Big Headed Clover (Trifolium macrocephalum) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern California. It is fast growing and short-lived. It grows in a flat form to a height of 2 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are purple and striking, and bloom in the mid spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in meadows and streambanks, at elevations from 2000-5500 feet.

Triglochin maritima is a variety of arrowgrass found in brackish marshes, freshwater marshes, wet sandy beaches, fens, damp grassland and bogs. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout the northern Northern Hemisphere. In the British Isles it is common on the coast, but very rare inland. It is like marsh arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris) but has the following differences: it has stolons, is stouter. The leaves are fleshy and not furrowed above. It is not very aromatic. The raceme are more dense and like sea plantain. The flowers are fleshier. The fruits are oval, 4 mm long, 2 mm wide. It is like marsh arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris) but has the following differences: it has stolons, is stouter. The leaves are fleshy and not furrowed above. It is not very aromatic. The raceme are more dense and like sea plantain. The flowers are fleshier. The fruits are oval, 4 mm long, 2 mm wide. It varies in height from 8-30 inches (to 45 cm). It flowers in May to August; flowers are greenish, 3 petalled, edged with purple, 1/8 inch (2mm) across, in a long spike. Common names include seaside arrowgrass, common arrowgrass, sea arrowgrass and shore arrowgrass. It can be an annual or perennial. Triglochin concinna is often included in this species.

Trixis californica , the American threefold or American trixis, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the southwestern United States in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and in Mexico in the states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. Trixis californica is one of 22 species in Trixis, a genus that occurs in North America, Central America, the West Indies, northern Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. Trixis californica is a sprawling shrub or subshrub with flower heads with about 15 bright yellow flowers each. The inflorescence is terminal, usually a panicle or corymb, but sometimes the heads are borne singly at the tips of branches. Leaves are lance-shaped (lanceolate), dark green, 2-11 cm long, and 0. 5-3 cm wide. This species occurs from sea level to 5000 feet in elevation. Its habitat types include rocky hillsides, thorn scrub, and desert washes and brush. In the western Sonoran Desert it is exclusive to washes and only grows amongst other plants. In the Colorado Desert it grows in creosote scrub. It grows in scrub in the Yuma Desert, east of the Colorado River. Though it usually flowers between February and October, it may bloom nearly year-round depending on winter weather conditions. Images.

Trixis (Trixis californica var. californica) is a native shrub that grows in Southern and Central California, primarily in the Desert Mountains, the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert regions. It tends to grow in dry rocky slopes, at elevations from 0-3300 feet.

Tropidocarpum gracile is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name dobie pod. It is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in many types of habitat from coastal canyons to inland mountains and deserts in chaparral, scrub, woodlands, beaches, valleys, and washes. It is an annual herb producing a decumbent to erect, spreading, branching stem 10 to 50 centimeters in length. It is coated in short and long rough hairs. The basal leaves are up to 10 to 15 centimeters long and are divided into elongated lobes along the edges; leaves higher on the stem are shorter and sometimes less divided. The inflorescence is an open raceme of mustardlike flowers with four petals each about 4 millimeters long. The petals are yellow and sometimes purple-tinged. The fruit is a narrow silique several centimeters in length containing tiny brown seeds.

Glandularia gooddingii is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family known by the common name southwestern mock vervain. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it occurs in sandy and rocky desert habitat. It is a perennial herb producing several hairy, decumbent to erect stems up to 45 centimeters long. The hairy leaves are generally divided at the base into a few lobes, which are edged with large teeth or small lobes. The plant blooms in large, dense, head-like spikes of many flowers. Each flower has a calyx of hairy sepals and a pale purple-blue corolla up to 1. 4 centimeters long.

Verbena menthifolia is a species of verbena known by the common name mint-leaved vervain or mint vervain. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it occurs in many types of open, dry habitat such as desert scrub. This perennial herb produces one or more rough-haired, erect stems up to about 75 centimeters in maximum height. The hairy leaves are a few centimeters long and are divided near the base into a few narrow lobes which have serrated edges. The inflorescence is made up of one to three narrow, erect spikes of flowers up to 30 centimeters long. The flowers are spaced, not densely packed on the slender spike. Each flower has a small purple corolla 2 or 3 millimeters wide.

Viola beckwithii, known commonly as the Great Basin violet, Beckwith's violet, and sagebrush pansy, is a species of violet native to the western United States. It is an early-flowering plant of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) habitats in the Great Basin region. This is a perennial herb with several decumbent or erect stems growing from a caudex. The stems are up to about 22 centimeters long, often with much of their length underground. The fleshy compound leaves have dissected leaflets of varying shape and size. Flowers arise from the leaf axils. The upper two petals are reddish violet, and the lower three are purplish to white with purple veining and yellow or orange bases.

Viola purpurea is a species of violet which bears yellow flowers. It is known commonly as the goosefoot violet. It is a small plant which bears thick to fleshy toothed or ridged oval leaves which are mostly green but may have a purplish tint to them. The flowers are made up of bright yellow petals, the lowermost being streaked or veined with purple and the lateral petals with purplish undersides. There are several subspecies, most of which are known by the common name goosefoot violet. These subspecies are found across the western United States from Wyoming to California. It is a member of the chaparral plant community and the foothills and low elevation mountains.

Fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) is a tree in the Palm family (Arecaceae). Commonly called desert fan palm or California fan palm, it is the only palm native to the western United States and is the country's largest native palm. It is an evergreen monocot with large sprays of creamy white flowers, up to 15 feet (5 meters) long, appear in summer, followed by abundant clusters of small, pea-sized black fruits.

Primarily found in Creosote Bush Scrub and Desert Riparian habitats such as rivers, seeps and springs, this palm is a keystone species in Desert Oases, and supports desert species of wildlife, such as the Western Yellow Bat, the Hooded Oriole and the Palm Flower Moth. 

Although Fan Palm grows near springs, it is actually quite drought-adapted in gardens. Place in well-drained soil in full sun. It is not necessary to prune dead leaves; however, this can be done by cutting them off close to the trunk. Remove these carefully in order to protect any bats or birds that may get crushed by the heavy leaves.

Xylorhiza orcuttii is a perennial plant in the aster family known by the common name Orcutt's aster. It is native to southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in scrubby habitat in the dry canyons of the Sonoran Desert. It often grows in rocky and sandy substrates, clay, and alkaline soils amongst cactus. It is a shrub with branching, mostly hairless stems that may reach 1. 5 meters in length. The leaves are lance-shaped to oblong with smooth, toothed, or spiny edges. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head with up to 40 or more lavender or pale blue ray florets, each of which may measure over 3 centimeters in length. Flowering may begin as early as late fall or winter. The fruit is an achene which may be over a centimeter long, including its pappus of bristles.

Xylorhiza tortifolia is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Mojave-aster and Mojave woodyaster. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States, where it grows in canyons and other habitat. It is a perennial herb or subshrub with branching, hairy, glandular stems that reach 60 to 80 centimeters in length. The leaves are linear, lance-shaped, or oval, with pointed or spiny tips and spiny edges. The leaf surfaces are hairy and glandular. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head borne on a long peduncle. The head has a base with long, narrow phyllaries which may be over 2 centimeters long. The head contains up to 60 or more lavender, pale blue, or white ray florets which may be over 3 centimeters long. The fruit is an achene which may be over a centimeter long, including its pappus of bristles.

Yucca baccata (Datil Yucca or Banana Yucca) is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, from southeastern California north to Utah, east to western Texas and south to Sonora and Chihuahua. In California it is found primarily in northeastern San Bernardino County. It gets its name from its banana-shaped fruit. Banana Yucca is closely related to the Mojave Yucca (Y. schidigera), with which it is interspersed where their ranges overlap; hybrids between them occur. It is also related to Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) and is found primarily in Joshua Tree Woodland in California.

Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is an iconic symbol of California’s deserts, found in the Mojave Desert and parts of Utah. This tree-like monocot, related to lilies and palms, grows at elevations from 1,600 to 6,600 feet, occasionally reaching 11,000 feet. Its stiff, dagger-like leaves and clusters of greenish-white flowers give it a striking appearance.

Joshua trees rely entirely on the tiny Tegeticula moth for pollination. The moth lays its eggs in the flowers, and the caterpillars feed on some of the seeds, ensuring mutual survival. These trees also provide nesting sites for around 25 bird species and are the host plant for the Yucca Giant-Skipper butterfly.

Due to its slow growth and specific habitat needs, Joshua tree is rarely used in residential gardens. However, it can serve as a dramatic, sculptural feature in large desert or semi-desert landscapes. When transplanted, it requires careful watering to prevent rot.

For those in appropriate climates, the Joshua tree is a low-maintenance, drought-adapted choice that supports native wildlife.

Mojave Yucca is a species in the Agaveceae (Agave) family that is native to southern California. It grows in coastal sage scrub near the coast, in mountain chaparral, and in desert transition areas at elevations from sea level to 8,200 feet. Like others in this family it is a monocot, so the leaves have parallel veins. The leaves emerge from a central rosette, are succulent and quite stiff, with sharp terminal spines and long, tough fibers. Some of these fibers are typically visible along the edge of the leaves. Native people processed the leaves and used the fibers for cordage. In spring the plant produces a flower stalk 12-18 inches in height covered with white or cream colored flowers. The flower is pollinated by only a single species of Yucca Moth, and many of the flowers go unpollinated. The fruit is a large capsule holding dozens of black, wedge-shaped seeds. It reproduces only by seed, not by offsets as other Agaves do. Unlike most other members of this family, Mohave Yucca does not die after blooming, a trait it shares with Joshua Tree (Yucca Brevifolia). For this reason, it tends to grow taller with age, starting at ground level as a young plant and eventually reaching 10ft. or more. Older plants are usually branched and each branch carrying a leaf rosette. Areas that support older specimens have not been disturbed or burned for many years.

Zeltnera muehlenbergii is a species of annual herb commonly known as Muhlenberg's centaury. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California and Nevada, where it commonly grows in forests and other moist places. This is an annual herb growing thin, erect, branching stems to heights anywhere between 10 centimeters and one meter. Oval-shaped leaves are arranged oppositely on the stem and are up to 2 or 3 centimeters long. The branching inflorescence bears many flowers, each with small bracts at its base. The flower has five oval-shaped petallike lobes each a few millimeters long.

Zeltnera namophila (syn. Centaurium namophilum), known by the common name spring-loving centaury, is a rare species of flowering plant in the gentian family. It is endemic to the Amargosa Valley, in Nye County, southwestern Nevada. The plant is endemic to Ash Meadows, in the Amargosa Desert directly east of Death Valley National Park. It has been recorded as being present in California in 1978, but no occurrences have been recently confirmed there. The plant grows in moist and wet soils in the Ash Meadows wetlands. The soil has a high clay content and a high pH, with salts remaining as water is evaporated in the desert air. The plant occurs in meadows of saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and next to streams, springs, and seeps. Other plants in the area include Ash Meadows gumplant (Grindelia fraxino-pratensis), Emory baccharis (Baccharis emoryi), and Tecopa bird's beak (Cordylanthus tecopensis). Zeltnera namophila is an annual herb producing a branching stem up to 45 centimeters tall. The plant blooms during the heat of summer, from July to September. The flower is roughly a centimeter wide with a deep pink corolla tinged yellow in the throat. The fruit is a capsule containing about 50 seeds, and each plant can produce many capsules. It is thought to be a ruderal species, producing many tiny seeds that spread about and sprout up in disturbed habitat in a weedlike manner. The seeds probably also persist for a long time in the soil seed bank.

Ziziphus obtusifolia is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by several common names, including lotebush, graythorn, gumdrop tree, and Texas buckthorn. The plant is native to the South Central and Southwestern United States, the California deserts, and central through northern Mexico. It grows in shrubby and scrubby desert habitats, grasslands and prairie, woodlands, and other habitat types. It can be found among desert plants such as honey mesquite, smooth mesquite, ocotillo and creosote. Ziziphus obtusifolia is a shrub with many branches forming a thorny tangle which may exceed 3 metres (9. 8 ft) tall and approach 4 metres (13 ft) at times. The leaves are deciduous and are absent for much of the year, leaving the shrub a naked thicket of gray twigs coated in waxy whitish hairs. The ends of the twigs taper into sharp-tipped thorns. The thick, glandular gray or green leaves have oval blades 1 or 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a cluster of several dull yellow-green flowers. The fruit is a mealy, juicy drupe containing one seed. The fruit provides food for many species of birds and mammals. Birds use the shrub as a nesting site and the southern plains woodrat uses the twigs to build its houses.

Ziziphus parryi is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by the common name Parry's jujube. The plant is native to the Colorado Desert and southern Mojave Desert, and to the eastern slopes of the Peninsular Ranges in Southern California and Baja California, Mexico. It can be found in Chaparral and Sonoran Desert habitats. Ziziphus parryi is a bushy shrub with many intricate branches forming a thorny tangle which may approach 4 metres (13 ft) in height. The leaves are deciduous and are absent for much of the year, leaving the shrub a naked thicket of brown or grayish twigs. The ends of the twigs taper into sharp-tipped thorns. The membranous olive green leaves are up to 2. 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a cluster of a few several yellowish or green-tinged, star-shaped flowers with five petals. The fruit is a dry drupe containing one seed. Varieties: Ziziphus parryi var. parryi - California crucillo, Parry Abrojo, lotebush.