List

Garrapata SP (NRDB.org)

(235 plants)

California State Park. Thanks to NRDB.org for this list.


Alum Root Heuchera pilosissima CA Bloom May - Jun Pink, white flower Tiny petals Basal leaves CA native
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.
Andean Pampas Grass Cortaderia jubata Perennial Single-Stem Grass 7-23 ft. Inflorescence branched 12"-3 ft. 2-8 florets per spikelet No awns CA Bloom Sep - Feb (a winter bloomer) Showy tops start purple, and become cream-colored with age. Thin sharp-edged leaves. Each plant produces millions of seeds. Not CA native. Highly Invasive	Tall stems (up to 20 feet) and showy tops make this plant stand out.	Many stems join at the root.	Grass stem is hairy. Leaves connect to the stem in a sheath.
Annual Beard Grass Polypogon monspeliensis Annual Single-Stem Grass 8"-3 ft. Inflorescence a spike to 7" 1 floret per spikelet Floret awns to 0.2" Glume awns to 0.4" CA Bloom May - Jun Found in wetlands and disturbed areas. Not CA native Somewhat Invasive	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 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.
Annual Yellow Sweetclover Melilotus indicus Height to 2 ft. CA Bloom Apr - Oct Spikes of tiny yellow pea flowers. Leaves in threes like clovers, but serrated. Compound leaves stand away from the stem on petioles. Wide ranging across the world, common in many areas. Not CA native	Yellow pea flowers in a thin spike.	3-part leaf, with serrations. Each compound leaf stands apart from the stem on a petiole.	A common sight by the side of the road, these yellow flowers are easy to spot.
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.
Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila menziesii CA Bloom Mar - Jun White or blue flower with a white center. Often black dots and blue veins on the petals. Leaves with deep opposite lobes, larger at the base of the plant. Grows low to the ground. Found many places, from the coast to the mountains. CA native	Petals can be all white, or blue with a white center. Petals often have black dots.	Here is the blue version. Notice the blue veins towards the center.	Distinctive leaves with deep opposite lobes.
Beach Sagewort Artemisia pycnocephala CA Bloom May - Aug Tiny yellow flowers with some brown and green in them, forming a ball. Not as aromatic as the related sagebrush. Small alternate leaves shaped like mittens. Found on coastal strands CA native	Rounded, yellow flowers among a thick growth of leaves.	Leaves like fingers.	Pale grey to white foliage with flower spikes sticking up to 4 feet tall.
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.
Bigelow's Moss Fern Selaginella bigelovii Fern CA native
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.
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.
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 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.
Blazing Star Mentzelia gracilenta CA Bloom Apr - May Yellow flower Five petals Alternate leaves CA native
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 Fiesta Flower Pholistoma auritum var. auritum CA Bloom Mar - May This vine is covered with recurved stiff hairs that stick to passersby. The stem breaks easily. Leaves are opposite near the base and alternate higher up the vine. It's common in coastal and Sierra foothills, primarily south of the Bay Area. CA native	This bright flower is about 1" across, with a pale ring around a dark throat.	Sepals are pointed and hairy, alternating bent forward and backward.	Leaf stalks have wings on their sides and wrap around the stem. Leaves are long with lots of narrow lobes that stick out sideways.
Blue Gum Eucalyptus globulus Height to 200 ft. CA Bloom Oct - Mar Flower nestled between stem and leaf. Leaves long, thin and dark green. Common, found in disturbed areas. Not CA native Somewhat Invasive	Flower has many white stamens surrounding a central knob, and smells of honey.	Mature leaves are narrow and curved, growing to a foot long. Woody fruits with 5 notches, grow to 1 inch across.	Heavy trunks with bark that peals in large strips.
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	Hundreds of sweet-smelling tiny flowers form lavender balls of color accented with white or yellow.	Leaves have 3 parallel veins. The underside is dull, but the top is a shiny dark green.	Blueblossom is full of flowers when it blooms, March to May.
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.
Bowlesia Bowlesia incana CA Bloom Mar - Apr Green, white flower Five petals Opposite leaves Slopes 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.
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
Broad Leaf Filaree Erodium botrys CA Bloom Feb - May Many wild geraniums share this flower's lavender color. Leaves are hairy and fairly wide. Fruit beaks grow over 4 inches long! Common in clay or gravel soil. Not CA native.	Small flowers have five overlapping lavender petals, purple radiating lines, and yellow center.	Wide leaves have a strong central vein. Edges have rounded lobes of varying sizes.	Fruits are topped with a pointed beak up to 4" tall!
Bulrush Scirpus microcarpus CA Bloom May - Jun CA native
Bur Chevril Anthriscus caucalis Height 2 - 3 ft. CA Bloom Mar - May White flower Five petals Alternate leaves Disturbed Not CA native
California Aster Corethrogyne filaginifolia CA Bloom Jun - Oct Pink, violet, white flower Many petals Alternate leaves Dunes coastal CA native
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.	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.	Green fruit turns purple when mature. Leathery skin covers oily flesh that surrounds a pit (similar to avocado).	Bay Laurels can grow to be substantial trees, thickly covered with their spicy-smelling leaves.
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	Separate petals, with green leafy sepals in between. This male flower has many stamens.	Prickles are short, narrow, and plentiful. Himalayan Blackberry has wider, longer, and less densely-packed prickles.	Red fruit turns black with maturity. Leaves in 3s, coarsely toothed, are hairy and have spines. Veins are indented on the leaves.
California Brome Bromus sitchensis var. carinatus Perennial Bunch Grass 20"-3 ft. Inflorescence branched 6-16" 5-10 florets per spikelet Floret awns to 0.6" CA Bloom Apr - Aug CA native	Spikelets attach to the stem on branches. Glumes are short, revealing 5-10 florets above them.	Florets form a flat, woven pattern, each with a 1/2" awn.	Long leaves and inflorescences give this a classic bunch grass look.
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	Buckeye trees become covered with columns of sweet-smelling flowers.	5-part compound leaves are palmate (shaped like a hand). Leaf edges are finely-toothed and bud in early February.	Trees in the open form a dome shape, often growing 40 feet tall and 40 feet wide. They can live 250 years.
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	3 or 4 yellow pea flowers cluster at the end of a long stalk. Leaflets have serrated edges.	Burclover tends to run along the ground. The 3 clover-like leaflets are separate from one another. Flowers, fruits and leaves are on stalks.	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.
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	The buttercup looks like butter, with 7 to 22 elliptic, overlapping, shiny yellow petals.	Each buttercup flower gets its own stalk. The center is a half sphere of packed green pistils, surrounded by dozens of yellow stamens.	Long-stalked basal leaves have 3 deeply- lobed leaflets. Leaves on the flower stems have narrow divisions.
California Chicory Rafinesquia californica CA Bloom Apr - Jul One of two chicories in California - this one is white and native. It often has many short branches at the top, each tipped with a flower head. It's an early bloomer after a fire, growing particularly well near burned wood. Found in open areas. CA native	About 20 rays form this white flower head which often shows a yellow center. When it goes to seed it forms an open, fluffy sphere.	Below the head, ray flowers are purple marked. Long, pointed phyllaries are surrounded by a calyculus of short triangular bracts.	Greyish green leaves have irregular lobes. A few smaller, clasping leaves decorate the stem, which branches to several single flower heads at the top.
California Cottonrose Logfia filaginoides CA Bloom Mar - Jun Green flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves CA native
California Everlasting Pseudognaphalium californicum Height 1 - 4 ft. CA Bloom Jan - Jul Flower heads are tiny (about 1/4" across). Alternate leaves are gray-green, woolly and aromatic. Found on dry slopes and coastal chaparral. CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.	Each tiny pineapple-shaped flower head is wrapped in white papery phyllaries and contains over 100 minute yellow flowers.	Leaves are narrow and pointed, growing to 4 inches long. They're smaller higher on the stem.	Branching stems grow erect, each topped with whitish flower heads.
California Fuchsia Epilobium canum ssp. canum CA Bloom Jun - Oct Orange, red flower Four petals Alternate, opposite leaves CA native
California Goldenbush Ericameria ericoides CA Bloom Sep - Nov Hundreds of small bright yellow flowers make this plant easy to spot. Narrow, short bunches of leaves along the stem. Makes a bright display on beaches in the fall, contrasting with red succulents. CA native	Bright yellow composite flowers.	Short thin leaves in groups along the stem.	Covers large swaths of coastal beaches, making a big yellow display in the fall.
California Horkelia Horkelia californica CA Bloom Apr - Jul White flower Five petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
California Lace Fern Aspidotis californica Fern Slopes CA native
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	Compared to our non-native mustards, California Mustard has fewer, smaller, generally white flowers.	Seed pods are quite narrow and long.	The whole plant gives a linear apearance.
California Orobanche Aphyllon californicum Flower Brown, orange, pink, violet, yellow flower Five, irreg petals Coastal CA native
California Poppy Eschscholzia californica CA Bloom Feb - Sep Height to 18 inches tall. 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	Thin orange petals overlap each other. Notice the sheath covering the young bud. Petals close at night and open in the morning.	Leaves are grey-green and are much divided. The round flat base just below the petals is distinctive and edged in rose-pink.	Across the state, California Poppies fill grassy areas with an orange display from April to July.
California Sheepburr Acaena californica CA Bloom Mar - May Green, red flower Tiny petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
California Sycamore Platanus racemosa CA Bloom Feb - May Alternate leaves Streambanks CA native
California Wild Rose Rosa californica CA Bloom May - Aug This shrub grows in thickets to 6 feet tall, with large, recurved prickles. Pink flowers, up to 2" across, open up flat at the end of branches. The fruit is a rose hip with leafy material coming out the top. It's common and widespread, especially in moist areas. Similar plants. CA native. Native only to the California Floristic Province.	This fragrant rose flower has a single layer of five floppy petals. They surround dozens of yellow-tipped stamens.	Compound leaves have 5 to 7 leaflets. Each pollinated flower creates one red rose hip, with left-over flower sepals protruding from the end.	Prickles grow out from the stem; large, flat and often curved.
Callalily Zantedeschia aethiopica CA Bloom Mar - Jun Orange, white, yellow flower Irreg petals Basal leaves Not CA native Somewhat Invasive
Canyon Gooseberry Ribes menziesii var. 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	Leaves are hairy and soft, and remind me of small (less than 2" across) maple leaves.	The flower has purple sepals that fold backwards, short white petals that hang down, and stamens that stick out the bottom.	Thin prickles along the stem make this a Gooseberry. Currants look similar but don't have prickles.
Cape Ivy Delairea odorata CA Bloom Nov - Mar Yellow flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves Not CA native Highly Invasive
Carmel Ceanothus Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus Height 1 - 7 ft. CA Bloom Mar - May This variety of Blue Blossom is a mounding form, adapted to wind, fog and salt, that grows on coastal bluffs. It has dense clusters of deep blue flowers on a full coat of dark green leaves. CA native	Alternate, evergreen, ribbed leaves are wider towards the base. Edges are slightly serrated and sometimes roll under.	Flower clusters are blue or purple, with yellow anthers sticking out.	Found on open slopes along the coast. Does well in salt spray.
Chain Fern Woodwardia fimbriata Chain Fern is easy to recognize. You'll always find it near (or in) water and it's huge. Fronds are flat, 20 inches wide and grow over 6 feet long. The underside often shows chains of large reproductive sori in two rows. Found near streams or seeps. CA native.	Fronds are flat and smooth-edged, and form a regular geometrical pattern. They grow over 6 feet long.	If you turn the frond over you'll sometimes find long chains of tan sori, a velvety substance containing spores for the next generation.	Chain fern loves water and shade. It's bigger than most other ferns.
Chaparral Currant Ribes malvaceum var. malvaceum CA Bloom Dec - Mar Pink, white flower Five petals Alternate leaves CA native
Checker Bloom Sidalcea malviflora CA Bloom May - Aug Flower petals pink, strongly veined, squared off at the end, 1/2" to 1" long each. A perennial flower, often with a woody base. Leaves vary greatly, with basal leaves fairly round and upper leaves deeply cut. Found in grasslands, woodlands and scrub to 7,500 feet. CA native	Five pink petals with radiating lines on each petal.	Basal leaves round and not deeply cut.	Deeply cut leaves.
Cheeseweed Malva parviflora CA Bloom Mar - Oct Pink, violet, white flower Five petals Alternate leaves Disturbed Not CA native
Chia Sage Salvia columbariae CA Bloom Mar - June I love spotting a Chia, with several spherical dark-blue flower clusters decorating a single stem. The leaves are distinctive - rough, hairy and deeply lobed. Chia seeds are an important food for birds, reptiles and mammals, including us. CA native	Look for dark-blue mint flowers forming tight whorls around a four-sided stem.	Mint flowers have a flat upper lip and and an extended, decorated lower lip.	Chia Sage can grow in huge colonies, turning sandy hillsides purple.
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	5 deeply lobed white petals often look like 10. Green pointed sepals between the petals.	Opposite leaves are oval and come to a point.	Grows to a foot or so. Lies along the ground in dense mats.
Climbing Bedstraw Galium porrigens Height to 5 ft. CA Bloom Feb - Apr Climbing Bedstraw loves to climb, using prickly hairs along its stem and leaves. It has whorls of four leaves, regularly spaced along the stem. Bedstraw grows from a woody base, creating new vine-like stems each season. Found among shrubs in chaparral and forest. CA native. Found only in California and nearby.	Look for whorled leaves in groups of 4, small yellow flowers with 4 petals, a square stem, and white berries.	Petals are only 1/2" long, but flowers are even smaller, about 1/10" across.	Flowers are tiny but showy, with red and yellow parts.