List

Waterbird Regional Preserve

(333 plants)

Thanks to the East Bay Regional Park District for this list.


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
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 Mallow Malvella leprosa CA Bloom Apr - Oct White to yellow mallow-shaped flower grows pink with age. Grows along the ground to perhaps 16 inches long, on hairy stems. Leaves are alternate, hairy, and with toothed or wavy margins. Grows quickly beside agricultural fields. CA native	5 petals form a cup, starting out white or yellow and turning pink with age. Stem is hairy and grows along the ground.	Leaves have wavy edges, growing to over an inch wide.	Grows rapidly in alkaline (salty) soils. Often found near agricultural fields.
Alkali Weed Cressa truxillensis CA Bloom May - Jun White flower Five petals Alternate leaves CA native
Almond Prunus dulcis CA Bloom Feb - Mar White flowers cover the tree in a showy display in the spring. Grows to 15 feet with a rounded shape. Alternate leaves are deciduous. Not CA native	Narrow leaves grow to about 5."	Covering opens up at maturity.	Pink blossoms in the spring - this tree is widely cultivated in the central valley.
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 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 June Grass, Bristly Koeleria Koeleria gerardii CA Bloom Apr - Jul Not CA native
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.
Barnyard Grass Echinochloa crus-galli CA Bloom Jul - Oct Not 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 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.
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.
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.
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
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 Nightshade Solanum nigrum CA Bloom Mar - Oct A nightshade, with 5-petaled flowers and a yellow center. This tangled shrub can grow to 4 feet tall. Alternate leaves grow to 3 inches long, with wavy or toothed edges. Common, found in wooded areas and disturbed soil. Not CA native	Petals recurve back, highlighting the yellow center. This is a pattern for all nightshades.	Flowers are in small groups, each at the end of its own stalk ( pedicel).	These immature berries will turn red and then black as they mature.
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 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-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
Bracted Allocarya Plagiobothrys bracteatus CA Bloom Apr - May White flower Five petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
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 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.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Sandaster Corethrogyne filaginifolia var. californica
California Saxifrage Micranthes californica CA Bloom Mar - Apr Stem to 1 foot tall, with several delicate white flowers with red-tipped stamens. Long-stemmed basal leaves and few or no leaves on the stem. Likes shade and moist conditions. CA native	Five white petals, red-tipped stamens, green center.	Basal leaves have stems, or oval, and often have teeth or lobes.	Plant is about 1 foot tall, with basal leaves and flowers at the top.