Arctostaphylos viscida is a species in the Ericaceae (Heath) family known by the common names whiteleaf manzanita and sticky manzanita. This is a treelike shrub reaching up to five meters in height. The stems may be smooth or fuzzy, and are often hairy. The leaves are rounded to oval, sometimes slightly toothed or with hairs along the edges, and usually dull green on both surfaces. When in flower the shrub is packed heavily with densely bunching flower clusters of urn-shaped white to pale pink flowers. The fruits are shiny red or greenish-brown drupes between one half and one centimeter wide. Seeds require fire for germination. This is a plant of chaparral and coniferous forests of 3,000-5,000 ft. elevation. It is native to California and Oregon. The Miwok of northern California used the fruits to make cider.

Purple three awn (Aristida purpurea) is a perennial bunchgrass known for its graceful, upright form and striking seed heads. The base of the plant appears green, while its feathery seed heads range in color from light brown to reddish-purple, creating a dynamic visual effect as they sway in the wind. This resilient grass thrives in various habitats across the United States, including deserts, mountains, and coastal regions.

Purple three awn's seeds provide food for some songbirds, supporting wildlife in natural landscapes. The grass also serves as a valuable native alternative to invasive species, offering a durable and low-maintenance option for landscaping. Its dense root system helps stabilize the soil and creates a matrix that supports the growth of wildflowers, enhancing biodiversity.

Purple three awn is a tough and attractive plant, its seeds can be sharp and may become a nuisance in areas with heavy foot traffic. The grass self-seeds readily, so it is important to manage young plants to prevent unwanted spread.

This hardy bunchgrass is a beautiful addition to native gardens and restoration projects, offering both aesthetic value and ecological benefits.

Red Three Awn (Aristida purpurea var. longiseta) is a native grass that grows in southern and central California. It is fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 1.4 feet, with active growth during the fall, winter and spring. Flowers are yellow and bloom in the early spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in sandy rocky soils, slopes and plains, at elevations from 1000-5200 feet.

Purple Threeawn (Aristida purpurea var. purpurea) is a native grass that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow in sandy rocky soils, slopes and plains, at elevations from 800-2600 feet.

Armeria maritima is the botanical name for a species of flowering plant. It is a popular garden flower, known by several common names, including "thrift", "sea thrift", and "sea pink".

The plant has been distributed worldwide as a garden and cut flower. It does well in gardens designed as xeriscapes or rock gardens. If planted in its native coastal strand, this plant needs no supplementary irrigation after established. Plant in full sun, in well draining soils or in cliffs or rock walls. Often short lived away from cool seashore conditions since supplementary watering will often rot centers of plants.

California Sea Pink (Armeria maritima ssp. californica) is a native perennial herb that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California, primarily in the North Coast, the Central Coast and South Coast regions. It tends to grow in ocean bluffs, at elevations from 0-700 feet.

With its aromatic fragrance and threadlike, silvery-green foliage, California Sagebrush (Artemesia californica) is a feast for the senses. This resilient, easy-to-grow shrub thrives in the toughest environments. It's a good choice for dry, sunny, and sloped areas. It tolerates nutrient-poor sandy soil, as long as it's well-draining.

California Sagebrush is extremely drought adapted; some summer water is optional but not required. A little pruning keeps it compact in the garden.

This important coastal scrub plant supports the California gnatcatcher and quail, as well as other bird and insect species.

Canyon Gray Sagebrush (Artemisia californica 'Canyon Gray') is a natural cultivar of California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica) from San Miguel Island, one of the Channel Islands in Southern California. This prostrate horticultural selection was collected and introduced by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

This plant can become a large scale groundcover, forming a 1 to 2 feet high compact mat of finely textured silvery gray-green foliage, that spreads 4 to 10 feet wide. It works well on dry slopes and draping down over walls. The flowers are fairly inconspicuous, the foliage is very aromatic when brushed.

Canyon Gray Sagebrush requires little irrigation once established, though it can go semi-dormant by later summer without occasional irrigation. It is reportedly hardy to about 20-25° F.

It tolerates almost any soil type with drainage. It prefers full sun in coastal sites, and sun to part shade in inland sites. To keep the fast growing foliage dense, the plantings can look best if 'mowed' or heavily trimmed down every 1 or 2 years.

Horticultural selection from Artemisia californica from Montara Mountain south of san Francisco. If you need an unusual groundcover that can tolerate the hot dry summer, try this low, spreading artemisia out. This lovely groundcover sagebrush has a nice neat, dense form with aromatic gray green foliage. It's a great way to add texture, color contrast and fragrance in a drought-tolerant garden. Despite it's north coast origins we have found 'Montara' to thrive in hot inland conditions with almost no supplmental water. Some speculate that it is a natural hybrid between Artemisia calif. and Artemisia pycnocephala. This is fast becoming a landscaping favorite, but is not commercially grown in many nurseries and so is hard to find.

'Montara' was selected from a cutting at Montara Mountain by Roger Raiche and introduced by Wildwood nursery in 1987. Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and sun or part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Silver Sagebrush (Artemisia cana) is a native shrub that grows in Central and Northern California, primarily in the High Cascade Range, the Sierra Nevada Foothills and High Sierra Nevada regions. It is moderately fast growing and long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 5 feet, with active growth during the spring, summer, fall. Flowers are yellow and bloom in the late summer. Leaves are gray-green and deciduous. It tends to grow in meadows and streambanks and gravelly places, at elevations from 5200-10800 feet.

Mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) is a fast growing shrub chosen primarily for its aromatic gray foliage which makes a year round contrast behind other plants. The beautiful, silver gray leaves add texture and color to the garden. It grows to 4 feet high by 5 feet wide and will spread by underground rhizomes, especially in moist areas.The flowers are small and inconspicuous, often not producing viable seed. 

It does best in the sun but will tolerate shade. As it is native to riverbeds and other moist places it is vigorous if given water, but will tolerate drier conditions.  Dead stems cut back in the winter will resprout in the spring.

Mugwort is sometimes grown for medicinal purposes. It is also useful in restoration projects and for erosion control.

Various insects are attracted to the flowers and it hosts a likely total of 28 species of butterfly and moth.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden. This selection from Bodega Bay is thought to be a hybrid between A. douglasiana & A. Suksdorfii.

Artemisia ludoviciana is a species of sagebrush known by several common names, including silver wormwood, white sagebrush, and gray sagewort. It is native to North America where it is widespread coast to coast, but many subspecies are found only in the western United States. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing to heights between 30 centimeters and one meter. The stems bear linear leaves up to 11 centimeters long. The stems and foliage are covered in woolly gray or white hairs. The top of the stem is occupied by a narrow flower cluster of many nodding flower heads. Each small head is a cup of hairy phyllaries surrounding a center of yellowish disc florets and is about half a centimeter wide. The fruit is a minute achene. This plant was used by many Native American groups for a variety of medicinal, veterinary, and ceremonial purposes.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden.

White Mugwort (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. albula) is a common native perennial herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow in dry and sandy and rocky places, at elevations from 0-4600 feet.

White Sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. ludoviciana) is a common native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in dry and sandy and rocky places, at elevations from 0-8500 feet.

Artemisia palmeri is a rare species of sagebrush known by the common names San Diego sagewort and Palmer sagewort. It is native to northern Baja California and San Diego County, California, where its natural habitat is sandy coastal ravines and river drainages. Most of this habitat has been destroyed as the land has been claimed for human use. It is occasionally found farther inland in chaparral plant communities in the region. This is a perennial or biennial herb producing brittle erect or spreading stems 1 to 3 meters tall. The base is woody. The aromatic foliage is made up of long, narrow leaves deeply cut into several narrow, pointed lobes. The flower cluster contains clusters of flower heads containing pale yellow hairy disc florets. The fruit is a tiny achene about a millimeter long. It is rumored David Bowie ate this type of sagewort while writing his album Low. This plant does best in part shade, but can handle full sun or full shade as well. It is an attractive looking plant and would make a great addition to any garden, not to mention its habitat value, which is an added bonus.

Artemisia pycnocephala is a species of sagebrush in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common names Beach Sagewort, Beach Wormwood and Coastal Sagewort. This plant is native to the western United States coastline extending from Oregon to Central California. It is a leafy perennial wormwood forming clumps about half a meter in height. It extends erect stems covered in dense foliage which ranges in color from light green to nearly white. The fuzzy flower clusters are studded with small lobular leaves and rounded yellowish flower buds. The plant is aromatic but much less so than are other wormwoods. It is restricted to the immediate coast, often in dunes, where it is protected from temperature extremes. There is a popular cultivar known as 'David's Choice'.

David’s choice sagebrush (Artemisia pycnocephala 'David’s Choice') is a compact, silvery shrub with soft, velvety foliage. It was selected from native sagebrush at Point Reyes, north of San Francisco, and introduced by David Amme in 1980.

This drought-adapted plant thrives in well-drained, sandy soils and prefers coastal conditions, though it can handle partial shade inland. While its yellow flowers are inconspicuous, they can be trimmed back to maintain its neat, rounded form.

David’s choice sagebrush is an excellent choice for borders or as a groundcover, providing a striking contrast to darker green plants like Ceanothus or low-growing Iris. It also offers forage for wildlife, contributing to a healthy garden ecosystem.

Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a dense, silvery-gray shrub with an upright form, growing up to 4 feet tall and wide. Its highly aromatic foliage lasts year-round, and, unlike other sages, it develops a true woody trunk and branches, making it long-lived. In maturity, the twisted trunk adds unique visual appeal. The flowers, small and yellow-green, are often inconspicuous.

This plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, is nitrogen-fixing, and is drought-tolerant. It provides significant wildlife value, attracting a variety of insects, birds, and small mammals with its flowers and seeds.Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a dense, silvery-gray shrub with an upright form, growing up to 4 feet tall and wide. Its highly aromatic foliage lasts year-round, and, unlike other sages, it develops a true woody trunk and branches, making it long-lived. In maturity, the twisted trunk adds unique visual appeal. The flowers, small and yellow-green, are often inconspicuous.

This plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, is nitrogen-fixing, and is drought-adapted. It provides significant wildlife value, attracting a variety of insects, birds, and small mammals with its flowers and seeds.

Mountain Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) is a common native shrub that grows in northern, southern and central California. It is slow growing and long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 7 feet, with active growth during the spring, summer, fall. Leaves are gray-green and deciduous. It tends to grow in dry valleys and slopes, at elevations from 5900-9800 feet.

Asclepias albicans is a species of milkweed known by the common names whitestem milkweed and wax milkweed. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of California, Arizona, and Baja California. This is a spindly erect shrub growing usually 1 to 3 meters tall, but known to approach four meters. The sticklike branches are mostly naked, the younger ones coated in a waxy residue and a thin layer of woolly hairs. Leaves are ephemeral, growing in whorls of three on the lower branches and falling off after a short time. They are linear in shape and up to 3 centimeters long. The flower cluster is an umbel appearing at the tips of the long branches and sprouting from the sides at nodes. The flower cluster contains many small purple-tinted greenish flowers, each with a central array of bulbous hoods, and corollas reflexed back against the stalk. The plant may flower in any season except summer. The fruit is a large, long, thick follicle which dangles in bunches from the branch nodes.

California Milkweed (Asclepias californica) is a species in the Apocynaceae (Dogbane) family. It is native to California and northern Baja California from the East Bay region southward and the foothills of the Sierra.

This flowering perennial has thick, white, woolly stems that bend or run along the ground. The plentiful, hanging flowers are rounded structures.

The flowers are dull to bright shades of lavender or pink and form an attractive contrast with the grey-to-white foliage. This plant was eaten as candy by the Kawaiisu tribes of Indigenous California; the milky sap within the leaves is said to be flavorful and chewy when cooked.

To maximize Monarch butterflies reaching their overwintering areas, plant only locally native milkweed species.

Asclepias cordifolia is a species of milkweed commonly called Heart-leaf milkweed or Purple milkweed (not to be confused with Asclepias purpurascens, also commonly called Purple milkweed). It is native to the western United States (California, Nevada, Oregon), growing between 50-2000 meter elevation in the northern Sierra and Cascade ranges. Heart-leaf milkweed was valued by the Native American Miwok for its stems, which they dried and processed into cordage (string and rope). Monarch butterfly caterpillars eat the Heart-leaf milkweed leaves, which contain alkaloids that cause the butterfly to be unpalatable to predators. The species name, cordifolia (Latin for 'heart-leaved'), refers to the heart-shaped leaves, while the genus name honors the Greek physician Asclepius. Heart-leaf milkweed is a perennial that grows to a height of 0.3-0.6 meter, with dark red-purple flowers whose hoods are slightly elevated above the base of the corolla. The flower structure is unusual-it has five stamens fused into a column, with five circular attachments called 'hoods', and an anther head surrounding the large stigma at the flower's center. The fruit (photo at left) is a follicle with many flat seeds that have silky hairs which disperse easily in the wind. The large opposite leaves are heart-shaped, or heart-shaped. The plant grows in open or shaded woodland, often on rocky slopes and in mixed coniferous forest.

Asclepias cryptoceras is a species of milkweed known by the common names pallid milkweed and Humboldt Mountains milkweed. It is native to the western United States, where it grows in many types of habitat, especially dry areas. This is a perennial herb growing low against the ground or drooping. It arises from a fleshy, woody rhizome-like root. The thick leaves are round to heart-shaped and arranged oppositely on the short stem. The flower cluster is a cluster of small flowers with centers of bright to dull pink hoods surrounded by pale-colored reflexed corollas. The fruit is a follicle held erect on a small stalk.

Asclepias eriocarpa is native to California and adjacent parts of Nevada and Baja California, where it grows in many habitat types, especially dry areas. In California it is found primarily in the Coast Ranges from Mendocino County southward into Mexico, in the Sierra foothills, and in the northern part of the Central Valley. It is an erect perennial herb which is usually coated in a thick layer of white hairs. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval, rippled, and arranged oppositely in pairs or in whorls of 3 or 4. The flower cluster is a large umbel-like cluster of flowers. Each flower is white to cream and usually tinted with bright pink. It has a central array of rounded hoods and a corolla reflexed against the stalk. The fruit is a large, woolly follicle. The plant is used as a source of fiber and medicine by several California Indian groups, including the Ohlone and Luiseno. In the garden it makes a striking specimen, especially when massed. All milkweeds are important to monarch butterflies.

Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) is a flowering perennial best known for the Monarch butterflies it will attract into the garden. Its long, thin pointed leaves give the plant a soft, wispy look. It blooms in summer to fall, with clusters of lavender or pinkish white flowers, each one an interesting button shape. The fruits are smooth pods, which split open to spill seeds along with plentiful silky hairs that may carry the seeds through the air.

This plant grows fast to 3 feet tall and is dormant in winter, often dying back to the ground. It will take full sun but is adaptable to most conditions, being easy to grow in soils with good drainage, even with no summer water. It can self-seed if the seed pods are not removed

This species is probably the single most important host plant for Monarch Butterflies in California, attracting them and hosting their caterpillars. It is crucial to not use any pesticide on or around the plant, because doing so will be fatal to the caterpillars. The plant also provides resources for many beneficial creatures, including native bees. Don't cut the dry stems down too soon as Orioles may use them for nesting.

Named for its abundant clusters of starlike flowers, showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is an eye-catching native plant selection for the butterfly garden. In the summer months, showy milkweed is covered in fragrant blooms in delicate shades of pink, white, and purple. The large leaves are an attractive grayish-green color.

After blooming, the plant produces large pods that contain seeds with long silky tassels, so they can be dispersed by the wind. Individual plants spread by underground rhizomes into an expanding clump. Showy milkweed has thick, sturdy stems and an upright growth habit. It can reach up to 6 ft in height. The plant goes dormant during the winter months. 

Showy milkweed is an important butterfly host plant, especially for the Monarch butterfly. Adult butterflies feed on the flower nectar and caterpillars eat the leaves. The blooms also attract hummingbirds. Like other milkweeds, this plant produces alkaloids that, when consumed, protect the caterpillars from predators.

Showy milkweed is easy to care for. It grows well in full sun and should be planted in dry, well-drained soil. Remove seed pods to prevent self-sowing. Large clumps can be pruned during the winter dormancy season.

Asclepias subulata is a species of milkweed known commonly as the rush milkweed or ajamete. This is an erect perennial herb which loses its leaves early in the season and stands as a cluster of naked stalks. Atop the stems are flower clusters of distinctive flowers. Each cream-white flower has a reflexed corolla that reveals the inner parts, a network of five shiny columns, each topped with a tiny hook. The fruit is a pouchlike follicle that contains many flat, oval seeds with long, silky hairlike plumes. This milkweed is native to the desert southwest of the United States and northern Mexico.

Astragalus trichopodus is a species of legume known by the common name Santa Barbara milk vetch. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in several types of open habitat. This is a robust perennial herb producing a branching stem up to about a meter in maximum height. The hairy stem is lined with many leaves each up to 20 centimeters long which are made up of several pairs of widely-spaced lance-shaped leaflets each up to 2.5 centimeters in length. The flower cluster is a raceme of up to 50 flowers which are cream colored and sometimes tinted with light purple. Each flower is 2 or 3 centimeters long including its tubular base of sepals. The fruit is a laterally compressed, slightly inflated legume pod up to 4 or 5 centimeters long which dries to a papery texture. The fruits hang in bunches where they develop from the flower cluster. Each pod contains many seeds.

Balloonpod Milkvetch (Astragalus whitneyi) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in open sandy gravelly, or rocky places, at elevations from 2500-12000 feet.

Whitney's Milk Vetch (Astragalus whitneyi var. confusus) is a native perennial herb that grows in Northern California, primarily in the Warner Mountains, the High Sierra Nevada and Modoc Plateau regions. It tends to grow in open sandy, gravelly or rocky places, at elevations from 4400-7900 feet.

Atriplex canescens (Chamiso, Chamiza, Four wing saltbush, Four-wing saltbush, Fourwing saltbush) is a species of evergreen shrub in the Amaranthaceae family, which is native to the western United States. Fourwing saltbush has a highly variable form, and readily hybridizes with several other species in the Atriplex genus. The degree of polyploidy also results in variations in form. Its height can vary from 1 foot to 10 feet, but 2 to 4 feet is most common. The leaves are thin and 0.5 to 2 inches long. It is most readily identified by its fruits, which have four wings at roughly 90 degree angles and are densely packed on long stems. The fruit stem resembles a mass of corn flakes.

Atriplex canscens is a great bird plant. Best to plant in dry salty soils. Susceptible to root rot unless drought or salt stressed.

Wingscale (Atriplex canescens ssp. canescens) is a native shrub that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in clay or gravelly slopes, at elevations from 0-7900 feet.

Narow Leaf Shadscale (Atriplex canescens ssp. linearis) is a native shrub that grows in Southern and Central California, primarily in the Transverse Range and Sonoran Desert regions. It tends to grow in clay or gravelly slopes, at elevations from 0-7900 feet.

Atriplex confertifolia (Shadscale) is a species of evergreen shrub in the Chenopodiaceae family, which is native to the western United States. Shadscale is a common, often dominant, shrub in the lowest and driest areas of the Great Basin. It prefers sandy, well-drained soils and it is tolerant of moderately saline conditions. Its height varies from 1 to 3 feet. Compared to fourwing saltbush, shadscale has shorter and wider leaves and the fruit does not have four wings (although it may have two wings in a "V" shape).

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for the garden.

Atriplex leucophylla is a species of saltbush known by the common names beach saltbush and white orache. It is native to the coastline of California and Baja California, where it is a resident of beach dunes and other sandy areas. This is a short, sprawling perennial herb reaching a maximum height near 30 centimeters. The branching stems grow along the ground or slightly upright and may be up to a meter long. The plentiful leaves are oval in shape and are 1 to 4 centimeters long. The foliage and sometimes the stems are rough with whitish scaly surfaces. The plants are monoecious, with individuals producing male and female flowers. The staminate (male) flowers grow in rounded clusters and lack leafs. The pistillate (female) flowers are oval or round ovaries surrounded by spongy leafs. They develop into fruits containing small seeds.

Atriplex polycarpa (Allscale, Cattle spinach, Allscale saltbush, Cattle saltbush) is a plant in the Amaranthaceae family. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

Baccharis Centennial is considered a hybrid between Baccharis pilularis and Baccharis sarothroides. This large bushy evergreen has brilliant green stems which give it a rounded profile. It is exteremely heat an drought tolerant. If the shrub becomes woody, prune in the winter. Limiting water after the plant is established encourages dense growth. Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for use in the garden. Hybrid of B. pilularis x B. Sarothroides.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and sun or part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden; Hybrid of B. pilularis x sarothroides.

Coyote Bush (also called Coyote Brush) is a common California native shrub. It is versatile and adaptable in a wide range of landscape applications. Its short height and spreading habit make this plant a practical choice for groundcover and bank stabilization. It is also said to be fire-resistant and can tolerate recycled water.

It has small, evergreen leaves and abundant white and yellow flowers that are very attractive to insects. Coyote Bush grows well in most soil types. It is a drought-adapted, low-water plant that requires minimal summer irrigation.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for the garden.

This cultivar is a low growing (prostrate form) coyote brush. It is specifically seed producing (instead of pollen producing), hence the name 'San Bruno Lady '. One of the few low growing cultivars that produces seeds.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected from san Bruno Mountain.

Low growing horticultural selection from Baccharis pilularis from Twin Peaks in San Francisco. Twin Peaks II is a compact low growing shrub reaching 12-18 inch high with a 5-6 ft spread. It has dark leaves that are deeply toothed. Needs sun and regular water, but must have good drainage. Selection is pollen producing only (no seed producing plants). For seed producing selections, 'San Bruno Lady' is one option. Tolerates almost any soil type.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and sun or part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden; introduced by Las pilitas nursery.

Tolerates almost any soil type. A selection for garden use. Introduced by Ken Taylor.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden from san Bruno Mountain.

Mulefat is a robust and adaptable flowering shrub known for its sticky foliage and abundant fuzzy flowers, which range in color from white to pink or red-tinged and bloom throughout the year. Its long, pointed leaves and fast-growing, upright, spreading form make it a striking addition to natural gardens. Typically reaching about 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, Mulefat can grow as large as 12 feet tall and 9 feet wide in optimal conditions.

This resilient plant thrives in full or partial sun and tolerates a variety of soil types. While highly drought-tolerant once established, it looks its best with regular summer watering. It’s ideal for planting in naturally moist areas, such as near streams or wetlands. Without sufficient water, Mulefat can become weedy and less visually appealing. If it becomes overgrown, it can be rejuvenated by cutting it back to 3-4 inches above the base, encouraging fresh, green growth.

Mulefat is highly valued for erosion control and wildlife support. Its flowers are a magnet for butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects, while also attracting birds, making it a versatile choice for habitat restoration and ecological gardening.

Baccharis emoryi is a species in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common name Emory's Baccharis. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in sandy, moist habitat such as riverbanks or alkali marsh, but also occasionally in more xeric areas. In California it is found in the southern half of the state. This is a shrub producing erect, branching stems approaching three meters in maximum height. The thick leaves are oblong to oval in shape and sometimes have roughly toothed edges. They may be up to 7 centimeters long. The shrub is dioecious, with male and female plants producing flower heads of different types. The head is enclosed in a layer of phyllaries and the female flowers yield fruits, each an achene with a white pappus about a centimeter long. The foliage and flower heads are hairy and sticky. This species is very similar to its relatives, Baccharis pilularis and Baccharis salicifolia. It's a good choice for a bioswale, edge of a pond, alkaline soil patches, or where rapid growth is desired and its tendency to spread can be accommodated.

Baccharis sarothroides is a species of flowering shrub known by the common names broom baccharis and desert broom. It grows up to 12 feet tall and up to 6 feet wide. The leaves are small and thick, and tends to stay bright green through the year in the foothills and areas with around 15" of rainfall per year. The plant goes summer deciduous and loses its leaves in the drier desert regions. It flowers abundantly in the summer, often completely covered with white or cream covered puffy flowers. This plant is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, growing in coastal sage scrub and inland scrub plant communities, usually in dry canyons and plains below 1000 feet. In California it is limited to the southern part of the state. It is a useful plant for a screen, slope stabilization or filling in large empty areas. The voluminous seeds may be considered a nuisance.

Native to coastal Southern California, San Diego county viguiera (Bahiopsis laciniata) adds a bright splash of yellow to the waterwise landscape. This evergreen shrub is a member of the Aster family. It is sometimes called the San Diego sunflower or tornleaf goldeneye.

The sunflower-like blooms cover the plant from winter to summer. The small, toothed leaves are a vibrant, shiny green. San Diego county viguiera is a hardy, fast-growing shrub. It is easy to grow and does well in sandy, well-draining soil with minimal watering. 

San Diego county viguiera’s cheerful blooms attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds to the garden. The plant provides cover for wildlife. After blooming, the spent flowers can be deadheaded or left for birds. Prune in the fall after flowering.

This plant does well on dry slopes. Plant in clusters to form a hedge or combine with other colorful, low-water perennials for visual interest.

Baileya multiradiata is a species of sun-loving wildflower native to western North America, especially the US desert southwest and northern Mexico. It is an annual or perennial clumping patch of silvery-green foliage which bears many tall, naked stems, each topped with a bright yellow marigoldlike flower. The bloom loses its ray florets early, leaving behind a nodding stalk holding the disc florets where the seeds develop. In the garden give it fast drainage, not too much water and lots of surface rocks (no organic mulch or fertilizer). It is somewhat short-lived as a perennial but readily re-seeds itself if conditions are right.

Baileya pleniradiata is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family which is known by the common name woolly desert marigold. It is native to desert regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in sandy habitat. This is an annual herb producing a light gray-green to nearly white woolly branching stem up to half a meter in height. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and may split into a few lobes. Each flower cluster is composed of a single flower head which is borne on a peduncle up to 10 centimeters long. The flower head has a center of yellow disc florets surrounded by a fringe of ray florets, sometimes in two or more layers, each bright yellow and up to a centimeter in length. The fruit is a sharply angled achene a few millimeters long.

Bebbia is a genus of plants in the daisy family; it is often considered monotypic, but it is sometimes treated as a genus of two or more species if Bebbia juncea is divided. The common name of B. juncea is sweetbush. It is an aromatic shrub of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico which bears plentiful yellow discoid flowers.

Golden Abundance Oregon Grape is a hybrid cultivar of 3 California native Berberis species that was selected for garden use. It is a dense evergreen shrub, with large compound glossy dark green leaves. It grows 5-8 feet tall by 6-8 feet wide, and can slowly spread by underground rhizomes to form plants 10 ft. wide. The plant produces large inflorescences with abundant yellow flowers in late winter to mid-spring. The flowers are followed by numerous drooping racemes of powdery purple-blue berries that are attractive to birds when they mature in late summer through fall.

Golden Abundance Oregon Grape is used as a flowering accent plant, an informal or trimmed semi-formal hedge, a screen, or a background plant in shady and woodland gardens. Since the leaves have prickly edges it can also be used as a barrier hedge to hinder animals and humans.

In coastal locations it prefers full sun to light shade. In inland locations it prefers partial shade or morning sun with afternoon shade. It can handle heat and aridity well when grown in partial shade. This plant is adaptable to many soil types from well-draining loam to clay loam. It prefers little to moderate watering when established, depending on the sun exposure and climate. It is resistant to oak root fungus and can be a drought tolerant option under mature oaks.

This 'Golden Abundance' cultivar was selected by Lee Lenz at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (present day California Botanic Garden), a chance hybrid between 3 different Berberis (classified as Mahonia at the time) species, Mahonia piperiana, M. aquifolium, and M. amplectans. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden was awarded a patent on it in 1973, the first patent on a cultivated plant selection granted to a botanic garden in California.

Lenz described its distinctions from its three parents as having: a more vigorous and upright form, many lateral inflorescences along the stems, larger terminal inflorescences, and a greater overall visual abundance of flowers.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun or part shade in coastal sites, and part shade or shade in inland sites. Selection made by suncrest Nurseries. possible hybrid of B. pinnata and B. aquifolium.

Dwarf Mahonia (Berberis aquifolium var. repens) is a native plant, growing in the mountains and foothills of the northern part of California. It enjoys dry shade below 700 ft. It can be found as far north as SE Alaska and eastern Alberta to central New Mexico. Outside its native range it qualifies as invasive. Dense yellow clusters of flowers give way to round dusty dark purple-blue berries, hence the common name Oregon Grape. The edible berries can be used to make wine and purple dye. Some sources describe it as toxic, however. The inner stem gives a yellow dye.

Dwarf Mahonia is very drought tolerant, and very easy to grow, but it looks better with a little bit of summer water.