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.

The annual herb Achyrachaena mollis bears the common name blow-wives, which is both singular and plural. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Achyrachaena. It is a flower which grows to approximately one foot in height on a strong, straight stem. Atop the stem is a large, rounded bud which opens into a spherical cluster of flowers. The actual flowers are small and yellow and nearly invisible behind the showy fruits, which extend shiny bright white scales which look like long rectangular flower petals. These silky white scales catch the wind, which allows the single-seeded fruits to be dispersed. The plant is common in low-elevation hills and grasslands all over California, and into southern Oregon and northern Baja California. Blow-wives has some invasive potential, but is not known as one of the more troublesome weeds.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 blasdalei is a species of grass known by the common name Blasdale's bent grass. It is endemic to the coast of northern California, where it grows in habitat along the immediate coastline, such as dunes and bluffs. It is a perennial grass growing in tufts up to 30 centimeters tall. It has short, thready leaves a few centimeters long. The flower cluster is a thin cylindrical array of tiny spikelets, each up to 4 millimeters in length.

Agrostis elliottiana is a species of grass known by the common name Elliott's bent grass. It is a bunchgrass native to various parts of North America in disjunct locations, including north-central California, southwestern and southeastern United States, and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Agrostis elliottiana grows in a variety of habitats, including disturbed areas such as roadsides. It is an annual grass growing up to about 45 centimeters tall. The leaves are short and thready. The inflorescence is an open array of wispy branches holding clusters of tiny spikelets, each just a few millimeters long but sporting a wavy awn which can reach a centimeter in length.

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 microphylla is a species of grass known by the common name small-leaf bentgrass. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it grows along coastal cliffs, on serpentine mountain slopes, and in vernal pools. This is a winter-flowering annual bunchgrass approaching half a meter in maximum height. The inflorescence is a dense cylindrical panicle up to 12 centimeters long. The spikelets are yellowish, greenish, or purplish, and very narrow and pointed. This is a winter-flowering annual bunchgrass approaching half a meter in maximum height. The inflorescence is a dense cylindrical panicle up to 12 centimeters long. The spikelets are yellowish, greenish, or purplish, and very narrow and pointed.

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.

Alisma triviale (Northern water plantain, Northern water-plantain) is a perennial semi-aquatic or aquatic plant in the Water-plantain family (Alismataceae). It grows in shallow water or mud. Northern water plantain is native to Canada, the United States, and Northern Mexico.

Allium crispum is a species of wild onion known by the common name crinkled onion. It is endemic to California, USA, where it grows along the Central Coast, often in clays and serpentine soils. This onion grows from a bulb one to one and a half centimeters wide and sends up naked green stems topped with flower clusters of many flowers, each on a short pedicel. The flowers are magenta in color and have six triangular petals. The inner three petals are smaller and crinkled like cloth and may curl under.

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 howellii is a species of wild onion known by the common name Howell's onion. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the granite and serpentine soils of several of the local mountain ranges, hills, and valleys. This is a tall onion plant, producing a stem which may exceed half a meter in height from a reddish-brown bulb one to two centimeters long. There is a single cylindrical leaf about as long as the stem. The flower cluster holds up to 100 dark-veined lavender to white flowers, each under a centimeter long.

Allium hyalinum is a species of wild onion known by the common name glassy onion. It is endemic to California, where it is a common species of the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada foothills. The glassy onion grows from a cluster of bulbs, with each bulb sending up a tall stem. Atop each stem is an flower cluster of up to 25, but usually fewer, white or pink-tinted white flowers. The flowers have six shiny petals which become transparent as they age.

Allium peninsulare is a North American species of wild onion. It is known by such common names as Mexicali onion and Peninsula onion; the former referring to the Mexican city just south of the US/Mexican border, the latter referring to the Peninsula of Baja California. It is widespread in California, USA, where it grows in the California Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada foothills, some of the Channel Islands, and Peninsular Ranges. The range extends south into the northernmost part of Baja California and north into southern Oregon. Allium peninsulare is usually found in Valley Grassland, Foothill Woodland, and Coastal Chaparral at elevations up to 1100 m (3660 feet). The plant produces a bulb 8-15 mm wide and has two to three channeled to more or less cylindrical leaves. Between May and July, it sends up a 12-45 cm scape topped with an umbel of 5-35 flowers, each on an 0. 8-4 cm pedicel. The flowers are red-purple and have six triangular tepals. The three inner tepals are smaller than the outer ones and have teeth along the margins. Allium peninsulare is usually found in Valley Grassland, Foothill Woodland, and Coastal Chaparral at elevations up to 1100 m (3660 feet). The plant produces a bulb 8-15 mm wide and has two to three channeled to more or less cylindrical leaves. Between May and July, it sends up a 12-45 cm scape topped with an umbel of 5-35 flowers, each on an 0. 8-4 cm pedicel. The flowers are red-purple and have six triangular tepals. The three inner tepals are smaller than the outer ones and have teeth along the margins. Varieties: Allium peninsulare var. franciscanum --- leaves arched; stigma, unlobed or obscurely 3- lobed --- central California from Mendocino County to Monterey County, Allium peninsulare var. peninsulare - leaves straight, stigma strongly 3 - lobed --- widespread from Baja California to Oregon

Allium serra is a species of wild onion known by several common names, including jeweled onion, pom-pon onion, and serrated onion. It is endemic to northern California. It favors hard soils with rock and clay, including serpentine soil. The plant comes from a small herringbone-patterned bulb an average of one centimeter in diameter. It has a long stem on which it bears a tightly bunched flower cluster of flowers. The attractive bright pink flowers are thimble or bell-shaped, often iridescent when new and becoming papery as they dry.

Alopecurus saccatus is a species of grass known by the common name Pacific foxtail, or Pacific meadow foxtail. It is native the west coast of the United States from Washington to California, where it grows in moist areas at low elevations. Alopecurus saccatus is an annual bunchgrass, forming tufts of stout, erect stems up to about 45 centimeters in maximum height. Leaves are up to 12 or 13 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a dense panicle up to 6 or 7 centimeters long which blooms in yellow to reddish brown anthers.

Ambrosia acanthicarpa is a species of ragweed known by the common names flatspine burr ragweed, annual burrweed, and annual bur-sage. This spiny, weedy plant grows in clumps of many erect stems which may reach over a meter in height. Its gray-green stems are covered in a coat of stiff, bristly hairs. The few rough leaves are several centimeters long. The racemes of flowers are more plentiful, with each hairy flower head a few millimeters wide. The spiny, burr-like pistillate heads have pointed, twisting leafs and the staminate heads are rounded. This ragweed is native to western North America. It is adaptable and grows well in disturbed areas, easily becoming weedy.

Ambrosia pumila is a rare species in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common names San Diego Ambrosia and San Diego Ragweed. It is native to a very limited area in far southern California and Baja California where it grows in a variety of habitats along the coastal strip, inland valleys and foothills at elevations below 2,000 ft. This is a perennial herb not exceeding half a meter in height. The leaves are gray-green, fuzzy, and divided into numerous minute lobes to give a feathery appearance. They are up to 13 centimeters long, not counting the winged petioles. The flower cluster is tipped with staminate (male) flower heads above several larger pistillate (female) heads. The pistillate heads each yield usually one fruit, which is a fuzzy burr only a few millimeters wide with short, soft spines. However, it rarely produces viable seed, usually spreading by its rhizome, forming clonal groupings. It is adapted to dry habitat, but only on upper floodplain fringes, or adjoining depressions containing vernal pools or similar structures. It is a plant of open habitat and is not tolerant of heavy shade. If not given supplemental summer water it will become deciduous but will come back from the rhizome after winter rain. This is not an easy plant to find and infrequently used in residential gardens. It is important for restoration projects in areas of appropriate habitat, and it may be useful in gardens seeking to specialize in rare plants of southern California.

Pale Serviceberry (Amelanchier pallida) is a native shrub that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-11000 feet.

Amelanchier utahensis, the Utah serviceberry, is a shrub native to western North America. This serviceberry grows in varied habitats, from scrubby open slopes to woodlands and forests. It is a spreading plant, reaching a maximum of 5 meter in height. It is deciduous, bearing rounded or spade-shaped often toothed green leaves and losing them at the end of the season. In April and May the shrub blooms in short flower clusters of white flowers, each with five widely-spaced narrow petals. The fruits are pomes. The Utah serviceberry is eagerly browsed by desert bighorns, elk, and mule deer, as well as many birds and domesticated livestock.

Forked Fiddleneck (Amsinckia vernicosa var. furcata) is a rare native annual herb that grows in Central California, primarily in the San Joaquin Valley, the South Coast Range and South Coast regions. It tends to grow in loose shale slopes, at elevations from 200-4600 feet.

Amsinckia intermedia (Common Fiddleneck, or Intermediate Fiddleneck) is a species of plant in the Boraginaceae family (also called the Borage or Forget-me-not family). It is one of the common fiddlenecks of western North America, distributed from Alaska and Canada through the contiguous United States to Mexico. Like other members of the genus, it has a terminal flowering whorl somewhat shaped like the head of a violin or fiddle, hence the name fiddleneck. The flowers are yellow-orange, orange, or dark yellow.

Amsinckia lunaris is an uncommon species of fiddleneck known by the common name bentflower fiddleneck. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the San Francisco Bay Area and the woods of the coastal and inland mountains just north. This is a bristly annual herb with coiled flower clusters of tubular orange flowers similar to those of other fiddlenecks, except for the characteristic bend in the flower tube. The flowers are about a centimeter long and less in width at the face.

Amsinckia menziesii (Menzies' Fiddleneck) is a species of plant in the Boraginaceae family, the Borage or Forget-me-not family. It is the "common fiddleneck" and has two varieties. A great annual for wildlife, and grows abundantly in the garden. Care must be taken to ensure it does not crowd out other annuals. Attracts large numbers of goldfinches in late spring when it sets seed.

Amsinckia tessellata is a species of fiddleneck known by the common names bristly fiddleneck and devil's lettuce. It is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to New Mexico to Baja California, where it is a common plant in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is a bristly annual herb similar in appearance to other fiddlenecks. Its coiled flower cluster holds yellow to orange tubular flowers up to a centimeter wide at the corolla, which often has fewer than five lobes.

Amsinckia vernicosa is a species of fiddleneck known by the common name green fiddleneck. It is endemic to California, where it is an uncommon member of mountain, desert, and valley habitat in several regions. Amsinckia vernicosa is a hairy annual herb somewhat similar to other fiddlenecks, but waxy in texture and pinkish in color along the lower stem. The coiled inflorescence holds yellow or orange tubular flowers up to 2 centimeters long and 1. 5 wide at the corolla.

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) is a native perennial herb in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family that grows primarily in northern and central California. It is fast growing and short-lived. It grows in an upright form, with active growth during the spring and summer.

Flowers are yellow and striking, blooming in early summer. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. Pearly Everlasting tends to grow in disturbed or recently burned places, at elevations from 0 to 8500 feet. This species is not to be confused with those plants in the genus Pseudognaphalium that are similar in appearance and also known as Everlasting.

Angelica lucida is a species of angelica known by the common names seacoast angelica and sea-watch. It is also one of many species in the celery family which are casually called wild celery. This plant is generally similar in appearance to other angelicas, with tall, dense umbels of yellowish-white flowers. As its common names suggest, this plant is found most often along the coastline. Its distribution includes the east and west coasts of North America, plus parts of east Asia. It is considered an endangered species in some eastern United States.

Aphanes occidentalis is a species of plant in the Rosaceae family. It is native to California. There is some confusion about the varieties and species in Aphanes, but the Second Edition of the Jepson Manual recognizes this species. Jepson Manual

Apiastrum is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the Apiaceae, containing the single species Apiastrum angustifolium, which is known by the common name mock parsley. It is native to California and Baja California, where it is resident in many types of habitat. This is an annual herb producing a branching stem up to half a meter tall from a taproot. Leaves are plentiful along the stem, each up to about 5 centimeters long and split into many narrow lobes. Several inflorescences arise from the stem, often but not always from leaf axils. The inflorescence is a compound umbel of tiny flowers each with five pointed white petals.

Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) is a perennial herb in the Apocynaceae (Dogbane) family native across much of North America. It typically grows in open, sunny areas such as streambanks, roadsides, and meadows, especially in moist or seasonally wet soils. As the common name suggests, dogbane is toxic to dogs, livestock, and humans if ingested.

The plant has upright stems that can reach 3 to 5 feet tall and produce clusters of small, pale greenish-white to pink flowers in summer. The leaves are opposite and lance-shaped. Dogbane has a milky sap which can cause blisters if handled without gloves, and spreads aggressively through rhizomes. Traditionally, Indigenous communities use the strong fibers from its stems to make cordage, nets, and other items—hence the name “Indianhemp.”

This plant is useful in restoration and pollinator gardens, as it supports native bees, butterflies, and other insects. However, it can be too vigorous for small garden spaces.

Arabis blepharophylla is a species of rock cress known by the common names coast rock cress and rose rock cress. It is endemic to California, growing mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area and nearby low-elevation coast ranges. It is uncommon in the wild but is often grown as an attractive, sweet-scented flowering garden plant. The plant sends up thin, hairy stems from a basal rosette of fuzzy leaves. It bears small flowers with four bright purplish-pink petals. There are several cultivars bred for garden use. Often short lived in gardens.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Aralia californica, known by the common name elk clover though not actually a clover, is a large herb in the family Araliaceae, the only member of that family native to California and southwestern Oregon. It is a deciduous herbaceous perennial plant growing to a height of 2-3 meters on stems which are thick but not woody. The stems bear large green pinnate or bipinnate leaves 1-2 meters long and 1 meter broad, the leaflets 15-30 centimeter long and 7-15 centimeter broad. The greenish white flowers are produced in large, ball-shaped compound umbels 30-45 centimeter diameter at the stem tip; each star-shaped flower is 2-3 millimeter diameter, and matures to small (3-5 millimeter) dark purple or black fruit, each berry containing 3-5 seeds. This plant performs best under trees or in other moist, shady areas.

Arctostaphylos cruzensis is a species of Heath (Ericaceae) known by the common names La Cruz manzanita and Arroyo de la Cruz manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California, where it grows in the sand of the coastline in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties. It is considered rare due to its limited distribution. This region experiences summer fog that is an important part of its water budget. This is a very petite manzanita which grows flat on the ground or shaped into a low mound. The stem is covered in red shreddy bark. The small, pointed oval leaves are bright green and sometimes slightly toothed or with a fringe of hairs along the reddish edges. The flowers are very pale pink and urn-shaped with tapered throats. The fruits are hairy drupes up to a centimeter in diameter and containing angular seeds.

Presidio Manzanita (Arctostaphylos hookeri ssp. ravenii) is a rare native shrub whose only documented location in the wild is in Presidio Park, San Francisco. It is listed by State and federal agencies as an Endangered Species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that only one individual of this subspecies remains in the wild and no wild seedlings of this plant have been observed. However, it has been propagated from seeds and cuttings for conservation purposes, and it is sometimes available for garden use. It was formerly classified as Arctostaphylos hookeri ssp. revenii and some sources may still refer to it by that name.

Aristida divaricata is a species of grass known by the common name poverty threeawn. It is native to the Americas from the central United States to Guatemala. It is a perennial grass forming clumps of unbranched stems up to 70 centimeters tall. Leaves are mostly basal and roll along the edges. The sparse flower cluster is a wide, flat, open array of spikelets that break apart easily. The grain has a twisted tip and three awns up to 2 centimeters long.

Aristida oligantha is a species of grass known by the common names prairie threeawn and oldfield threeawn. It is native to the United States and southern Canada, and it is known from northern Mexico. It is a grass of many types of habitat, and it grows easily in dry areas with sandy or gravelly soils. It appears in disturbed and burned areas and is sometimes a weed of roadsides and railroads.

Spidergrass (Aristida ternipes) is a native grass that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in dry hills and slopes, at elevations from 300-4400 feet.