| | | |
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 Vetch
Vicia americana
- CA Bloom May - Jun
- Flowers with pink, violet and white parts.
- Tendrils, modified leaves, allow the plant to climb on other plants.
- Alternate compound leaves.
- A widespread understory plant.
- CA native
|
Purple pea-like flowers
|
Alternate compound leaves.
|
Vine grows to a foot long. One inch pea pods for fruit.
|
American Vetch (1)
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 June Grass, Bristly Koeleria
Koeleria gerardii
CA Bloom Apr - Jul
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.
|
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.
|
Beaked Hazelnut
Corylus cornuta
CA Bloom Feb - Mar
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
Streambanks slopes
CA native
|
|
|
|
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.
|
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)
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Bird's Foot Lotus
Acmispon brachycarpus
- Height 6 in. - 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Mar - Jun
- Yellow flower
- Pea petals
- Alternate leaves
- CA native
|
|
|
|
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
- 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 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 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.
|
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
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
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.
|
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
|
|
|
|
California Aster
Symphyotrichum chilense
CA Bloom Jul - Aug
Blue, pink, violet, white flower
Many petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
California Aster (1)
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
|
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 Bulrush
Schoenoplectus californicus
CA Bloom May - Jun
Freshwater-marsh
CA native
|
|
|
|
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 Cottonrose
Logfia filaginoides
CA Bloom Mar - Jun
Green flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
California Cudweed
Pseudognaphalium californicum
|
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 Four O'clock
Mirabilis laevis var. crassifolia
CA Bloom Dec - Jun
Pink, white flower
Five petals
Opposite leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
California Goldenrod
Solidago velutina ssp. californica
CA Bloom Jul - Oct
Yellow flower
Many petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
|
|
|
|
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
|
Soft fuzzy leaves have toothed edges. Veins are indented. Leaves fall off in the winter.
|
The flower matures to a hazelnut, protected by a hard shell and fuzzy sheath.
|
Male catkins form in the fall and last until spring.
|
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.
|
Vines end in pink flowers, full of nectar (thus, Honeysuckle). Hummingbird and bees pollinate the flowers in their search for the nectar.
|
Pollinated flowers turn into bright-red translucent berries.
|
Leaves near the flower wrap around the stem. Leaves further down are opposite.
|
California Lomatium
Lomatium californicum
- CA Bloom Mar - Apr
- Green-yellow flowers and celery leaves are distinctive.
- Grows to 4 feet tall
- Found on open grassy slopes to 6,000 feet
- CA native
|
Flowers in bunches, starting green and becoming bright yellow.
|
Divided blue-green leaves. They resemble common celery leaves in appearance and taste.
|
A spreading plant, can grow to 4 feet tall.
|
California Melic
Melica californica
- Perennial Bunch Grass 16"-5 ft.
- Inflorescence 2-13"
- No awns
- CA Bloom Jun - Aug
- Found in open or rocky hillsides, oak woodlands, and conifer forests.
- This grass is a favorite with landscape gardeners.
- More about Melica.
- CA native.
|
California Melic is an erect plant with ascending, flat leaves. Spikelets lie close to the stem, making a narrow cylinder.
|
Melica spikelets are oval and cylindrical, not flattened like most other grasses. Each spikelet has 2-5 florets. At maturity, anthers emerge to release pollen on the wind.
|
Thin spikelet branches run along the stem. Glumes at the base of each spikelet are papery and become purple with time. There are no awns.
|
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 Oatgrass
Danthonia californica
|
This bunch grass has flat leaves, about 8" long. Flowering stems arch outwards from the plant center.
|
Only 3-6 spikelets in a short inflorescence (about 2"). Branches are flexible and longer than the spikelets.
|
Mature spikelets open up, with glumes longer than individual florets. There are 3-8 florets per spikelet.
|