Native Plants (Not Native, Naturalized, Endemic)

Plants are native to specific geographical areas where they have evolved over hundreds and thousands of years.

Plants may be transported, intentionally or unintentionally, to other parts of the world where they haven’t been established over a long period of time. They’re considered not native in those locations. If they reproduce and establish themselves in the wild in those other locations, they are considered naturalized.

Non-native plants can cause disturbances in the ecological balance of native plants and animals. This causes a ripple effect on other species that depend on the natives. Organizations like CAL-IPC identify the most troublesome invasive species so people can organize programs to control or eradicate them.

If a plant species has a well-defined native geographical range, and doesn’t occur natively anywhere else in the world, it is considered endemic to that area.

In California, about 40% of the native plants found in the California Floristic Province are endemic to our region. Over 2,000 species in this area don’t grow natively anywhere else in the world!

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Want more? See Wikipedia.

Corrections/Comments: bruce@PlantID.net