Sand Verbena (Abronia latifolia) is a species of the Four O'Clock Family (Nyctaginaceae) native to the west coast of North America, from Santa Barbara County to the Canadian border, where it grows on beach dunes and sand dunes of coastal bars, river mouths, spits along the immediate coastline (0-10m elevation). Its National Vegetation Community Status (NVCS) is the Ambrosia chamissonis herbaceous alliance (dune mat). It grows in succulent mats where it has room to spread. It is an important plant in helping to stabilize dunes and resist erosion. It grows from a stout, fleshy root structure which are edible, traditionally eaten by the Chinook Indians. When stressed it will die back to the root, to sprout again when conditions are more favorable. It has attractive neatly-rounded heads of small, bright golden flowers and small, winged fruits. The individual flowers have no petals being composed of yellow bracts forming a trumpet-shaped calyx about the stamens. If given the proper conditions it will flower most of the year. It is geared for salt spray and will not tolerate regular water nor extreme drought.

Red Sand Verbena (Abronia maritima) is a species of sand verbena known by the common name red sand verbena. This is a beach-adapted perennial. Plant native to the coastlines of southern California, including the Channel Islands, and northern Baja California. It grows along stable sand dunes near, but not in the ocean surf. This salt-tolerant plant requires saline water which it receives mostly in the form of sea spray, and cannot tolerate fresh water or prolonged dry conditions. Its succulent tissues are adapted to isolate and store salt. This sand verbena forms a green mat along the ground, its stems sometimes buried under loose sand. It flowers year-round in bright red to pink or purplish clusters of flowers. The mats are thick and provide shelter for a variety of small beach-dwelling animals. This is a rare plant. Its habitat is located in heavily-traveled beach areas, where it is disturbed by human activity.

Abronia umbellata (Pink sand verbena) is a flowering and ornamental. Plant native to the western United States. Other common names include Beach Sand Verbena and Purple Sand Verbena. Abronia umbellata is a prostrate. Perennial or annual, with thick, succulent leaves. Leaves are slender, may be either smooth or hairy, and oval ore diamond-shaped. Stems are as long as leaf blades, and often hairy. Plant has pink to purple colored flowers with white centers. Generally found in sandy, well-drained soil in areas with low precipitation, it can become a striking carpet-like groundcover in undisturbed areas after winter rains. Pink Sand Verbena tolerates seaside conditions and is found on the west coast of the North America from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico. Sand Verbena is typically found on beaches and sand dunes blooming throughout most of the year. Flowers occur in clusters subtended by 5-8 lance-shaped leafs. A. umbellata frequently hybridizes with other species of Abronia, including Abronia maritima. Its flower is fragrant at night and attracts moths. The foliage can be deciduous based on environmental stress. This plant is a popular native plant for landscaping in California.

Abronia villosa is a species of sand-verbena known by the common name desert sand-verbena. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico and the southern California and Baja coast. It is a short, hairy annual wildflower which grows in creeping prostrate masses along the ground. It has oval-shaped dull green leaves and many peduncles bearing rounded flower clusters of bright magenta or purplish-pink flowers. It grows in the sand of the deserts and coastlines. It has a very sweet fragrance, and is also very sticky. They usually grow between February and May. 

Yarrow is an all-star, popular plant choice among California native gardeners, including beginners! It is durable and easy to grow in a wide range of soil types and has low moisture requirements. It reseeds and spreads quickly, making it a good groundcover plant for lawn replacement.

Yarrow's abundant white flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other insects. It is a staple in native pollinator gardens throughout the state. Yarrow has many alternative common names, including soldier's woundwort and nosebleed plant. They reflect its long history as an important medicinal plant.

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

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

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

Tolerates almost any soil type. Selected for the garden.

Horticultural selection from Achillea millefolium from the northern Channel Islands. Achillea millefolium 'Island Pink' is a perennial Yarrow that spreads by rhizomes. Island Pink is native to Santa Cruz Island and is distinguished from our common White Yarrow by its bright pink flowers. Dark green foliage is topped with clusters of bright pink flowers on 1-1/2' tall stems, over a long season. Best in full sun if coastal, part shade inland. Tolerant of drought, swamp and alkali conditions, or rocky to clay soils. This is a nectar plant for butterflies and other pollinators. Plant in meadows, or flower borders for a splash of color.

Good habitat value, providing nectar for bees and butterflies. The foliage is deer resistant. Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden from sonoma Co. near Windy Ridge above Mattole River.

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

Achlys is a small genus of flowering plants in the barberry family, which it shares with genera such as Berberis and Vancouveria. There are either two or three species, depending on the authority. Achlys triphylla and Achlys californica are both native to western North America. Another Achlys is found in Japan: some authorities treat this as a subspecies of A. triphylla, while others, especially in older treatments, call this Achlys japonica. Still others consider A. triphylla and A. californica too similar to be separate species. The common names for these plants include vanilla leaf (sometimes written as vanilla-leaf or vanillaleaf, depending on the taxonomist or flora) and deer's foot . Achlys triphylla (Sm.) DC, known in western North America as vanillaleaf, is an erect perennial plant that sprouts from a creeping rhizome. Leaves are long-petioled and palmately divided into three leaflets. Flowers are small and lack sepals and petals, but instead have long showy white stamens that form single erect spikes. The leaflets give a great hint to the identity the plant: bend back the middle leaflet and you have an upside-down set of moose antlers. Alternatively, bend back the two side leaflets and you have a goose or deer foot (hence the common name). In the Pacific Northwest, Achlys triphylla is ubiquitous in moist shady forests west of the Cascades at low to middle elevations from Vancouver island and southern British Columbia south to northern California. The plants are spaced widely on the rhizomes, but often overlap in large networks that result in carpets of Achlys that dominate the near-surface understory. Achlys seems to prefer moist soil, so at middle to higher elevations it is easier to find them along streambanks or well-shaded ravines.

Deer Foot (Achlys triphylla ssp. triphylla) is a native perennial herb that grows in Central and Northern California, primarily in the North Coast, the Klamath Mountain Range and North Coast Range regions. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-4900 feet.

Acmispon amiericanus is a native annual herb in the Fabaceae (Legume) family that grows in Northern, Southern and Central California in most habitats except desert. It tends to grow in streambanks and wet places, at elevations from sea level to 7,900 feet, often in disturbed areas. As with other members of this genus, it is not often used in gardens but is useful for restoration projects.

Deer Plant (Acmispon glaber) is a perennial subshrub in the Fabaceae (Legume family). The plant is a pioneer species found in dry areas of California, Arizona, and Mexico. It is grows in many habitats, including chaparral, coastal sand, roadsides and other disturbed areas at elevations below 4900 feet.

The stems are green, erect, somewhat branched, with small, deciduous leaves. When this plant blooms, from about March to August, it displays small yellow flowers bunched together in a flower cluster. The flowers become reddish with age. The fruit consists of a curved pod with two seeds.

There are two recognized varieties with overlapping ranges. Fortunately it is widely available, and would be a great addition to any garden. It has excellent habitat value, and because it is nitrogen-fixing it is often used in restoration projects. Sometimes the wrong variety is planted in an area. Intermediates between the varieties have been observed as a result of such plantings.

Common deerweed (Acmispon glaber var. glaber) is a native perennial herb found throughout northern, central, and southern California. It thrives in sandy soils, desert slopes, and washes, at elevations ranging from sea level to 4,900 feet. This adaptable plant is a common sight in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and open woodland habitats.

Deerweed is a nitrogen-fixing plant, playing a vital role in restoring soil health after wildfires. It blooms profusely from spring to early summer, producing small yellow flowers that turn orange-red as they age. These blooms provide essential nectar for native bees and butterflies. Its slender, wiry stems and small leaves create a soft, airy appearance, making it a good choice for naturalistic garden designs.

This drought-adapted plant thrives in well-drained soils and full sun. It is an important food source for native wildlife and a host plant for several butterfly species, including the endangered El Segundo blue butterfly.

Aconitum columbianum is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common names Columbian monkshood or western monkshood. This wildflower is native to western North America where it grows in moist areas. It is a spindly, twining perennial plant with lobed or toothed leaves and long stems with far-spaced flowers. The folded, wrinkly flowers are often deep blue or purple, but may also be white or yellowish, and they usually have a spur. The fruits are pod-like follicles. Like other monkshoods, this plant is poisonous.

Actaea rubra (red baneberry, chinaberry, doll's eye) is a poisonous herbaceous flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to North America. They are found growing in shady areas with moist to wet soils, open forest or dry slopes. In Alaska it ranges from the Kenai Peninsula, through Kodiak Island, Bristol Bay, and up the Yukon River. Ecology. Plants are slow growing and take a few years to grow large enough to flower. The western subspecies is ssp. arguta, and the northern subspecies is ssp. rubra. These subspecies are not well differentiated, and in many locations, each grades in to the other over much of their ranges. The foliage is rarely consumed by grazing animals. The poisonous berries are harmless to birds, the plants' primary seed disperser. Uses. This plant is grown in shade gardens for its attractive berries and upright clump forming habit. Native Americans used the juice from the fruits of various baneberry species to poison arrows, and used the root as a herbal remedy for menstrual problems. The root of this species has been used as a strong alternative to Black Cohosh, (Cimicifuga racemosa) for menstrual cramping and menopausal discomfort. Toxicity. These open woodland plants grow 40 cm (16 in) to 80 cm (31 in) tall. The leaves are coarsely toothed with deeply lobed margins. Plants commonly have hairy veins on the undersides of the foliage. Each stem will have either three leaves that branch near the top, or will have three compound leaves and one upright flowering stalk from one point on the main central stem. Plants produce one to a few ternately branched stems which bear clusters of flowers having 3 to 5 sepals that are petal-like and obovate in shape and remain after flowering. The petals are deciduous, falling away after flowering is done. They are clawed at the base and 2. 5 mm to 4 mm long and spatulate to odovate in shape. Flowers have numerous stamens and they are white in color. After flowering green berries are produced. The fruits are ellipsoid shaped berries containing several seeds.

Adelinia grandis (formerly Cynoglossum grande) is a species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Pacific hound's tongue. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it grows in shady areas in woodland and chaparral. On the forest floor of California oak woodlands typical plant associates are Calochortus luteus, Delphinium variegatum and Calochortus amabilis.It is a perennial herb producing an erect stem 30 to 90 centimeters tall from a taproot. The leaves are mostly located around the base of the plant, each with an oval blade up to 15 centimeters long held on a petiole. The flower cluster is a panicle of flowers on individual pedicels. Each five-lobed flower is bright to deep blue with white appendages at the center. It is 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide. The fruit is an array of four slightly bristly nutlets.

Chamise, or Greasewood, (Adenostoma fasciculatum), a member of the Rose family, is a flowering plant native to California and northern Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the chaparral biome, sometimes forming monotypic stands.

Chamise is an evergreen shrub with dry-looking stick-like branches. The leaves are quite small, sprouting in clusters from the branches. Its leaves are shiny with flammable oils, especially in warmer weather. Chamise is said to be highly flammable but can be more fire-resistant with occasional watering. The branches terminate in bunches of white tubular flowers.

Chamise is one of the best plants for anchoring a slope and resisting erosion, due to its wide-spreading and deeply-penetrating roots. In maturity, it develops a large burl from which it will resprout after fire or severe pruning. In the wild, it is the host plant of a common root parasite, Chaparral Broomrape.

There are three recognized varieties of this plant. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. fasciculatum is found throughout the range of the species. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. obtusifolium is found only in San Diego and Orange Counties. Adenostoma fasciculatum var. prostratum, a low-growing form, is found primarily on the northern Channel Islands. A cultivar known as 'Black Diamond' (Adenostoma fasciculatum 'Black Diamond') is popular and widely available.

This Prostrate Chamise is a horticultural cultivar of the widespread native Adenostoma fasciculatum (Chamise) from San Nicolas Island in Southern California, that was selected and introduced by Tree of Life Nursery in 1979.

This is a dense mounding ground cover shrub, 1-3 ft. high and spreading 3-5 ft. It has dense heather-like dark green foliage, which can be an attractive contrast to lighter green or gray foliage of surrounding plants. It has white flowers in spring to summer.

San Nicolas Prostrate Chamise is recommended for parkway median strips, slopes, rock gardens, or containers. It grows in full to part sun, is very drought tolerant, and can handle no summer water once established.
A wider spreading cultivar, also with the common name Prostrate Chamise, is Adenostoma fasciculatum 'Nicolas'.

Adenostoma sparsifolium (Redshanks or less commonly, Ribbonwood) is a multi-trunked tree or shrub in the Rosaceae (Rose) family that is native to dry inland slopes or chaparral of Southern California and northern Baja California below 6,000 ft. Shaggy falling shanks or ribbons of bark are one of the strongest characteristics of the tree, hence the common names. Redshanks are closely related to the more abundant Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum). Members of this genus are very deep rooted and important slope stabilizers. The foliage is feather-like, allowing the trunk and main branches to show through. The flowers are small but attractive. The fruit is an achene which is valued by small birds. Red Shank is an attractive garden tree, especially when planted in a small grouping.

California Buckeye (also known as California Horse-chestnut) is a large shrub or small tree. It is typically multi-trunked and spreads out, with a crown as broad as it is high. California Buckeye is a species in the Sapindaceae family that is endemic to California; it is the only buckeye native to the state.

California Buckeye has gray bark that is often coated with lichens or mosses. It has dark green leaves that can be prone to damage from both spring freezing or snow and summer heat. It tends to leaf out in early spring, followed by creamy-white to pale pink-flower spikes. Some say the flowers resemble candles from afar and butterflies love them!

It has large, shiny round nut-like fruit that appear in late summer and drop in late fall to early winter. Be careful when using this plant in the garden, because all parts of the fruits are toxic.

This plant is very drought tolerant and does well on dry slopes, but looks better with some water. Native (white-flowered) varieties seem to have lower water requirements and are tolerant of recycled water.

Native to the desert regions of Southern California, Arizona, and Baja California, Desert Agave (Agave deserti) is an iconic plant of the Southwestern landscape. Its low water needs also make it an ideal plant for the waterwise garden.

Desert Agave grows in clusters. The individual plants are rosette-shaped, with long gray-green leaves that have sharp spines at the tips and along the edges. For safety, it is best to plant it away from walkways and other high-traffic areas. Desert Agave is a slow-growing plant. At full maturity, it will send up very tall spikes of yellow flowers. The blooms attract hummingbirds and insects. Individual plants die after blooming, but other plants in the cluster will continue to grow.

Plant Desert Agave in dry, rocky, well-draining soil. It is highly drought adapted, with minimal water needs. It is both heat and cold tolerant, although some species can be sensitive to frost.

Coastal agave (Agave shawii), also called Shaw's agave, is a dramatic and distinctive succulent native to coastal Southern California. Its dark green leaves are accented with red spines and grow in a tight rosette shape. Individual plants grow to a large size and produce clusters of smaller offshoots called pups. Coastal agave plants grow for many years before producing clusters of yellow flowers on tall stalks that can reach over 10 ft in height. After flowering, an individual rosette dies, but the pups continue to grow.

Coastal agave attracts insects, hummingbirds and bats during its long fall to spring blooming season. It is a low water plant that does not need supplemental irrigation once established. Plant in full sun in rocky, well draining soil. Coastal agave is a bold statement plant in the garden. Pruning is not normally needed, and gardeners should use caution near the plant as the spines are sharp.

Nevada Agave (Agave utahensis var. nevadensis) is a rare native perennial herb or shrub in the Agavaceae family. It is one of two recognized varieties of Agave utahensis, both of which are rare. Var. nevadensis is restricted to the desert mountains of eastern San Bernardino County at elevations from 3,000-5,200 feet. Due to its limited distribution, it is included on CNPS list 4.2. Agave utahensis is smaller, occurs farther north, at higher elevations, and is more cold tolerant than the other two native agaves in California. Like other agaves, it is armed with formidable spines and flowers after many years of growth, then the plant dies but clonal pups remain. The inflorescence is 5-13 ft. tall. The flowers are yellow-green and the fruit is a dry capsule.

Agrimonia gryposepala (commonly known as tall hairy agrimony, common agrimony, hooked agrimony, or tall hairy grooveburr) is a small perennial flowering plant of the rose family (Rosaceae), which is native to North America. This plant was used by various indigenous peoples to treat medical problems such as diarrhea and fever. The plant grows 1-5 ft (about 30-150 cm) high, producing a cluster of small, yellow, 5-parted flowers on a hairy stalk above pinnate leaves. The fruits are hooked dry seeds grouped in a cluster. A spicy scent is released when the stem is crushed. The plant's native range covers most of the United States and Canada (except the Rocky Mountains) and extending south to Chiapas, Mexico. It grows in woodlands and forests. The specific epithet, gryposepala, is derived from the Greek grypos, meaning curved or hooked, and from sepala, meaning sepal. The name "grooveburr," which is sometimes applied to the plant, comes from the grooved shape of the seedpod or burr. Uses. Across North America, various indigenous peoples used the plant for medicinal purposes. Among the Iroquois people, a drink made from the roots of the plant was used for diarrhea. Among the Cherokee, the plant was used for the same purpose, to reduce fever, and for a range of other problems. The Ojibwe used the plant for urinary problems, and the Meskwaki and Prairie Potawatomi used it as a styptic for nosebleeds. These ethnobotanical uses of the plant have some similarities to the traditional medical uses of Agrimonia eupatoria, which is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa.

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

Alisma gramineum is a small aquatic plant in the water-plantain family. It has several common names including narrowleaf water-plantain, ribbonleaf water-plantain or ribbon-leaved water-plantain, and grass-leaved water-plantain. It grows in mud or submerged in shallow fresh or brackish water in marshy areas. Alisma gramineum is widespread across temperate and subarctic portions of Asia and Europe and North Africa from France and Libya to China and Yakutsk. It is reported from much of Canada from British Columbia to Quebec, as well as most of the western United States plus New York, Vermont and Virginia. This is an endangered and protected species in the United Kingdom.

Allium abramsii is a species of wild onion known by the common name Abrams' onion. It is endemic to the central Sierra Nevada in California, where it grows in the coniferous forest understory in granite sand soils. This onion grows from one or more bulbs each just over a centimeter wide attached to a thick rhizome. It reaches a maximum height of about 15 centimeters with usually one curving cylindrical leaf. The flower cluster contains up to 40 pink or purplish flowers with lance-shaped petals.

Allium acuminatum , also known as the tapertip onion or Hooker's onion, a species in the genus Allium and is native to the Western United States and Canada. Its bulbs are small and spherical and smell like onions. The flowers are pink to purple on a long stem which appear after the leaves have died. The onions were eaten by first peoples in southern British Columbia. They were harvested in either early spring or late fall and usually cooked in pits.

Allium amplectens is a species of wild onion known by the common name narrowleaf onion. It is native to western North America where it grows in woods and especially in clay and serpentine soils. It grows from a pinkish-brown bulb and sends up a naked green stem topped with an flower cluster. When closed the flower cluster is wrapped in bright pink to magenta leafs. It opens to produce between 10 and 50 shiny white to pale pink flowers, each under a centimeter wide. The six stout stamens and the ovary are white or tinted pink or lavender. It is a fairly widespread species.

Allium campanulatum is a species of wild onion known by the common name dusky onion. This is a flowering plant native to the western United States from Washington to California as well as Nevada. The dusky onion grows from a gray-brown bulb one to two centimeters wide which may extend tiny rhizomes and produce small daughter bulblets. It rises on a stout stem and has usually two long, drooping onion leaves. Atop the stem is an flower cluster of 10 to 50 flowers. Each flower is half a centimeter to one centimeter wide and is pink, purple, or less often white, and each tepal has a dark-colored base. The petals are variable in shape, from narrow and very pointy to spade-shaped. The dusky onion grows in low mountains, especially in dry areas.

Allium falcifolium is a species of wild onion known by the common name scytheleaf onion. It is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in heavy, rocky soils, especially serpentine soils. The scytheleaf onion grows from a reddish-brown bulb one to two centimeters wide. The reddish or yellowish green stem is flattened such that it is thick in the center and thin along the edges. There are usually two leaves, which, as its common name suggests, are curved like the blade of a scythe The stem is short and topped with an flower cluster of 10 to 30 flowers, each of which is one to one and a half centimeters wide. Each flower has six pinkish, red-purple, or white-streaked purple petals.

White alder (Alnus rhombifolia) is a fast-growing deciduous tree in the birch family (Betulaceae), native to western North America at elevations of 300–7,900 feet. It thrives in moist soils, often found along streambanks and other wet areas.

This tree provides excellent shade, with dark green leaves in summer that drop in winter. In early spring, before the leaves emerge, white alder produces noticeable male catkins, which hang in clusters and release large amounts of pollen. The female catkins mature in autumn, resembling small cones that may persist on the tree for up to a year.

White alder is heat and wind tolerant but requires deep watering to establish. Its roots can be invasive, so it should be planted with caution, especially near structures or small residential gardens. However, it is an excellent choice for woodland plantings and riparian areas.

This tree has high wildlife value. It serves as a larval food plant for the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and provides habitat and food for various bird species.

Sitka Alder (Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata) is a native tree or shrub that grows in Northern California, primarily in the North Coast, the Klamath Mountain Range and North Coast Range regions. It is slow growing and long-lived. It grows in an upright form to a height of 16 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Leaves are light-green and deciduous. It tends to grow in creek and meadow edges, at elevations from 3300-8900 feet.

Amaranthus californicus is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common name California amaranth. It is a glabrous monoecious annual that is native to most of the western United States and Canada. The plant grows from 10 to 50 centimeters tall. It is found in moist flats or near bodies of water, and blooms from summer to fall.

Ambrosia acanthicarpa is a species of ragweed known by the common names flatspine burr ragweed, annual burrweed, and annual bur-sage. This spiny, weedy plant grows in clumps of many erect stems which may reach over a meter in height. Its gray-green stems are covered in a coat of stiff, bristly hairs. The few rough leaves are several centimeters long. The racemes of flowers are more plentiful, with each hairy flower head a few millimeters wide. The spiny, burr-like pistillate heads have pointed, twisting leafs and the staminate heads are rounded. This ragweed is native to western North America. It is adaptable and grows well in disturbed areas, easily becoming weedy.

Ambrosia chamissonis is a species of ragweed known by the common names Silver Burr Ragweed, Silver Beachweed and (Silver) Beach Bur(r). It is known from most of the coastline of western North America from Alaska to Baja California, where it is a resident of beaches and other sandy coastal habitat. This is a large, sprawling perennial herb exceeding three meters in maximum width. The stems are roughly or softly hairy and longitudinally ridged. The plentiful leaves are a few centimeters long, woolly and silver-green, and variable in shape. The plant is monoecious, with male and female flowers on each individual. Staminate (male) flower heads containing many pale colored florets occur at the tip of the flower cluster, with pistillate (female) flower heads clustered below them. Each pistillate head contains a single tiny flower which develops into a fruit. The fruit is a brown bur up to a centimeter wide covered in sharp spines.

Ambrosia psilostachya is a species of ragweed known by the common names Cuman ragweed, perennial ragweed, and western ragweed. It is native to most of North America including all of southern Canada, nearly all of the continental United States, and the northern half of Mexico. It is a common plant in many habitat types, including disturbed areas such as roadsides. It can be found in parts of Eurasia as an introduced species. This is an erect perennial herb growing a slender, branching, straw-colored stem to a maximum height near two meters, but more often remaining under one meter tall. Leaves are up to 12 centimeters long and vary in shape from lance-shaped to nearly oval, and they are divided into many narrow, pointed lobes. The stem and leaves are hairy. The top of the stem is occupied by an flower cluster which is usually a spike. The species is monoecious, and the flower cluster is composed of staminate (male) flower heads with the pistillate heads located below and in the axils of leaves. The pistillate heads yield fruits which are achenes located within oval-shaped greenish-brown burs about half a centimeter long. The burs are hairy and sometimes spiny. The plant reproduces by seed and by sprouting up from a creeping rhizome-like root system. This plant had a number of medicinal uses among several different Native American groups.

Ambrosia pumila is a rare species in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common names San Diego Ambrosia and San Diego Ragweed. It is native to a very limited area in far southern California and Baja California where it grows in a variety of habitats along the coastal strip, inland valleys and foothills at elevations below 2,000 ft. This is a perennial herb not exceeding half a meter in height. The leaves are gray-green, fuzzy, and divided into numerous minute lobes to give a feathery appearance. They are up to 13 centimeters long, not counting the winged petioles. The flower cluster is tipped with staminate (male) flower heads above several larger pistillate (female) heads. The pistillate heads each yield usually one fruit, which is a fuzzy burr only a few millimeters wide with short, soft spines. However, it rarely produces viable seed, usually spreading by its rhizome, forming clonal groupings. It is adapted to dry habitat, but only on upper floodplain fringes, or adjoining depressions containing vernal pools or similar structures. It is a plant of open habitat and is not tolerant of heavy shade. If not given supplemental summer water it will become deciduous but will come back from the rhizome after winter rain. This is not an easy plant to find and infrequently used in residential gardens. It is important for restoration projects in areas of appropriate habitat, and it may be useful in gardens seeking to specialize in rare plants of southern California.

Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a beautiful shrub that grows primarily in Northern California and the Sierra mountains. Western Serviceberry has year-round interest, with showy apple-like white flowers that appear in spring, edible blueberry-tasting fruits in the summer, fall color foliage, and bare branches in the winter.

Western Serviceberry typically is a rounded shrubby form, though it can grow more upright, especially in shady areas. It can be pruned for either a flatter or more rounded, open spreading shape.

Western Serviceberry is fairly easy to grow in soil with excellent drainage, though it prefers loam or sandy loam. In its natural range, at higher elevations, it prefers full sun, needing little or no watering in summer, and is fast growing and long lived - reaching 6 feet in 3 to 6 years and lasting about 60 years. Outside its natural range, it prefers part shade and regular irrigation, and can be slow growing and short lived.

Western Serviceberry is an important food source for birds and animals, and is still grown commercially for human consumption.

Amorpha californica is a species of flowering plant in the Fabaceae (Legume) family known by the common name California False Indigo. It is native to California, Arizona, and northern Baja California, where it grows in chaparral and woodland habitat. This is a hairy, thornless shrub with leaves made up of spiny, oval-shaped leaflets each tipped with a resin gland. The scattered flower clusters are spike-like racemes of flowers, each flower with a single purple petal and ten protruding stamens. The fruit is a legume pod containing usually a single seed. There are two recognized Varieties: Var. californica is the more common; var. napensis is a rare plant found only in a few counties north of San Francisco. This species is somewhat neater in appearance than its close cousin, Amorpha fruticosa, which is more common in San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties. The Amorpha genus is host to the California Dogface Butterfly, the official state butterfly. This species is said to be somewhat difficult in cultivation and is more often used in restoration projects.

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) is a native perennial herb in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family that grows primarily in northern and central California. It is fast growing and short-lived. It grows in an upright form, with active growth during the spring and summer.

Flowers are yellow and striking, blooming in early summer. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. Pearly Everlasting tends to grow in disturbed or recently burned places, at elevations from 0 to 8500 feet. This species is not to be confused with those plants in the genus Pseudognaphalium that are similar in appearance and also known as Everlasting.

Andropogon glomeratus is a species of grass known by the common names bushy bluestem and bushy beardgrass. This grass reaches heights approaching two meters and has large, fluffy cream-colored flower clusters. Each dense, tufted flower cluster has several pairs of hairy spikelets. The leaves may reach over a meter in length. This grass is native to the Americas, where it is widespread. It has also naturalized in other areas. It is cultivated as an ornamental. This species also has potential as a noxious weed and is easily spread via seed contamination. It is a pest plant in Hawaii, where it has been documented on the island of Kauai.

Anemone deltoidea is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common names Columbian windflower and western white anemone. It is native to the forests of the west coast of the United States. This is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing between 10 and 30 centimeters tall. There is usually a single basal leaf which is divided into three large toothed leaflets, each up to 6 centimeters long. There may be more leaves along the mostly naked stem which are similar in appearance to the leaflets on the basal leaf. The flower cluster has three leaflike leafs and a single flower. The flower has no petals but five petal-like white sepals each one to two centimeters long. There are up to 120 whiskery stamens and many pistils. The fruit is a cluster of spherical achenes.

Pacific Anemone is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common names Pacific anemone, globe anemone, and Cutleaved anemone. It is native to northern North America from Alaska to New York and as far south as Arizona and New Mexico. It is also known from parts of South America. This is a perennial herb which is quite variable in appearance, especially across Varieties: It grows to heights from 10 to 70 centimeters and the leaves are covered in a coat of long silky or coarse white hairs. Each leaf is divided into many long, pointed lobes, and the lobes are sometimes subdivided. Including the petiole a single leaf may be 5 to 20 centimeters long. The flower cluster holds one or more flowers. The flowers have no petals but five to eight petal-like sepals which may be nearly any color. They are somewhat hairy, especially on the outer surface. The center of the flower contains up to 80 stamens. The fruit is a hairy, beaked achene a few millimeters long.

Angelica californica is a species of angelica known as California angelica. It is found in northern California and occasionally in southern Oregon. Its habitats are the dry, low-elevation slopes of the foothills and coast ranges. It bears umbels of white angelica flowers.

Angelica hendersonii is a species of angelica known as Henderson's angelica. It is native to the west coast of the United States from Washington to central California, where it grows in the coastal sage scrub and other habitat on the immediate coastline. This is a taprooted perennial herb producing a branching erect stem to heights between about 1 and 2 meters. The basal leaves are made up of oval-shaped leaflets each up to 10 centimeters long, with toothed edges and white woolly undersides. The woolly flower clusters are compound umbels of up to 60 rays holding clusters of fuzzy flowers. The flowers yield fruits which are paired bodies nearly a centimeter long each containing a seed.

Angelica lucida is a species of angelica known by the common names seacoast angelica and sea-watch. It is also one of many species in the celery family which are casually called wild celery. This plant is generally similar in appearance to other angelicas, with tall, dense umbels of yellowish-white flowers. As its common names suggest, this plant is found most often along the coastline. Its distribution includes the east and west coasts of North America, plus parts of east Asia. It is considered an endangered species in some eastern United States.

Angelica tomentosa is a species of angelica known as woolly angelica. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of California and southern Oregon, where it grows in wooded areas. This is a taprooted perennial herb producing an erect, hollow stem to heights generally between 1 and 2 meters. The leaves may be nearly a meter long but are actually made up of many leaflike leaflets, each up to 12 centimeters long and lance-shaped to oval and sometimes toothed. The flower cluster is a compound umbel of up to 60 long rays each bearing clusters of whitish or yellowish flowers.

Anisocarpus madioides (syn. Madia madioides) is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name woodland madia. It is native to the west coast of North America from Vancouver Island in British Columbia to the Peninsular Ranges of southern California. It is a plant of forest and woodland habitat. This is a perennial herb growing up to about 75 centimeters in maximum height, its stem coated in rough hairs and stalked resin glands. The lower leaves are up to 12 centimeters long, oppositely arranged, and fused around the stem at the bases. The upper leaves are much smaller and often alternately arranged. The flower cluster produces several flower heads on long peduncles, each with a rounded involucre of hairy phyllaries. The heads bear yellow ray florets up to a centimeter long and many disc florets. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long, usually with a small pappus.

Antirrhinum multiflorum (syn. Sairocarpus multiflorus) is a species of New World snapdragon known by the common name Sierra snapdragon. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the central Coast Ranges, the Transverse Ranges, and one section of the Sierra Nevada foothills. It grows on lower-elevation mountain slopes and springs up in disturbed and recently burned areas. This is an annual or perennial herb producing a hairy, erect stem which often has a woody base. It does not cling or climb like some other snapdragon species. Small, pointed leaves are arranged alternately about the tall stem. The raceme flower cluster occupies the top of the stem with many pink or red snapdragon flowers between one and two centimeters long each.

Antirrhinum nuttallianum is a species of New World snapdragon in the Plantaginaceae family known by the common names Nuttall's Snapdragon. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it can be found from the immediate coastline to the inland coastal ranges. This is an annual or biennial herb producing an erect, vinelike stem which sometimes clings to objects for support, but does not twine as tightly as many other snapdragons. The flowers are veined light purple with white patches and around a centimeter long. Each is borne on a short pedicel.

Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) is a perennial herb in the Apocynaceae (Dogbane) family native across much of North America. It typically grows in open, sunny areas such as streambanks, roadsides, and meadows, especially in moist or seasonally wet soils. As the common name suggests, dogbane is toxic to dogs, livestock, and humans if ingested.

The plant has upright stems that can reach 3 to 5 feet tall and produce clusters of small, pale greenish-white to pink flowers in summer. The leaves are opposite and lance-shaped. Dogbane has a milky sap which can cause blisters if handled without gloves, and spreads aggressively through rhizomes. Traditionally, Indigenous communities use the strong fibers from its stems to make cordage, nets, and other items—hence the name “Indianhemp.”

This plant is useful in restoration and pollinator gardens, as it supports native bees, butterflies, and other insects. However, it can be too vigorous for small garden spaces.

Aquilegia eximia is a species of columbine known by the common name Van Houtte's columbine. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the moist forests of the Coast Ranges. This is a perennial herb growing from a thick caudex and varying in height, reaching a maximum height near 5 feet. The lower leaves are divided into large, leaflike segments up to 1.5 to 2 inches long and a lobed oval in shape. Leaves farther up the stem are not segmented but may be deeply lobed. The flower cluster bears a large, nodding columbine flower. Each flower has five bright red to orange-red flat sepals up to 1 inch long, and five petals which are hollow spurs 0.5 to 1.5 inches long, bright orange-red on the outer surface and lighter orange to yellow inside. The mouth of each hollow petal tube is up to a centimeter wide. The sepals and petals are generally reflexed back toward the stem and the five pistils and many thin stamens extend forward from the center of the flower.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Garden selection of stream side species (Aquilegia formosa).

Aralia californica, known by the common name elk clover though not actually a clover, is a large herb in the family Araliaceae, the only member of that family native to California and southwestern Oregon. It is a deciduous herbaceous perennial plant growing to a height of 2-3 meters on stems which are thick but not woody. The stems bear large green pinnate or bipinnate leaves 1-2 meters long and 1 meter broad, the leaflets 15-30 centimeter long and 7-15 centimeter broad. The greenish white flowers are produced in large, ball-shaped compound umbels 30-45 centimeter diameter at the stem tip; each star-shaped flower is 2-3 millimeter diameter, and matures to small (3-5 millimeter) dark purple or black fruit, each berry containing 3-5 seeds. This plant performs best under trees or in other moist, shady areas.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and part shade in inland sites. Selection of a hybrid between A. hookeri ssp hearstiorum and A. cruzensis from san Luis Obispo Co. made by Ralph philbrick and Dara Emery.