Desert Candle (Caulanthus inflatus) is a spectacular drought adapted annual flowering plant. Its most striking feature is its thick swollen yellow stems, which rise from a base of green leaves and look like candles. They can reach 3 feet in height. Small flowers appear on the stem in spring or fall and are reddish-purple.

This is a desert plant that does best in full sun and well-draining soil. It germinates readily from seed and works well in containers.Desert Candle is a great butterfly, moth, and native fly host.

Mt. Vision Ceanothus is one of three recognized varieties of Ceanothus gloriosus. All three varieties are rare, but var. porrectus is the most rare and has the most limited distribution, being restricted to a handful of sites in the vicinity of Pt. Reyes and Tomales Bay. This is an area that receives significant moisture from summer fog. Mt. Vision Ceanothus tends to grow in sandy places, at elevations from sea level to 1,000 feet. It is low growing, forming a mat or low mound. The evergreen leaves are oppositely arranged and up to 5 centimeters long, rounded to oval in shape. The edges are toothed, the teeth sometimes spine-tipped. The flower cluster is bright blue to purple. The fruit is a horned capsule about 4 millimeters wide. Although this plant is native to the north coast, it has been used in other coastal parts of the state if conditions similar to its native habitat can be maintained.

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

Ceanothus hearstiorum is a species of flowering shrub known by the common names Hearst Ranch Buckbrush and Hearst's Ceanothus. This Ceanothus is endemic to California, where it grows wild only on the hilly coastline of San Luis Obispo County. This shrub is generally wider than it is tall and often lies prostrate in a mat on the ground. The younger branches are hairy and somewhat feltlike in texture. The distinctive evergreen leaves are oval to almost rectangular and have a cupped, rippled surface. The edges are toothed with tiny hairy knobs and the shiny surface may be dotted with more knobs. The underside of the leaf is fuzzy to hairy. The flower clusters are borne on short, stout stalks and the tiny flowers are lavender to blue with prominent yellow-anthered blue stamens.

This plant prefers to be near the coast where it would have cooler temperatures and some fog. If planted inland, give afternoon shade and an occasional rinse in the summer. It is a rare plant in the wild due to its extremely limited distribution. However, it is a popular garden plant and is readily available at nurseries.

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.

Ceanothus maritimus is a rare, narrow endemic species of shrub in the Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) known by the common name Maritime Ceanothus. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it is known from only a few occurrences in the vicinity of Hearst Ranch. It shares the same range as the similarly rare Ceanothus hearstiorum, growing on the coastal bluffs.

This species looks unlike other Ceanothus and is said to resemble the non-native Cotoneaster. This is a spreading or ascending shrub under a meter in height with reddish gray bark aging to gray. The firm evergreen leaves are oppositely arranged, each oval or oblong in shape with a pointed, flat, or notched tip. Its short leaves are shiny green on top and woolly underneath, with their edges curled under and sometimes toothed.

The flower cluster is a small cluster of deep blue to off-white flowers. The fruit is a capsule, generally rounded with tiny horns on top. This is an attractive, adaptable, long-lived plant that is great for central coastal gardens.

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

Horticultural selection from Ceanothus maritimus. Frosty Dawn California Lilac, also known as Maritime ceanothus, is a small, evergreen groundcover 2'-3' x 5'-6'. Its low, compact and creeping habit make this an excellent choice for coastal gardens. Like it's parent, Frosty Dawn is slow growing but long lived, try planting Frosty Dawn Ceanothus on hills, mixed in with boulders, or in a border that has plants that also prefer low water. Leaves are greyish green above, nearly white with wool beneath. It produces dense clusters of lavender-blue flowers in spring, even as early as December. Provide additional water and protection from afternoon sun inland.

Horticultural selection C. maritimus; intro David Fross, Native sons Nursery Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected from cuttings collected by Austin Griffiths and David Fross south of Arroyo de la Cruz in 1985.

Horticultural selection from Ceanothus maritimus. Point sierra California Lilac is a selection of maritime Ceanothus from just north of Arroyo de la Cruz. It is a small scale groundcover evergreen shrub, growing 1-3'high x 4-6'wide. We love Ceanothus maritimus and chose to grow this Point sierra selection due to it's increased tolerance of inland heat. Nonetheless, we recommend some light shade for hot interior gardens. Lavender blue flowers appear in early spring. This plant will grow in heavy soils and is great wildlife plant for butterflies, pollinators and birds.

Plant as a small-scale groundcover, as an accent in a dry border, or as a highlight in a rock garden. Trails over walls or rocks wonderfully. Maritime ceanothus adapts to many soil types, it will even grow in heavy soils as long as they are well drained. This groundcover ceanothus is slow-growing but long-lived. Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected from cuttings collected south of Arroyo de la Cruz by Austin Griffiths and David Fross in 1985.

Horticultural selection from Ceanothus maritimus. Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. A selection for the garden. Introduced by UC Davis.

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

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

Centromadia fitchii, Fitch's spikeweed or Fitch's tarweed, is a species of North American plants in the tarweed tribe within the sunflower family. It is native to California and southwestern Oregon. Centromadia fitchii is an herb up to 50 cm (20 inches) tall. It produces arrays of numerous yellow flower heads with both ray florets and disc florets.

Pappose Tarweed (Centromadia parryi) is a rare native annual herb that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California, primarily in the North Coast, the North Coast Range and South Coast regions. It tends to grow in seasonally wet grassy places, at elevations from 0-1400 feet.

Centromadia pungens, the commmon spikeweed or common tarweed, is a species of North American plants in the tarweed tribe within the sunflower family. It is native to northern Baja California and the western United States (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona). The plant is considered a noxious weed in parts of the Pacific Northwest. Centromadia pungens is an herb up to 120 cm (48 inches) tall. It produces arrays of numerous yellow flower heads with both ray florets and disc florets.

Cephalanthus occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that is native to the Central Valley in California, and to eastern and southern North America. Common names include Buttonbush, Common Buttonbush, Button-willow and Honey-bells. C. occidentalis is a deciduous shrub or small tree that averages 1-3 meter (3.3-9.8 feet) in height, but can reach 6 meter (20 feet). The leaves are opposite or in whorls of three, elliptic to ovate, 7-18 centimeter (2.8-7.1 inches) long and 4-10 meter (13-33 feet) broad, with a smooth edge and a short petiole. The flowers are arranged in a dense spherical flower cluster 2-3.5 centimeter (0.79-1.4 inches) in diameter on a short peduncle. Each flower has a fused white to pale yellow four-lobed corolla forming a long slender tube connecting to the sepals. The stigma protrudes slightly from the corolla. The fruit is a spherical cluster of achenes (nutlets).

This plant is easy to grow as long as it's planted near a stream or water source. Often used in wetland revegation project in the Central Valley.

Cerastium arvense is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common names field mouse-ear and field chickweed. It is a widespread species, occurring throughout Europe and North America, as well as parts of South America. It is a variable species. There are several subspecies, but the number and defining characteristics are disputed. Cerastium arvense is a perennial herb growing up to 30 to 45 centimeters tall. It takes the form of a mat, clump, creeper, or upright flower, and may grow from a taproot or tangled system of rhizomes. It is usually somewhat hairy in texture, often with glandular hairs. The leaves are linear, lance-shaped, or oblong, and a few centimeters in length. The inflorescence may consist of a single flower to a dense cluster of many. The flower has five white petals, each with two lobes, and five hairy green sepals at the base. The fruit is a capsule up to 1. 5 centimeters long with ten tiny teeth at the tip. It contains several brown seeds. Cerastium arvense is a perennial herb growing up to 30 to 45 centimeters tall. It takes the form of a mat, clump, creeper, or upright flower, and may grow from a taproot or tangled system of rhizomes. It is usually somewhat hairy in texture, often with glandular hairs.

Chaenactis alpigena is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name southern Sierra pincushion. It is native to the High Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains of California, extending in the latter just into Nevada. The plant is cultivated in rock gardens as well. It grows in sandy and gravelly soil in various alpine and subalpine mountain habitat.

Chaenactis fremontii, with the common names Fremont's pincushion and Desert pincushion, is a species of annual wildflower in the daisy family. Both the latter common name, and the specific epithet are chosen in honor of John C. Frémont. Chaenactis fremontii is native to the Southwestern United States and northern Baja California. It grows in sandy and gravelly soils in the deserts and low mountains, such as the Mojave Desert in California and the Sonoran Desert habitats. It is found in California, Baja California, Arizona, Nevada, and southern Utah. Chaenactis fremontii grows in patches of long stems which are green when new and grow reddish with age. They may branch to extend many tall, almost naked stems. The sparse leaves are somewhat fleshy and long and pointed. Atop each erect stem is an inflorescence bearing usually one but sometimes more flower heads, each with plentiful densely packed disc florets. There may be very large ray florets around the edge of the discoid head. The flowers are white or very light pink. Chaenactis fremontii is native to the Southwestern United States and northern Baja California. It grows in sandy and gravelly soils in the deserts and low mountains, such as the Mojave Desert in California and the Sonoran Desert habitats. It is found in California, Baja California, Arizona, Nevada, and southern Utah.

Chaenactis glabriuscula is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common name Yellow Pincushion. It is native to much of California and Baja California, where it grows in a wide variety of habitats. It is a variable plant, especially across its five recognized Varieties: Var. orcuttiana, is a rare variety limited to the beaches and coastal dunes of southern California and Baja, where it is threatened by development of its coastal habitat. In general this is an annual herb producing one or more mainly erect stems approaching half a meter in maximum height. The branching stems are hairy and often cobwebby with fibers. The leaves are up to about 10 centimeters long, sometimes fleshy, and usually divided into many very small, curling lobes. The flower cluster produces one to many flower heads on a very long, erect peduncle. The flower head is lined with flat, hairy or woolly hairy phyllaries. It contains many tubular flowers in shades of gold to bright yellow, the outermost flowers large and flat-faced, most with protruding anthers. The fruit is an achene which may be over a centimeter long including its layered pappus of scales. This is an attractive plant, especially when planted in mass, which can bloom up to eight months of the year, and attractive to butterflies.

Blitum californicum (Syn. Chenopodium californicum) is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common names California Goosefoot and (ambiguously) "Indian lettuce". It is native to California and Baja California where it can be found below 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in open areas in a number of habitat types, such as grassland, chaparral, desert, and montane. This is a perennial herb producing a number of decumbent to erect stems which approach a meter in maximum height when growing upright. It grows from a thick, fleshy caudex. When there are many stems the plant may form a clump or mat. The leaves grow on long petioles and are triangular or arrowhead-shaped and up to about 10 centimeters long. The edges are deeply and sharply toothed. The inflorescences are spherical clusters dotted along an inflorescence-like spike. Each dense cluster contains several rounded flowers, with each flower a series of flat lobes covering the developing fruit. The fruit is a reddish utricle layered around the surface of the seed. Uses. California goosefoot was used for a variety of purposes by Native Americans including use as a medicine and a source of soap, in addition to the use of the seeds for flour and the leaves and shoots as a cooked vegetable.

Chlorogalum angustifolium is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name narrowleaf soap plant. It is native to the Sierra Nevada foothills and inner North Coast Ranges of California, and the mountains of southern Oregon, where it grows in heavy, rocky soils in woodland and on grassy hillsides. This is a perennial wildflower growing from a fibrous bulb a few centimeters wide. It has narrow basal leaves only a few millimeters wide. The flower cluster may be up to 70 centimeters long and is composed of several ephemeral flowers which open in the evening and close by the following morning. Each has six petals about a centimeter long which are white with yellow-green midveins. There are six stamens tipped with large yellow anthers. The fruit is a capsule 1 to 3 millimeters long. The Karuk of northern California used the soapy juice from the crushed bulbs of this plant as a detergent for washing clothes.

Chlorogalum parviflorum is a species of perennial herb in the lily family known by the common name smallflower soap plant. It is a monocot native to coastal southern California and Baja California, where it is a member of the coastal sage scrub flora. This perennial wildflower grows from a dark-coated bulb several centimeters wide. The basal leaves have wavy edges. The flower cluster may reach 90 centimeters tall and is made up of many dark-veined white or pinkish flowers. Each flower has six petals just under a centimeter long which are spread open for only one day. The six stamens are tipped with yellow anthers. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long.

Soap plant (Chlorogalum pomeridianum) is a member of the Agavaceae (Agave) family, but more closely resembles a Lily.

Soap plant has delicate, star-like flowers in clusters. They are typically white, with a noticeable purple or green mid-vein and yellow-to-orange stamens. Soap plant flowers are unique in that they open only in the late afternoon or evening, sometimes on cloudy days. The flowers remain open during the night but will close by the morning. Pollination is by evening and night flying insects.

As the plant's common name indicates, the leaves usually have edges that are wavy. The plant is drought-deciduous, and its foliage usually disappears by late summer. Once established, Soap Plant requires virtually no care.

Indigenouse Peoples use the crushed bulbs and water to produce a lather for cleaning clothing and baskets. Soap plant is found in most of California except the desert regions and just into southwest Oregon. Wavy-leafed Soap Plant grows on rock bluffs, grasslands, chaparral, and in open woodlands.

Chorizanthe cuspidata is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name San Francisco spineflower. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the San Francisco Bay Area and to the immediate north and south. It grows in sandy coastal habitat. The Chorizanthe cuspidata plant grows flat along the ground, its stems extending up to about half a meter in length. The leaves are located about the base of the stem and are generally oval in shape and up to 5 centimeters long. The herbage is hairy to woolly in texture and green to reddish in color. The Chorizanthe cuspidata plant grows flat along the ground, its stems extending up to about half a meter in length. The leaves are located about the base of the stem and are generally oval in shape and up to 5 centimeters long. The herbage is hairy to woolly in texture and green to reddish in color. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of cylindrical flowers, each bordered by white or pink bracts with hooked or straight spines at the tips. The flower itself is 2 or 3 millimeters long, white or pink, and hairy. The minute tepals are lobed, with the central lobe longest and coming to a point. VarietiesThere are two varieties of this species:Chorizanthe cuspidata var. cuspidata is quite rare due to its Bay Area habitat having been mostly consumed for development. Chorizanthe cuspidata var. villosa can be found in the protected habitat of Point Reyes National Seashore.

Chorizanthe membranacea is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name pink spineflower. It is native to Oregon and California, where it is widespread and in some areas quite common. It can be found in a wide variety of habitats. This herb grows erect to a maximum height near one meter. It is woolly in texture and most of its parts may bear a pink tint. The leaves are mostly linear in shape and they may occur along the stem as well as at the base. The longest may reach 5 centimeters. The flower cluster is a dense cluster of flowers, each surrounded by a unit of six fused leafs which are generally white to pinkish in color. The leafs are tipped with hooked awns. The flower itself is just a few millimeters long, white to pink, and quite hairy. There are sometimes small flower clusters located in the cauline leaf axils along the stem. This species is easily distinguished from other spineflowers by its relative abundance of leaves, its height and upright habit, and the fusion of the leafs of the involucre into a continuous body.

Chorizanthe polygonoides is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name knotweed spineflower. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows widely scattered in many types of habitat. It is a petite plant taking a prostrate form with stems just a few centimeters long at maximum. It may be green to red in color and is hairy in texture. The leaves are no more than a centimeter long and the flower is under two millimeters wide. The minute flower is surrounded by three hairy point-tipped bracts.

Chorizanthe procumbens is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name prostrate spineflower. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in scrub and chaparral habitat. It is variable in appearance, up to 25 centimeters long or much shorter, usually growing prostrate along the ground. It is often yellowish green in color but there are grayish and reddish forms. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers with each minute white or yellow flower surrounded by spine-tipped bracts.

Chorizanthe robusta is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family. It is endemic to California, where it is a rare, federally listed endangered species. C. robusta is variable in form, growing decumbent or erect and reaching a maximum length of half a meter. It is grayish in color and hairy. The inflorescence is made up of several flowers with each flower surrounded by white or pink bracts with hooked tips. The flower itself is just a few millimeters long and white to pink in color. Varieties: It is composed of two varieties:var. robusta, known generally as the robust spineflower, which is known only from southern Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties,var. hartwegii, the Scotts Valley spineflower, which is known from a few locations in Scotts Valley in Santa Cruz County. The plant is closely related to Chorizanthe pungens, another rare endemic from the area.

Chorizanthe uniaristata is a species of flowering plant in the buckwheat family known by the common name one-awn spineflower. It is endemic to central California, where it is known from several of the local mountain ranges, as well as the Central Coast. It grows in sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils in chaparral and woodland. This plant has upright or decumbent stems up to about 25 centimeters in length. It is hairy and gray, green, or reddish in color. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers, with each flower surrounded by an array of six hairy bracts. One bract is much longer than the others and has a long, straight awn; the other bracts have hooked awns. The flower is 2 or 3 millimeters long and usually white.

Cicuta douglasii (Western water hemlock) is a poisonous plant in the family Apiaceae. It is a perennial plant that grows in wet places such as marshes, stream banks, slough margins, ditches, meadows, and wet pastures. The roots of this plant are thick and tuberous, with many smaller tubers coming from the main tuber. This root structure allows the water hemlock to adapt and survive wet conditions. Water hemlock is most abundant in British Columbia, and is indigenous to North America. In North America it primarily grows from the base of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast, stretching all the way from Alaska down to California. Water necessities limit this plant from growing in open rangelands. The characteristics of water hemlock include its stem which is 0.5-2 meters tall with purplish spots, thick roots, and leaves that are compound pinnate and alternate. The leaflets are usually 5-8 centimeter long and 1-2 centimeter wide with jagged edges. The flowers on it are compound umbellate flower clusters with many small, white flowers. There are two seeds for each flower. Seed dispersal for water hemlock seeds comes from means of wind, water, machinery, on clothing, and through transported soil. The seeds germinate in spring, and flowers mature near the end of June and beginning of July. In addition to sprouting new plants from seeds, rootstocks can also product new plants. These are formed in the fall from the basal meristem, and when they detach the following spring, they may form a new plant.

Cirsium quercetorum is a species of thistle endemic to coastal California, its common names include brownie thistle and Alameda thistle. Cirsium quercetorum is endemic to the Outer California Coast Ranges from Santa Barbara's Point Conception north into the San Francisco Bay Area and up the North Coast as far as Humboldt County. This is a common plant found in coastal grasslands and open woodlands. The perennial Cirsium quercetorum plant usually grows clumped low to the ground, less than 20 cm (8 inches) tall, but occasionally the plant grows erect and can reach 90 cm (36 inches) in height. It has spiny lobed toothy leaves and spiny flower heads with brownish ivory-tan white to purple disc florets but no ray florets.

The whimsical name of this pretty, vibrantly-colored Clarkia comes from its late spring to early summer bloom time. It flowers in shades ranging from pink to purple. Farewell to Spring attracts bees and butterflies and is a favorite plant in native pollinator and cut-flower gardens.

A member of the Evening Primrose family, Farewell to Spring is a self-seeding annual that tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. It has low moisture needs and requires minimal watering once established.

Clarkia cylindrica is species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name speckled fairyfan, or speckled clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the chaparral, woodlands and grassland of the coastal mountain ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills. This is an annual herb producing an erect stem to around half a meter in maximum height. Leaves are mainly linear in shape and up to six centimeters long. The flower cluster holds several flowers which hang heavily when they are buds and then grow erect as they open. Each open flower is a bowl of four fan-shaped petals up to about 3.5 centimeters long. The petals are intergrading shades of lavender, white, and magenta and they are often speckled with purple or pink. Beneath the petals are bright pink fused sepals. There are eight stamens with lavender anthers. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule up to 5 centimeters long.

Speckled Clarkia (Clarkia cylindrica ssp. cylindrica) is a native annual herb that grows in Southern and Central California, primarily in the South Coast Range, the South Coast and Transverse Range regions. It tends to grow in open grassy places, at elevations from 0-3300 feet.

Clarkia davyi is species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name Davy's fairyfan, or Davy's clarkia. It is endemic to California, where it grows in coastal habitats such as beaches and bluffs. This is an annual herb producing a thin stem which grows along the ground or somewhat upright. It is lined with small oval-shaped leaves one or two centimeters long. While in bud the flower is enclosed in four fused thick sepals. It blooms into a petite bowl-shaped corolla of four pink petals which often have lighter bases. Each petal is 5 to 11 millimeters long.

Clarkia prostrata is a species of flowering plant in the evening primrose family known by the common name prostrate clarkia. It is endemic to the coastline of San Luis Obispo County, California, where it grows on seaside bluffs in forested and grassy areas. This annual herb is prostrate as opposed to erect as most other Clarkia species are. Its stems extend to a maximum length approaching half a meter and are usually somewhat fuzzy in texture. The leaves are oval in shape, up to 2. 5 centimeters long, and lack petioles. The sepals of the flower separate into two pairs, revealing the lavender-pink blooming petals. Each petal is just over a centimeter long, fan-shaped to oval, and sometimes with a yellow base marked with a red spot.

Clarkia purpurea is a species of wildflower in the Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) family known by the common names Winecup Clarkia, Winecup Fairyfan, and Purple Clarkia. This plant is native to western North America where it is found in a variety of habitats. Within California it is very widespread, occurring all along the coast, in the Coast Ranges, Central Valley and Sierra foothills. There are three subspecies with differences in the flower color and with overlapping ranges. This plant erects a thin reddish stem which may approach a meter in height and has a few lance-shaped leaves. The bowl-shaped flowers have four petals usually one to two centimeters long and in shades of pink, purple, or deep wine red, often with a streak or spot of pink or red in the middle. In the garden it is almost always grown from seed and is included in many commercially available wildflower seed mixes.

Elegant clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata) is an annual wildflower in the Evening-Primrose family (Onagraceae). It is endemic (limited) to California, but is often sold in wildflower seed mixes throughout the country. Elegant clarkia has tall, thin stems, narrow leaves, and four spade-shaped petals in various shades of pink. Butterflies, moths, and bees are attracted to its flowers. It blooms in summer, when many wildflowers are finished for the year.

Another popular name is woodland clarkia, and its natural habitat is indeed open woodlands. It usually is found growing in oak woodlands or mixed evergreen forest, with native grasses and other wildflowers that appreciate part shade. Sow seeds in fall and let the rain do the rest. Allow to self-sow in fall before cutting back dead stocks. Grow this clarkia in the middle or back of a flower bed where its tall, whimsical flowers make a charming backdrop. Or create a mini-meadow under an oak tree with native bunchgrasses, wild onion, white globe lily, and purple chinese houses.

Claytonia exigua is a species of wildflower in the purslane family known by the common names serpentine springbeauty and pale claytonia. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Idaho to California, where it grows in a number of habitat types, including plant communities on serpentine soils. Claytonia exigua is a fleshy annual herb producing a patch of erect or leaning stems up to about 15 centimeters tall. The thick leaves are linear in shape and fingerlike near the base of the plant and crescent to disc-shaped farther up the stem. The plant is hairless and waxy and varies in color from green to pinkish, grayish, or brownish. The inflorescence holds several flowers on drooping pedicels which turn erect as the plant develops fruit. The flower has five lobed petals each a few millimeters long and in shades of pink, white, or pink-streaked white. The fruit is a capsule less than three millimeters long containing a few tiny seeds.

Virgin's bower (Clematis ligusticifolia) is a climbing, spreading vine with showy flowers. It is also known as Old-man's Beard and Yerba de Chiva, and Virgin's bower (though this may also refer to C. lasiantha). It is native to North America and widespread across the western United States in streamside thickets, wooded hillsides, and coniferous forests up to 4,000 feet. It was called "pepper vine" by early travelers and pioneers of the American Old West. 

Clinopodium chandleri is a rare native perennial herb in the Lamiaceae (Mint) family that grows in Southern California and northern Baja, primarily in the Peninsular Range region. It tends to grow in rocky slopes, at elevations of 1,700-2,300 feet. It was formerly classified in the genus Satureja, and some sources still refer to it by that name. It is a low-growing, fragrant, spreading herb that prefers regular water and some shade. It is well suited for containers. Although it is native to mountain areas, it can be grown near the coast.

Collinsia bartsiifolia is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name white blue-eyed Mary. It is endemic to California, where it is widespread in the mountain ranges and deserts and found in several habitat types. Collinsia bartsiifolia is an annual herb producing a slender, hairy stem up to about 35 centimeters long. It is lined with a few thick, narrowly oblong leaves with edges slightly rolled under. The inflorescence is an interrupted series of whorls of flowers. The flower is white to lavender to purple, sometimes bicolored, pouched and folded, with two toothed upper lobes and three notched lower lobes.

Collinsia grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names giant blue eyed Mary and large-flowered collinsia. This wildflower is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California where it grows in coniferous understory and woodland. This is an erect annual herb reaching about 35 centimeters in maximum height. It produces a thin stem and narrow leaves and looks grasslike before flowering. It produces a showy inflorescence which is separated into interrupted levels, with each level producing a row of one to several flowers. Each pea-like flower is just over a centimeter wide and bright purple with white upper lips. The fruit is a capsule containing four seeds. The plant is relatively small, but its features are larger than most other Collinsia, hence its common names.

Purple Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla) is a low annual (12 to 18 inches high) that flowers March through June. The flowers are gentle tones of lilac, lavender, purple or blue, usually with a white upper lip and arranged in towers of flower clusters that are thought to resemble a pagoda. They are impressive when massed and fit well with ferns and other wildflowers in chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, or Oak Woodland landscaping.

Seed can be sown in fall in an area cleared of weeds. The plant will typically reseed itself each year. It is adaptable to different types of soil but needs a moist place in part shade, part sun. In gardens it needs water weekly.

Hosting caterpillars of butterflies and moths, Purple Chinese Houses will also attract bees and benefit birds.

Purple Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla var. heterophylla) is a native annual herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-5000 feet.

Collinsia sparsiflora is a flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae known by the common names spinster's blue-eyed Mary and few-flowered collinsia. One variety of the species is native to the West Coast of the United States as far north as Washington, while the other three varieties are limited to California alone. The plant grows in several types of habitat, including disturbed and cultivated areas. It has a weak affinity for serpentine soils, growing from sea-level to 5000'.

Collomia grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names grand collomia and large-flowered mountain trumpet. This annual herb is native to western North America. It is also cultivated as an ornamental. The plant produces an erect, hairy or fuzzy stem which may be red to green in color. Arranged at wide intervals along the stem are long, lance-shaped leaves, the lowermost sometimes toothed along the edges. Atop the stem is an flower cluster of several flowers in white to yellow or orange. Each tubular, flat-faced flower is 2 or 3 centimeters wide with 5 curving, light-colored petals and stamens tipped with anthers which bear blue pollen. The fruit is a capsule containing sticky seeds.

Collomia heterophylla is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name variableleaf collomia. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Idaho to central California, where it grows in several types of habitat, including open areas on gravelly mountain slopes. It is a hairy annual herb producing a branching, erect stem. As the common name suggests, the leaves are variable in shape, the lower generally with several toothed lobes and the upper sometimes lacking lobes. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers emerging from the top of the stem or from the axil of a leaf. It may bear up to 25 flowers, each with star-shaped corolla at the tip of an elongated tube. The corolla lobes are lance-shaped and white to deep pink with white bases.

Comarum palustre (syn. Potentilla palustris), known by the common names purple marshlocks, swamp cinquefoil and marsh cinquefoil, is a common waterside shrub. It has a circumboreal distribution, occurring throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, particularly the northern regions. It is most commonly found on lake shores, marshy riversides and stream margins, often partly submerged with foliage floating. It is a parent of some Fragaria, Comarum hybrids, ornamental plants produced by crossing with strawberries. Its branches spread into leaves with three to seven narrow leaflets which are sharply jagged. The stem is a reddish brown, low sprawling, vine-like structure. Flowers extend from the branch which vary from red to purple, and are about one inch in diameter, blooming in summer. Swamp cinquefoil prefers peat soils but can also grow in moist sandy areas. It flourishes in USDA Zone 3 (minimum-40 degreesF (-40 degreesC)). It grows to about 12-18 in (30-46 cm) wide by 12-18 in (30-46 cm) high when cultivated properly.

Cornus glabrata is a species in the Cornaceae (Dogwood) family native to California and Oregon and known by the common name Brown Dogwood and several other names. It is found in the Coast Ranges and the Sierra foothills, below 5,000 ft., and on some of the Channel Islands. This is a large shrub or thicket-forming bush with very limber branches that often come down to the ground and root to form new plants. It also spreads by root suckers. The bark may be brown, reddish or purple, giving it interest in winter when it is leafless. The bright green leaves turn red in fall. It bears plentiful clusters of fuzzy white flowers and bluish-white berries. This shrub is most often found near water, usually directly on the bank of a water source, but it can become less thirsty in the garden by periodic deep watering.

Western Dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. occidentalis) is a native shrub that grows in northern, southern and central California. It is moderately fast growing and long-lived. It grows in a semi-upright form to a height of 16 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are white and striking, and bloom in the summer. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in moist places, at elevations from 0-8000 feet.

California hazel (Corylus cornuta var. californica) -- also commonly called beaked hazelnut or California hazelnut -- is an evergreen shrub in the Birch family (Betulaceae). Delicate stems are clothed in velvety birch-like leaves which turn golden yellow in autumn. Springtime brings dangling cream-colored catkins before the leaves appear, which can resemble tiny ornaments when viewed from a distance in a forest. Although ruby red, the flowers are quite small, and escape notice unless one is looking for them.

Butterflies and moths are attracted to the flowers and Early Hairstreak butterflies use the plant to lay their eggs. Wild birds feed on the high-protein winter buds and spring catkins. Hazelnuts are famous for their fruit, which is a delicious nut that is enclosed in a papery, beaked-shaped husk. Our native hazelnut, while not as productive as the commercial crop (European Hazelnut, Corylus avellana), may require protection from wildlife if one wishes to grow it for its nuts.

California hazel thrives as an understory shrub or small tree in Woodland habitats, flourishing in part to full shade and slightly moist, well-drained soil near creeks, streams, or under dense tree canopies. Gardeners who are interested in growing their own food using Permaculture or Food Forest methods, can include this plant in the shrub layer. For those who wish to attract wildlife, this is also a wonderful choice. California hazel adds a delicate, ethereal quality to a woodland garden and those with shady yards will find this shrub to be a great addition to their landscapes.