List

Browns Island Regional Preserve

(139 plants)

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


Alkali Marsh Ragwort Senecio hydrophilus CA Bloom May - Sep Yellow flower Tiny petals Alternate, basal leaves Freshwater-marsh CA native
Alkali Weed Cressa truxillensis CA Bloom May - Jun White flower Five petals Alternate leaves CA native
American Wild Mint Mentha arvensis CA Bloom Mar - May Pink, violet, white flower Four, irreg, irreg, irreg petals Opposite, simple leaves CA native
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.
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.
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.
Bigelow's Sneezeweed Helenium bigelovii CA Bloom Jun - Sep Yellow flower Many petals Alternate, basal 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.
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.
Bog Yellow Cress Rorippa palustris CA Bloom Apr - Jun Yellow flower Four petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
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.
Bugleweed Lycopus americanus CA Bloom Jun - Jul White flower Four, irreg petals Opposite leaves CA native
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 Marigold Bidens laevis CA Bloom Aug - Sep Yellow flower Many petals Opposite leaves Freshwater-marsh 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 Bulrush Schoenoplectus californicus CA Bloom May - Jun Freshwater-marsh CA native
California Fan Palm Washingtonia filifera CA Bloom Feb - Jun Many white flowers turn into black berries. Including their stalks, fan-shaped leaves grow to 13 feet long. The trunk stands up well to fire, partly because food and water channels run throughout the trunk, rather than just near the surface. Grows to 60 feet in desert oases. CA native	This is California's only native palm, found in desert oases. Notice the dead leaves hanging on below new growth.	Leaves are fan shaped. Heavy petioles connect the leaf to the trunk, and are U-shaped and toothed.	Leaves are stiff and have v-shaped segments with fibres on the margins.
California Hemp Hoita macrostachya CA Bloom Jun - Jul California Hemp is an erect shrub topped by bunches of purple pea flowers. This hairy plant has widely-spaced three-part leaves. The fruit is a hairy brown pod. Found in a variety of moist areas. CA native	Pea-like flowers bunch tightly together on sturdy stalks.	Compound leaves are on long stalks, leaving a lot of space around them.	Grows to 6 feet tall, shown here in a stream bed where it can get plenty of water.
California Sunflower Helianthus californicus CA Bloom Jul - Sep Yellow flower Many petals Alternate leaves Streambanks meadows freshwater-marsh 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.
Canary Island Date Palm Phoenix canariensis CA Bloom Oct - Apr White flower Three petals Alternate leaves Not CA native Somewhat Invasive
Canyon Dodder Cuscuta subinclusa CA Bloom Mar - Oct White flower Five petals CA native
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"
Cattail Typha domingensis Height to 13 ft. CA Bloom Mar - Aug Primarily found in Southern California in freshwater marshes Compare to other Cattails CA native	The male flower spike is yellow-brown and about an inch above a cinnamon-brown female spike.	This is the only California cattail with orange-brown glands at the base of the leaves.	Both spikes and leaves are tall, stiff and fairly narrow.
Celery Or Smallage Apium graveolens CA Bloom May - Jul White flower Five petals Alternate leaves Not CA native
Chairmaker's Bulrush Schoenoplectus americanus Flower Coastal salt-marsh freshwater-marsh CA native
Coast Clover Trifolium wormskioldii CA Bloom May - Jun Flowers a round ball of pink-purple petals, often with white tips. 3 leaflets join at the tip of a stem. They're often serrated. Widespread, often growing low to the ground. CA native	Flowers are rounded, made up of many purple-pink petals, often with whitish tips.	This closeup shows many pea-shaped flowers in a cluster, to form the clover round shape.	Leaves in 3s (hence Trifolium)
Cobwebby Hedge Nettle Stachys albens CA Bloom Jun - Aug Pink, white flower Irreg petals Opposite 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 Bog Rush Juncus effusus Perennial Rush to 4 ft. Stem cross section is round with grooves Inflorescence branched 1-2" No awns CA Bloom Jun - Aug This water-loving rush grows in tight clumps from stout rhizomes. Found in wetlands, along streams, and in marshes. CA native	Yellow-brown flowers appear at the top of the stem, with a stem-like bract proceeding above it. The stem is grooved, the bract is not.	Brown leaf sheaths grow at the base of stem, but create no leaf blades.	This rather tall rush is found on lake shores, wet pastures. Some subspecies are native, others weedy.
Common Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis CA Bloom Aug - Oct White flower Many, no petals Opposite, whorled leaves Streambanks CA native
Common Loosestrife Lythrum californicum CA Bloom May - Oct Pink, violet flower Six petals Alternate, opposite leaves CA native
Common Nightshade Solanum americanum CA Bloom Mar - Nov A poisonous member of the tomato family. White 5-petaled flower with yellow center. Leaves are large and toothed, with long petioles (stalks). Found in disturbed areas CA native	White 5-petaled 1/2 inch wide flowers with yellow centers. Leaves and fruit look like a small tomato plant.	Large leaves on stalks over 1 inch long. Edges wavy or coarsely toothed.	Shiny black berries hang from leaf connections along the stem. Plant grows to 4 feet tall and is short-lived.
Common Plantain Plantago major CA Bloom Apr - Sep Green, yellow flower Tiny petals Basal leaves Disturbed Not CA native
Common Reed Phragmites australis Perennial Single-Stem Grass 7-13 ft. Inflorescence branched 6-20" 2-10 florets per spikelet CA Bloom Jun - Aug Found a margins of ponds and lakes and in marshes. CA native	Common Reed grows in dense stands from thick rhizomes. Phragmites is Greek for "fence", which seems appropriate.	Branched spikelets are small, about 1/2". Much longer silky hairs grow from the base of the spikelets, creating a plume effect.	Leaves can be up to 2" wide and 18" long, with rough margins.
Common Tarweed Centromadia pungens CA Bloom Apr - Sep Yellow flower Many petals Alternate leaves CA native
Cornish Mallow Malva multiflora CA Bloom Apr - Jun Pink, violet flower Five petals Alternate leaves Not CA native
Cottonbatting Plant Pseudognaphalium stramineum CA Bloom May - Oct Tight bunch of flowers with yellow centers surrounded by straw-like bracts. Stramineum means straw-colored. Alternate, thin, woolly leaves to 3 inches clasp the stem. Not aromatic. Widespread in California grasslands and disturbed areas. CA native	Flowers with yellow center surrounded by layers of straw-colored phyllaries.	Flowers densly grouped at the end of the stem. Leaves woolly.	Erect plant to 2 feet tall.
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.
Coyote Thistle Eryngium articulatum CA Bloom Jun - Sep Blue, violet flower Tiny petals Alternate, opposite leaves Coastal salt-marsh freshwater-marsh CA native
Crispate Leaved Pondweed Potamogeton crispus CA Bloom Apr - May Brown, green flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves Not CA native Moderately Invasive
Curly Dock Rumex crispus CA Bloom Jan - Dec Green, white flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves Disturbed Not CA native Somewhat Invasive
Delta Tule Pea Lathyrus jepsonii var. jepsonii CA Bloom May - Jul Pink, violet flower Pea petals Alternate leaves Freshwater-marsh brackish-marsh CA native Endangered (CNPS 1B)
Desert Lantern Oenothera deltoides CA Bloom Mar - Sep White flower Four petals Basal leaves CA native
Douglas' Wallflower Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum CA Bloom Apr - May Yellow flower Four petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
Eastern Annual Saltmarsh Aster Symphyotrichum subulatum var. parviflorum CA Bloom Jul - Oct Pink, violet, white flower Many petals Alternate leaves CA native
European Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium CA Bloom Jun - Sep Pink, violet flower Four, irreg petals Opposite leaves Not CA native Moderately Invasive
Evening Primrose Oenothera elata CA Bloom Jun - Sep Yellow flower Four petals Alternate, basal leaves CA native
False Daisy Eclipta prostrata CA Bloom Jun - Aug White flower Many petals Alternate, opposite leaves Freshwater-marsh CA native
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
Fleshy Jaumea Jaumea carnosa CA Bloom May - Jul Yellow flower Many, no petals Opposite leaves Coastal salt-marsh CA native
Floating Water Primrose Ludwigia peploides CA Bloom Jun - Oct Yellow flower Five petals Alternate leaves Not CA native Highly Invasive
Fremont Cottonwood Populus fremontii CA Bloom Feb - Mar Tiny petals Alternate leaves CA native
Garden Asparagus Asparagus officinalis CA Bloom Mar - Sep Green, white, yellow flower Six petals Alternate leaves Not CA native
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.
Gooding's Willow Salix gooddingii CA Bloom Feb - Mar Tiny petals Alternate leaves Streambanks CA native
Green Dock Rumex conglomeratus CA Bloom May - Aug Green, white flower Tiny petals Alternate leaves Not CA native
Hemlock Water Parsnip Sium suave CA Bloom Jul - Aug White flower Five petals Alternate leaves Freshwater-marsh CA native
Himalayan Blackberry Rubus armeniacus CA Bloom Apr - Aug This invasive blackberry produces an impenetrable tangle of prickly canes and showy pink flowers. Stems are 5-sided with large prickles. Our local native Blackberry (Rubus ursinus has round stems with many tiny prickles. Leaves are dark green above and pale below. Not CA native. Highly Invasive	Flowers are about 1 inch wide, with 5 petals and many dark-tipped stamens. Stout prickles.	Leaves are in patterns of 5 the first year, and in groups of 3 on second year side branches.	Stout prickles are spaced out on a thick (up to 1 inch wide) cane. (Native blackberry has smaller prickles, closer together).
Horseweed Erigeron canadensis CA Bloom Jun - Sep White composite flower with many short white petals. Stands out from other plants, at 5 feet tall with a wide flower inflorescence. Leaves are long at 4 inches, and are up to 1/2" across. Only slightly hairy. Disturbed areas CA native	Neat phyllaries surround an aster-like flower head - a sign of a fleabane.	Alternate leaves 4 inches long and 1/2" wide.	Wide distinctive inflorescence with hundreds of composite flowers, growing to about 5 feet tall.