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Abrupt Beaked Sedge
Carex abrupta
Flower
Meadows slopes
CA native
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Alberta Whitlow Grass
Draba albertina
CA Bloom Jun - Aug
Yellow flower
Four petals
Alternate, basal leaves
CA native
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Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
- Height 1 - 3 ft.
- CA Bloom Jun - Aug
- Like a clover but taller, and with serrated leaves.
- Purple pea-like flowers cluster in small groups at the end of multiple stems.
- Used in agriculture, you'll find Alfalfa in disturbed areas near farms.
- Not CA native
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Clusters of small purple pea-like flowers.
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Leaves in 3, serrated, with short petioles connecting them to the stem.
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Grows erect. The pea pod twists into a coil.
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Alkali Western Tansy Mustard
Descurainia pinnata ssp. halictorum
CA Bloom Feb - Jun
Yellow flower
Four petals
Alternate, basal leaves
CA native
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Alpine Bedstraw
Galium hypotrichium
CA Bloom Jun - Aug
Yellow flower
Four petals
Whorled leaves
CA native
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Alpine Gentian
Gentiana newberryi
- CA Bloom Jul - Sep
- Five petals separated with pointed parts between.
- Opposite narrow leaves
- Streambanks and meadows in the Sierras
- CA native
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Spotted inner petals, with whispy "threads" between the petals.
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Curving long leaves end in a point. Outer petals have purple stripes.
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Grows to about 6 inches, often lying along the ground.
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Alpine Groundsel
Packera pauciflora
CA Bloom Jul - Aug
Orange, yellow flower
Many, no petals
Alternate, basal leaves
CA native
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Alpine Mountain Sorrel
Oxyria digyna
CA Bloom Jul - Aug
Brown, green, pink, red flower
Irreg petals
Basal leaves
CA native
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Alpine Pearlwort
Sagina saginoides
CA Bloom Feb - Mar
White flower
Five petals
Basal, opposite leaves
Streambanks
CA native
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Alpine Prairie Dandelion
Nothocalais alpestris
CA Bloom Jul - Sep
Yellow flower
Many petals
Basal leaves
Meadows slopes
CA native
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Alpine Pussytoes
Antennaria media
- Height 2 in. - 5 in.
- CA Bloom Jun - Aug
- Flowers are white with no petals.
- Leaves are both alternate and basal, and are fuzzy.
- Found in high elevations, especially in the Sierras.
- CA native
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Several fuzzy flower balls sit atop a short (4") stem.
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Leaves are fuzzy. Leaves on the stem tend to hug it.
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Grows in low mats in alpine areas.
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Alpine Pyrrocoma
Pyrrocoma apargioides
CA Bloom Jul - Sep
Yellow flower
Many petals
Basal leaves
Meadows slopes
CA native
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Alpine Shooting Star
Primula tetrandra
CA Bloom Jun - Aug
Pink, violet flower
Five petals
Basal leaves
CA native
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Alpine Slender Buckwheat
Eriogonum microthecum var. alpinum
CA Bloom Jul - Sep
Pink, white, yellow flower
Six petals
Alternate leaves
CA native Uncommon (CNPS 4)
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Alpine Willow
Salix petrophila
CA Bloom Jul - Aug
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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Alpine Wintergreen
Gaultheria humifusa
- CA Bloom Jun - Aug
- A small heath family ground cover.
- Smooth-edged alternate leaves.
- Found in damp sub-alpine forests.
- CA native
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Single white bell-shaped flower at the end of the stem, with a red and yellow center.
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Tiny berries maturing to red. Notice the size of the finger in the background.
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Grows low to the ground with 1/2 inch leaves. See the dime?
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American Alpine Speedwell
Veronica wormskjoldii
- CA Bloom Jun - Aug
- Small 4-petaled flowers, about 1/4" across.
- Stem and leaves have long hairs.
- Widespread in western and northern America.
- CA native
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The upper petal is a bit bigger. 2 stamens stick out above the petals.
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Opposite leaves. Flowers on stalks from leaf axils and tip of stem.
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Found in moist alpine meadows and understory.
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American Alpine Lady Fern
Athyrium distentifolium var. americanum
Fern
CA native
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American Bistort
Bistorta bistortoides
- CA Bloom May - Aug
- Distinctive cylindrical flower head made up of many small flowers.
- Leaves at the base of the plant are leathery.
- Found in alpine meadows and in Point Reyes, but uncommon elsewhere.
- CA native
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Densly packed cylinder of small 5-petaled white to pinkish flowers at the top of a stem that may reach 18 inches.
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Can grow in dense patches in meadows.
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Leathery basal leaves can grow to 3 feet long.
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American Brooklime
Veronica americana
- Height to 1 ft.
- CA Bloom Jul - Aug
- Blue or violet 4-petaled flowers
- Opposite leaves
- Round stems
- Grows in fresh-water wetlands, such as stream banks
- Stem runs along the ground, up to 2 feet long.
- CA native
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Look for 4 petals and opposite leaves with a round stem. Green center guides in pollinators.
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4 pale-blue petals with 4 green sepals behind them.
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Opposite leaves up to 3 inches long. Flowers in groups at the end of stalks.
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American Dogwood
Cornus sericea
- CA Bloom Jun - Aug
- White 4-petaled flowers in round bunches
- White berries
- Medium tall shrub grows to 12 feet
- Opposite leaves, green above and hairy grey below
- Found in damp areas
- CA native
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Opposite leaves, strong veins, pointed tips.
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Showy clumps of flowers turn into white berries.
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4-petaled white flowers grow in clumps at the end of stems.
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American Parsley Fern
Cryptogramma acrostichoides
Fern
CA native
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American Wild Mint
Mentha arvensis
CA Bloom Mar - May
Pink, violet, white flower
Four, irreg, irreg, irreg petals
Opposite, simple leaves
CA native
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Anderson Larkspur
Delphinium andersonii
- Height 1 - 3 ft.
- CA Bloom Apr - May
- Flowers are the delphinium shape, with a spur behind and two long vertical "petals" in front. This species has a dense cluster of flowers at the top of a 2-foot stem.
- Leaves are interesting - first divided into lobes, and then often redivided into fingers on each lobe.
- Found in dry sandy soils in foothills.
- CA native
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This side view shows the purple delphinium spur to the right and long blue "petals" pointing up and down.
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Leaves are deeply lobed, often with fat "fingers" on each lobe.
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Erect stems end in dense cylindrical clusters of Larkspur flowers.
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Anderson's Thistle
Cirsium andersonii
- Height 1 - 3 ft.
- CA Bloom Jul - Sep
- CA native
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Anderson's Thistle flower is a pretty pink-violet color. The stem is purple.
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The flower head stays in a tight cylinder and points straight up. Spiny phyllaries below the flower head curve outward.
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Long leaves at the base have triangular teeth with spines at the tip.
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Angle Stermed Buckwheat
Eriogonum maculatum
CA Bloom Apr - Nov
Pink, white, yellow flower
Six petals
Alternate, basal leaves
CA native
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Annual Beard Grass
Polypogon monspeliensis
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Annual Beard Grass is topped by large, fluffy spikes. They're framed by flat, rough, green leaves to 8" long.
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Soft, dense spikelets are green until they mature. There are lots of spikelets in the spike, each producing 3 awns.
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Long awns let light through around the edge but the center is opaque.
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Annual Burrweed
Ambrosia acanthicarpa
CA Bloom Sep - Nov
Green, yellow flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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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.
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Leaves are about 5 inches long, smooth-sided and narrow. They're pale/hairy underneath, and wider near the tip than near the base.
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Classic pussies with yellow stamens. The buds are fused together (not overlapping) before they open.
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This willow has many trunks, sometimes growing as a tree, and sometimes as a tangled shrub.
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Attol Lousewort
Pedicularis attollens
- CA Bloom Jun - Sep
- A member of the Broomrape family, this plant gathers food from neighboring plants.
- Leaves are skinny and toothed.
- CA native
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The flower has a curling upper lip, like an elephant's trunk, and a three- lobed lower lip. Two dots look like the elephant's eyes.
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Flowers are surrounded by hairy bracts.
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Flowers form a dense cylinder on a leafless stalk. They're found in meadows and beside streams.
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Austin's Woodbeauty
Drymocallis lactea var. austiniae
CA Bloom May - Sep
Yellow flower
Five petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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Baby's Breath
Gypsophila paniculata
Flower
White flower
Five petals
Alternate leaves
Not CA native
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Bailey's Buckwheat
Eriogonum baileyi var. baileyi
CA Bloom May - Sep
Pink, white flower
Six petals
Basal leaves
CA native
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Ball Headed Gilia
Ipomopsis congesta
CA Bloom May - Sep
White flower
Five petals
Alternate, basal leaves
CA native
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Baneberry
Actaea rubra
- Height 8 in. - 3 ft.
- CA Bloom May - Jul
- Baneberry is a shrub that grows to about 3 feet tall.
- Leaves are coarsely toothed.
- Bright red or white berries are hard to miss, and warn animals that they're poisonous.
- White showy flower clusters.
- Found in shady, moist woodland.
- CA native
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Leaves have deeply toothed margins. Poisonous berries are red or white, with a black dot.
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White showy clusters of flowers stand out on their own stalks. Each flower has many long stamens.
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Leaves are compound and sharply toothed. Leaves and flowers are on separate stalks.
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Barbwire Russian Thistle
Salsola gobicola
CA Bloom Jul - Oct
White flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
Not CA native
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Beaked Sedge
Carex utriculata
CA Bloom Jun - Sep
Meadows
CA native
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Beardless Oatgrass
Trisetum wolfii
CA Bloom Jun - Sep
Meadows
CA native
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Beardless Wild Rye
Elymus triticoides
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This rye has 2-ranked spikelets that connect directly to the stem. There is space between each alternating spikelet.
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Hollow stems (like straws) connect at solid joints. Leaves are about 1/4" wide and a foot long.
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Prominent blue-green leaves are 4-12" long and grow away from the stem. Found in moist habitats with heavy soils.
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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
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This view of the flower from below shows two rounded petals on top, two side petals, and one folded out like a tongue.
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A square stem supports large, opposite, toothed leaves. This might make you think "Mint" but it's not.
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Bee Plant grows several feet high with opposite, narrow leaves sticking straight out. Flowers are on horizontal stalks near the top.
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Big Sagebrush
Artemisia tridentata ssp. tridentata
CA Bloom Aug - Sep
Brown flower
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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Bitter Cherry
Prunus emarginata
- CA Bloom Apr - May
- White 5-petaled flowers about 1/2" across smell nice.
- Leaves yellow-green with tightly-spaced veins.
- A shrub to medium-sized tree.
- Canyons, slopes, ridges, open woods in nutrient-rich soil.
- CA native
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3-10 small flowers per cluster, 5 separate petals, long stamens.
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Leaves to 3 inches long with bumpy edges. Red cherries, each with its own stalk.
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Bitter Cherry forms thickets on sunny hillsides.
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Bitterbrush
Purshia tridentata
- Height 1 - 12 ft.
- CA Bloom Feb - Mar
- This woody shrub associates with sagebrush, and varies from under a foot to many feet tall.
- During the summer, its profusion of yellow flowers makes it stand out.
- Flowers turn into pointy fruits, under 1 inch long.
- CA native
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Yellow flowers are about 1 inch accross, with 5 separate petals and many stamens.
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Leaves often have 3 "fingers" or teeth, thus "tridentata".
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Bitterbrush colors sagebrush areas yellow with its flowers in the summer.
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Black Alpine Sedge
Carex nigricans
Flower
Meadows slopes
CA native
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Black Bindweed
Fallopia convolvulus
CA Bloom May - Dec
White flower
Five petals
Alternate leaves
Disturbed
Not CA native
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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
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Leaf tops are glossy dark-green. Undersides are pale. Leaves are long and pointed, with small teeth on the edge.
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Alternating secondary veins connect to a central one.
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Grows near running water. Trunks get very large, and the tree height often exceeds 100 feet.
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Black Foot Gayophytum
Gayophytum racemosum
CA Bloom May - Oct
White flower
Four petals
Alternate leaves
Slopes
CA native
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Blackish Sedge
Carex subnigricans
Flower
Meadows slopes
CA native
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Bloomer's Goldenbrush
Ericameria bloomeri
- CA Bloom Jul - Oct
- This composite flower has quite a few central disk flowers but generally only 1-5 petal-like ray flowers.
- Alternate leaves
- CA native
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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
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White flat-topped clusters of flowers are easy to spot.
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Berries with a waxy covering makes them look powdery.
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Compound leaves with 5 - 9 toothed leaflets.
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Blue Fescue
Festuca idahoensis
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Found in dry, open or shady places, Blue Fescue may appear bluer than plants around it.
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Spikelets are about 1/2" long. There's enough room between spikelets to see wavy branches.
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Spikelets are flattish, with 2-ranked florets. They're held close to the stem until mature. Awns are thread-like.
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Bog Blue Grass
Poa leptocoma ssp. leptocoma
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Bog Orchid
Platanthera sparsiflora
- CA Bloom May - Sep
- Orchid-shaped flowers.
- Alternate, narrow, pointed leaves with parallel veins.
- Found in forests and meadows, often near streams.
- CA native
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Green flower. Complex orchid shape.
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Note the spur that sticks out behind the blossom.
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Spike of green orchid flowers grow up to 2 feet tall, above 6" narrow, pointed leaves near the bottom of the plant.
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Bog Wintergreen
Pyrola asarifolia
CA Bloom Jul - Sep
Pink, white flower
Five petals
Basal leaves
Streambanks
CA native
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Bog Wintergreen (1)
Pyrola asarifolia ssp. asarifolia
CA Bloom Jul - Sep
Pink, white flower
Five petals
Basal leaves
CA native
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Bolander's Quillwort
Isoetes bolanderi
Fern
CA native
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Booth's Willow
Salix boothii
CA Bloom May - Jun
Tiny petals
Alternate leaves
CA native
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Bouncing Bet
Saponaria officinalis
CA Bloom May - Jun
Pink, white flower
Five petals
Opposite leaves
Not CA native Somewhat Invasive
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Bracted Sedge
Carex scopulorum var. bracteosa
CA Bloom May - Jun
Streambanks meadows
CA native
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Branched Tidy Lupine
Lupinus lepidus var. ramosus
CA Bloom Jul - Aug
Blue, violet, white flower
Pea petals
Alternate, basal leaves
CA native
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