Erysimum insulare is a species of wallflower known by the common name island wallflower. It is endemic to coast of southern California, including the Channel Islands, where it grows on coastal bluffs and sand dunes. This is a perennial herb or subshrub producing a branching, erect stem 5 to 60 centimeters tall. It is lined with many hairy leaves which are linear to widely lance-shaped. The longest leaves near the base of the stem may be up to 15 centimeters long. The top of the stem is occupied by a raceme flower cluster of many bright yellow to yellow-orange flowers. The fruit is a silique up to 10 centimeters long. There are two subspecies of this plant, most individuals belonging to ssp. suffrutescens. The rare ssp. insulare is limited to three of the Channel Islands.

Suffrutescent Wallflower (Erysimum insulare ssp. suffrutescens) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in Southern and Central California, primarily in the Central Coast and South Coast regions. It tends to grow in dunes and bluffs, at elevations from 0-500 feet.

Seep Monkey Flower (Erythranthe guttata syn. Mimulus guttatus) is a perennial wildflower in the Lopseed family (Phrymaceae). As the name suggests, it grows in moist stream banks and seeps. Often it will grow with its roots submerged, and the light green foliage and yellow flowers will float on the surface of the water. Its spreading root systems make it one of the best plants for filtering water in aquatic gardens, and its abundant yellow snapdragon-shaped flowers add spectacular color to a pond in winter and spring. Note that because it aggressively spreads and copiously self seeds, it may need to be periodically pulled or cut back to prevent it from crowding out other plants.

Seep Monkey Flower attracts bees, butterflies and moths. Useful in naturally wet landscapes, such as a moist alpine meadow, along any sort of waterway, and in serpentine soils.

Mimulus moschatus is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name muskflower. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to the Rocky Mountains, where it grows in moist, partially shaded habitat in mountains, woodlands, and other areas. It also occurs in eastern North America where it may be native or introduced. It is known from Chile and parts of Europe, including England and Finland, where it grows wild after having escaped This is a rhizomatous perennial herb which is hairless to hairy, sometimes slimy in texture, and generally musky in scent. It is variable in appearance. The prostrate or upright stem grows up to 30 centimeters long. The oppositely arranged leaves are mostly oval in shape and may reach 6 centimeters long. The tubular flower is yellow in color, its tube just a few millimeters wide and widening at the lobed mouth. It may be up to 2.6 centimeters long.

Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia is a species of flowering plant in the waterleaf family known by the common name spotted hideseed. It is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent Baja California, where it can be found in a number of habitats from coast to mountain to desert. This is one of two species of Eucrypta, which are sticky, aromatic annual herbs. This species produces an erect to leaning stem well over half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are roughly oval in shape but are intricately divided into many lobes which are subdivided into many smaller lobes, making the leaf lacy in texture. Leaves higher up on the stem have fewer dissections. The flower cluster holds a number of small flowers which droop as they grow heavier with the developing fruit. Each flower is less than a centimeter long and generally whitish in color. The fruit is a bristly capsule about 3 millimeters wide.

Camissonia californica is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name California suncup. It is native to California, Arizona, and adjacent northwestern Mexico, where it grows in scrub and chaparral plant communities. This is an annual herb which produces a basal rosette of leaves and then bolts a slender, erect stem which can exceed 1.5 meters in height. The larger leaves are located in the ground-level rosette; those on the stem are small and thready. The upper stem is an flower cluster bearing widely spaced flowers on long pedicels. Each flower is a cup of four bright yellow petals, sometimes with red speckles near the bases. Behind the flowers are four smaller sepals, which are greenish and reflexed back against the pedicel. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule 4 to 10 centimeters long.

Euphorbia albomarginata (formerly Chamaesyce albomarginata), whitemargin sandmat or rattlesnake weed, is a small low-growing annual, in the spurge family (Euphorbia, Euphorbiaceae) native to desert, chaparral, and grassland habitats of southwestern North America, from southern and central California to Northern Mexico and Louisiana. It can be easily identified by its small size, dusty green leaves, very flattened growth pattern, and the white circular margin around the edge of its burgundy centered flowers. It is the only member of the former Chamaesyce genus that is native to the Santa Monica Mountains, although four invasive species have been introduced there, and lack a white margin on the flower. As with other typical members of the Euphorbia family, it has a white milky sap, and is poisonous. It is one of only 11 members of the Euphorbia native to California, and one of four native to the Santa Monica Mountains. Euphorbia albomarginata is a common ground cover plant, usually growing less than 1/2 in (13 mm) high, with individual plants covering about a square foot, often growing closely and forming mats of vegetation. The flowers of this plant are tiny and edged in white, with a purplish center. It can be found in open fields, on roadsides, or anywhere where the ground is disturbed, including ornamental gravels in suburban yards, where it is considered as a weed.

Euphorbia crenulata is a species of spurge native to the western United States, especially California and Oregon. Its common name is Chinese caps. Its leaves vary in shape and size but they often curve up and come together to form a bowl shape. The small fruits are green, fleshy, and lobed. The flower has two distinct horns.

Euphorbia misera is a species in the Euphorbiaceae (Spurge) family known by the common name Cliff Spurge. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it is known from the Sonoran Desert and the coastline, including the Channel Islands of California. It occurs in close proximity to the coast in Coastal Sage Scrub and Maritime Succulent Scrub vegetation, often on steep slopes. Although common in Baja, it is very rare in California. It was probably never common north of the border, and much of its former habitat has been lost to agriculture and urbanization.

This is a subshrub standing erect in protected areas, or prostrate when exposed to constant sea breeze. It reaches one half to one meter in height. The stems are limber and somewhat succulent. When broken, the stems produce a milky sap that is typical of Euphorbias. It has small, rounded, hairy leaves that are dropped readily in dry periods. The typical Euphorbia flower clusters are at the tips of the branches. The distinctive flower is hairy and has a central nectar disc with a bright red appendage with scalloped edges and a light yellow fringe. The style in the pistillate flower extends outward and is divided at the tip. The anthers are bright yellow. The fruit is a spherical capsule with lobes containing round, wrinkled gray seeds.

In the garden this plant can be a highly interesting though unusual specimen or accent plant. The flowers are not showy, but in garden conditions the plant can bloom nine months out of the year. It is especially effective with other succulents and decorative rock. It is best used in warm, relatively dry coastal gardens in the southern part of the state.

Euphorbia polycarpa (formerly Chamaesyce polycarpa) is a species of spurge known by the common name smallseed sandmat. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, especially the deserts and other dry, sandy areas. This is a perennial herb producing stems that trail along the ground to form a clump or mat, sometimes growing somewhat upright. The leaves are each under a centimeter long. They are round or oval-shaped and have triangular stipules at the bases. What looks like a single flower is actually an inflorescence of many staminate (male) flowers united around a single central pistillate (female) flower. Bracts surrounding the flower unit are white and petal-like. The fruit is a thin spherical capsule less than 2 millimeters wide layered over a seed. "Chamae" derives from the Greek meaning "on the ground", referring to its spreading low lying growth near the ground, and "Syke" is from Greek for "fig".

Atriplex californica is a species of saltbush known by the common name California saltbush, or California orache. It is native to coastal California and Baja California, where it grows in areas with saline soils, such as beaches and salt marshes. This is a perennial herb growing from a fleshy caudex and taproot. Many stems spread to a maximum width of about 80 centimeters and 30 centimeters in height. The scaly gray-green leaves are lance-shaped to oval and less than 3 centimeters long. The plant may be monoecious or dioecious, with some plants having both male and female flower types, and others having just one. Both types of flower cluster are rough clusters of tiny flowers.

Ferocactus viridescens is a rare species of barrel cactus known by several common names, including coast barrel cactus and San Diego barrel cactus. It is native to southern California and northern Baja California, along a very restricted portion of the coast. Most of its native range is in San Diego County, California, where most of its habitat has already been removed, and much of the remaining habitat is threatened by development, agriculture, and other alterations in its habitat. This cactus is spherical, oblate, or nearly cylindrical, is usually wider than tall, and less than 30 centimeters in height. The flesh is bright green and arranged into several ribs covered in arrays of long spines. The spines stick straight out or may curve a bit, and are red when new, dulling to gray or tan. The cactus blooms in yellow to greenish flowers with red or pink scales. The fruit is yellow or red. Although wild populations are in the immediate vicinity of the coast, it can be grown inland in areas that do not experience regular freezing. It makes a great specimen for the dry coastal garden in the southern counties.

Forestiera pubescens, commonly known as Stretchberry, Desert Olive, Tanglewood, Devil's Elbow, Spring Goldenglow, Spring Herald, or Texas Forsythia, is a deciduous shrub or small tree that is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

Beach Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis) is one of the two strawberry species used to create the modern garden strawberry.

In spring to early summer, it blooms with beautiful white flowers, which are later replaced by unique red fruits. Local bees and butterflies pollinate flowers and its fruits draw the attention of a variety of insects, birds and mammals.

It has dark-green, glossy leaves that turn red in fall. It has a creeping habit and spreads at a moderate rate. Plant in very low to low moisture, and in sandy soil.

Horticultural selection from Fragaria chiloensis. Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Prefers sun or part shade in coastal sites, and part shade or shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden. Introduced from Brett Hall.

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

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

Horticultural selection from Fragaria chiloensis. Lipstick is an extremely showy, easy-care ground cover for a wide variety of garden situations. Plant it in full sun on the coast, part shade inland and it will reward you with bright pink flowers from mid spring until mid fall. It's small shiny fruits are not as tasty as the woodland strawberry, but the birds are not so picky. It is a fast grower to 4"-6" high and 1'-2' wide. Water this ideal ground cover regularly during it's first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. This strawberry can tolerate regular garden water or infrequent irrigation. With regular water and partial shade Lipstick can make a wonderful lawn replacement. It is also ideal in borders, containers, rock gardens or as an embankment stabilizer. Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun or part shade in coastal sites, and part shade or shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Coffeeberry (Frangula californica)  is a dense evergreen shrub with dark red branches and oval leaves that are an attractive dark green with reddish tint. The flowers are inconspicuous, small and greenish-white. The plant is prized more for its fruit, which turns red, then purple, and finally black over the summer. The fruits attract a variety of birds. 

This shrub is beautiful and easy to grow. It tolerates a wide variety of soil types and likes either full sun or part shade. It is moderately garden tolerant, and takes low water but accepts light summer water up to 2 times per month.

Coffeeberry has a dense form and is easy to prune. It makes a great and fire resistant hedge. There are six subspecies, some of which are restricted to certain parts of its range or certain growing requirements. There are also several horticultural varieties including 'Eve Case' and 'Mound San Bruno'. Select one that best fits your locations and conditions.

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

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

Eve Case coffeeberry (Frangula californica 'Eve Case') is an evergreen shrub with dark red branches and dense dark-green oval leaves. The greenish flowers are not showy, unlike the attractive berries which turn red, purple, and finally black over the summer.  Coffeeberry is a fairly common plant native to California and southwestern Oregon. This variety is smaller than others.  

The berries attract a variety of birds. 

Coffeeberry is easy to prune. This variety makes a great and fire resistant clipped hedge. Due to its small size, it is a good choice for pots or containers.

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

Horticultural selection from Frangula californica from san Bruno Mountain south of san Francisco. The Mound San Bruno coffeeberry is a small low growing, evergreen shrub that has stunning red twigs and bark, offset by intense green foliage. This shrub is a cultivar from the San Bruno Mountain area, and is ideal for small, 5'ft x 5'ft cool spaces in the garden or hedge. San Bruno requires minimal water and is less tolerant of heat and drought than other varieties of coffeeberry. The shrub flowers in the mid to late spring, with berries fading from bright red to black in the fall. Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Prefers sun or part shade in coastal sites, and part shade or shade in inland sites.

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

Frankenia palmeri is a species of flowering plant in the frankenia family, Frankeniaceae, known by the common name Palmer's seaheath, or Palmer's frankenia. It is native to the coastline of northwestern Mexico, as well as San Diego County, California, in the United States. It is a plant of sand dunes, beaches, alkali flats, and salt marshes, where it thrives due to its adaptation to saline soils. This is a small, tangling shrub less than a meter tall with spreading stems lined with clusters of knobby, fleshy leaves. Toward the ends of branches flowers appear among the leaf clusters. Each flower has white petals 3 or 4 millimeters long, often washed with pink toward the throat and with pink anthers. The plant is becoming increasingly rare as its habitat on valuable coastal land is consumed for development.

The perennial herb Frankenia salina, often called Alkali Heath or Alkali Seaheath, is a member of the Frankeniaceae family that is native to California. It is occasionally found in Nevada and Mexico. In California it is found along the coast, in the mountain, central valley, and other wetland locations, including salt marsh and alkali flats. Its common name refers to its preference for saline or alkaline soils. It is a squat flowering bush that forms a twiggy thicket near beaches and estuaries. The leaves are tiny and somewhat succulent. It has the ability to excrete salt as an adaptation for living in saline habitats. The flowers are white, pink or fuchsia in color. It spreads by rhizome and can cover large areas but remains very low. It is not a common garden plant but can be a useful ground cover at the edges of ponds or streams, in bioswales, or in areas of saline soil.

Frasera parryi (syn. Swertia parryi) is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common name Coahuila frasera. It is native to southern California and adjacent Baja California, and Arizona. It grows in oak woodland and chaparral habitats along the coast and inland. Frasera parryi is a perennial herb that produces one or two erect stems growing up to 1. 5 m in height. The basal leaves are lance-shaped, strap-shaped, or somewhat oval and elongated with pointed tips, reaching up to 25 cm long. Leaves higher on the plant are widely lance-shaped to oval, smaller, and oppositely arranged. The leaves are green with white margins. The inflorescence is an open panicle of flowers atop the stem. Each flower has a calyx of four pointed sepals and a corolla of four pointed lobes each 1 to 2 cm long. The corolla is greenish with purple speckles, and each lobe has a fringe of hairs near the base. There are four stamens tipped with large anthers and a central ovary.

Fritillaria affinis (checker lily, chocolate lily) is a highly variable species in the genus Fritillaria, native to western North America, in California, Klamath Ranges, the north coast ranges, Cascade Ranges, north Sierra Nevada foothills, and the San Francisco Bay Area, north to British Columbia and Idaho. It is found at elevations ranging from sea level to 5,000 ft. It grows from a bulb, which resembles a small mass of rice grains. The stems are 10-120 centimeter tall. The flowers are produced in the spring, nodding, 1-4 centimeter, yellowish or greenish brown with a lot of yellow mottling to purplish black with little mottling, or yellow-green mottled with purple. The leaves are in whorls. Like many other native geophytes, it needs either a dry summer dormancy or very well drained soil. Given its wide range in the wild, it should be easy to grow. However, people report varying results in the garden.

Fritillaria liliacea, commonly known as Fragrant Fritillary, is a threatened perennial herb in the Liliaceae family. The range of this wildflower is over parts of southwestern Northern California, USA, especially Solano and Sonoma Counties and at coastal locations south to Monterey County; occurrence is typically in open hilly grasslands at altitudes less than 200 meters in elevation. The bell-shaped white flowers have greenish stripes and are set on a nodding pedicel of about 37 centimeters in height. The blossoms are odorless to faintly fragrant. F. liliacea prefers heavy soils including clays; for example, andesitic and basaltic soils derived from the Sonoma Volcanic soil layers are suitable substrate for this species. This California endemic has been a candidate for listing as a U.S. Federally endangered species, and some of the remaining fragmented colonies are at risk of local extinction, such that the species is considered locally endangered. Example occurrences are: Edgewood Park in San Mateo County and the Sonoma Mountains foothills in Sonoma County. Examples of highly fragmented or extirpated colonies are in San Francisco due to urban development.

Galium catalinense is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family known by the common name Santa Catalina Island bedstraw. It is endemic to two of the Channel Islands of California, where it grows along the coastal bluffs. It is a shrub growing erect to about a meter in maximum height with a rigid stem lined with whorls of four leaves each. The hairy leaves are generally lance-shaped and one to 2. 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence emerging from leaf axils is a dense cluster of whitish flowers. Two subspecies are currently recognized (May 2014):

Island Snapdragon (Gambelia speciosa) is a somewhat vine-like perennial plant native to the Channel Islands and to Guadalupe Island, Mexico. It has trumpet-shaped red flowers that attract birds, especially hummingbirds. Under the right conditions it can bloom almost year round.

Island Snapdragon is easy to grow, fast growing and beautiful, a perennial widely available in native California nurseries. It prefers sun or part shade (more shade inland), but you will get more flowers in full sun. It likes rocky slopes and seaside conditions and will tolerate a variety of soils. It tolerates occasional summer water, up to twice a month. Good in containers, and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers and the plant is a larval food source for the Checkerspot butterfly. 

It was formerly categorized under the genus Galvezia, and some sources still list it that way. 'Firecracker' is a popular horticultural variety.

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

Horticultural selection from Gambelia speciosa. This selection boasts the bright red flower of its parent Galvezia speciosa but with a bushier, more compact habit. This is a versatile plant for borders, containers, banks or under larger native shrubs. It is a great plant to have under oak trees and is a favorite with hummingbirds. For the lushest growth you should soak deeply occasionally.

Horticultural selection G. Speciosa: origin = seedling (1984) selected from trials; intro Tree of Life Nursery. Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun or part shade in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected for use in the garden; introduced by Tree Of Life Nursery.

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

Coast silktassel (Garrya elliptica) is an evergreen shrub that flowers in January or February, with very long flower clusters that cascade downward as catkins. The pendant male catkins are much more showy. They are about a foot long and grey-green. The female catkins are shorter and silver-grey. The leaves have a tough leathery feel, glossy green on top and remain year round. This shrub also has a dense and tidy form, growing moderately fast to about 12 feet tall and 6 to 10  feet wide. 

It takes full sun, except in hot inland locations where it likely will need some shade, and infrequent to occasional summer water. It prefers well-draining soil but tolerates clay and serpentine soil. It makes a great informal hedge or small tree and can be cut back (espaliered) to grow almost flat against a wall or fence. 

Horticultural selection from Garrya elliptica. This large shrub has beautiful creamy white catkins that appear during the spring. It would make a great option for a bird garden because of the denser foliage than other tassel bushes. This shrub-like appearance and white catkins make it an appealing option for larger plants in a bird garden. Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Prefers sun or part shade in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Horticultural selection from Garrya elliptica. This large shrub or small tree produces long, showy flower tassels up to 12' in length in winter. Its spectacular flower show, combined with sturdy evergreen foliage and a tolerance of pruning make this a popular landscape specimen. It is ideally suited to the coast, which is its natural environment but will tolerate inland planting, where some light or partial shade is recommended. Plant in well draining soil and add some supplemental water. You should expect a mature height of around 12' and a similar spread in a garden situation in southern California.
Horticultural selection G. elliptica: origin = cuttings (19__) by James Roof, Prairie Creek state Park, Humboldt Co.; intro saratoga Horticultural Foundation. Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun or part shade in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Gaultheria shallon is a leathery-leaved shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae), related to Manzanitas and Madrone. It is native to western North America as far north as Alaska. In California it is found primarily along the coast from Pt. Conception northwards. The foliage is dark green and attractive, sometimes used in commercial flower arrangements. The flowers are pink to white and urn-shaped, much like Manzanitas. The dark blue fruit is edible. Gaultheria shallon is very tolerant of both open sun and shady conditions. It occurs as a sprawling ground cover or a medium height shrub, depending on local growing conditions. It is a common coniferous forest understory species and may dominate large areas. In coastal areas it can form deep, nearly impenetrable thickets. It would be a nice addition to a woodland garden on the central or northern coast.

Pleated Gentian (Gentiana affinis) is a native perennial herb that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow in meadows, at elevations from 0-7500 feet.

Pleated Gentian (Gentiana affinis var. ovata) is a native perennial herb that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow in meadows, at elevations from 0-7500 feet.

Gentiana sceptrum is a species of gentian known by the common name king's scepter gentian. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to northern California. It grows in wet areas in the hills and mountains, such as flooded meadows and bogs. This is a perennial herb with stems growing along the ground or erect and approaching a meter in height. The stems are leafy, with each oval-shaped leaf several centimeters long and about half as wide. Flowers are solitary or clustered in flower clusters of several. Each flower is four to five centimeters long and two or three wide at the mouth when open. The corolla is dark blue to purple with pointed lobes. The fruit is a capsule containing seeds with small wings.

The annual flowering plant Gilia achilleifolia is known commonly as California gilia, California gily-flower , and blue gilia. It is native to California but grows in other areas of North America where it has been introduced. The plant is erect with long stems that bear bunches of funnel-shaped lavender flowers. It is a member of the phlox family.

Gilia angelensis is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name chaparral gilia. It is native to the coastal hills and mountains of California and Baja California, where it is a member of the chaparral ecosystem. , especially in the Transverse Ranges. This wildflower, Gilia angelensis, grows a slender, branching stem reaching anywhere from 10 to 70 centimeters in maximum height. Leaves made up of several small leaflets grow clustered on the lower part of the plant. At the ends of the stem branches are clustered inflorescences of petite flowers. Each flower is less than a centimeter wide and very light lavender in color. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters across containing up to 30 tiny seeds. This wildflower, Gilia angelensis, grows a slender, branching stem reaching anywhere from 10 to 70 centimeters in maximum height. Leaves made up of several small leaflets grow clustered on the lower part of the plant. At the ends of the stem branches are clustered inflorescences of petite flowers. Each flower is less than a centimeter wide and very light lavender in color. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters across containing up to 30 tiny seeds.

Gilia austro-occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name southwestern gilia. It is endemic to the Central Coast Ranges of California, where it grows in local hill and valley habitat. It is a slender herb producing a very glandular stem sometimes laced with cobwebby fibers. The lobed leaves are located in a rosette around the base of the stem. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers dotted with glands and webby hairs. The sepals are green to purple and ribbed with membrane between the ribs. The corolla is purple with a yellowish throat. It is a slender herb producing a very glandular stem sometimes laced with cobwebby fibers. The lobed leaves are located in a rosette around the base of the stem. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers dotted with glands and webby hairs. The sepals are green to purple and ribbed with membrane between the ribs. The corolla is purple with a yellowish throat.

Gilia capitata is a species of flowering plant in the Polemoniaceae (Phlox) family known by the common names bluehead gilia and blue field gilia. It is native to much of western North America from Alaska to northern Mexico, and it can be found on the eastern side of the continent as an introduced species. In California it is widespread, occurring along the coast and in the Sierras. It grows in many habitats, especially in sandy or rocky soils. This wildflower is somewhat variable in form and appearance, with eight recognized subspecies. The branching, leafy stems reach anywhere from 10 to 90 centimeters in maximum height and sometimes having hairy hairs on the fleshy herbage. The leaves are divided into toothed or lobed leaflets. Atop the branches of the thick stem are spherical flower clusters of 50 to 100 small flowers. Each flower has a throat opening into a spreading corolla which may be white, pink, lavender, or light blue. The stamens protrude slightly from the flower's mouth and are white with white, blue, or pink anthers. In the garden it is best use in a meadow-like setting with other annuals. It is frequently included in wildflower seed mixes.

Gilia clivorum is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names purplespot gilia and many-stemmed gilia. It is native to California and Arizona. This common wildflower bears a number of erect stems reaching 6 to 30 centimeters in maximum height. It is leafy especially on the lower part of the stems, with each leaf divided into small lance-shaped leaflets.

Gilia diegensis is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name coastal gilia. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in forest and scrub habitat in the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges and the deserts to the east. Gilia diegensis produces a usually glandular, erect stem up to 40 centimetres (16 in) centimeters tall. The plant forms a flat basal rosette of sharply lobed, deeply cut leaves each up to 7 centimters long. There are smaller leaves on the stem which are lance-shaped and lined with teeth. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers with purple and yellow throats and white to lavender corolla lobes with protruding stamens tipped with blue anthers.

Gilia nevinii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name Nevin's gilia. It is known only from the Channel Islands of California and Guadalupe Island off Baja California, where it grows in seaside canyons and flats. This is an erect herb with a hairy stem up to about 40 centimeters tall lined with deeply lobed leaves. The hairy flower cluster produces yellow-throated lavender flowers 8 to 14 millimeters wide, each with protruding stamens tipped with blue anthers.

Gilia tenuiflora is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name greater yellowthroat gilia. It is endemic to California, where its distribution spans the central coast and coastal mountains, as well as the Channel Islands. There are several subspecies, including G. c. ssp. arenaria, the sand gilia or Monterey gilia, which is federally listed as an endangered species. It is known from about 24 occurrences around Monterey Bay. Hoffmann's slender-flowered gilia, ssp. hoffmannii, is also federally endangered and is limited to Santa Rosa Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. The multibranched stem emerges from a basal rosette of leaves, each leaf divided into long, straight leaflets. The flower is lavender with a long stigma protruding from the throat. Despite the flower's common name, the throat is generally not yellow in color, but purple to white.

Glehnia littoralis is a species of plant in the carrot family known by several common names, including beach silvertop and American silvertop in English, and bei sha shen (Chinese: ') and shan hu cai (Chinese: ) in Chinese. The genus was named after Russian botanist Peter von Glehn. It is native to eastern Asia, particularly eastern China, Japan, and far-eastern Russia, and western North America from Alaska to northern California.

Grindelia camporum is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names Great Valley gumplant and Great Valley gumweed. The plant is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in a number of habitats including chaparral and woodlands. Its range may extend into Nevada. It is hardy plant that also readily grows in disturbed and altered areas such as ditches and roadsides. Grindelia camporum is a gangly perennial up to 2 m (6 ft. ) in maximum height but usually less. Its erect, branching stems are lined with many stiff, wavy-edged, serrated leaves 2 to 3 cm long. Atop the stem branches are inflorescences of a single large flower head up to 3 cm wide. The head is a vaguely thistlelike cup of green clawlike phyllaries that bend downward. The centre of the head is filled with yellow disc florets and there are usually many yellow ray florets around the circumference. The flower head fills with a copious white exudate, especially during the early stages of blooming. It is a traditional Native American medicinal plant, used by the Indigenous peoples of California and also a major pollinator attractant.

Grindelia stricta is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common names Coastal Gumweed and Oregon Gumweed. It is native to the west coast of North America from California to Alaska, where it is a resident of coastal plant communities such as those in marshes and beaches. In California it is found from the Channel Islands northwards, typically in close proximity to the coast. There are three recognized Varieties: This plant is variable in appearance, taking the form of a weedlike perennial herb forming low clumps to a sprawling subshrub growing erect to heights exceeding one meter. Its foliage and stems are green to rusty red or purplish and the plant may be hairy to hairless. The fleshy leaves are green, often with red edges and veining, and are up to 15 centimeters in length on large plants. The flower cluster holds one or more flower heads each up to 5 centimeters wide. The flower head is a cup of thick erect or recurved green phyllaries. Yellow disc florets fill the center of the flower head and there is a fringe of yellow ray florets around the circumference. The head produces copious white exudate, especially in the early stages of blooming. This exudate was used by native people as an adhesive.

Gumweed (Grindelia stricta var. platyphylla) is a native perennial herb that grows in Southern and Central California, primarily in the Central Coast region. It is a member of the Asteraceae and has typical sunflower floral structure with yellow disk flowers and ray flowers. It tends to grow in tidal flats, coastal strand, and coastal sage scrub typically very near the ocean, at elevations from 0-700 feet. There are three recognized varieties of Grindelia stricta; var. platyphylla is broadly distributed along the coast from Del Norte County to Los Angeles County and the northern Channel Islands. The flower bud is distinctive in having large amount of sticky white sap which native people use as an adhesive. The plant has a prostrate, sprawling habit and roots as it spreads. It performs best in coastal gardens with sandy soil.

Hazardia cana is a rare species of shrub in the daisy family known by the common name San Clemente Island hazardia, or simply island hazardia. It is native to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, and Guadalupe Island off Baja California. This is a bushy shrub reaching one half to two meters in height. It has woolly, hairy herbage of oblong, sometimes finely toothed leaves 4 to 12 centimeters long. At the ends of its grayish stems it produces cylindrical flower heads. Each flower head has several rows of dark-colored phyllaries and an open end revealing disc florets and longer protruding ray florets. The florets are yellow and may age to red or purple. The main threat to this species on San Clemente Island was the presence of feral goats. The goats were removed from the island and the plant is recovering.