gerardii
CA Bloom Apr - Jul
Not CA native
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Arroyo Lupine
Lupinus succulentus
- Grows to 3 ft. on erect, sparsely hairy stems.
- CA Bloom Feb - May
- This annual flower produces 6" clusters of purple pea flowers.
- Wide-tipped leaflets grow on long (2-6") stalks.
- It is abundant in open or disturbed areas, and is often seeded on road banks.
- CA native
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Look for radial leaflets that are wider near the tip. Their fleshy top feels rubbery.
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Here's a closeup of the flower. The yellow pistil is just sticking out of the right-hand keel. The left part is the banner.
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Stacks of whorled flowers have white banner spots that turn magenta with age.
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Australian Fireweed
Senecio glomeratus
- CA Bloom Apr - Sep
- Yellow composite flowers group at the top of a branched 6 foot plant.
- Leaves are alternate and deeply lobed.
- Found in disturbed sites below 1,000 feet, generally near the coast.
- Not CA native
- Moderately Invasive
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Composite flowers group at the top of the stem. They have no "petals" ( ray flowers).
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Leaves clasp the stem, grow to about 6 inches, and are deeply lobed.
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Grows to 6 feet or so, with lots of flowers near the top of the stem.
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Barnyard Grass
Echinochloa crus-galli
CA Bloom Jul - Oct
Not CA native
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Bearded Clover
Trifolium barbigerum
- Height to 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - May
- Brown, pink, violet, white flower
- Irreg petals
- Alternate leaves
- CA native
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Bearded Sprangletop
Leptochloa fusca ssp. fascicularis
CA Bloom Jun - Oct
CA native
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Beardless Wild Rye
Elymus triticoides
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This rye has 2-ranked spikelets that connect directly to the stem. There is space between each alternating spikelet.
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Hollow stems (like straws) connect at solid joints. Leaves are about 1/4" wide and a foot long.
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Prominent blue-green leaves are 4-12" long and grow away from the stem. Found in moist habitats with heavy soils.
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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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Bermuda Grass
Cynodon dactylon
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Spikelets are tiny (<1/10") and purple. Tight colonies of plants are connected by rhizomes and stolons.
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Two rows of spikelets connect to one side of finger-like branches that all join at the top of the stem.
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The ligule is white and hairy. Leaf blades are short, flat and fleshy.
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Big Leaf Mistletoe
Phoradendron leucarpum ssp. macrophyllum
Shrub
Green flower
Tiny petals
Opposite leaves
CA native
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Big Scale Balsam Root
Balsamorhiza macrolepis
CA Bloom Mar - Jun
Yellow flower
Many petals
Basal leaves
Slopes
CA native Endangered (CNPS 1B)
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Big Tarweed
Blepharizonia plumosa
CA Bloom Jul - Oct
CA native Endangered (CNPS 1B)
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Bioletti Cudweed
Pseudognaphalium biolettii
- CA Bloom Jan - May
- Flowers are white on the outside and yellow on the inside.
- Alternate leaves are wide at the base and clasp the stem.
- Leaves and stem are covered with short fine hair, not sticky but sharply scented.
- Found in coastal chaparral and in mixed evergreens in the foothills.
- CA native
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Shiny papery phyllaries surround tiny yellow aster flowers.
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Many tiny brown fruits.
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Grows to 3 feet, sometimes woody at the base.
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Bird's Eye Speedwell
Veronica persica
- Height 4 in. - 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - May
- This is a small, beautifully marked wildflower.
- Leaves are opposite and small, often with serrated edges.
- It's found in disturbed areas, often near agriculture.
- Not CA native
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The small (1/4"), 4-petaled flower has darker blue, radiant stripes. Notice how the petal sizes vary. 2 purple-tipped stamens and a green tinged center invite pollinators to visit.
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Leaves are opposite. Flowers cluster at the top of the stem. The plant is often recumbent, lying along the ground.
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This beautiful plant is easy to overlook because of its small size, but a pleasure to find.
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Bird's Eyes
Gilia tricolor
CA Bloom Apr - Aug
Pink, violet, white flower
Five petals
Alternate leaves
Slopes
CA native
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Bird's Foot Lotus
Acmispon brachycarpus
- Height 6 in. - 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - Jun
- Yellow flower
- Pea petals
- Alternate leaves
- CA native
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Bird's Foot Trefoil
Lotus corniculatus
- Height to 8 in.
- CA Bloom May - Jul
- Tiny fruit clusters look like a bird's foot.
- Short, thin compound leaves make bundles along the stem.
- Find it in open grasslands, wetlands, and compacted soil along roads and trails.
- Other Trefoils
- Not CA native
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Tiny pea flowers cluster at the end of the stem.
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Each plant is small. See fruit pods on the left, compound leaves in the middle, and a flower cluster on the right.
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Colonies of Bird's Foot Trefoil can be prominent in grasslands. It is sometimes vine-like, with prostrate stems up to 20 inches.
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Black Cottonwood
Populus trichocarpa
- CA Bloom Feb - Apr
- A large riparian tree with alternate leaves
- Leaf stems are round (Fremont Cottonwood's is flattened).
- Widely distributed in California, except the central valley.
- CA native
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Leaf tops are glossy dark-green. Undersides are pale. Leaves are long and pointed, with small teeth on the edge.
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Alternating secondary veins connect to a central one.
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Grows near running water. Trunks get very large, and the tree height often exceeds 100 feet.
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Black Mustard
Brassica nigra
CA Bloom Apr - Jul
Yellow flower
Four petals
Alternate leaves
Not CA native Moderately Invasive
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Blow Wives
Achyrachaena mollis
- Height 2 in. - 2 ft.
- CA Bloom Apr - May
- This eye-catching bright-white flower is not a flower at all. As you look closer, you'll see that the "petals" are actually the flat scales of a seed head.
- A California endemic, this plant grows natively nowhere else in the world.
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Here is the classic Blow Wives look. Flat, scaly pappus forms a wind parachute for each seed.
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Yellow or orange ray florets point straight up. Inside them, many disc florets grow without petal-like rays.
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Leaves are narrow and grow up to 6" long. They're erect and fuzzy.
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Blue Dicks
Dipterostemon capitatus
- CA Bloom Feb - Apr
- Look for a tight bunch of 6-petaled flowers on a single stem, about 1 foot tall.
- Flowers can be purple, pink or white.
- This common springtime flower is widespread where there is sun.
- Compare to Ookow
- CA native
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A tight bunch of 6-petaled flowers appears at the top of a tall, wavy stalk.
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The centers of the flowers feature a forked, white sheath that surrounds yellow-tipped stamens.
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Long, narrow leaves grow from the base of the plant. Below, the roots connect to food-storing corms.
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Blue Elderberry
Sambucus mexicana
- CA Bloom Mar - Jul
- A large shrub with clusters of white flowers, plus compound leaves indicate an Elderberry.
- Berries are black but appear blue because of a waxy covering.
- Grey bark with vertical furrows.
- Common on stream banks and open places in forests.
- CA native
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White flat-topped clusters of flowers are easy to spot.
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Berries with a waxy covering makes them look powdery.
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Compound leaves with 5 - 9 toothed leaflets.
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Blue Oak
Quercus douglasii
- Height 20 - 65 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- Blue-green leaves with wavy edges, plus corn flake bark, are quick way to identify this oak.
- Leaves are relatively small and sparse, allowing it to tolerate more sun and dryer places than other California deciduous oaks.
- CA native. Found only in California.
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Leathery blue-green leaves often have shallow lobes. They have a short petiole (stalk) and are generally 2 - 3 inches long.
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Bark is pale and checkered by medium-size cracks. It reminds me of corn flakes.
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This moderately sized oak has a heavy trunk and branches. It's common in dry, hot places that have some water.
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Bog Yellowcress
Rorippa palustris ssp. palustris
CA Bloom Apr - Jun
Yellow flower
Four petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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Box Elder
Acer negundo
- Height 25 - 66 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - Mar
- Opposite leaves
- Streambanks
- CA native
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Branched Indian Clover
Trifolium dichotomum
CA Bloom Mar - May
Black, brown, pink, white flower
Irreg petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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Branching Phacelia
Phacelia ramosissima
CA Bloom May - Aug
Violet, white flower
Five petals
Alternate leaves
Coastal
CA native
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Brewer's Ragwort
Packera breweri
CA Bloom Apr - May
Yellow flower
Many petals
Alternate, basal leaves
Slopes
CA native
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Brewer's Rock Cress
Boechera breweri
CA Bloom Feb - May
Violet flower
Four petals
Alternate, basal leaves
Slopes
CA native
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Brewer's Rockcress
Boechera breweri ssp. breweri
CA Bloom Feb - May
Violet flower
Four petals
Alternate, basal leaves
CA native
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Brewer's Saltbrush
Atriplex lentiformis
CA Bloom Jun - Jul
Yellow flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
Coastal salt-marsh
CA native
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Bristly Linanthus
Leptosiphon aureus
CA Bloom Mar - Jun
Pink, white, yellow flower
Five petals
Opposite leaves
CA native Uncommon (CNPS 4)
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Bristly Ox-Tongue
Helminthotheca echioides
- Height to 7 ft.
- CA Bloom Jun - Dec
- A tall dandelion-like flower, covered in bristles.
- Leaves have large bumps on them.
- Lots of seed in the fall - you'll see it blowing in the air.
- Not CA native.
- Somewhat Invasive
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Leaves have stiff bristles and bumps, giving it its name. Dandelion-like flowers top each branch.
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Dandelion-like flowers are surrounded by distinctive, triangular, upward pointing, bristly green bracts.
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Plants are tall, with many branches.
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Brittle Leaf Manzanita
Arctostaphylos crustacea ssp. crustacea
- Height 3 - 10 ft.
- CA Bloom Jan - Mar
- Leaves stick out from the hairy stem.
- Alternate leaves dark green above, and light green below.
- Big bunches of tiny flowers, hanging down from stalk-like pedicels.
- Fruit is red and spherical with flat spot. Not sticky.
- CA native
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Leaves are relatively big (2" long). Flowers are tiny in large bunches.
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Early flower development shows red bracts. Leaves of ssp. crustacea have almost no hair on the bottom.
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Look for a prominent burl at the base of the plant.
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Broadfruit Bur Reed
Sparganium eurycarpum
CA Bloom Jun - Jul
Black, brown, green, pink, white, yellow flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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Brome Fescue
Festuca bromoides
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Brome Fescue is a short grass with small spikelets that turn a straw-like color as they age. Fescue is Latin for "straw".
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Each floret produces an awn about the length of the rest of the spikelet.
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The inflorescence is densely populated with spikelets on short stalks. Spikelets and awns point sideways as they mature, giving a tangled appearance.
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Bulbous Blue Grass
Poa bulbosa
- Perennial 6-24"
- Inflorescence branched 1-4"
- No awns
- CA Bloom May - Jun
- Stems have a bulbous section at their base that can break off to form a new plant.
- Some plants have bi-sexual florets. Others have aerial bulblets that are self pollinated.
- Not CA native
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Most California plants have self-pollinated aerial bulblets with shoots already growing out of them.
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The base of the stem also has bulblets that divide to create new plants.
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This weedy bluegrass can dominate roadsides, overgrazed pastures and other disturbed areas.
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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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Bur Reed
Sparganium eurycarpum var. greenei
CA Bloom Jun - Jul
Black, brown, green, pink, white, yellow flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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Butter And Eggs
Triphysaria eriantha
CA Bloom Feb - Apr
Pink, white, yellow flower
Three petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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California Aster
Symphyotrichum chilense
CA Bloom Jul - Aug
Blue, pink, violet, white flower
Many petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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California Aster (1)
Corethrogyne filaginifolia
CA Bloom Jun - Oct
Pink, violet, white flower
Many petals
Alternate leaves
Dunes coastal
CA native
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California Bedstraw
Galium californicum
CA Bloom Mar - Sep
Yellow flower
Four petals
Whorled leaves
CA native
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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 Bulrush
Schoenoplectus californicus
CA Bloom May - Jun
Freshwater-marsh
CA native
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California Burclover
Medicago polymorpha
- CA Bloom Feb - Jun
- This is not a true clover but rather a close relative of Alfalfa, in the Medicago genus.
- Look for slender-toothed stipules that encircle the stem where stalks meet it.
- Not CA native
- Somewhat Invasive
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3 or 4 yellow pea flowers cluster at the end of a long stalk. Leaflets have serrated edges.
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Burclover tends to run along the ground. The 3 clover-like leaflets are separate from one another. Flowers, fruits and leaves are on stalks.
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Pollinated ovules enlarge into tightly coiled pea pods with burs that stick out. The burs catch on passing animals, distributing the seeds to new areas.
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California Cottonrose
Logfia filaginoides
CA Bloom Mar - Jun
Green flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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California Cudweed
Pseudognaphalium californicum
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Each tiny pineapple-shaped flower head is wrapped in white papery phyllaries and contains over 100 minute yellow flowers.
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Leaves are narrow and pointed, growing to 4 inches long. They're smaller higher on the stem.
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Branching stems grow erect, each topped with whitish flower heads.
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California Four O'clock
Mirabilis laevis var. crassifolia
CA Bloom Dec - Jun
Pink, white flower
Five petals
Opposite leaves
CA native
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California Gilia
Gilia achilleifolia
CA Bloom Feb - Apr
Blue, violet, white flower
Five petals
Alternate, basal leaves
Coastal
CA native
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California Goldenrod
Solidago velutina ssp. californica
CA Bloom Jul - Oct
Yellow flower
Many petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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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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California Milkweed
Asclepias californica
CA Bloom Apr - Jul
Brown, pink, red flower
Five petals
Opposite leaves
Slopes
CA native
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California Mustard
Caulanthus lasiophyllus
- CA Bloom Mar - Jun
- Flowers with 4 widely-separated petals mark this as a Mustard Family plant.
- It's smaller in stature than our vigorous non-native mustards.
- CA native
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Compared to our non-native mustards, California Mustard has fewer, smaller, generally white flowers.
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Seed pods are quite narrow and long.
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The whole plant gives a linear apearance.
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