| | | | |
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
|
Flowers dark brown with tan bristles.
|
Flowers group in the joint of flat stems.
|
Stands erect with noticeable brown flowers
|
American Brooklime
Veronica americana
- Height to 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Jul - Aug
- Blue or violet 4-petaled flowers
- Opposite leaves
- Round stems
- Grows in fresh-water wetlands, such as stream banks
- Stem runs along the ground, up to 2 feet long.
- CA native
|
Look for 4 petals and opposite leaves with a round stem. Green center guides in pollinators.
|
4 pale-blue petals with 4 green sepals behind them.
|
Opposite leaves up to 3 inches long. Flowers in groups at the end of stalks.
|
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
|
Small but bright flowers
|
Lots of small compound leaflets.
|
Long thin leaves and purple flowers make this a vetch.
|
Annual Beard Grass
Polypogon monspeliensis
|
Annual Beard Grass is topped by large, fluffy spikes. They're framed by flat, rough, green leaves to 8" long.
|
Soft, dense spikelets are green until they mature. There are lots of spikelets in the spike, each producing 3 awns.
|
Long awns let light through around the edge but the center is opaque.
|
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
|
Bright green or yellow-green leaves are soft, generally flat and come to a blunt point at the tips.
|
Like all Bluegrasses, the inflorescence is open and spikelets have no awns. Florets are membranous.
|
Annual Blue Grass grows quickly in disturbed areas. Plants are small but have many leaves.
|
Annual June Grass, Bristly Koeleria
Koeleria gerardii
CA Bloom Apr - Jul
Not CA native
|
|
|
|
Annual Stinging Nettle
Urtica urens
- CA Bloom Jan - Apr
- Also called Dwarf Nettle, this plant grows to about 2 feet tall.
- Stinging nettles, in general, produce a stinging sensation when touched. However, EFlora says that this specie's sting is not very strong.
- Found in shady areas.
- Not CA native
|
Leaves are hairy, dark green, have large teeth, and end in a point.
|
Leaves are opposite. Veins make indentations in the leaves.
|
Small green flowers look like little balls.
|
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
|
Look for radial leaflets that are wider near the tip. Their fleshy top feels rubbery.
|
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.
|
Stacks of whorled flowers have white banner spots that turn magenta with age.
|
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.
|
Leaves are about 5 inches long, smooth-sided and narrow. They're pale/hairy underneath, and wider near the tip than near the base.
|
Classic pussies with yellow stamens. The buds are fused together (not overlapping) before they open.
|
This willow has many trunks, sometimes growing as a tree, and sometimes as a tangled shrub.
|
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
|
Composite flowers group at the top of the stem. They have no "petals" ( ray flowers).
|
Leaves clasp the stem, grow to about 6 inches, and are deeply lobed.
|
Grows to 6 feet or so, with lots of flowers near the top of the stem.
|
Bearded Clover
Trifolium barbigerum
- Height to 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - May
- Brown, pink, violet, white flower
- Irreg petals
- Alternate leaves
- CA native
|
|
|
|
Bearded Sprangletop
Leptochloa fusca ssp. fascicularis
CA Bloom Jun - Oct
CA native
|
|
|
|
Beardless Wild Rye
Elymus triticoides
|
This rye has 2-ranked spikelets that connect directly to the stem. There is space between each alternating spikelet.
|
Hollow stems (like straws) connect at solid joints. Leaves are about 1/4" wide and a foot long.
|
Prominent blue-green leaves are 4-12" long and grow away from the stem. Found in moist habitats with heavy soils.
|
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
|
This view of the flower from below shows two rounded petals on top, two side petals, and one folded out like a tongue.
|
A square stem supports large, opposite, toothed leaves. This might make you think "Mint" but it's not.
|
Bee Plant grows several feet high with opposite, narrow leaves sticking straight out. Flowers are on horizontal stalks near the top.
|
Bentgrass
Agrostis exarata
|
Spikelets form a dense, slender column with short stalks. At maturity, the column opens up a bit. Awns are so short you may not notice them.
|
Leaf blades are about 1/4" wide and 6" long. The ligule is prominent, membranous and not hairy.
|
Leaves mostly ascend from the base of the plant. A long, narrow inflorescence rises above them, turning purple and then brown late in the season.
|
Bermuda Grass
Cynodon dactylon
|
Spikelets are tiny (<1/10") and purple. Tight colonies of plants are connected by rhizomes and stolons.
|
Two rows of spikelets connect to one side of finger-like branches that all join at the top of the stem.
|
The ligule is white and hairy. Leaf blades are short, flat and fleshy.
|
Big Berry Manzanita
Arctostaphylos glauca
- Height 3 - 26 ft.
- CA Bloom Jan - Feb
- Taller than many manzanitas, the large red-brown trunks and branches are beautiful.
- Bunches of white or pink urn-shaped flowers hang down.
- Alternate leaves on short stalks stand erect from the stem.
- Found in chaparral and woodland slopes.
- CA native
|
Grows to 20 feet tall, with smooth red-brown bark.
|
White urn-shaped flowers hang in bunches. Leaves have a waxy coating.
|
Berries are sticky, with an oval shape. Leaves are gray-green and somewhat stiff.
|
Big Leaf Mistletoe
Phoradendron leucarpum ssp. macrophyllum
Shrub
Green flower
Tiny petals
Opposite leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
Big Scale Balsam Root
Balsamorhiza macrolepis
CA Bloom Mar - Jun
Yellow flower
Many petals
Basal leaves
Slopes
CA native Endangered (CNPS 1B)
|
|
|
|
Big Tarweed
Blepharizonia plumosa
CA Bloom Jul - Oct
CA native Endangered (CNPS 1B)
|
|
|
|
Big-Leaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
- Height 50 - 100 ft.
- CA Bloom Apr - May
- This is the only California maple with big leaves.
- It has opposite leaves that turn yellow in the fall.
- In spring, small greenish-yellow flowers hang in clusters near the end of branches.
- It likes water and dappled shade. You'll find it near stream banks, in canyons and in open forests.
- CA native
|
Leaves are quite large, many over 8" wide, with deep indents. No other maple in California has these big leaves.
|
Flowers droop from branches in long clusters.
|
Groups of two-winged fruits (called Samoas) replace the flowers. The wings help carry the fruit in the wind.
|
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
|
Shiny papery phyllaries surround tiny yellow aster flowers.
|
Many tiny brown fruits.
|
Grows to 3 feet, sometimes woody at the base.
|
Birch Leaf Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus betuloides var. betuloides
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- Lots of small white flowers in clusters, with a mild scent.
- Five petals
- Alternate leaves are smooth at the base and toothed above, with distinct veins.
- CA native
|
Leaves have smooth edges near the base, but become toothed about half way up. Rounded tips.
|
Fruit shaped like a fuzzy twisted tail.
|
Shrub grows 3 to 20 feet tall, on dry slopes.
|
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
|
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.
|
Leaves are opposite. Flowers cluster at the top of the stem. The plant is often recumbent, lying along the ground.
|
This beautiful plant is easy to overlook because of its small size, but a pleasure to find.
|
Bird's Foot Fern
Pellaea mucronata var. mucronata
- Grow near rocks on hot dry slopes.
- Frond leaves curl over.. with smooth edges, pointed at the end.
- Often full of small spores underneath.
- CA native
|
Grows on hot, exposed rocks and rocky slopes.
|
Individual leaves are separated.
|
Leaves curl under, protecting spores.
|
Bird's Foot Lotus
Acmispon brachycarpus
- Height 6 in. - 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - Jun
- Yellow flower
- Pea petals
- Alternate leaves
- CA native
|
|
|
|
Bird's Foot Trefoil
Lotus corniculatus
- Height to 8 in.
- CA Bloom May - Jul
- Height to 8", but often prostrate and lower.
- Yellow pea flowers.
- Fruit forms a tiny cluster of pods (hence Bird's Foot)
- Thin compound leaves along the stem.
- Found in open grasslands, wetlands, and commonly in compacted soil along roads and trails.
- Other Trefoils
- Not CA native
|
Pea flowers grouped at the end of the stem.
|
Tiny plant. Fruit pods on the left, compound leaves in the middle, and flower head on the right.
|
Often prominent in grasslands. Sometimes vine-like, with stems up to 20 inches.
|
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
|
Leaf tops are glossy dark-green. Undersides are pale. Leaves are long and pointed, with small teeth on the edge.
|
Alternating secondary veins connect to a central one.
|
Grows near running water. Trunks get very large, and the tree height often exceeds 100 feet.
|
Black Mustard
Brassica nigra
CA Bloom Apr - Jul
Yellow flower
Four petals
Alternate leaves
Not CA native Moderately Invasive
|
|
|
|
Black Oak
Quercus kelloggii
- CA Bloom May - Jun
- Alternate leaves with deep lobes and pointed tips.
- This is a core plant in its ecosystems, providing food and nesting for many insects and birds.
- CA native
|
Black Oak leaves have deep lobes with points at the tip. They're darker on top than on the bottom.
|
Early leaves are bright red, making the tree easy to spot in the spring.
|
Grows to 80 feet with a beautiful spreading canopy.
|
Black Sage
Salvia mellifera
CA Bloom Mar - Jul
Violet, white flower
Irreg petals
Opposite leaves
CA native
|
Mint flowers and leaves in whorls around the stem.
|
Seed groups s become woody.
|
Basal leaves much longer than wide, with a strong central vein. Flowers in whorls around the upper stem.
|
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.
|
Here is the classic Blow Wives look. Flat, scaly pappus forms a wind parachute for each seed.
|
Yellow or orange ray florets point straight up. Inside them, many disc florets grow without petal-like rays.
|
Leaves are narrow and grow up to 6" long. They're erect and fuzzy.
|
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
|
A tight bunch of 6-petaled flowers appears at the top of a tall, wavy stalk.
|
The centers of the flowers feature a forked, white sheath that surrounds yellow-tipped stamens.
|
Long, narrow leaves grow from the base of the plant. Below, the roots connect to food-storing corms.
|
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
|
White flat-topped clusters of flowers are easy to spot.
|
Berries with a waxy covering makes them look powdery.
|
Compound leaves with 5 - 9 toothed leaflets.
|
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.
|
Leathery blue-green leaves often have shallow lobes. They have a short petiole (stalk) and are generally 2 - 3 inches long.
|
Bark is pale and checkered by medium-size cracks. It reminds me of corn flakes.
|
This moderately sized oak has a heavy trunk and branches. It's common in dry, hot places that have some water.
|
Blue Witch
Solanum umbelliferum
- CA Bloom Jan - Jun
- Look for a pentagon-shaped flower with a bright yellow center.
- Branches and leaves are quite hairy.
- Green fruits turn purple when ripe.
- This distinctive shrub is widespread in chaparral and oak woodlands.
- CA native
|
Blue Witch flowers are lavender or blue, pentagon-shaped, and have a yellow center.
|
Leaves are hairy and smooth edged. Flowers sport green spots at the base of their petals.
|
Blue Witch is a small shrub that grows to 3 feet. Every part of it is poisonous to eat.
|
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.
|
Beautiful 1/2" wide flowers have blue to violet petals and a golden yellow center to guide pollinators in.
|
Leaves are grass-like, narrow with parallel veins.
|
The ovary is below the flower and, if pollinated, develops into a capsule-like fruit.
|
Bog Yellowcress
Rorippa palustris ssp. palustris
CA Bloom Apr - Jun
Yellow flower
Four petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
Booth's Sun Cup
Eremothera boothii
CA Bloom May - Aug
Brown, pink, white flower
Four petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
Bowlesia
Bowlesia incana
CA Bloom Mar - Apr
Green, white flower
Five petals
Opposite leaves
Slopes
CA native
|
|
|
|
Box Elder
Acer negundo
- Height 25 - 66 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - Mar
- Opposite leaves
- Streambanks
- CA native
|
|
|
|
Bracken Fern
Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens
- Bracken Fern's overall shape is a large triangle, which is easy to spot.
- It's green in the spring and brown in the fall and winter.
- It grows to four feet tall.
- Widespread and common, it's found in shaded forest and on open hillsides.
- CA native
|
Bracken Fern frond segments are long at the base and quite short near the top, creating an overall triangle shape.
|
Segments have regular rounded lobes. The similar Sword Fern has a "thumb" near its midrib.
|
New growth forms in a fiddlehead, and then opens up.
|
Branched Indian Clover
Trifolium dichotomum
CA Bloom Mar - May
Black, brown, pink, white flower
Irreg petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
Branching Phacelia
Phacelia ramosissima
CA Bloom May - Aug
Violet, white flower
Five petals
Alternate leaves
Coastal
CA native
|
|
|
|
Brass Buttons
Cotula coronopifolia
CA Bloom May - Oct
Green, yellow flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
Not CA native Somewhat Invasive
|
|
|
|
Brewer's Ragwort
Packera breweri
CA Bloom Apr - May
Yellow flower
Many petals
Alternate, basal leaves
Slopes
CA native
|
|
|
|
Brewer's Rock Cress
Boechera breweri
CA Bloom Feb - May
Violet flower
Four petals
Alternate, basal leaves
Slopes
CA native
|
|
|
|
Brewer's Rockcress
Boechera breweri ssp. breweri
CA Bloom Feb - May
Violet flower
Four petals
Alternate, basal leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
Brewer's Saltbrush
Atriplex lentiformis
CA Bloom Jun - Jul
Yellow flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
Coastal salt-marsh
CA native
|
|
|
|
Bristly Linanthus
Leptosiphon aureus
CA Bloom Mar - Jun
Pink, white, yellow flower
Five petals
Opposite leaves
CA native Uncommon (CNPS 4)
|
|
|
|
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
|
Leaves have stiff bristles and bumps, giving it its name. Dandelion-like flowers top each branch.
|
Dandelion-like flowers are surrounded by distinctive, triangular, upward pointing, bristly green bracts.
|
Plants are tall, with many branches.
|
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
|
Leaves are relatively big (2" long). Flowers are tiny in large bunches.
|
Early flower development shows red bracts. Leaves of ssp. crustacea have almost no hair on the bottom.
|
Look for a prominent burl at the base of the plant.
|
Broadfruit Bur Reed
Sparganium eurycarpum
CA Bloom Jun - Jul
Black, brown, green, pink, white, yellow flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
Brome Fescue
Festuca bromoides
|
Brome Fescue is a short grass with small spikelets that turn a straw-like color as they age. Fescue is Latin for "straw".
|
Each floret produces an awn about the length of the rest of the spikelet.
|
The inflorescence is densely populated with spikelets on short stalks. Spikelets and awns point sideways as they mature, giving a tangled appearance.
|
Buck Brush
Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus
|
Opposite leaves are short, thick and rounded. Twigs point directly away from the stem.
|
Flowers, in five parts, are cream color. The green dots at the base of the pistil are nectaries - a sugar bonus for pollinators.
|
Aromatic flowers cluster in tight balls close to the stem.
|
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
|
Most California plants have self-pollinated aerial bulblets with shoots already growing out of them.
|
The base of the stem also has bulblets that divide to create new plants.
|
This weedy bluegrass can dominate roadsides, overgrazed pastures and other disturbed areas.
|
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
|
A fairly thin pear-shaped spiny bulge below flower is a good way to distinguish this species.
|
Bull Thistle has big spines all the way up the stem, on the leaves, and around the flower.
|
Here is a basal rosette of thick, toothed leaves.
|
Bur Chevril
Anthriscus caucalis
- Height 2 - 3 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - May
- White flower
- Five petals
- Alternate leaves
- Disturbed
- Not CA native
|
|
|
|
Bur Reed
Sparganium eurycarpum var. greenei
CA Bloom Jun - Jul
Black, brown, green, pink, white, yellow flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
Burhead
Echinodorus berteroi
Flower
White flower
Three petals
Basal leaves
Freshwater-marsh
CA native
|
|
|
|