Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

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         (331 plants)
This public park is managed by the City of Palo Alto. It is southwest of 280, near Page Mill Road (map). It's open to walkers, cyclists, equestrians and dogs on leashes.

Thanks to NRDB.org for this list.

    
Aaron's Beard
Hypericum calycinum
  • CA Bloom Jun - Jul
  • Bright yellow flower with lots of tall stamens, like St. John's Wort.
  • Opposite leaves with the undersides blue-green and showing a network of veins
  • Handling this plant can cause a skin rash.
  • A garden escapee.
  • Not CA native



Yellow flower at the end of stems, 5 petals, with lots of long stamens

Opposite leaves grow to 4 inches long.

Low growing, under 3 feet tall, with lots of woody stems.
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.
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



Look for 4 petals and opposite leaves with a round stem. Green center guides in pollinators.

4 pale-blue petals with 4 green sepals behind them.

Opposite leaves up to 3 inches long. Flowers in groups at the end of stalks.
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



Opposite leaves, strong veins, pointed tips.

Showy clumps of flowers turn into white berries.

4-petaled white flowers grow in clumps at the end of stems.
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 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


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 Stinging Nettle
Urtica urens
  • CA Bloom Jan - Apr
  • Also called Dwarf Nettle, this plant grows to about 2 feet tall.
  • Stinging nettles, in general, produce a stinging sensation when touched. However, EFlora says that this specie's sting is not very strong.
  • Found in shady areas.
  • Not CA native



Leaves are hairy, dark green, have large teeth, and end in a point.

Leaves are opposite. Veins make indentations in the leaves.

Small green flowers look like little balls.
Annual Yellow Sweetclover
Melilotus indicus
  • Height to 2 ft.
  • CA Bloom Apr - Oct
  • Spikes of tiny yellow pea flowers.
  • Leaves in threes like clovers, but serrated.
  • Compound leaves stand away from the stem on petioles.
  • Wide ranging across the world, common in many areas.
  • Not CA native



Yellow pea flowers in a thin spike.

3-part leaf, with serrations. Each compound leaf stands apart from the stem on a petiole.

A common sight by the side of the road, these yellow flowers are easy to spot.
Arroyo Lupine
Lupinus succulentus
  • Grows to 3 ft. on erect, sparsely hairy stems.
  • CA Bloom Feb - May
  • This annual flower produces 6" clusters of purple pea flowers.
  • Wide-tipped leaflets grow on long (2-6") stalks.
  • It is abundant in open or disturbed areas, and is often seeded on road banks.
  • CA native



Look for radial leaflets that are wider near the tip. Their fleshy top feels rubbery.

Here's a closeup of the flower. The yellow pistil is just sticking out of the right-hand keel. The left part is the banner.

Stacks of whorled flowers have white banner spots that turn magenta with age.
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.
Baby Blue Eyes
Nemophila menziesii
  • CA Bloom Mar - Jun
  • White or blue flower with a white center.
  • Often black dots and blue veins on the petals.
  • Leaves with deep opposite lobes, larger at the base of the plant.
  • Grows low to the ground.
  • Found many places, from the coast to the mountains.
  • CA native



Petals can be all white, or blue with a white center. Petals often have black dots.

Here is the blue version. Notice the blue veins towards the center.

Distinctive leaves with deep opposite lobes.
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


    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.
    Bird's Eyes
    Gilia tricolor
  • CA Bloom Apr - Aug
  • Pink, violet, white flower
  • Five petals
  • Alternate leaves
  • Slopes
  • CA native




  • 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
    • Tiny fruit clusters look like a bird's foot.
    • Short, thin compound leaves make bundles along the stem.
    • Find it in open grasslands, wetlands, and compacted soil along roads and trails.
    • Other Trefoils
    • Not CA native



    Tiny pea flowers cluster at the end of the stem.

    Each plant is small. See fruit pods on the left, compound leaves in the middle, and a flower cluster on the right.

    Colonies of Bird's Foot Trefoil can be prominent in grasslands. It is sometimes vine-like, with prostrate stems up to 20 inches.
    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



    3-10 small flowers per cluster, 5 separate petals, long stamens.

    Leaves to 3 inches long with bumpy edges. Red cherries, each with its own stalk.

    Bitter Cherry forms thickets on sunny hillsides.
    Black Mustard
    Brassica nigra
  • CA Bloom Apr - Jul
  • Yellow flower
  • Four petals
  • Alternate leaves
  • Not CA native
  • Moderately Invasive




  • Black Oak
    Quercus kelloggii
    • CA Bloom May - Jun
    • This majestic tree is a keystone species, providing habitat and food to many animals.
    • Black Oak is the only deciduous California oak with bristle-tipped lobes.
    • CA native



    Deciduous leaves have pointy lobes with bristles at their tips. They're darker on top than on the bottom.

    In spring, early leaves are red and velvety. Catkins of male flowers hang from leaf axils, getting ready to disperse pollen on the wind.

    A stout trunk supports many heavy, ascending branches. Branches decay and hollow out, providing den and nesting sites.
    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.
    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 Oak
    Quercus douglasii
    • Height 20 - 65 ft.
    • CA Bloom Mar - May
    • Blue-green leaves with wavy edges, plus corn flake bark, are quick way to identify this oak.
    • Leaves are relatively small and sparse, allowing it to tolerate more sun and dryer places than other California deciduous oaks.
    • CA native. Found only in California.



    Leathery blue-green leaves often have shallow lobes. They have a short petiole (stalk) and are generally 2 - 3 inches long.

    Bark is pale and checkered by medium-size cracks. It reminds me of corn flakes.

    This moderately sized oak has a heavy trunk and branches. It's common in dry, hot places that have some water.
    Blue Witch
    Solanum umbelliferum
    • CA Bloom Jan - Jun
    • Look for a pentagon-shaped flower with a bright yellow center.
    • Branches and leaves are quite hairy.
    • Green fruits turn purple when ripe.
    • This distinctive shrub is widespread in chaparral and oak woodlands.
    • CA native



    Blue Witch flowers are lavender or blue, pentagon-shaped, and have a yellow center.

    Leaves are hairy and smooth edged. Flowers sport green spots at the base of their petals.

    Blue Witch is a small shrub that grows to 3 feet. Every part of it is poisonous to eat.
    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.
    Bracken Fern
    Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens
    • Bracken Fern's overall shape is a large triangle, which is easy to spot.
    • It's green in the spring and brown in the fall and winter.
    • It grows to four feet tall.
    • Widespread and common, it's found in shaded forest and on open hillsides.
    • CA native



    Bracken Fern frond segments are long at the base and quite short near the top, creating an overall triangle shape.

    Segments have regular rounded lobes. The similar Sword Fern has a "thumb" near its midrib.

    New growth forms in a fiddlehead, and then opens up.
    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.
    Broad Leaf Filaree
    Erodium botrys
    • CA Bloom Feb - May
    • Many wild geraniums share this flower's lavender color.
    • Leaves are hairy and fairly wide.
    • Fruit beaks grow over 4 inches long!
    • Common in clay or gravel soil.
    • Not CA native.



    Small flowers have five overlapping lavender petals, purple radiating lines, and yellow center.

    Wide leaves have a strong central vein. Edges have rounded lobes of varying sizes.

    Fruits are topped with a pointed beak up to 4" tall!
    Brome Fescue
    Festuca bromoides


    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.
    Brown Dogwood
    Cornus glabrata
  • CA Bloom May - Jun
  • White flower
  • Four petals
  • Opposite leaves
  • CA native




  • Buck Brush
    Ceanothus cuneatus


    Opposite leaves are short, thick and rounded. Twigs point directly away from the stem.

    Flowers, in five parts, can be cream or lavender. The green dots at the base of the pistil are nectaries - a sugar bonus for pollinators.

    Aromatic flowers cluster in tight balls close to the stem.
    Bull Clover
    Trifolium fucatum
    • CA Bloom Apr - Jun
    • Height to 1 ft.
    • Flowers and leaves are as you would expect in a clover, but larger.
    • Short pea pods.
    • Found in grasslands.
    • CA native



    White or yellow clover flowers bunch together in a round ball. Leaves are formed from 3 separate leaflets.

    The base of each flower expands as its fruit develops. Note the green pointed bracts below the flower head.

    These large clovers often grow in colonies.
    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




    California Aster
    Symphyotrichum chilense
  • CA Bloom Jul - Aug
  • Blue, pink, violet, white flower
  • Many petals
  • Alternate leaves
  • CA native




  • California Bay Laurel
    Umbellularia californica
    • CA Bloom Nov - May
    • Height to 60 feet.
    • The foliage of this classic California tree smells like bay leaves.
    • Clusters of small flowers grow at the end of branches where new leaves emerge.
    • Flowers turn into a plump 1 inch fruit resembling avocados, to which the tree is related.
    • CA Native - endemic to the California Floristic Province.



    Leaves are fairly narrow, with a central vein and smooth edges, ending in a point. They have a leathery feel, and a spicy smell when crushed.

    Green fruit turns purple when mature. Leathery skin covers oily flesh that surrounds a pit (similar to avocado).

    Bay Laurels can grow to be substantial trees, thickly covered with their spicy-smelling leaves.
    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 Grass
    Bromus sitchensis var. carinatus


    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 and bud in early February.

    Trees in the open form a dome shape, often growing 40 feet tall and 40 feet wide. They can live 250 years.
    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
    Ranunculus californicus
    • Height 6 in. - 2 ft.
    • CA Bloom Feb - May
    • This bright yellow flower is 1" across, with 7 to 22 shiny petals.
    • Buttercups flower in early spring, and die back (including the leaves) in the summer.
    • Found on coastal bluffs, grassland, woodland and moist meadows.
    • CA native



    The buttercup looks like butter, with 7 to 22 elliptic, overlapping, shiny yellow petals.

    Each buttercup flower gets its own stalk. The center is a half sphere of packed green pistils, surrounded by dozens of yellow stamens.

    Long-stalked basal leaves have 3 deeply- lobed leaflets. Leaves on the flower stems have narrow divisions.
    California Cottonrose
    Logfia filaginoides
  • CA Bloom Mar - Jun
  • Green flower
  • Tiny petals
  • Alternate leaves
  • CA native




  • California Everlasting
    Pseudognaphalium californicum


    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 Gilia
    Gilia achilleifolia
  • CA Bloom Feb - Apr
  • Blue, violet, white flower
  • Five petals
  • Alternate, basal leaves
  • Coastal
  • CA native




  • California Gooseberry
    Ribes californicum var. californicum
    • Height to 5 ft.
    • CA Bloom Feb - Mar
    • All Gooseberries are spiny. This one has spines on the stem and more spines covering the fruit.
    • Mitten-like leaves grow close to the stem, and partially hide beautiful 5-part hanging flowers.
    • Found along the coast and coastal mountains.
    • CA native. Found only in California.



    A gorgeous hanging flower, with reflexed sepals, white petals, longer stamens and even longer pistils.

    Woody stems have 3 spines at each node. Also emerging from each node are leaf, flower and fruit stalks.

    Fruits are translucent red spheres surrounded with spines.
    California Melic
    Melica californica


    California Melic is an erect plant with ascending, flat leaves. Spikelets lie close to the stem, making a narrow cylinder.

    Melica spikelets are oval and cylindrical, not flattened like most other grasses. Each spikelet has 2-5 florets. At maturity, anthers emerge to release pollen on the wind.

    Thin spikelet branches run along the stem. Glumes at the base of each spikelet are papery and become purple with time. There are no awns.
    California Plantain
    Plantago erecta
    • CA Bloom Mar - Apr
    • About 4" tall.
    • Tiny flowers are 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".
    • 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 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.
    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.
    Cape Leadwort
    Plumbago auriculata
  • CA Bloom Jan - Dec
  • Not CA native




  • 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.
    Chamise
    Adenostoma fasciculatum
    • Height 4 - 13 ft.
    • CA Bloom Jun - Aug
    • Chamise fills California hillsides in the summer with thousands of tiny, fragrant, white blooms.
    • Tiny needle-like leaves limit water loss in a dry environment.
    • Chamise is often paler than the plants around it.
    • A California native, it grows natively nowhere else outside our region.



    Each flower has 5 separate, cream-colored petals and a dozen stamens. Leaves are green and needle-like.

    The flowers form sprays at the ends of branches.

    Stems often have peeling bark and are full of oil which increases fire intensity - an advantage for this plant which is ready to regenerate from burls.
    Chaparral Clematis
    Clematis lasiantha
  • CA Bloom Mar - Jul
  • White flower
  • Four petals
  • Opposite leaves
  • Streambanks canyons
  • CA native




  • Chaparral Currant
    Ribes malvaceum var. malvaceum
  • CA Bloom Dec - Mar
  • Pink, white flower
  • Five petals
  • Alternate leaves
  • CA native




  • Charming Centaury
    Zeltnera venusta
  • CA Bloom Apr - Oct
  • Pink, white flower
  • Five petals
  • Opposite leaves
  • CA native