Pectocarya penicillata is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names sleeping combseed, shortleaf combseed, winged combseed and northern pectocarya. It is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to Wyoming to Baja California, where it grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas such as roadsides. This is an annual herb producing a slender, rough-haired stem, mostly decumbent in form, to a maximum length of about 25 centimeters. The small, pointed linear leaves are alternately arranged, widely spaced along the stem. The inflorescence is a series of flowers, each on a curved pedicel. The flower has small green sepals and tiny white petals. The fruit is an array of four nutlets each lined with comblike prickles.

Pectocarya setosa, known by the common names moth combseed and round-nut pectocarya, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family. The plant is native to western North America, in Northwestern Mexico in Baja California and Sonora, and the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern United States. The plant is native to western North America, in Northwestern Mexico in Baja California and Sonora, and the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern United States. It grows in many types of habitats, including desert scrub, woodland, and grassland. It is found in the Mojave Desert, Great Basin, and Sonoran Desert. Pectocarya setosa is an annual herb producing a slender, rough-haired stem, generally upright to erect in form to a maximum height of about 23 centimeters. The small, pointed linear leaves alternately arranged along the upper stem, and oppositely along the lower part. The inflorescence is a series of flowers, each on a curved pedicel. The flower has small green sepals, which are lined with hairs and long bristles. The fruits are rounded or oval nutlets with membranous wings along the sides.

Pellaea andromedifolia is a species of cliff brake fern known by the common name coffee fern. It is native to California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. This plant does not have the immediately recognizable sharply pointed leaflets on its fronds that many other ferns have. Its leaves bear rounded or oval-shaped segments widely spaced along the rachis. Each segment may curl under along its edges. The leaves are green when new, then turn red, purplish, or brown. Some individuals of this species are diploid and reproduce sexually, while some are triploid or tetraploid and reproduce by apogamy (growth of a plant from a gamete without fertilization).

Pellaea mucronata is a species in the Pteridaceae (Fern) family known by the common name Bird's Foot Cliffbrake. It is native to much of California, and parts of Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Baja California, where it grows in various types of rocky habitat. There are two recognized subspecies in California. Ssp. californica is limited to California, while ssp. mucronata can be found outside the state's borders. Each leaf is 7 to 45 centimeters long and is borne on a thin petiole. It is composed of a thin, straight, brown rachis lined with widely spaced leaflets. The leaflets are divided into small narrow terminal segments, or these may be subdivided into another set of segments. The smallest segment is up to about a centimeter long and is green to dark purplish in color. The edges may be rolled under. The sporangia are located under the edges. It is reportedly very heat and cold tolerant. This could be a useful fern in rock gardens in most parts of the state.

Pentachaeta alsinoides, the tiny pygmydaisy, is a species of flowering plant in the aster family endemic to California. It is an annual, low, slender, diffuse, somewhat villous; leaves filiform or nearly so; disk flowers reddish, ray flowers inconspicuous.

Pentachaeta aurea is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names golden-rayed pentachaeta, golden chaetopappa, and golden leastdaisy. It is native to southern California, where it grows in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains and the Peninsular Ranges, and northern Baja California. It is an annual herb with a hairy stem reaching a maximum height near 36 centimeters from a slender taproot. The narrow linear leaves are up to 5 centimeters long but only a few millimeters wide and may be very hairy. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head, with up to 22 heads per plant. The flower head bears many yellow, brownish, or whitish ray florets 3 to 12 millimeters long, and has a center of many five-lobed yellow to reddish disc florets. The fruit is an achene tipped with a pappus of bristles.

Pentachaeta exilis is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name meager pygmydaisy. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the North Coast Ranges to the southern Central Valley, San Joaquin Valley, and Sierra Nevada foothills. It is a member of grassland and woodland plant communities. Pentachaeta exilis is an annual herb with a hairy stem no more than about 6 centimeters tall. The narrow linear leaves are up to 3 centimeters long but only about a millimeter wide. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head, with up to 23 heads per plant. The two subspecies of the plant have different types of heads. Most incidences of the plant are ssp. exilis, which has long reddish disc florets in its head but only rudimentary ray florets. The rare subspecies aeolica, which is known from just a few occurrences in the Central Coast Ranges, generally produces some white ray florets around a center of yellow disc florets. Pentachaeta exilis is an annual herb with a hairy stem no more than about 6 centimeters tall. The narrow linear leaves are up to 3 centimeters long but only about a millimeter wide. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head, with up to 23 heads per plant. The two subspecies of the plant have different types of heads. Most incidences of the plant are ssp. exilis, which has long reddish disc florets in its head but only rudimentary ray florets. The rare subspecies aeolica, which is known from just a few occurrences in the Central Coast Ranges, generally produces some white ray florets around a center of yellow disc florets.

Goldenback Fern (Pentagramma triangularis) is a common native fern that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California, primarily in the Desert Mountains and Modoc Plateau regions. It tends to grow in slopes and rocky places, at elevations from 0-7500 feet.

Perideridia kelloggii is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name Kellogg's yampah. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the north and central coasts, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. It grows in grassland habitat, sometimes on serpentine soils. It is a perennial herb which may reach 1.5 meters in maximum height, its slender, erect stem growing from a cluster of long, narrow, fibrous roots each up to 15 centimeters long. Leaves near the base of the plant have blades up to 45 centimeters wide which are divided into many leaflets subdivided into narrow, elongated lobes. The flower cluster is a compound umbel of many spherical clusters of small white flowers. These yield ribbed, oblong-shaped fruits each about half a centimeter long.

Swamp Knotweed (Polygonum amphibium) is a common native perennial herb in the Polygonaceae (Buckwheat) family that grows throughout California in almost every county. It is a wetland plant that is moderately fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in a rounded form to a height of 0.1 foot, with active growth during the summer. Flowers are yellow and bloom in the late spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in shallow lakes and streams, at elevations from 0-10000 feet.

Calibrachoa parviflora is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family known by the common name seaside petunia. It is native to much of southeastern South America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States, and it is present as an introduced species in other sections of the Americas, such as the southeastern United States, as well as in Australia, where it is an occasional weed in New South Wales. This herb produces slender, branching stems which creep along the ground and root at nodes. The upright branches are leafy, with fleshy, glandular, oblong or widely lance-shaped leaves. The herbage may be sticky in texture. Flowers occur in the leaf axils along the stems. Each is under a centimeter wide, its funnel- or bell-shaped corolla five-lobed and purple in color, with a paler tubular throat. The fruit is a capsule just a few millimeters wide.

Phacelia cicutaria (Caterpillar Phacelia or Caterpillar Scorpionweed) is an annual species in the Boraginaceae (Borage) family that is native to California, southern Nevada, and Baja California. It grows mainly in chaparral, frequently in burnt areas or on rocky slopes. Phacelia cicutaria is an upright annual shrub growing up to than 0.6 meter (2') high. Its foliage is deeply lobed, 2-15 centimeter. (1-6") long, with spiked segments. The flower buds are held in tight, hairy coils which uncoil as the flowers open one by one. The flowering stems' resemblance of caterpillars lends this plant its common name. Flowers appear Mar-May and are dirty-white to pale lavender in color.

It should be noted that there are a very large number of species in the genus Phacelia. Most are annuals. Gardeners should look for species appropriate to their area and garden conditions.

Phacelia ciliata is a species of phacelia known by the common name Great Valley phacelia. It is native to California, where it can be found in many of the coastal mountain ranges, the Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevada foothills; its distribution extends into Baja California. It grows in grassland and low mountain slopes. It is an annual herb growing erect to a maximum height near half a meter. The branching or unbranched stem is hairy and lightly hairy. The oblong or oval leaves are up to 15 centimeters long, the larger ones divided into lobed or toothed leaflets. The flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of many flowers. Each funnel- or bell-shaped flower has deeply veined, hair-lined sepals and a blue corolla with a pale throat.

Great Valley Phacelia (Phacelia ciliata var. ciliata) is a native annual herb that grows in southern and central California.

Merced Phacelia (Phacelia ciliata var. opaca) is a rare native annual herb that grows in central California.

Phacelia distans is a species in the Boraginaceae (Borage) family known by the common name distant phacelia. It is native to much of California including the coastal mountain ranges, valleys, and deserts, adjacent sections of Nevada and Arizona, and parts of northern Mexico. It grows in many types of habitats and is a common wildflower in its range. It is a variable annual herb growing decumbent to erect, its branching or unbranched stem 15 to 80 centimeters in length. It is usually coated in soft or stiff glandular hairs which some people find foul-smelling when touched. The leaves are up to 10 to 15 centimeters long and are divided into several lobed leaflets, sometimes intricately. The hairy flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of many funnel- or bell-shaped flowers. The flower is just under a centimeter long and is usually blue but may be white or varying shades of lavender or purple. It is most often used in a wildflower garden where it is grown from seed. Under suitable conditions it will re-seed itself. As with all annuals, careful weeding is essential.


It should be noted that there are a very large number of species in the genus Phacelia. Most are annuals. Gardeners should look for species appropriate to their area and garden conditions.

Phacelia divaricata is a species of phacelia known by the common name divaricate phacelia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the coastal hills and mountain ranges around the San Francisco Bay Area and to the north. It grows in chaparral, woodland, grassland, and other local habitat. Phacelia divaricata is an annual herb growing decumbent to erect, its branching or unbranched stem reaching 40 centimeters in maximum length. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long, oval in shape, and lobed or smooth-edged. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of several funnel- or bell-shaped flowers. The flower is 1 to 1. 5 centimeters long and pale lavender in color. Phacelia divaricata is an annual herb growing decumbent to erect, its branching or unbranched stem reaching 40 centimeters in maximum length. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long, oval in shape, and lobed or smooth-edged. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of several funnel- or bell-shaped flowers. The flower is 1 to 1. 5 centimeters long and pale lavender in color.

Phacelia douglasii is a species of phacelia known by the common name Douglas' phacelia. It is native to California, where it grows coastal and inland mountains and foothills, the Central Valley, and the deserts. It is an annual herb growing mostly erect to a maximum height around 40 centimeters. Most of the leaves are located low on the branching stem and are deeply lobed or divided into leaflets. The hairy flower cluster is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of several bell-shaped flowers. The flower may be over a centimeter long and is pale purple or bluish in color.

Douglas' Phacelia (Phacelia douglasii var. douglasii) is a native annual herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-5000 feet.

Phacelia fremontii (Frmont's phacelia) is a flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, native to the southwestern United States. Its range includes the Mojave Desert. It was named for John C. Frmont. P. fremontii is an annual plant growing 7-30 centimeter tall, with deeply lobed or compound leaves 1.5-5 centimeter long. The flowers are blue to lavender with a yellow throat, 7-15 millimeter long (rarely to 20 millimeter). The plant grows in gravelly and sandy soils in most of the desert. It can also be found in varied mountain, valley, and plateau habitat types.

Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) is an annual plant whose lovely lavender-blue flowers are very attractive to pollinators and other beneficial insects. The flowers are bell-shaped with long stamens that protrude beyond the petals. The flowers grow in clusters at the top of the stem. The deeply cut leaves give this plant its lacy appearance. Lacy Phacelia is a valuable pollinator plant and is especially favored by bees. It also attracts hoverflies, beneficial insects that eat aphids and other pests.

Lacy Phacelia is often planted in vineyards and next to crops because its nectar-rich flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators. It is also used as a bee-friendly cover crop on organic farms. In the garden, it does best in full sun and well-draining sandy soil. This plant has a fast growth rate. Be aware that some people can experience skin irritation after touching this plant.

Phacelia vallis-mortae is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae, known by the common name Death Valley phacelia. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in deserts such as Death Valley, and mountain, plateau, and valley scrub habitat. It is an annual herb growing up to 60 centimeters tall with a branching or unbranched stem. It is coated in soft and stiff hairs. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and most are compound, divided into smaller leaflets lined with teeth or lobes. The hairy inflorescence is a one-sided curving or coiling cyme of bell-shaped flowers. Each flower 1 to 1. 5 centimeters long and a shade of lavender or purple, surrounded by a calyx of narrow sepals coated in long hairs.

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is a tall, perennial grass that commonly forms extensive single-species stands along the margins of lakes and streams and in wet open areas, with a wide distribution in Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. The stems can reach 2.5 meter in height. The leaf blades are blue-green when fresh and straw-colored when dry. The flowers are borne on the stem high above the leaves and are pinkish at full bloom. While possibly native to North America, European cultivars have been widely introduced for use as hay and forage on the continent; there are no easy traits known for differentiating between the native plants and European cultivars (White et al. 1993).

Phalaris lemmonii is an uncommon species of grass known by the common name Lemmon's canarygrass. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in coastal and inland mountain ranges and the Central Valley. It grows mainly in moist areas. It is an annual grass reaching maximum heights between 1. 3 and 1. 5 meters. The cylindrical inflorescence is up to 12 centimeters long, each spikelet made up of one strongly beaked fertile floret and one or two sterile florets.

Common reed (Phragmites australis) is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Common reed commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may be as much as a square kilometer or more in extent. Where conditions are suitable, it can spread 16 feet or more per year by horizontal runners, which put down roots at regular intervals. 

It can grow in damp ground, in standing water (up to three feet or so deep), or even as a floating mat. One of the few native plants that the California Invasive Plant Council has determined is invasive in regions outside its natural range.

The erect stems grow to 6 to 20 ft tall. The tallest plants grow in areas that have hot summers and fertile growing conditions.

Common reed is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species. In particular, the South Asian Khagra Reed (P. karka) is often treated as distinct. 

Phyla lanceolata is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family known by the common name lanceleaf fogfruit or frogfruit. It is native to the southern half of North America, including much of the United States except for the northwestern quadrant, and much of Mexico. It is resident in many types of moist and wet habitat, including disturbed areas, such as irrigation ditches. It is a perennial herb growing decumbent in a matlike form with spreading, trailing stems up to half a meter long, sometimes rooting at nodes. The lance-shaped or nearly oval leaves are up to 6 centimeters long and have toothed or partially toothed edges. The inflorescence, arising on a peduncle several centimeters tall, is a spherical spike of flowers which elongates into a cylindrical form as the fruits develop. The tiny, densely packed flowers are white, sometimes tinged with blue or purple. It is similar to the related species Phyla nodiflora, but differs in having much longer and more pointed leaves. Both species are common as weeds and in the ornamental environment.

The American pillwort, Pilularia americana A. Braun is an unusual species of fern. The fronds essentially consist of the stems only, any form of flattened laminae having been lost. It is in the aquatic fern family Marsileaceae, and is related to the water clovers and also to Azolla and Salvinia. The range of the American pillwort is well-established throughout much of California and south-central Oregon. However, mostly only local occurrences have been found elsewhere in eastern North America. It is uncertain whether this reflects a genuinely sporadic occurrence, or whether this is a reflection of the fact that this is a small, grasslike, extremely easily overlooked plant. Close examination is often necessary to ascertain that this is a Pilularia. The species also occurs through Central and South America, although scientific investigation may confirm those plants to be a separate species, P. mandoni A. Braun. Recent research has determined that the North American plants normally assigned to P. americana are actually two different (cryptic) species. The plants in most of the United States range are true americana, while plants in southernmost California and Mexico are different, and are in fact very close genetically to the Australian and New Zealand species, Pilularia novae-hollandiae, and may possibly be eventually regarded as part of that species. This plant is easily grown given a suitable habitat and kept uncrowded. The pillwort also may die out for drier or colder parts of the season, regenerating the next year from the sporocarps. While it is in the aquatic fern group, it prefers to be emergent (in shallow water, with fronds emerging into the air) or growing completely emersed (fronds completely out of water), though preferring to be rooted in wet mud.

Piperia unalascensis is a species of orchid known by the common names slender-spire orchid, Alaska piperia and Alaska rein orchid. It is native to much of western North America from Alaska to the southwestern United States, as well as eastern sections of Canada and the Great Lakes. It can be found in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat, often in dry areas. This orchid grows erect to about 70 centimeters in maximum height. The basal leaves are up to 15 centimeters long by 4 wide. Leaves higher on the stem are much reduced. The upper part of the stem is a slender, spikelike inflorescence of widely spaced translucent green flowers. The flowers are fragrant in the evenings, with a musky, soapy, or honeylike scent. The plant is variable in size, stem thickness, density of inflorescence, petal shape, and scent. Plants of the coast ranges and the Pacific Northwest are stouter and have broader sepals and petals than do interior and montane forms.

Plagiobothrys acanthocarpus is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name adobe popcornflower. It is native to California and northwestern sections of Mexico, where it can be found in moist areas on clay soil, such as vernal pools. It is an annual herb with a spreading or erect stem 10 to 40 centimeters in length. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped to oblong and several centimeters in length. The plant is coated in rough hairs. The inflorescence is a series of tiny flowers, each with a yellow-throated, five-lobed white corolla less than 3 millimeters wide. The nutlets are covered in long prickles with some bristles between.

Plagiobothrys austiniae is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Austin's popcornflower. It is native to California, where it can be found in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills. It is also known from southern Oregon. Its habitat includes moist and wet areas, such as vernal pools. It is an annual herb with a spreading or erect stem 10 to 40 centimeters in length. The leaves are located along the stem, the lowest, largest ones measuring up to 5 centimeters long. The plant is coated in rough hairs. The inflorescence is a series of tiny flowers, each five-lobed white corolla less than 3 millimeters wide. The fruit is a bristly nutlet with prickles along its midribs.

Plagiobothrys bracteatus is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name bracted popcornflower. It is native to western North America from Oregon throughout California into northwestern Mexico, where it can be found in a variety of wet habitats such as vernal pools and other moist spots in the forests and chaparral. It is an annual herb with a mostly upright stem 10 to 40 centimeters in length. The leaves are located along the stem, the lowest, largest ones measuring up to 10 centimeters long. The plant is coated in sparse rough hairs. The inflorescence is a series of tiny flowers, the lower ones accompanied by leaflike bracts. Each five-lobed white corolla measures 1 to 3 millimeters wide. The fruit is a narrow, cross-ribbed, tubercled nutlet no more than 2 millimeters long.

Plagiobothrys canescens is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name valley popcornflower. It is endemic to California, where it is a common wildflower in valley, foothill, desert, coastline, and canyon habitat in the central and southern regions of the state. Plagiobothrys canescens is an annual herb with a spreading or erect stem 10 to 60 centimeters in length. The leaves are located in a basal rosette about the base of the stem, with smaller ones located along the stem's length. The plant is coated in long, rough hairs and sometimes bristles. It is purple-edged and -veined and leaks purple juice when crushed. The inflorescence is a series of tiny flowers and hairy bracts. Each five-lobed white corolla measures 2 to 3 millimeters wide. The fruit is a rounded, arched nutlet no more than 2 millimeters long texured with cross-ribs.

Plagiobothrys distantiflorus is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name California popcornflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the northern and central Sierra Nevada foothills. It grows in grassland and woodland habitat. It is an annual herb with a spreading or erect stem up to 30 centimeters in length. The leaves along the stem are up to 2. 5 centimeters long and coated in rough hairs. The inflorescence is a series of tiny flowers accompanied by hairy bracts. The flowers have five-lobed white corollas under 2 millimeters wide.

Plagiobothrys fulvus is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names field popcornflower or fulvous popcornflower. It is native to California and Oregon in the United States, as well as Chile. It is a common wildflower in several types of habitat, including grasslands. It is an annual herb with a very hairy stem growing erect to a maximum height around 60 centimeters. The leaves occur in a rosette around the base of the stem and along the stem's length in an alternate arrangement. They are coated in hairs and leak purple juice when crushed. The inflorescence is a curving series of small flowers. Each flower has a white corolla under half a centimeter wide and a calyx of sepals which are slightly longer than the corolla. The fruit is a pair or quartet of tiny angular ribbed nutlets.

Plagiobothrys glyptocarpus is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name sculptured popcornflower. It is native to Oregon and northern California, where it grows in moist woodland and grassland habitat. It is an annual herb growing mostly erect to a maximum height near half a meter. The leaves along the stem are 4 to 8 centimeters long and the herbage is coated in rough hairs. The inflorescence is a series of small white flowers with rounded five-lobed corollas 2 to 9 millimeters wide. The fruit is a nutlet about 2 millimeters wide with a rough, tubercled or ribbed surface visible on magnification.

Plagiobothrys greenei is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Greene's popcornflower. It is native to Oregon and northern California, where it grows in moist woodland and grassland habitat. It is an annual herb with a spreading or erect stem growing 10 to 40 centimeters long. The leaves along the stem are 1 to 5 centimeters long and the herbage is coated in rough hairs. The inflorescence is a series of tiny flowers with white five-lobed corollas no more than 3 millimeters wide. The fruit is a minute nutlet with a surface covered in long prickles.

Plagiobothrys humistratus is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names dwarf popcornflower or low popcornflower. It is endemic to the Central Valley of California, where it grows in grassland habitats, including vernal pools and other wetland areas. Plagiobothrys humistratus is an annual herb growing prostrate, with stems extending up to 40 centimeters in length. The leaves along the stem are 3 to 8 centimeters long and coated in rough hairs. The inflorescence is a series of tiny white flowers accompanied by bracts. Each five-lobed flower is 1 or 2 millimeters in length. The fruit is a narrow oblong nutlet under 3 millimeters in length, often coated in minute bristles. Plagiobothrys humistratus is an annual herb growing prostrate, with stems extending up to 40 centimeters in length. The leaves along the stem are 3 to 8 centimeters long and coated in rough hairs. The inflorescence is a series of tiny white flowers accompanied by bracts. Each five-lobed flower is 1 or 2 millimeters in length. The fruit is a narrow oblong nutlet under 3 millimeters in length, often coated in minute bristles.

Plagiobothrys leptocladus is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names finebranched popcornflower and alkali plagiobothrys. It is native to western North America from Alaska to the Dakotas to northern Mexico, where it can be found in varied types of wet habitat, including inundated alkali flats and vernal pools. It is an annual herb growing mostly decumbent with stems 10 to 30 centimeters long. It is hairless to roughly hairy in texture. The leaves along the stem reach 10 centimeters in length near the base. The inflorescence is a series of tiny white flowers each 1 or 2 millimeters wide. Each is surrounded by a calyx of bent, ribbed sepals. The fruit is a lance-shaped nutlet.

Plagiobothrys nothofulvus is a species of flowering plant in the boraginaceae family known by the common names rusty popcornflower and foothill snowdrops. It is native to western North America from Washington, and California, to northern Mexico. It is a spring wildflower in grassy meadows, woodlands, coastal sage scrub, and wetland-riparian habitats. Plagiobothrys nothofulvus is native to parts of the Pacific Northwest. It ranges from northern California and into southern Washington. Populations have been reported as far south as Baja California, Mexico and north to the Columbia River Gorge. Habitat. Grassy meadows, especially those along the coast, are the most common habitat for Plagiobothrys nothofulvus. It can also be found in woodlands, coastal sage scrub, and wetland-riparian habitats and are often associated with serpentine or plutonic soils. Other species that commonly grow in similar grassland habitats and are often associated with Plagiobothrys nothofulvus include Aster chilensis, Lotus angustissimus, Plantago lanceolata, Galium parisiense, Brodiaea terrestris, and other native herbs. Etymology. The scientific name of the rusty popcorn flower, Plagiobothrys nothofulvus, describes some of its key characteristics. Plagiobothrys refers to a sideways pit formed by the position of the nutlet attachment scar. Lagiobothrys nothofulvus is food for many different animals. Deer, ground squirrels, and insects often forage on the plant. Turtles will also feed on the flowers in riparian zones. Black seed-harvesting ants will eat the seeds of popcorn flowers. Species of beetles will use the flower as a breeding platform. Butterflies, moths, and bees drink its nectar as they pollinate the flowers. Ctenuchid moths are frequently found on the flowers, the importance of their interactions is currently unknown. Reproduction. The flowers of Plagiobothrys nothofulvus generally bloomfrom February - April. Plagiobothrys nothofulvus is a federally listed endangered species in Oregon. The major threat to Plagiobothry nothofulvus is habitat loss by the transformation of its historical range to agricultural land. The loss of seasonal wetlands by habitat degradation and changing climate as well as the introduction of invasive species also pose large threats to the rusty popcorn flower. Efforts to restore the population include establishing protected populations, saving seeds, providing education to land owners, and restoring natural habitats.

Plagiobothrys stipitatus is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name stalked popcornflower and stipitate forget-me-not. It is native to Oregon and most of California, where it grows in vernal pools and similar wet habitat types. It is an annual herb producing a narrow, hollow, erect stem up to half a meter tall. It is coated in rough hairs. The pointed, hairy leaves along the stem are up to 11 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a series of five-lobed white flowers 2 millimeters to over one centimeter wide. The fruit is a narrow, ribbed nutlet.

Plantago subnuda is a species of plantain known by the common name tall coastal plantain. It is native to western North America from the west coast of the United States to west-central Mexico, where it grows in wet and moist habitat types, often in coastal areas, such as marshland. It is a perennial herb producing few oval leaves around a thick caudex. The broad smooth-edged or slightly toothed leaves may be up to 40 centimeters long. The stemlike flower clusters grow erect to a maximum height near half a meter. Atop the peduncle of the flower cluster is a dense cylindrical spike of many tiny flowers. Each flower has a corolla of ephemeral petals about 3 millimeters long.

Sierra Bog Orchid (Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-11000 feet.

The Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa), a species of plane tree native to California, is a tall, distinctive tree that stands out in any landscape. This tree is known for its bark, which is mottled in shades of pale tan, gray, and white. The bark peels as it ages. It has twisting branches and large leaves which turn orange-yellow in the fall. It produces seed balls after blooming. It's an important host plant for the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

Naturally found in moist areas near rivers and streams, this tree requires a significant amount of water to thrive. When not planted near a water source, it needs regular irrigation. The Western Sycamore tolerates different soil types and does best in full sun. It can grow up to 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide, so be sure to give new trees a large planting area.

Platystemon is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the Papaveraceae (Poppy) family containing the single species Platystemon californicus, which is known by the common name Creamcups. It is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it is a common spring wildflower in many types of habitat. In California it is found from north to south, along the coast, in foothills, the Coast Ranges, Transverse Range and Peninsular Range. It is populr as an ornamental plant for landscaping and revegetation of recently burned areas. This is an annual herb which is quite variable in appearance. The oppositely arranged leaves are 2 to 8 centimeters long and in shape linear, lance-shaped, or oblong. It is hairy in texture, sometimes with very long hairs. The flower cluster is a single flower on a tall peduncle up to 20 centimeters high. The flower has six petals which may be pure white or golden or white with large gold spots or gold tips. The center of the flower is filled with a tuftlike cluster of many thick, flattened stamens. The fruit is a capsule with several one-seeded sections that break apart. There is one recognized variety, var. ciliatus, which is a rare plant endemic to Santa Barbara Island.

Plectritis ciliosa is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name longspur seablush. It is native to western North America from Washington to Baja California and Arizona, where it is a common plant in mountains, valleys, and coastal habitat types. It is an annual herb growing erect to a maximum height between 50 and 80 centimeters. The widely spaced, paired and oppositely arranged leaves are oval or somewhat oblong, smooth-edged, and up to 3 centimeters long by 1 wide. The upper ones lack petioles. The inflorescence is a dense headlike cluster of flowers in shades of bright to pale pink with two darker pink dots on the lower lip. Each flower has a long, slender spur extending downward from the front of the corolla.

One-sided Bluegrass (Poa secunda ssp. secunda) is a common native grass that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-12500 feet.

Pogogyne douglasii is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name Douglas' mesa mint. It is endemic to central California, where it grows in vernal pools and similar grassland habitat in the coastal and inland mountain ranges and the Central Valley. This is an aromatic annual herb producing a sturdy, erect stem up to about 40 centimeters in maximum height. The flower cluster is a headlike cluster, each flower accompanied by long, pointed sepals lined densely with long, straight, white hairs. Each lipped tubular flower is 1 to 2 centimeters in length and mostly pinkish-purple with a white throat spotted with purple and sometimes yellow.

Douglas' Mesamint (Pogogyne douglasii ssp. parviflora) is a native annual herb that grows in central and northern California.

Pogogyne zizyphoroides (orth. var. P. ziziphoroides) is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Sacramento mesamint and Sacramento beardstyle. It is native to central and northern California and southwestern Oregon. It grows in vernal pools and similar habitats, including in the Central Valley and California Coast Ranges. Pogogyne zizyphoroides is an aromatic annual herb growing erect, its sturdy stem topped with a rounded, headlike inflorescence or interrupted series of two or more clusters. Some flowers also emerge at the leaf axils. The tubular, lipped flower is under a centimeter long and purple in color, sometimes with white in the throat. Each flower is surrounded by long, hairy green sepals.

Polemonium carneum is a plant native to the northwestern United States west of the Cascade Range in Washington south to the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Common names include royal Jacob's ladder, great polemonium, and salmon polemonium. It grows in the lowlands and in prairies to moderate elevations in the mountains, and inhabits woody thickets, open and moist forests, prairie edges, and roadsides. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing one or more stems decumbent in form or erect to a maximum height near one meter. The leaves are compound with up to 21 leaflets each. The sticky-haired leaflets are somewhat lance-shaped and up to 4 centimeters long. The flower cluster is an open, spreading cluster of 3 to 7 flowers each borne on a thin peduncle. The flower is widely bell-shaped with a five-lobed corolla that may spread to nearly 3 centimeters wide. The flower corolla may be any shade of pale pink, salmon pink, yellow, or pale lavender to medium purple.

Polygonum spergulariiforme is a North American species of flowering plants in the buckwheat family known by the common name spurry knotweed or fall knotweed. It grows in western Canada (British Columbia and Saskatchewan) and the western United States (primarily Washington, Oregon, and northern and central California but with a few isolated populations in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana). Polygonum spergulariiforme is a green, branching herb up to 50 cm (20 in) tall. Leaves are narrow, up to 6 cm (2. 4 in) long. Flowers are pink or white, in dense, elongated clumps. The plant flowers from June to October, later than some of its relatives.