List

Point Pinole Regional Shoreline

(159 plants)

Thanks to the East Bay Regional Parks for this list


Alkali Heath Frankenia salina CA Bloom May - Oct Small pink 5-petaled trumpet flowers with pointed petals grow from leaf nodes. Opposite leaves Found in coastal salt-marsh, it can excrete salt through its leaves. CA native	Tiny 5-petaled white or pink flowers.	Leaves are opposite, have a strong central vein, smooth edges, and a pointed tip.	Can grow to 18 inches, often prostrate.
Alkali Russian Thistle Salsola soda CA Bloom Jul - Oct Salt tolerant Historically important as a source of soda ash, used to make glass clear. Mostly found in wet areas Not CA native Moderately Invasive	Fleshy thin leaves.	Green or red stems.	Grows to a bit over 2 feet tall, generally in wet areas.
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 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 Hairgrass Deschampsia danthonioides Annual Single-Stem Grass 5-24" Inflorescence branched to 10" Floret awns to 0.4" Spikelets small, < 1/8". CA Bloom Apr - May Leaves are about 3" long and are inrolled. Widespread in California. CA native	This meadow grass has spreading spikelets with awns, giving it a fuzzy appearance, thus Hairgrass. Spikelets sometimes have purple tips.	Hairgrass grows singly or in loose clumps. Spikelets grow on narrow, spreading, ascending branches.	Two large bracts surround 1-3 florets. Each floret has a long awn that bends in the middle.
Annual Semaphoregrass Pleuropogon californicus var. californicus CA Bloom Mar - Jun 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 Brass Buttons Cotula australis CA Bloom Jan - May A small plant that grows low to the ground. Many tiny flowers form a yellow "Button". Flowers have no petals. Leaves are finely divided. Grows in disturbed places Not CA native	Small flower head is made up of many tiny petal-less flowers.	Leaves divide into many little lobes. Grows low to the ground.	Green phyllaries behind a yellow flower head.
Australian Saltbush Atriplex semibaccata CA Bloom Apr - Dec Grows to 4 feet tall, with branches. Alternate leaves have strongly-marked veins and can excrete salt. Does well in salty environments, but doesn't tolerate being covered by salt water. Found both in wetlands and salty arid areas. Not CA native Moderately Invasive	Leaves are able to excrete salt, making it more tolerant of salty environments.	Red fruits nestle in leaf nodes.	Veins stick out from leaf. Leaf edges are generally smooth.
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.
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.
Big Squirrel Tail Grass Elymus multisetus Perennial Bunch Grass 6-24" Inflorescence a spike 1-8" 2-4 florets per spikelet Floret awns to 3.9" Each glume is cleft into 3-9 awns to 7.9" CA Bloom May - Jul As the inflorescence ages, the awns bend sharply outwards. More about Elymus CA native	Dense inflorescences with long, purplish awns resemble squirrel tails, especially when they mature.	Here's a closeup of a squirrel tail. It's crowded with spikelets, each producing 8-22 awns!	Leaves are narrow and long. Found in open, sandy or rocky areas.
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 Mustard Brassica nigra CA Bloom Apr - Jul Yellow flower Four petals Alternate leaves Not CA native Moderately Invasive
Blackwood Acacia Acacia melanoxylon Height 50 - 100 ft. CA Bloom Feb - Mar This acacia tree has twisted reddish-brown pods. The trunk has high levels of tannin, which causes dark stains when people handle it (thus Blackwood). Generally found in coastal disturbed areas. Not CA native Somewhat Invasive	Pale yellow spherical flowers show many stamens. These develop into reddish-brown pods.	Mature leaves are generally wide but occasionally have divided fern-like tips. Young leaves are divided too.	Blackwood Acacia grows to be a substantial tree.
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-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.
Brass Buttons Cotula coronopifolia CA Bloom May - Oct Green, yellow flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves Not CA native Somewhat Invasive
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.
Brome Fescue Festuca bromoides Single-Stem Grass to 20" Inflorescence branched 1-6" 4-7 florets per spikelet Floret awns to 0.5" CA Bloom Apr - Jun Like other fescues, the leaf sheath is open and the collar is hairless. This uncommon grass is found in dry, disturbed places. Not CA native	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.
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
Burhead Echinodorus berteroi Flower White flower Three petals Basal leaves Freshwater-marsh CA native
Butterfly Mariposa Lily Calochortus venustus CA Bloom May - Jun Pink, red, violet, white, yellow flower Three 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 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. Leaves bud in early February, well before flowering.	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 Buttercup (var. californicus) Ranunculus californicus var. californicus Height 6 in. - 2 ft. Blooms Feb - May This bright yellow flower has 7 to 22 shiny petals. It's 1" across. Leave grow on long basal stalks, often in groups of 3. Buttercups flower in the early spring and die back (including the leaves) in the summer. Found on coastal bluffs, grassland, woodland and moist meadows. CA native	The center of the flower is a crowded group of green pistils. Surrounding it is a ring of yellow stamens and a ring of reflective yellow petals.	Leaf stalks join the base of the plant. Leaflets are often in 3s, and are lobed.	This variety is widespread and grows a couple of feet tall.
California Cottonrose Logfia filaginoides CA Bloom Mar - Jun Green flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves CA native
California Oatgrass Danthonia californica Perennial Bunch Grass 12"-4 ft. Inflorescence branched 1-2" Floret awns to 0.5", bent. CA Bloom Feb - Mar Grows slowly and is long lived. California Oatgrass is an important component in native grasslands, and is a dominant grass in coastal prairie. It grows in a variety of soils, including serpentine. CA native	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.
California Plantain Plantago erecta CA Bloom Mar - Apr Flowers are very beautiful when viewed with a magnifying glass. A basal rosette of very narrow leaves grows up to 5 inches long. The entire plant is hairy. Found in open or gravelly areas, often on serpentine. CA native	This plant is smaller than other plantains, perhaps 4 inches tall. It has long, narrow erect leaves.	Tiny 4-petaled flowers form a tight cluster at the top of the stem.	California Plantain can grow in dense patches.
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 Sagebrush Artemisia californica Height 1 - 8 ft. CA Bloom Apr - Oct Strong spicy smell Tiny pale blue-green leaves are threadlike and evergreen Flowers are very tiny and yellow-green. Widespread, including in very hot and dry places. CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.	Leaves are very narrow and aromatic. Super tiny flowers cluster in a bowl of phyllaries.	Sagebrush starts branching right at the ground, creating a thick dome shape.	Sagebrush is often paler than the vegetation around it.
Cardoon Cynara cardunculus CA Bloom Apr - Jul Violet flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves Not CA native Moderately Invasive
Cat Tail Typha latifolia Height 5 - 10 ft. CA Bloom May - Jun Leaves are stiff and grow about 1" wide. This cattail is found in salt and freshwater marshes and can grow in 2 feet of water. Compare to other Cattails CA native	Male flowers form a narrow, tan spike at the top of the stem. Female flowers form a wider, brown spike. The spikes are close to each other.	Seeds are borne on the wind, as with dandelions.	Cattails grow to 10 feet high, always in or near water. Leaves are about 1"
Chairmaker's Bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus Flower Coastal salt-marsh freshwater-marsh CA native
Cheeseweed Malva parviflora CA Bloom Mar - Oct Pink, violet, white flower Five petals Alternate leaves Disturbed Not CA native
Coastal Tarweed Deinandra corymbosa CA Bloom Mar - Nov Yellow flower Many petals Alternate leaves CA native
Cockleburr Xanthium strumarium Height 4 in. - 3 ft. CA Bloom Jul - Oct Cockleburr has separate male and female flowers on the same plant (monoecious). Neither kind of flower has petals. Flowers are arranged in tight heads. The female heads have spines around their base. They're light, too, so fertilized seed can be distributed by floating on water, or attaching to passing animals. Found in disturbed, wet areas. CA native. Widespread around the world.	This is a female flower - no petals, just pistils at the top of the flower head.	Male flowers (yellow in this picture) are on separate heads above the female heads (green).	Stems are thick. Alternate leaves are on stalks, up to 5 inches across.
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 Mustard Brassica rapa CA Bloom Jan - Jun Yellow flower Four petals Alternate, basal leaves Disturbed Not CA native Somewhat Invasive
Cordgrass Spartina foliosa CA Bloom Jun - Nov Found in coastal salt marshes and mud flats, especially on San Francisco Bay. Grows to 5 feet tall. Grows successfully in areas frequently covered by salt water tide, but needs to be out of the water in most low tides. This native plant fills the same niche as the non-native Salt Water Cord Grass (see below). CA native	Hollow stems grow to 5 feet long. Leaves grow to 2 feet long.	Flowers grow in a narrow, dense spike on one side of the stalk.	Widespread in salt marshes and mudflats, especially on San Francisco Bay.
Cornish Mallow Malva multiflora CA Bloom Apr - Jun Pink, violet flower Five petals Alternate leaves Not CA native
Coyote Brush Baccharis pilularis CA Bloom Sep - Jan Coyote Brush, a common evergreen shrub, is often the tallest plant in its neighborhood. Its leaves are distinctive, sort of rectangular and with bumpy sides. Male flowers grow on separate plants from female. CA native	Coyote Brush has many 1-inch green leaves growing on a thicket of brittle, woody branches.	1-inch leaves are leathery and stay wide until the very end. Their margins show triangular bumps.	In the winter, pollinated flowers develop seeds that float away on the wind.
Curly Dock Rumex crispus CA Bloom Jan - Dec Green, white flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves Disturbed Not CA native Somewhat Invasive
Cut Leaved Geranium Geranium dissectum CA Bloom Mar - Oct Look for a small, lavender flower above deeply cut, roundish leaves. Leaves are hairy. Found in oak woodlands and mixed evergreens. Not CA native Somewhat Invasive	Small lavender flowers grow about deeply cut leaves.	Each petal has a rounded notch in its end, and darker lines pointing to the center. Anthers are blue.	Fruits have beaks like other geraniums, but often with curly-cues near the end.
Dog Fennel Anthemis cotula CA Bloom May - Sep White flower Many petals Alternate leaves Disturbed Not CA native
Dove's Foot Geranium Geranium molle CA Bloom Feb - July Pink or purple petals have two-lobed tips. The species name, molle, refers to soft hairs covering the leaves and stem. Leaves are distinctive - they're circular, with a series of rounded lobes along the margin. Found in meadows, oak woodlands and mixed evergreens. Not CA native	Five notched petals surround a pale center decorated with blueish anthers.	I suppose the round leaf with many indents reminded someone of a dove's foot. The leaves are incredibly soft and fun to touch.	You can distinguish this small geranium by its circular, round-lobed leaves, and the blue anthers at the center of the flower.
Elegant Brodiaea Brodiaea elegans CA Bloom Mar - Aug Blue, violet flower Six petals Basal leaves Slopes CA native
English Plantain Plantago lanceolata CA Bloom Mar - Aug Many tiny flowers form a cone shape at the top of the stem. Long, thin basal leaves have distinctive, parallel ribs. Common in disturbed soil. Not CA native Somewhat Invasive	Many flowers radiate from the flower head. In this picture, lower flowers are mature while upper flowers have not yet formed.	Long, ribbed basal leaves are easy to spot.	Plantain flower heads are distinctive, siting on the top of longish stems.
Fat Hen Atriplex prostrata CA Bloom Jun - Nov One of the salt bush group, that excrete salt through their leaves. Tiny flowers form a spike at the top of the stem. Distinctive arrow-shaped leaf. Tolerates salty conditions, found on beaches, in salt marshes, etc. Not CA native
Fiddle Dock Rumex pulcher CA Bloom May - Sep Green flower Tiny petals Alternate, basal leaves Disturbed Not CA native
Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis CA Bloom Apr - Sep Pink, white flower Five petals Alternate leaves Disturbed Not CA native
Fleshy Jaumea Jaumea carnosa CA Bloom May - Jul Yellow flower Many, no petals Opposite leaves Coastal salt-marsh CA native
Foxtail Barley Hordeum murinum Annual Single-Stem Grass 6"-4 ft. Inflorescence a spike 1-5" 1 floret per spikelet Floret awns to 2" Glume awns to 1.4" CA Bloom Apr - May Found in moist, disturbed areas. More on Hordeum Not CA Native Moderately Invasive	Foxtails are easy to spot. They have showy, dense spikes with lots of awns. They grow in large colonies.	A triplet of spikelets attach at the same point. The center one is larger and bisexual. The lateral ones are male only.	Leaf blades are hairy, about 10" long, and have tiny "ears" (auricles) where they meet the stem.
French Broom Genista monspessulana CA Bloom Mar - May French Broom covers hillsides with brilliant sprays of yellow pea flowers. Leaves are short and oval, in 3s. Fuzzy seed pods. Lots of space between branches. Not CA native Highly Invasive	Groups of 4 to 10 flowers appear at the end of short stalks. Slight fragrance.	3 leaflets. Stem is round with 8 to 10 ridges along the outer edge.	French Broom is invasive, covering hills and valleys.
Giant Reed Arundo donax Perennial Single-Stem Grass 7-33 ft. Inflorescence branched 8-28" Spikelet glumes cover 1-3 florets No awns Bloom May - Jun Arundo is Latin for "reed grass" CA not native Highly Invasive	Giant Reed is distinctive, growing to 30 feet on bamboo-like stems. It has a silvery, hairy plume at the top.	The stem is bamboo-like and is used to make structures, mats, and reeds for woodwind instruments.	Leaf blades can grow many feet long. They're flat or folded, with rough margins.