List

Ring Mountain Plant List for Docent Training

(83 plants)

Tiburon Mariposa Lily

This list, prepared for Ring Mountain docents, shows significant plants that occur in the preserve.

Have fun with it!


Trees
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 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.
Coast Live Oak Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia CA Bloom Feb - Mar Height to 40 feet. This beautiful tree has a thick trunk and heavy arching branches. Trunks are silver grey in color. These trees live near the coast, from Mendocino county to Baja California. CA native	When unrestricted, Live Oaks grow wide and tall, with a thick canopy of evergreen, leathery leaves.	Leaves often curl under and have spiny edges. Acorns grow at the end of twigs.	Male flowers are pale green. Female flowers are hard to find, inconspicuous at the base of new leaves.
Shrubs
Coyote Brush Baccharis pilularis ssp. consanguinea CA Bloom Oct - Jan Coyote Brush is a bushy shrub with many brittle, woody stems supporting hundreds of round-tipped 1" leaves. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Coyote Brush is widespread in California's climate but grows natively nowhere else in the world! CA native	Coyote Brush is a leafy, woody shrub. It's quite common in grasslands, shrublands and the edges of woodlands.	Leaves are distinctive - leathery, oval-shaped, and with triangular teeth along the margins.	In late fall and winter, female bushes become very conspicuous with their clusters of bristly white seedheads.
Poison Oak Toxicodendron diversilobum CA Bloom Mar - Jun Poison Oak can cause a rash if you touch it. Leaves are distinctive, with 3 lobed leaflets. It grows both as a woody shrub (to 12 feet) and as a vine (to 100 feet), so you may find it hanging down from trees. CA native	Leaves are in 3 parts and are often red by late summer. They're shiny and lobed like some oak leaves.	In winter, look for stiff alternate branches which point away from the stem. "Short sticks - up to their old tricks."	Small, greenish-cream flowers connect to the stem on a stalk. They produce a berry-like fruit.
Sticky Monkey Flower Diplacus aurantiacus Height to 4 ft. CA bloom Mar - Aug Sticky Monkey Flower is an easy plant to learn, with its orange flowers and sticky dark green leaves. Leaves are are 2 to 3 inches long, narrow and evergreen. Found in brushy areas and open woodlands. CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.	This common shrub has many orange trumpet flowers. Feel the leaves - they're sticky!	Leaves are opposite. Flower stalks (pedicels), at leaf nodes, support orange trumpet-shaped flowers.	Leaves are dark green, leathery, narrow and sticky. Their edges often roll under. The underside is a lighter color and hairy.
Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia CA Bloom Jun - Aug This evergreen shrub (or small tree) grows to 15 feet or more. Leaves are about 3 inches long, shiny dark green above and paler below. Bright red berries (pomes) appear Nov - Feb Toyon is found along the coast and the western Sierra foothills, in chaparral and mixed oak woodlands. It is drought tolerant. CA native	Shiny, dark-green, toothed leaves and large clusters of red berries make this plant easy to spot.	White 5-petaled flowers cluster at the end of branches in summer.	Flowers turn into orange and red berries, which stay on the plant well into winter.
Flowers
Bigflower Dandelion Agoseris grandiflora CA Bloom Mar - May Height 1-3', taller than other bare-stem dandelions. The flower head (1.5") and pappus (2") are larger compared to other dandelions. The stem is hairy and unbranched. Basal leaves are long and narrow. They rise up from the ground. Widespread and common on open hills. CA native	Many (over 100) ray flowers are densely packed. Stamen columns are often reddish brown.	Several layers of red-purple rounded leaf-like phyllaries surround the flower. Note the white soft hair at the base.	Seeds connect to a flat receptacle. Long white beaks end in tufts to form a big, fluffy sphere, reaching 2" in diameter.
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.
Blue Dicks Dipterostemon capitatus ssp. capitatus CA Bloom Feb - Apr Height to 2 ft. Flowers have 6 segments ( tepals) Basal leaves are long and narrow. Common in a wide variety of habitats. Compare to Ookow CA native	6-part flowers bunch tightly together at the top of a long narrow stem.	Often purple, this flower can also be pink or white. Notice the three forked, white filament sheaths forming a cylinder around the reproductive parts.	Long narrow leaves grow from the base of the plant. Below, the roots connect to food-storing corms.
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.
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.
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 Golden Banner Thermopsis californica On Ring Mountain, plants are usually under 3 feet tall. CA Bloom Apr - Oct Height to 6 ft. Plants grow in colonies, connected by underground stems ( rhizomes). Seeds have very hard coats and generally only open in fire. CA native. Found only in California.	Bright yellow pea-shaped flowers form a spike at the top of the plant.	Leaflets are in 3s. Leaves are hairy, with a pair of leaf-like stipules at their base.	Spikes of yellow flowers extend above the leaves.
California Phacelia Phacelia californica CA Bloom Mar - Aug Many small lavender flowers have long stamens, bunched in a coil at the end of stems. Found in central and northern CA. CA native	The flower is bell shaped, with 5 rounded lobes.	Leaves are fuzzy, strongly veined, and have smooth edges.	Flower clusters appear fuzzy and are often coiled, looking like a caterpillar.
California Pink Silene laciniata ssp. californica CA Bloom Apr - Jul Stem and leaves grow along the ground. The flower stands upright. Found on open ground and rock outcrops, often in serpentine. CA native	Five brilliant red petals are deeply cut about 4 lobes, as if they'd been cut with pinking shears.	California Pink is low and spreading, with bright-red flowers standing up.	Leaves are narrow and opposite. Flowers sit at the top of stems. Stamens and styles point upwards.
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.
Chick Lupine Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus On Ring Mountain, flowers are cream colored and the plants tend to sprawl. CA Bloom May - Jun Height 1 to 2.5 ft. This rather tall annual has stems that are stout and hollow. In this variety, even though flowers are in a whorl, seed pods migrate to one side of the stem. Found in grasslands. CA native	Chick Lupine grows a couple of feet tall, with long clusters of solid white or yellow irregular-shaped pea flowers.	Flowers arrange themselves in beautiful symmetric whorls around the stem. These whorls turn sideways as pea pods emerge!	Short, hairy pea pods form a whorl on the side of the stem.
Chinese Houses Collinsia heterophylla CA Bloom Feb - Apr Height to 2 ft. Flowers are irregularly shaped, with two upper and two lower petals. Found on slopes in grasslands and open woodlands. CA native	Flowers are in tiered whorls along the tops of stems. Pale upper petals have delicate, dark markings.	Opposite leaves to 4" long taper from a clasping base and have small teeth along the margins.	Chinese Houses is usually found growing in colonies. Stems can be simple or have a few branches.
Coyote Mint Monardella villosa ssp. villosa Height to 2 ft. CA Bloom Jun - Aug Coyote Mint smells minty, has a square stem and opposite leaves. It is often quite hairy. Found on rocky outcrops in grasslands or brushy areas. CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.	Flowers have narrow corolla lobes and are densely clustered in round heads.	Opposite leaves are toothed and have short stalks. Rub them to get a strong minty smell.	Flowers have nectar, an important source of food for butterflies and other insects. Notice the butterfly's proboscis probing for nectar.
Cream Cups Platystemon californicus On Ring Mountain, plants grow to 8 inches tall. CA Bloom Feb - May Height to 12". Leaves are long, thin, and arranged alternately and in whorls. Found in open grasslands and rocky areas, often on serpentine. CA native	Flowers have 4-10 yellow petals, often showing a creamy white at the tips and/or in the center.	Cream Cups has different numbers of petals and many stamens.	Single flowers grow at the tops of stems that branch from the plant base. Leaves are narrow and concentrated on the lower halves of the stems.
Cream Sacs Castilleja rubicundula ssp. lithospermoides CA Bloom Apr - Jun Height to 10" Flowers feature 3 sacs and a small beak. They start pale yellow and then fade to white. Cream Sacs is a member of the Paintbrush (Castilleja) genus. Found in grasslands. CA native.	Each flower has 3 lower pouches and a narrow, vertical "beak".	Leaves have very narrow divisions.	Cream Sacs is native to northern California grasslands. It does well on serpentine soil.
Douglas Iris Iris douglasiana CA Bloom Feb - Jun Iris is the Greek goddess of the rainbow. That certainly applies for this plant, with a wide variety of beautiful colors within each flower, and between individual plants. The flower stem is 12 - 20 inches tall and somewhat flattened. The underside of each leaf is paler than top. The similar Ground Iris has the same color on both sides. Found in grasslands, open woodlands and brushy areas. CA native.	Petals in 3s with colorful veins. Petal color varies quite a bit.	Veins not very noticable, compared to Ground Iris.	Leaves are narrow and long, with parallel veins. They're glossy on the top, and paler underneath.
False Babystars Leptosiphon androsaceus CA Bloom Mar - Jun Height to 8". The flower shows a five- lobed corolla with a long narrow tube. Found in grasslands. CA native	Flowers are about 1/2" wide but extend downward in a thread-like tube about 1". At the base of the flowers are deeply-divided, leaf-like bracts.	Yellow stamens arise from a dark throat, and a slender, 3-part stigma extends further still.	Opposite stem leaves are broadly palmate with narrow divisions.
Four-Spot Clarkia Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera On Ring Mountain, grows to 18" tall. Height 1 - 3 ft. CA Bloom Apr - Jul Four petals open wide on this showy spring wildflower. Each flower has 8 pale stamens and a dark, 4-parted stigma. Common in open, grassy places. CA native	Sometimes called Winecup Clarkia, petals can be a deep purple.	Also called Four-Spot, petals often have a dark spot on or near their tips.	Leaves are alternate, narrow and often hairy. Seed capsules are long and narrow.
Fremont's Star Lily Toxicoscordion fremontii Height to 4 ft. CA Bloom Mar - May It's easy to spot Star Lily, with its bright white starry flowers clustering 3 or 4 feet in the air, and its long narrow leaves. It's found in California coastal ranges on grassy, scrub-covered or wooded slopes. CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.	Star-shaped flowers cluster to form a pyramid shape at the top of an erect, thick stem.	Each petal-like tepal is separate and ends in a point. They have raised yellow dots near the center. These are nectar glands.	Flowers grow on sturdy stems that are perhaps 3 feet tall. Note the long leaves with parallel veins.
Golden Yarrow Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum CA Bloom Feb - Aug Height 1 - 2 ft. Yellow clusters of flowerheads grow at the top of stiff stems; semi-shrubby. The stem and the underside of divided leaves are fuzzy. Petal-like ray count varies, typically from 4 - 6. Common on dry slopes below 10,000 feet. CA native	Yellow flower clusters grow at the tops of hairy stems.	Each flowerhead has 4-6 ray flowers (petals) around many disk flowers (central parts).	Lobed leaves are gray-green on top; white-woolly underneath.
Goldfields Lasthenia californica CA Bloom Feb - June Height less than 6". Goldfields are widespread, from coastal meadows to deserts, often in dense colonies. CA native	6 - 13 bright yellow petal-like ray flowers surround numerous tiny disk flowers. Each disk flower has nectar to attract pollinators.	Opposite leaves are narrow, sometimes with shallow lobes. Solitary flowerheads grow at the tips of stems and side branches.	Goldfields make quite a display, living up to their name.
Ground Iris Iris macrosiphon Blooms Mar-May This purple iris flower sits low to the ground. Leaves are narrow and long, with parallel veins. They're glossy on both sides. Found mostly in grassy areas. CA native.	Flowers are low to the ground. Leaves are the same glossy green on top and bottom.	3 upright inner petals are surrounded by 3 similarly-colored sepals that reflex outward. The sepals have markings that act as nectar guides to pollinators.	The flower has a long tube at its base.
Gumplant Grindelia hirsutula CA Bloom Jun - Sep Height up to 3 ft. Many reddish-brown stems reach up to support showy flowerheads. This late-summer bloomer is widespread. Found in open areas such as grasslands and roadsides. CA native	Flowerheads, up to 2 inches across, show many wide ray flowers and many central disk flowers.	Hairy Gumweed grows several feet tall, with showy yellow flowerheads. Early flowerheads show a white gummy resin.	Below the flowerhead is a green spherical collection of overlapping phyllaries with reflexed tips.
Harvest Brodiaea Brodiaea elegans ssp. elegans CA Bloom Mar - Aug The flower has 6 purple tepals (3 petals surrounded by 3 matching sepals). A single narrow basal leaf usually withers by flowering time. Found in grassland, open woodland, and chaparral. CA native	Purple tepals have a darker central vein. Around the central pistil, 3 fertile stamens alternate with 3 infertile stamens that look like small white petals.	Each tubular flower divides into 6 recurved tepals. The strong central veins are apparent from the outside as well.	Flower stalks are longer than the flower is tall.
Hayfield Tarweed Hemizonia congesta ssp. lutescens CA Bloom Jun - Oct Height to 3 ft. Yellow aster-like flowerheads are about 1" across. Glandular hairs exude a pungent, sticky tar-scented oil. CA native	The flowerhead center is flat, showing a circle of tiny disc flowers. Outer ray flowers have 3 lobes at the tip.	Yellow ray flowers lay flat, in plane. They're a favorite of native bees. Green phyllaries below the flowerhead form a single row.	In the summer and fall, Tarweed fills fields with color and its distinctive tarry smell.
Hill Morning Glory Calystegia subacaulis ssp. subacaulis On Ring Mountain, found in grassy areas. CA Bloom Apr - Jun Height to 4". Flowers are white or cream-colored, about 2" wide. Found in dry, open areas. Both leaves and flowers grow within inches of the ground. This subspecies is mostly found in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. CA native.	Flowers grow on 1 inch stalks, above a rosette of basal leaves.	Morning Glory flowers open in the morning and wither by the end of the day.	Leaves grow on 1" stalks. They're shaped like an arrow head, with a wide base and pointed tip.
Italian Thistle Carduus pycnocephalus CA Bloom Feb - July. Height to 5 ft. This invasive plant grows densely in disturbed grasslands and woodland edges. Spiny phyllaries form an egg shape below the flower head. Not CA native. Moderately Invasive	Leaves are fairly flat with spiny, wavy margins.	Stems have spiny wings along their length.	Italian Thistles produce hundreds of seeds which grow readily in grasslands, often outcompeting native grasses.
Ithuriel's Spear Triteleia laxa CA Bloom Apr - Jul Height to 18". The flower has 6 petal-like tepals and 6 blue-tipped stamens. It's often in heavy soil in grasslands and open woods. CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.	6 stamens have blue anthers. Petal-like tepals show a darker central vein.	Flowers stalks are fairly long (to 3"). The similar-looking Blue Dicks has flowers clustered tightly together.	The inflorescence is an umbel, with flower stalks like the spokes of an umbrella.
Johnny Jump-Up Viola pedunculata CA Bloom Feb - Apr Height to 10". Violet-shaped flowers are golden-yellow. This is the only larval food for the federally endangered Callippe silverspot butterfly. Found in open areas, generally in full sun. CA native	Brown lines on the lower petals are nectar guides for pollinators.	The top two petals have a red-brown back. Long green sepals protect the flower in bud.	Flowers and leaves grow on 1-4" stalks from several stems. Leaves are 1-2" wide and roughly triangular, with small teeth.
Laciniate Checker Bloom Sidalcea malviflora ssp. laciniata CA Bloom May - Aug Height to 2 ft. Laciniata refers to the deep, irregular, usually pointed lobes of the leaves. This subspecies is most frequently found on hills near San Francisco Bay. CA native	Like other checkerblooms, petals show different-colored veins and have squared-off, slightly notched petals.	This subspecies has deep, irregular cuts in its leaves. Lower leaves are about 2" across.	Pink-lavender petals are generally separate to their base. Upper leaves are dissected into linear segments.
Long-Rayed Brodiaea Triteleia peduncularis CA Bloom May - Jul Height to 2 ft. This is a Brodiaea with longer, whiter tepals than the others. Found in wet, sunny places; often in serpentine soil. CA native	6 white petal-like tepals surround a yellow style and white-tipped stamens (the ones in the picture are old).	Flowers form an umbel at the top of a branchless stalk (a scape) that rises from the ground.	Leaves are quite long (4-12") and narrow (1/4"). The back of the tepals often have a violet flush.
Marin Dwarf Flax Hesperolinon congestum Legal Status (ESA/CESA/CNPS) Threatened/Threatened/Rank 1B CA Bloom Apr - Jul Height to 6". Flowers have 5 separate petals. Found in serpentine grasslands. CA native. Endemic to the Bay Area and a few counties north. Fed Status: Threatened	Pink buds open to nearly white flowers, about 1/2" across. Pink-tipped stamens stand out from the petals. Sepals are hairy.	Flat-topped flower clusters appear at the tips of many branches.	Leaves are alternate, linear and not hairy. They have glandular stipules that exude a protective red resin.
Marsh Zigadene Toxicoscordion fontanum CA Bloom Apr - Jul Six petal-like tepals. Like other Toxicoscordions, this plant is toxic to people and animals. Found in sunny, wet areas along streams, often in serpentine. CA native Uncommon (CNPS 4)	Marsh Zigadene has many flowers, generally smaller than 1/2" across.	It also has many narrow basal leaves.	Fruits are capsules. When dry, they open along their length to release many seeds.
Milkmaids Cardamine californica CA Bloom Jan - May These bright white flowers bloom early, starting in January. Each flower is about 1/2" across, with 4 petals. Petals fold at night and when it rains. It's locally common in moist, shaded areas. CA native. Found from Washington to Baja.	Four white petals form a flat cross. Stamens and a pistil form a tight bunch in a yellow-green center.	Leaves near the ground are fairly round, like the top of a milkmaid's stool.	Leaves higher up are deeply cut and pointy. Flowers group loosely near the top of the stem.
Nude Buckwheat Eriogonum nudum var. nudum CA Bloom May - Aug Tall, bare, leafless stems can grow to 4 or more feet. Widely distributed along the west coast, it grows on exposed sunny sites. It's highly drought-tolerant. Flowers are rich in nectar and attract many pollinators. CA native	Stems have no leaves (thus nudum). Stems are topped with rounded clusters of pale flowers.	Clusters of tiny flowers have long stamens sticking out. Flowers show white, pale pink or yellow.	Leaves are on long stalks at the base of the plant. They're grey-green above; white-hairy underneath. They have a prominent central vein.
Oakland Star Tulip Calochortus umbellatus CA Bloom Mar - May Height to 8". The flower has 3 petals and 3 smaller sepals, alternating with the petals. It grows from an underground bulb that stores food between growing seasons. It's found in open areas, often on serpentine soil. CA native Uncommon (CNPS 4)	This pale lilac-pink flower is about 1-1/2" across, with purple spots at the center. Anthers can be light blue or pink.	A single basal leaf and smaller stem leaves photosynthesize sugars needed to create one or more showy flowers, each on its own stalk.	Seed capsules hang down from the withering plant. When mature, they'll drop to the ground and germinate when exposed to cold, moist conditions.
Pitted Onion Allium lacunosum var. lacunosum CA Bloom Apr - Jun 6-part flowers are small (about 1/3"), white or pale pink, with dark veins. Basil leaves smell like onion. It's found in serpentine grasslands and rock outcrops. CA native	Flowers have 6 petal-like tepals with stamens growing directly out of them. Dark veins point toward nectaries, attracting pollinators.	Flower stalks form a dense umbel, with 2 bracts at the base of the umbel.	Stems are thick and wavy, up to 1 foot tall. Leaves are long, thin and hollow, and have an onion smell.
Purple Owl's Clover Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta CA Bloom Mar - Jun Owl's Clover is not a clover but a paintbrush. Flowers are tubular and narrow, in a densely packed display that attracts hummingbirds and bees. Found on grassy hillsides near the coast, it does well in serpentine soils. Compare to Dense Flowered Owl's Clover CA native	Each flower is tubular, ending in 3 white and purple sacs below and a narrow beak on top, creating an owl's face.	Leaves are narrow and hairy. Bracts around the flowers are narrow and hairy, with lavender tips.	Purple Owl's Clover is found on grassy hillsides, especially in serpentine soils.
Purple Sanicle Sanicula bipinnatifida Height 6 in. - 2 ft. CA Bloom Mar - May Each spherical purple flower head is less than 1" across. Compound leaves have many irregular divisioins. It's found in open, often grassy areas from British Columbia to Mexico. CA native.	Look for divided leaves and small purple flowers in round heads.	Flowerheads form at the top and along the stem.	Looking down at this plant, you'll notice purple spots over lots of compound leaves.
Red Maids Calandrinia menziesii CA Bloom Feb - May This low-growing plant is easy to spot because of its five dark-pink petals surrounding a yellow center. It's a relative to Miner's Lettuce and also has thick leaves that are edible and taste sour. This annual is found in places with damp spring conditions. CA native	This flower has 5 dark pink petals, yellow-tipped stamens, and is less than 1" wide. Leaves are thick and edible.	Leaves are alternate, thick, fairly long, and wider towards the tip.	Red Maids needs wet conditions to germinate and start growing, but does well in full sun and gravelly soil after that.
Redstem Filaree Erodium cicutarium CA Bloom Feb - Jun Height to 1 ft. This is a common weed, sporting the typical geranium lavender color. Its red stem and twice-divided leaves distinguish it from similar geraniums. The leaves turn red after flowering, making it stand out from neighboring flowers. Like other Erodiums, its fruits have a pointed beak. Found in disturbed areas. Not CA native Somewhat Invasive	The flower is small (1/2"), with 5 separate petals and 5 purple-tipped stamens. The stem is red. Both stem and leaves are hairy and sticky.	Leaves are twice-divided with rounded lobes. Leaves turn red after flowering.	Fruits grow a 2" pointed beak.
Rosin Weed Calycadenia multiglandulosa CA Bloom May - Aug Height to 1 ft. Foliage and stem are glandular-hairy and quite sticky. Found in open, gravelly areas, often in serpentine soil. CA native. Not a weed, as the name suggests; it's a California endemic.	This is a single aster head. Showy ray flowers surround tubular disc flowers.	Each ray flower has 3 uneven lobes, the middle one smaller. Green, narrow phyllaries have long glandular hairs.	Each flower head is nestled in many narrow, ascending phyllaries. Leaves are hairy, sticky, narrow, and often curl under.
Ruby Chalice Clarkia Clarkia rubicunda Also known as "Herald-of-Summer" CA Bloom May - Aug Height to 3 ft. These pink and red flowers are bowl-shaped, about 2" across. The flower is in fours - 4 petals, 8 stamens, and a 4-part stigma. It's found in open areas near the coast. CA native	Lilac-pink flowers often have a ruby-red center. A four-part stigma forms a white cross in the center.	Flowers grow from the tips of branches. Alternate leaves are narrow. Seed pods are too.	Sometimes called "Farewell To Spring", this flower blankets grasslands until fading in mid-summer.
Sandwort Sabulina douglasii CA Bloom Apr - Jun Height less than 8". Flowers appear at the tip of branches. Found on rocky or sandy slopes, often in serpentine soil. CA native	The flower is less than 1/2" across and has a green center. White petals are rounded.	The small, white flower has 5 pointed, green sepals that are shorter than the petals.	A slender stem often branches. Opposite leaves are curling and threadlike.
Scarlet Pimpernel Lysimachia arvensis CA Bloom Mar - Sep Height to 5". 5 reddish-orange petals and long yellow-tipped stamens. Stem is square-sided. Widespread on disturbed soil and grasslands. Not CA native	This small flower (up to 1/2 inch across) has a colorful center that provides a target for pollinators.	Flowers are on stalks. Leaves are opposite and touch each other across the stem.	Occasionally, there are blue versions of this same flower. I love it when I find one!
Sea Lettuce Dudleya farinosa CA Bloom Jun - Aug Height to 10". Succulent leaves often have a white, waxy covering. Found on sea bluffs and rock outcrops along the Pacific coast. CA native	A flat-topped inflorescence of yellow flowers grows at the top of a thick shoot covered in small, alternating leaf-like bracts.	Succulent, pointed leaves grow in a basal rosette. They can be green or grey.	Flowers are somewhat tubular with five pointed lobes at the top.
Shooting Star Primula hendersonii Height to 1 ft. CA Bloom Feb - Apr Pointed pink petals, 1/2 to 1" long, reflex back from a drooping stalk, forming a shooting star. Look for these pink beauties in early spring in damp meadows and open woodland. CA native	4 or 5 pink petals bend up, and reproductive parts point down.	Flowers form loose groups at the top of a 1-foot-tall leafless red stem.	Smooth-edged and smooth-topped leaves are rounded. They're all basal.
Shortspur Seablush Plectritis congesta ssp. brachystemon CA Bloom Mar - Jun Like other Valerians, Seablush has showy displays of tiny flowers tightly clustered at stem tips. Leaves are opposite and clasp across the stem. It grows in seasonally moist soil on slopes from the coastline to mid-elevations. CA native	Erect, slender stems have opposite leaves and end in a tight cluster of pink, violet or white flowers.	Each flower is tiny. A tubular base opens up into 5 lobes of different sizes.	Lower leaves are spoon-shaped with smooth margins.
Sky Lupine Lupinus nanus CA Bloom Mar - May This species is short for a lupine, generally under 1 ft. Pea flowers are irregularly shaped and are deep blue and white. The stem is erect and hairy. Compare to Miniature Lupine CA native.	This short lupine has whorls of pea flowers on the top 6 to 8 inches of its stem.	Banner petals are at least as wide as they are tall. They have a white banner spot in the center that turns maroon with age.	Sky Lupine is abundant in open and disturbed areas. It's the color of grape juice.
Soap Plant Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. pomeridianum On Ring Mountain, plants grow 2-4 feet tall and are found in grasslands. Height 2 - 8 ft. CA Bloom May - Jul Basal leaves are long and have wavy margins. Flowers are delicate and open in the late afternoon and evening. A fibrous bulb sometimes protrudes from the ground. It's found in open, sunny areas, including on trail sides. CA native Limited to California and southwest Oregon.	Fragrant flowers have 6 narrow, white segments (tepals). 6 tall yellow or purple-tipped stamens reach up from the center.	Flowers attach to a long branching stalk, each blooming for only one day.	Leaves grow to 18 inches long, have wavy margins and a rather straight center vein. They mostly lie along the ground.
Sun Cups Taraxia ovata CA Bloom Feb - Apr This 4-petaled yellow flower is easy to spot in late spring. Leaves are fleshy and roughly oval, often with red veins. It's primarily found west of the Central Valley, from San Francisco to Mendocino. CA native. Endemic to the California Floristic Province.	The flower has four separate yellow petals. Long stamens and a pistil emerge from the center.	Sun cups grows low to the ground, above a rosette of leaves.	Each flower grows on a separate stalk. The stalks are often red.
Tiburon Buckwheat Eriogonum luteolum var. caninum CA Bloom May - Sep Tiburon Buckwheat stems are weak and many-branched, often lying on the soil. Like other buckwheats, tiny flowers cluster into spherical clusters. It's found in serpentine soils, in the Bay Area. CA native Rare, threatened or endangered (CNPS 1B)	Pink flowers are tiny, with 6 segments and long stamens.	Stems branch frequently, with spherical flower clusters at each tip.	Leaves are mostly basal, roundish and on stalks. They're densely hairy underneath and generally nearly hairless above.