The flowering shrub Acalypha californica is known as the California copperleaf, and sometimes by the older name Pringle three-seeded mercury. It is the only Acalypha species native to California, where it is found from the Peninsular range foothills hills into the lower desert of San Diego County. It is a member of the chaparral plant community and most often grows in crumbling granite rocks, ledges and cliff faces, though it occasionally grows in sand washes. The plant bears beautiful light green serrated leaves with wavy hairy edges. Younger leaves tend to have pink or red edges. Older leaves turn pinkish or copper-colored in summer months. Stems are white, pink or red. Flowers appear as bumpy pinkish red spikes, sometimes with white speckles, growing out from the base of the leaf stems. It typically grows in a rounded mounding form. Beautiful plant but difficult to find in nurseries.

Acanthomintha obovata is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name San Benito thornmint. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the woodland and chaparral of the coastal mountain ranges in the central part of the state. This is a small annual herb growing up to about 25 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are about a centimeter long, oval-shaped, and toothed, and those on the upper part of the plant are spiny along the edges. The flower cluster is enfolded in shiny, light-colored leafs with long spines along their margins. The flowers are purple-tipped white and up to 3 centimeters long. They are coated in hairy hairs and their lobes are folded over at the lips.

Heartleaf Thorn Mint (Acanthomintha obovata ssp. cordata) is a rare native annual herb that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California, primarily in the South Coast Range, the South Coast and Transverse Range regions. It tends to grow in grassy slopes, at elevations from 0-4900 feet.

Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) is a fast-growing deciduous tree native to the Pacific Coast and parts of inland California. It provides dense summer shade and brilliant fall color in colder regions. Its signature feature is its massive, lobed leaves, which can grow nearly two feet across.

This tree thrives with moisture and adapts to various soils, though it prefers good drainage. While it can grow too large for small gardens, it is well-suited to natural landscapes. Pruning should be done in winter.

Bigleaf maple supports wildlife by providing food for birds, small mammals, and mule deer, while its leaves sustain numerous insects.

Box elder (Acer negundo), sometimes called boxelder, is a type of maple tree commonly found growing in moist areas near streams and rivers. Box elder is a deciduous tree with pinnate compound leaves (small leaflets that branch out of a single stem). The leaves turn yellow in the fall. Clusters of small flowers appear in spring. The flowers on female trees develop winged fruits called samaras. The flowers attract pollinators and the seeds provide food for birds and small mammals.

Box elder is an attractive tree that provides shade and visual interest in the landscape. Some gardeners prefer male box elders because they are less messy than female trees. Gardeners should also be aware that this tree sends out suckers which can become weedy and invasive. This fast-growing tree needs a large planting area as it can reach over 50 ft tall - and nearly as wide - when mature. It also requires a moderate to high level of moisture, including weekly supplemental irrigation in summer.

Box elder gets its name from its wood, which is used to make boxes and crates. The wood pulp is used in paper making. Like other maples, the tree's sweet sap can be cooked into a syrup.

Acmispon amiericanus is a native annual herb in the Fabaceae (Legume) family that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California in most habitats except desert. It tends to grow in streambanks and wet places, at elevations from sea level to 7,900 feet, often in disturbed areas. As with other members of this genus, it is not often used in gardens but is useful for restoration projects.

Lotus argophyllus is a species of legume known by the common name silver bird's-foot trefoil. It is also sometimes classified as Acmispon argophyllus. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the southern California Coast Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Transverse Ranges, the Sierra Nevada, Southern California coastal zones, and the Channel Islands. It is found in chaparral, conifer forest, and other habitat types. Lotus argophyllus is a perennial herb growing prostrate to erect, the base of its stem woody and tough and upper parts coat in silky silvery hairs. The leaves are each made up of pairs of hairy oval leaflike leaflets around a centimeter long. The inflorescence is a cluster of many tubular yellow flowers each about a centimeter long, encased at the base in a calyx of silky-hairy sepals. The fruit is legume pod generally containing a single seed. Varieties: The varieties of this species include: L. a. var. adsurgens - San Clemente Island bird's-foot trefoil is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. It is rare. L. a. var. argenteus - Channel Islands silver lotus is endemic to several of the Channel Islands. L. a. var. argophyllus - Fremont's silver lotus is a more common variety which can be found in mainland distribution. L. a. var. fremontii is known only from the Sierra Nevada. L. a. var. niveus - Santa Cruz Island bird's-foot trefoil, endemic to Santa Cruz Island, another of the Channel Islands, is rare.

Acmispon brachycarpus (formerly Lotus humistratus) is a species of legume known by the common name foothill deervetch. It is native to western North America from Idaho to Texas to northern Mexico, where it is known from many types of habitat. It is an annual herb spreading upright or taking a clumpy or matted form. It is lined with leaves each usually made up of four hairy, somewhat fleshy leaflets each up to about 1 cm long. Solitary yellow, pea-like flowers appear in the leaf axils. The fruit is a legume pod variable in size and shape.

Deer Plant (Acmispon glaber) is a perennial subshrub in the Fabaceae (Legume family). The plant is a pioneer species found in dry areas of California, Arizona, and Mexico. It is grows in many habitats, including chaparral, coastal sand, roadsides and other disturbed areas at elevations below 4900 feet.

The stems are green, erect, somewhat branched, with small, deciduous leaves. When this plant blooms, from about March to August, it displays small yellow flowers bunched together in a flower cluster. The flowers become reddish with age. The fruit consists of a curved pod with two seeds.

There are two recognized varieties with overlapping ranges. Fortunately it is widely available, and would be a great addition to any garden. It has excellent habitat value, and because it is nitrogen-fixing it is often used in restoration projects. Sometimes the wrong variety is planted in an area. Intermediates between the varieties have been observed as a result of such plantings.

Common deerweed (Acmispon glaber var. glaber) is a native perennial herb found throughout northern, central, and southern California. It thrives in sandy soils, desert slopes, and washes, at elevations ranging from sea level to 4,900 feet. This adaptable plant is a common sight in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and open woodland habitats.

Deerweed is a nitrogen-fixing plant, playing a vital role in restoring soil health after wildfires. It blooms profusely from spring to early summer, producing small yellow flowers that turn orange-red as they age. These blooms provide essential nectar for native bees and butterflies. Its slender, wiry stems and small leaves create a soft, airy appearance, making it a good choice for naturalistic garden designs.

This drought-adapted plant thrives in well-drained soils and full sun. It is an important food source for native wildlife and a host plant for several butterfly species, including the endangered El Segundo blue butterfly.

Lotus heermannii is a species of legume known by the common name Heermann's bird's-foot trefoil. It is native to the coastal plains, canyons, and mountains of California and Baja California, where it is known from several types of oceanside and inland habitat. It is a mat-forming perennial herb spreading straight stems along the ground. It is lined with leaves made up of several hairy oval leaflets. The flower cluster is a cluster of 3 to 8 flowers each up to about a centimeter long. The petals are yellow, often with dark lobes. The fruit is a curved, beaked legume pod.

Acmispon maritimus is a species of legume known by the common name coastal bird's-foot trefoil. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in many types of mountain, desert, and scrub habitat, not necessarily near the coast. It is an annual herb quite variable in morphology, from petite to bushy, hairless to roughly hairy, and prostrate to erect in form. The slender stems are lined with leaves each made up of pairs of leaflets variable in shape and size. The flower cluster is a small array of 1 to 4 yellow flowers, each up to a centimeter long or so. The elongated flower corolla emerges from a tubular calyx of sepals. The fruit is a fairly straight legume up to 3 centimeters long. Laboratory studies have shown this species, which occurs in wildfire-prone habitat such as chaparral, to have an increased rate of seed germination after exposure to heat.

Lotus hamatus is a species of legume known by the common name San Diego bird's-foot trefoil. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of California and Baja California, where it grows in various types of scrub and canyon habitat. It is an annual herb taking a spreading or upright form. It is lined with leaves each made up of oval leaflets each about a centimeter long. The flower cluster is a small bunch of red and yellow flowers. Each flower is in a tubular calyx of sepals and is only a few millimeters long. The fruit is a narrow, bent legume pod up to 1.5 centimeters long, including the hooked beak at the tip.

Lotus strigosus is a species of legume known by the common name strigose bird's-foot trefoil. It is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico, where it is known from many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is a prostrate annual herb. It is sometimes roughly hairy as its name suggests, but it may be somewhat woolly, fuzzy, or nearly hairless as well. Its slender branches are lined with leaves each made of several small leaflets. The flower cluster bears one or two yellow to orange or red pealike flowers, each with a corolla one half to one centimeter across. The fruit is a legume pod 1 to 3 centimeters long.

Acmispon wrangelianus is a species of legume known by the common names Chilean bird's-foot trefoil and Chile lotus. It is native to California, where it is widespread, and parts of adjacent states. Despite its common name, it is not from Chile. It can be found in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is a hairy, prostrate annual herb. Its slender branches are lined with leaves each made of generally four small leaflets. The inflorescence is composed of a solitary yellow pealike flower around a centimeter wide. The fruit is a legume pod 1 to 2 centimeters long.

Acourtia microcephala is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name sacapellote. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in woodland and chaparral, especially in the coastal mountain ranges. Acourtia microcephala is a bushy perennial herb producing several erect stems from a woody caudex up to about 1. 5 meters in maximum height. The stems branch toward the ends and are densely foliated in toothed, wavy-edged, glandular leaves 2 to 15 centimeters long. The stems and leaves are sticky with exudate. The inflorescences contain clusters of many flower heads, each cylindrical head wrapped in long, flat glandular phyllaries. The flower heads are discoid, containing only disc florets and no ray florets. Each disc floret has two lips, the outer of which is long, flat, and usually bright pink, and easily mistaken for a ligule. The fruit is a glandular achene a few millimeters long which has a pappus of bristles up to a centimeter in length.

Chamise, or Greasewood, (Adenostoma fasciculatum), a member of the Rose family, is a flowering plant native to California and northern Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the chaparral biome, sometimes forming monotypic stands.

Chamise is an evergreen shrub with dry-looking stick-like branches. The leaves are quite small, sprouting in clusters from the branches. Its leaves are shiny with flammable oils, especially in warmer weather. Chamise is said to be highly flammable but can be more fire-resistant with occasional watering. The branches terminate in bunches of white tubular flowers.

Chamise is one of the best plants for anchoring a slope and resisting erosion, due to its wide-spreading and deeply-penetrating roots. In maturity, it develops a large burl from which it will resprout after fire or severe pruning. In the wild, it is the host plant of a common root parasite, Chaparral Broomrape.

There are three recognized varieties of this plant. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. fasciculatum is found throughout the range of the species. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. obtusifolium is found only in San Diego and Orange Counties. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. prostratum, a low-growing form, is found primarily on the northern Channel Islands. A cultivar known as 'Black Diamond' (Adenostoma fasciculatum 'Black Diamond') is popular and widely available.

Horticultural selection from Adenostoma fasciculatum from Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in the san Francisco Bay Area near Concord. Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for use in the garden. Cuttings from Black Diamond Mines Regional park (Contra Costa County).

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for the garden from san Nicolas Island by Tree of Life Nursery.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden.

This Prostrate Chamise is a horticultural cultivar of the widespread native Adenostoma fasciculatum (Chamise) from San Nicolas Island in Southern California, that was selected and introduced by Tree of Life Nursery in 1979.

This is a dense mounding ground cover shrub, 1-3 ft. high and spreading 3-5 ft. It has dense heather-like dark green foliage, which can be an attractive contrast to lighter green or gray foliage of surrounding plants. It has white flowers in spring to summer.

San Nicolas Prostrate Chamise is recommended for parkway median strips, slopes, rock gardens, or containers. It grows in full to part sun, is very drought tolerant, and can handle no summer water once established.
A wider spreading cultivar, also with the common name Prostrate Chamise, is Adenostoma fasciculatum 'Nicolas'.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selection from santa Cruz Island.

Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum var. fasciculatum) is a native tree or shrub that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-5200 feet.

San Diego Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum var. obtusifolium) is a native tree or shrub that grows in southern California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-5200 feet.

Adenostoma sparsifolium (Redshanks or less commonly, Ribbonwood) is a multi-trunked tree or shrub in the Rosaceae (Rose) family that is native to dry inland slopes or chaparral of Southern California and northern Baja California below 6,000 ft. Shaggy falling shanks or ribbons of bark are one of the strongest characteristics of the tree, hence the common names. Redshanks are closely related to the more abundant Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum). Members of this genus are very deep rooted and important slope stabilizers. The foliage is feather-like, allowing the trunk and main branches to show through. The flowers are small but attractive. The fruit is an achene which is valued by small birds. Red Shank is an attractive garden tree, especially when planted in a small grouping.

Adiantum aleuticum (western maidenhair fern) is a species of fern in the genus Adiantum, native mainly to western North America from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, south to Chihuahua, and also locally in northeastern North America from Newfoundland south to Maryland. The fronds grow to 15-110 centimeter high, and are fan-shaped, light to medium green with dark brown to black stems. It prefers fertile, moist soil in rock crevices near streams, from sea level in the north of its range, up to 3,200 meter altitude in the south of its range. It tolerates serpentinite rock well, and is confined to this mineral-rich rock in some areas.

The Southern Maiden Hair is a species of fern with a semi-worldwide distribution. It occurs in numerous locations and habitats throughout California, always growing where it is somewhat shaded and in moist but not saturated soil. It is often found near springs, seeps or stream banks, including desert palm oases. This native fern is hardy to USDA zone 7.



The Southern Maiden Hair fern grows 6 to 28 inches tall and 6 to 24 inches wide. The foliage is delicate and lacy, featuring dark stripes that accentuate the green leaves. Like most ferns, it forms a basal clump that will gradually grow outward in size if there is space. This fern can go summer dormant if it becomes too dry and/or receives too much direct sunlight, but usually regenerates new foliage after supportive conditions return.
This fern is also commonly grown as a houseplant.

Banksianum Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris 'Banksianum') is an uncommon cultivar or clone of the native Southern Maidenhair (Adiantum capillus-veneris) that was selected for horticulture.

This fern has a graceful form, with mature arching fronds 12 to 18 inches tall and wide. The fronds divide to display bright green broadly triangular shaped leaflets on the black leaf stems. This fern grows best in loamy, medium to slow draining soil that's consistently moist. It's good in containers receiving regular watering, and adjacent to water features. In the ground it can tolerate infrequent irrigation and be relatively fairly drought-tolerant because if necessary it can recede in summer dormancy to return when moisture is available.

It prefers shaded areas with bright indirect light in coastal and inland gardens. It is evergreen to about 20 degrees F, but will rebound after colder frosts.

Adiantum jordanii is a perennial species Pteridaceae known by the common name California maidenhair. It is native to California and Baja California. It grows in shaded woods, usually in wetter spots such as moist rock outcropping and lower parts of north facing slopes. It can take a little sun near the coast or full shade inland. Each trailing leaf may reach over half a meter in length and is made up of many rounded green segments. Each segment has two to four lobes and it may split between the lobes, the underside of each segment bearing one to four sori. It remains evergreen with regular water or will go dormant if allowed to dry out in summer but should recover. It forms a slowly expanding clump. Adiantum jordanii is a host for the Sudden Oak Death pathogen, and for this reason it may be difficult to find in native plant nurseries.

Adolphia californica is a species of flowering shrub in the Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn) family known by the common names California Adlophin, Prickbush and Spineshrub. It is native to Baja California and California no farther north than San Diego County. It is a resident of the local chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities. This is a branching shrub not exceeding a meter in height with thick hairless to fuzzy dark green twigs. The stiff twigs bear sharp thorns. The very sparse leaves are each less than a centimeter long and oval-shaped with a pointed or rounded tip. The shrub blooms abundantly in clusters of flowers along all the branches. Each flower is a star-shaped bowl of five pointed cream-colored sepals. Between the sepals are five tiny spoon-shaped cream-colored petals. The fruit is a spherical capsule about half a centimeter across. It is not often used in gardens due to its formidable spines, but it is valuable in restoration projects in it native range.

Agastache urticifolia is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name nettle-leaf giant hyssop. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in many habitat types. This is an aromatic perennial herb growing an erect stem with widely spaced leaves, each lance-shaped to nearly triangular and toothed. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and 7 wide. The flower cluster is a dense spike of many flowers. Each flower has long sepals tipped with bright purple and tubular corollas in shades of pink and purple. The fruit is a light brown, fuzzy nutlet about 2 millimeters long. The plant was used medicinally by several Native American groups, especially the leaves.

Agoseris grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names bigflower agoseris and grassland agoseris. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Utah, where it grows in many habitat types. This is a perennial herb producing a basal patch of leaves of various shapes reaching maximum lengths of 50 centimeters. There is usually no stem, but there is sometimes a rudimentary one. The upright part of the plant is actually the peduncle of the flower cluster, which can approach a meter in height. It is coated in soft white hairs. The flower head at the top is up to 4 centimeters wide and lined with reddish or purplish green phyllaries with curling tips.

Agoseris grandiflora var. leptophylla is a native perennial herb that grows in northern California.

Agoseris heterophylla is a liguliferous species in the Asteraceae or sunflower family known by the common name annual agoseris or mountain dandelion. It is widespread in mostly drier regions of western North America from British Columbia to Baja California. This is an annual herb producing a basal rosette of leaves. The oblanceolate leaves may be toothed, pinnatifid, or entire, and no larger than 15 cm long and 1. 5 cm wide. Often there is no stem, or a short, rudimentary stem may develop, although the plant will produce several stem-like peduncles. Each solitary flower head contains one or two rows of sharp-pointed bracts, often with purplish hairs; and a corolla of yellow ray florets, but no disc florets. The fruit is an achene which can be highly variable but typically has a long beak and a terminal pappus of white bristles.

Agrostis exarata is a species of grass known by the common names Pacific bentgrass, spike bentgrass, and spike redtop. It is native to western North America from Texas to the Aleutian Islands. This is a common perennial grass reaching one to three feet in height with long, thin, flat leaves each with a ligule of 2 to 4 millimeters. The tuft flower cluster may be up to 30 centimeters long and is usually dense with tiny spikelets. It reproduces mainly by seed, but it can also spread via rhizome. This bunchgrass occurs in many plant communities in varied climates. It is considered good forage for livestock.

Agrostis oregonensis is a species of grass known by the common name Oregon bent grass. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Wyoming, where it grows in several habitat types. It is a perennial bunchgrass growing in 75 centimeters tall. The leaves are flat and up to 30 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a wide open array of wispy branches bearing clusters of spikelets each a few millimeters long. It is a perennial bunchgrass growing in 75 centimeters tall. The leaves are flat and up to 30 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a wide open array of wispy branches bearing clusters of spikelets each a few millimeters long.

Thingrass (Agrostis pallens) is a perennial grass that makes an eco-friendly lawn alternative, requiring half the water of non-native grasses. Its deep green color lasts year-round with weekly summer watering, and it tolerates light foot traffic.

Thingrass grows up to 2 feet tall but typically reaches about 1 foot in height and width. Its narrow leaves, usually under 2 inches long, complement its feathery flower clusters. Mowing is optional; without it, the grass has a meadow-like appearance.

Adaptable to various soils, it thrives in sun or part shade, making it an ideal ground cover for under trees. Thingrass also attracts butterflies and moths, adding both beauty and ecological value.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and sun or part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Allium bolanderi is a species of wild onion known by the common name Bolander's onion. It is native to northern California and southwestern Oregon, where it grows in the rocky soils of the Klamath Mountains and surrounding regions. Allium bolanderi grows from an oval-shaped bulb up to 2 centimeters long with associated rhizomes. The stem reaches about 35 centimeters in maximum height and there are two or three long, cylindrical leaves about the same length as the stem. The inflorescence contains 10 to 20 reddish-purple, or occasionally white, flowers, each with very finely toothed tepals.

Allium cratericola is a species of wild onion known by the common name Cascade onion. It is endemic to California, where is an uncommon member of the flora in several of the state's mountain ranges. This onion grows a short stem up to 10 centimeters tall from a brown-coated oval-shaped bulb. There are one or two long, pointed leaves up to four times the length of the stem. The flower cluster contains up to 20 rosy pink flowers clustered densely together.

Allium falcifolium is a species of wild onion known by the common name scytheleaf onion. It is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in heavy, rocky soils, especially serpentine soils. The scytheleaf onion grows from a reddish-brown bulb one to two centimeters wide. The reddish or yellowish green stem is flattened such that it is thick in the center and thin along the edges. There are usually two leaves, which, as its common name suggests, are curved like the blade of a scythe The stem is short and topped with an flower cluster of 10 to 30 flowers, each of which is one to one and a half centimeters wide. Each flower has six pinkish, red-purple, or white-streaked purple petals.

Allium fimbriatum is a species of wild onion known by the common name fringed onion. It is native to California and Baja California. The fringed onion grows from a reddish-brown bulb one to two centimeters wide and sends up a naked brown or green stem. Atop the stem is an flower cluster of up to 75 flowers, each just under a centimeter wide on average. The flowers are variable in color, from pink to purple and often with white areas. The petals are also variable in shape, from narrow and pointy to spade-shaped. There are several distinct varieties of the species as well.

Purdy's Onion (Allium fimbriatum var. purdyi) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in Central and Northern California, primarily in the North Coast and North Coast Range regions. It tends to grow in dry slopes and flats, at elevations from 1000-8900 feet.

Allium haematochiton is a North American species of wild onion known by the common name redskin onion. It is native to northern Baja California, Sonora, and southern California as far north as Kern County. It grows on the slopes of the hills and mountains, such as those of the Peninsular Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and southern California Coast Ranges. . Allium haematochiton has a small rhizome associated with clusters of brightly colored red bulbs. From these grow several naked green stems, each with a few withering, curling leaves. Atop each stem is an inflorescence of several flowers, each on a short pedicel. Each flower is just under a centimeter wide and white to pinkish with dark midveins. There are six stout stamens around a white or pink ovary. USDA Plants Profile 

Allium haematochiton is a North American species of wild onion known by the common name redskin onion. It is native to northern Baja California, Sonora, and southern California as far north as Kern County. It grows on the slopes of the hills and mountains, such as those of the Peninsular Ranges, Transverse Ranges, and southern California Coast Ranges. Allium haematochiton has a small rhizome associated with clusters of brightly colored red bulbs. From these grow several naked green stems, each with a few withering, curling leaves. Allium haematochiton has a small rhizome associated with clusters of brightly colored red bulbs. From these grow several naked green stems, each with a few withering, curling leaves. Atop each stem is an inflorescence of several flowers, each on a short pedicel. Each flower is just under a centimeter wide and white to pinkish with dark midveins. There are six stout stamens around a white or pink ovary. USDA Plants Profile

Allium monticola is an uncommon species of wild onion known by the common name San Bernardino Mountains onion. It is endemic to southern California, where it is found in the Transverse Ranges and the northernmost section of the Peninsular Ranges. It has been reported from San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Allium monticola generally grows in rocky areas at elevations 1400-3200 m. This onion grows from a bulb one or two centimeters long which often has daughter bulbs attached to it on stalks. The waxy stem reaches a maximum height near 25 centimeters and the single leaf may be a bit longer. The inflorescence contains up to about 25 flowers, each with tepals nearly two centimeters long and white or light pink with darker pink tips. Pollen and anthers are yellow.

Allium praecox is a species of wild onion known by the common name early onion. It is native to the coastal hills and mountains of southern California and Baja California, including the Channel Islands, where it grows in shady areas in clay soils. This onion grows from a brownish or grayish bulb between one and two centimeters long. It produces a stem up to 60 centimeters long and two or three long, keeled leaves about the same length or sometimes a little longer. The flower cluster holds up to 40 flowers, each on a long pedicel up to 4 centimeters long. The flowers are purple-veined pink and dry to a papery texture as they age.

Congdon's Onion (Allium sanbornii var. congdonii) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in Central and Northern California, primarily in the Sierra Nevada Foothills region. It tends to grow in rocky outcrops, at elevations from 1000-4600 feet.

Sanborn's Onion (Allium sanbornii var. sanbornii) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in Central and Northern California, primarily in the Cascade Range Foothills and Sierra Nevada Foothill region. It tends to grow in rocky outcrops, at elevations from 1000-4600 feet.

Allium tribracteatum is a species of wild onion known by the common name threebract onion. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the slopes of the Sierra Nevada in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties. This is a small onion plant producing a stem only a few centimeters long from an oval-shaped bulb. There are two leaves which are usually much longer than the stem. The inflorescence contains up to 30 petite white to purple flowers, each less than a centimeter long.

Allium unifolium, the one-leaf onion or American garlic, is a North American species of wild onion. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of California, Oregon, and Baja California. It grows on clay soils including serpentine, at elevations up to 1100 m. Allium unifolium, despite its name, usually has 2-3 flat leaves up to 50 cm long. Bulbs, though, are usually solitary, egg-shaped, up to 2 cm long, often formed at the end of rhizomes spreading out from the parent plant. Scapes are round in cross-section, up to 80 cm tall. Flowers are up to 15 mm across; tepals usually pink but occasionally white; anthers yellow or purple.

Allium yosemitense is a species of wild onion known by the common name Yosemite onion. It is endemic to the central Sierra Nevada of California, where it is known from only a few areas in the vicinity of Yosemite. This onion grows from a bulb two to three centimeters long, producing a stem up to about 23 centimeters in maximum height and two long, flat leaves which are usually a bit longer. The flower cluster bears up to 50 white or pink flowers, each on a pedicel which may be over 3 centimeters long.

White alder (Alnus rhombifolia) is a fast-growing deciduous tree in the birch family (Betulaceae), native to western North America at elevations of 300–7,900 feet. It thrives in moist soils, often found along streambanks and other wet areas.

This tree provides excellent shade, with dark green leaves in summer that drop in winter. In early spring, before the leaves emerge, white alder produces noticeable male catkins, which hang in clusters and release large amounts of pollen. The female catkins mature in autumn, resembling small cones that may persist on the tree for up to a year.

White alder is heat and wind tolerant but requires deep watering to establish. Its roots can be invasive, so it should be planted with caution, especially near structures or small residential gardens. However, it is an excellent choice for woodland plantings and riparian areas.

This tree has high wildlife value. It serves as a larval food plant for the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and provides habitat and food for various bird species.