Abronia pogonantha is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family (Nyctaginaceae) known by the common name Mojave sand-verbena. It is native to California and Nevada, where it grows in the Mojave Desert, adjacent hills and mountains, and parts of the San Joaquin Valley in the Central Valley. This is an annual herb producing prostrate or upright glandular stems to about half a meter long. The petioled leaves are mainly oval-shaped and up to 5 centimeters long by 3 wide. The plant blooms in an inflorescence of many white or pink flowers, each with a tube throat up to 2 centimeters long. The fruit is a winged, heart-shaped body about half a centimeter long.

Abronia turbinata is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common name transmontane sand-verbena. It is native to eastern California and Oregon and western Nevada, where it grows in desert and plateau scrub. This is an erect or spreading herb, usually an annual, approaching 50 centimeters in maximum stem height or length. It produces several thick green leaves which are somewhat oval to nearly round and a few centimeters wide. Inflorescences arise from the stem on peduncles of several centimeters and hold hemispheric or spreading clusters of up to 35 white to pinkish flowers. Each small flower in the cluster is a narrow tube up to 2 centimeters long which abruptly spreads into a lobed corolla. The fruit is a few millimeters long and has hollow, inflated wings.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Desert rock pea (Lotus rigidus), is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Mojave Desert in the Southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. It is found between the Colorado River and Death Valley, and south into Baja California. Other names include shrubby deervetch. It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 0.5-1.5 meter tall. The leaves are irregularly pinnate or palmate with 3-4 leaflets, 5-15 millimeter long. The flowers are yellow, turning red or purple as they age.

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.

Adelinia grandis (formerly Cynoglossum grande) is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Pacific hound's tongue. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it grows in shady areas in woodland and chaparral. On the forest floor of California oak woodlands typical plant associates are Calochortus luteus, Delphinium variegatum and Calochortus amabilis.It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem 30 to 90 centimeters tall from a taproot. The leaves are mostly located around the base of the plant, each with an oval blade up to 15 centimeters long held on a petiole. The flower cluster is a panicle of flowers on individual pedicels. Each five-lobed flower is bright to deep blue with white appendages at the center. It is 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide. The fruit is an array of four slightly bristly nutlets.

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.

California Buckeye (also known as California Horse-chestnut) is a large shrub or small tree. It is typically multi-trunked and spreads out, with a crown as broad as it is high. California Buckeye is a species in the Sapindaceae family that is endemic to California; it is the only buckeye native to the state.

California Buckeye has gray bark that is often coated with lichens or mosses. It has dark green leaves that can be prone to damage from both spring freezing or snow and summer heat. It tends to leaf out in early spring, followed by creamy-white to pale pink-flower spikes. Some say the flowers resemble candles from afar and butterflies love them!

It has large, shiny round nut-like fruit that appear in late summer and drop in late fall to early winter. Be careful when using this plant in the garden, because all parts of the fruits are toxic.

This plant is very drought tolerant and does well on dry slopes, but looks better with some water. Native (white-flowered) varieties seem to have lower water requirements and are tolerant of recycled water.

Horticultural selection from Aesculus californica.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selection for the garden.

Agastache parvifolia is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name small-leaf giant hyssop. It is endemic to far northern California, where it grows in woodlands. It is an uncommon species and is sometimes considered a local subspecies of Agastache urticifolia. This is an aromatic perennial herb producing an erect stem with triangular serrated leaves on petioles. This species is characterized by leaves under 5 centimeters long and 3. 5 wide. The inflorescence is a spike occupying the top of the stem. The flowers have pink-tipped green sepals and tubular pink corollas.

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.

Agave utahensis is a species of agave known by the common name Utah agave. There are two recognized varieties in California, both of which are rare. Agave utahensis is smaller, occurs farther north, at higher elevations, and is more cold tolerant than the other two native agaves in California. Like other agaves, it is armed with formidable spines and flowers after many years of growth, then the plant dies but clonal pups remain. It is found in the high desert mountains of Inyo and San Bernardino Counties. This is a rosette-shaped agave having blue-green sharp-spiked leaves. The raceme flower cluster is very tall, reaching a maximum of four meters. It is generally yellow or yellow-green with bulbous yellow flowers. The fruits are capsules 1 to 3 centimeters long and containing black seed. The plant was used for food and fiber by local Native American peoples such as the Havasupai.

Ageratina herbacea is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names fragrant snakeroot and Apache snakeroot. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in several habitat types. This is a perennial herb growing a green, fuzzy stem from a woody caudex to heights between about 50 and 70 centimeters. The leaves are yellow to green or grayish and are triangular to heart-shaped. The flower cluster is a cluster of fuzzy flower heads under a centimeter long.

Agoseris glauca is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names pale agoseris and prairie agoseris. It is native to northern and western North America from Alaska to Ontario to New Mexico, where it grows in many habitat types. This is a perennial herb which varies in general appearance. It produces a basal patch of leaves of various shapes which may be as long as the plant is high. There is no stem but the plant flowers in a stemlike flower cluster which is sometimes erect, reaching heights near half a meter or taller. The flower head is one to three centimeters wide with layers of pointed phyllaries. The head is ligulate, bearing many yellow ray florets and no disc florets. The fruit is an achene with a body up to a centimeter long and a pappus which may be almost 2 centimeters in length.

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.

Aliciella leptomeria (formerly Gilia leptomeria) is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names Sand gilia and Great Basin gilia. It is native to the Western United States, where it grows in many types of habitat, such as the sagebrush of the Great Basin and in the Mojave Desert. It is a small herb producing a thin, branching stem up to about 23 centimeters tall. It is coated in glandular hairs. Several deeply lobed leaves 1 to 6 centimeters long are located in a basal rosette at ground level around the stem. There are smaller, unlobed leaves along the stem. The inflorescence produces one to three flowers, each about half a centimeter wide with a thread-thin tube. The corolla is purple-stained white, the throat is yellowish, and the tube is purple.

Aliciella micromeria (formerly Gilia micromeria) is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name dainty gilia. It is native to the western United States, especially the Great Basin. It is a small herb producing a thin, branching stem up to about 14 centimeters tall. It is coated thinly in soft hairs. Several deeply lobed leaves 1 to 6 centimeters long are located in a basal rosette at ground level around the stem. There are smaller, unlobed leaves along the stem. The inflorescence produces white or lavender flowers each about 3 millimeters wide.

Allium amplectens is a species of wild onion known by the common name narrowleaf onion. It is native to western North America where it grows in woods and especially in clay and serpentine soils. It grows from a pinkish-brown bulb and sends up a naked green stem topped with an flower cluster. When closed the flower cluster is wrapped in bright pink to magenta leafs. It opens to produce between 10 and 50 shiny white to pale pink flowers, each under a centimeter wide. The six stout stamens and the ovary are white or tinted pink or lavender. It is a fairly widespread species.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for the garden.

Allium atrorubens is a species of wild onion known by the common name dark red onion. This plant is native to the southwestern United States where it grows in the sandy soils of the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin and higher-elevation deserts in Nevada, eastern California (San Bernardino, Kern, Mono, Inyo and Lassen Counties) southwestern Utah (Kane, Millard and Beaver Counties), northwestern Arizona (Mohave and Coconino Counties). Allium atrorubens grows from a reddish-brown bulb 1-1. 5 cm (0. 4-0. 6 in) across. The stem is short and is surrounded by few coiled tubular leaves. Atop the stem is an inflorescence of up to 50 flowers. Each flower has six shiny, iridescent, sharply triangular tepals with dark midveins. The tepals are usually magenta to maroon but are lighter pink or white occasionally. Each flower is about 1 cm (0. 4 in) wide.

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 campanulatum is a species of wild onion known by the common name dusky onion. This is a flowering plant native to the western United States from Washington to California as well as Nevada. The dusky onion grows from a gray-brown bulb one to two centimeters wide which may extend tiny rhizomes and produce small daughter bulblets. It rises on a stout stem and has usually two long, drooping onion leaves. Atop the stem is an flower cluster of 10 to 50 flowers. Each flower is half a centimeter to one centimeter wide and is pink, purple, or less often white, and each tepal has a dark-colored base. The petals are variable in shape, from narrow and very pointy to spade-shaped. The dusky onion grows in low mountains, especially in dry areas.

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 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 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 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 jepsonii is a species of wild onion known by the common name Jepson's onion. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of central California. This onion grows to a height between about 20 and 40 centimeters from one or two oval-shaped bulbs. There is a single cylindrical leaf which is about the same length as the stem. The flower cluster holds 20 to 60 small flowers, each under a centimeter long with pink-veined white petals with curling tips.

Allium lacunosum is a species of wild onion known by the common name pitted onion. It is endemic to California, where it is a common member of the flora in many types of habitat, from bayside to mountain to desert. This onion grows from a thick-coated yellowish-brown bulb one or two centimeters long. The stem reaches up to about 35 centimeters in maximum height and there are usually two leaves which may be as long or longer than the stem. The flower cluster contains up to 45 dark-veined white to pale pink flowers, each less than a centimeter long. There are four varieties of this species, three of which are somewhat uncommon.