List

Idyllwild Park

(253 plants)

Thanks to Tom Chester and friends for this list. For more, see http://tchester.org/sj/flora/idyllwild_park.html.

Nemacladus parikhiae is not shown here because it is not in the Calflora taxonomy.


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.
Annual Burrweed Ambrosia acanthicarpa CA Bloom Sep - Nov Green, yellow flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves CA native
Arabidopsis Arabidopsis thaliana CA Bloom Feb - May White flower Four petals Basal leaves Disturbed Not CA native
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.
Bajada Lupine Lupinus concinnus CA Bloom Mar - May Blue, violet, white flower Pea petals Basal leaves CA native
Ball Gilia Gilia capitata ssp. abrotanifolia CA Bloom Feb - Apr Blue, violet, white flower Five, no petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
Beardless Wild Rye Elymus triticoides A tough and woody perennial bunch grass 18"-4 ft. Inflorescence a spike that is flat, 2-8" 3-7 florets per spikelet Floret awns to 0.1" CA Bloom Jun - Jul Stabilizes soil with extensive rhizomes, creating dense colonies. More on Elymus. CA native	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.
Beautiful Hulsea Hulsea vestita ssp. callicarpha CA Bloom May - Oct Orange, red, yellow flower Many petals Basal leaves CA native Uncommon (CNPS 4)
Bentgrass Agrostis exarata Perennial Bunch Grass 3"-3 ft. Inflorescence a dense cluster 2-12" 1 floret per spikelet Floret awns to 0.1" CA Bloom May - Jun Agrostis is based on a Greek word for "pasture". This grass provides food for many wild animals. This classic California bunch grass does well on moist ground. CA native	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 Perennial Single-Stem Grass 4-16" Inflorescence branched 1-2" 1 floret per spikelet No awns CA Bloom Apr - May This rough lawn grass is weedy in disturbed areas. Not CA native Moderately Invasive	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.
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 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.
Bittercress Cardamine hirsuta CA Bloom Feb - Jul White flower Four petals Alternate, basal leaves Not CA native
Black Oak Quercus kelloggii CA Bloom May - Jun This majestic tree is a keystone species, providing habitat and food to many animals. Black Oak is the only deciduous California oak with bristle-tipped lobes. CA native	Deciduous leaves have pointy lobes with bristles at their tips. They're darker on top than on the bottom.	In spring, early leaves are red and velvety. Catkins of male flowers hang from leaf axils, getting ready to disperse pollen on the wind.	A stout trunk supports many heavy, ascending branches. Branches decay and hollow out, providing den and nesting sites.
Blue Dicks Dipterostemon capitatus ssp. capitatus CA Bloom Feb - Apr Height to 2 ft. Flowers have 6 segments ( tepals) Basal leaves are long and narrow. Common in a wide variety of habitats. Compare to Ookow CA native	6-part flowers bunch tightly together at the top of a long narrow stem.	Often purple, this flower can also be pink or white. Notice the three forked, white filament sheaths forming a cylinder around the reproductive parts.	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 Stemmed Keckiella Keckiella ternata var. ternata CA Bloom Jun - Aug Red flower Five, irreg petals Opposite, whorled leaves CA native
Blue Wild Rye Elymus glaucus ssp. glaucus A tough and woody perennial bunch grass 12"-5 ft. Inflorescence a spike 2-8" 2-4 florets per spikelet Floret awns to 1.2" CA Bloom May - Jul Found at the margins of woods and in open areas. More about Elymus CA native	This grass can grow to 5 feet tall and has a tight spike of spikelets at the top of the stem.	Rye spikelets grow tight to the stem, about 1/4" apart, making a woven pattern. 2-4 straight awns come out of each spikelet.	Leaves are fairly wide, flat, soft, and blue-green. The blade has tiny "ears" (auricles) that wrap around the stem.
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.
Bristly Bird's Beak Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. setiger Flower Green, white, yellow flower No, two petals Alternate leaves CA native
Bristly Goldenaster Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. echioides CA Bloom Mar - Dec 10 to 30 inches tall. This is a late-summer blooming plant that thrives in California and Northern Mexico. It has two kinds of hairs that protect it from browsers and create a strong smell when touched. It's common in open areas in chaparral and grassland. CA native	Here's a yellow-on-yellow aster with a dozen or so petal-like ray flowers and many tiny central disk flowers.	Several layers of narrow, green phyllaries surround the flower head. All green parts are quite hairy.	Bright yellow flower heads turn brown with pappus after pollination. Older leaves turn grey as their hairs become bristly.
Brittle Fern Cystopteris fragilis Fern CA native
Broad Leaved Lotus Hosackia crassifolia var. crassifolia CA Bloom May - Jul Brown, pink, yellow flower Pea petals Alternate leaves CA native
Brown Sedge Carex subfusca Flower Meadows CA native
Bulbous Blue Grass Poa bulbosa ssp. vivipara Short-lived perennial 6-24" Inflorescence branched 1-4" No awns CA Bloom May - Jun Vivipara means live birth. Although this subspecies has some fertile flowers, spikelets are mostly made up of living bulbs that grow shoots while still on the mother. Not CA native	Bulbous Blue Grass has an odd-looking inflorescence composed mostly of small, brown, sprouting bulblets.	This grass is easy to spot once you know what you're looking for: brown blobs where you'd expect to see grass florets.	Unlike other grasses, the stem grows from a small bulb.
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.
Bulrush Scirpus microcarpus CA Bloom May - Jun 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 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 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 Dock Rumex californicus CA Bloom May - Sep Brown, 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 Fushia Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium CA Bloom Aug - Oct Orange, red flower Four petals Alternate, opposite leaves CA native
California Goldenrod Solidago velutina ssp. californica CA Bloom Jul - Oct Yellow flower Many petals Alternate leaves CA native
California Milkweed Asclepias californica CA Bloom Apr - Jul Brown, pink, red flower Five petals Opposite leaves Slopes CA native
California Rockcress Boechera californica CA Bloom Mar - Jun Pink, violet flower Four petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
California Sunflower Helianthus californicus CA Bloom Jul - Sep Yellow flower Many petals Alternate leaves Streambanks meadows freshwater-marsh CA native
California Sycamore Platanus racemosa CA Bloom Feb - May Alternate leaves Streambanks CA native
California Thistle Cirsium occidentale var. californicum CA Bloom May - Jul Pink, red, violet, white flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves Slopes 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.
Canarygrass Phalaris canariensis CA Bloom Apr - Jul Disturbed Not CA native
Canyon Oak Quercus chrysolepis Found in canyons and on rocky ridges. This can be a large tree, or a shrub. Leaves are generally smooth-edged (entire), but sometimes have spiky edges. Underside of leaf generally has a gold fuzz. CA native	Canyon Oaks can be quite full (shrubby). They're hard to distinguish from other live oaks at a distance.	Top of leaf is leathery and pale green. Underside often has gold fuzz.	Canyon Oak acorn top has smooth bumps with canyons.
Chamise Adenostoma fasciculatum Height 4 - 13 ft. CA Bloom Jun - Aug Chamise fills California hillsides in the summer with thousands of tiny, fragrant, white blooms. Tiny needle-like leaves limit water loss in a dry environment. Chamise is often paler than the plants around it. A California native, it grows natively nowhere else outside our region.	Each flower has 5 separate, cream-colored petals and a dozen stamens. Leaves are green and needle-like.	The flowers form sprays at the ends of branches.	Stems often have peeling bark and are full of oil which increases fire intensity - an advantage for this plant which is ready to regenerate from burls.
Chaparral Whitethorn Ceanothus leucodermis CA Bloom Mar - May Blue, violet flower Five petals Alternate leaves Slopes CA native
Chaparral Yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei CA Bloom Apr - Jun White flower Six petals Basal leaves Slopes CA native
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.
Cleveland's Horkelia Horkelia clevelandii var. clevelandii CA Bloom May - Aug CA native
Cleveland's Malacothrix Malacothrix clevelandii CA Bloom Apr - Jul A cluster of small (1/4" diameter) yellow flower heads grows at the top of a stem. Outer rays extend somewhat beyond inner rays. Basal leaves have equally-spaced pinnate lobes. Found in cleared areas, often in chaparral. CA native	Tiny yellow flower heads are surrounded by narrow green phyllaries and a cup of short calyculus bracts below.	Basal leaves and reduced stem leaves grow below a cluster of small flower heads.	Many thin bristles radiate out from short fruits.
Clustered Broomrape Aphyllon fasciculatum Flower Pink, yellow flower Five, irreg petals CA native
Coahuila Frasera Frasera parryi CA Bloom Apr - Jul Green, white flower Four petals Basal, opposite leaves CA native
Coast Range Melic Melica imperfecta Perennial Bunch Grass 14"-4 ft. Inflorescence 2-14" 1-2 florets per spikelet No awns CA Bloom Feb - Mar The leaf sheath is closed near the top. Leaf blades are flat. Found on dry, rocky hillsides. More about Melica. CA native	This bunch grass has flat leaves that come from the base. Spikelet clusters are dense and spike-like until maturity, when they open up and show their branches.	Glumes at the base of spikelets are papery and translucent.	Spikelets are short (< 1/3") with one or two florets and no awns.
Coastal Gilia Gilia diegensis CA Bloom Apr - Jun Pink, violet flower Five petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
Coffeeberry Frangula californica CA Bloom Jun - Aug Yellow-green flowers in clusters at the base of leaves. Leaves are long and pointed, with small serrations on the edges. Stems are often red. Common in canyons and coastal slopes CA native	Clusters of tiny white or greenish flowers nestle among the leaves.	Leaves are long and pointed, sort of like a bay leaf but with small serrations at the edge.	Berries go through several colors and end up red or black.
Common Bedstraw Galium aparine Height to 3 ft. CA Bloom Apr - May 6 to 8 narrow leaves make whorls around the stem. Flowers are tiny, white and 4-petaled. This plant is covered with hooked hairs. CA native	Bedstraw has whorled leave and tiny white flowers. It is covered with hairs that stick to passers by.	Leaves are typically in groups of 6, wider at the end than at the stem.	Tiny, four-petal flowers form clusters above the whorls.
Common Bog Rush Juncus effusus ssp. austrocalifornicus
Common Chickweed Cerastium fontanum ssp. vulgare CA Bloom Jun - Jul White flower Five petals Opposite leaves Meadows disturbed Not CA native
Common Cryptantha Cryptantha affinis CA Bloom Jun - Jul White flower Five petals Alternate, basal leaves Slopes CA native
Common Horsetail Equisetum arvense CA Bloom Mar - May Streambanks CA native
Common Pacific Pea Lathyrus vestitus var. vestitus CA Bloom Mar - May This common vine has showy pea flowers. Compound leaves end in tendrils that cling to other plants. It's widespread in California's coastal ranges. CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.	Each pea flower has a pinkish-purple banner petal above a cluster of pale petals.	Leaves are compound, made up of 8 - 12 leaflets, and have tendrils at the end.	Tendrils wrap around other plants, pulling the vine up into the sun.