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.

The annual herb Achyrachaena mollis bears the common name blow-wives, which is both singular and plural. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Achyrachaena. It is a flower which grows to approximately one foot in height on a strong, straight stem. Atop the stem is a large, rounded bud which opens into a spherical cluster of flowers. The actual flowers are small and yellow and nearly invisible behind the showy fruits, which extend shiny bright white scales which look like long rectangular flower petals. These silky white scales catch the wind, which allows the single-seeded fruits to be dispersed. The plant is common in low-elevation hills and grasslands all over California, and into southern Oregon and northern Baja California. Blow-wives has some invasive potential, but is not known as one of the more troublesome weeds.

Achyronychia is a monotypic genus of flowering plant containing the single species Achyronychia cooperi, which is known by the common names onyxflower and frost-mat. This plant is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of northern Mexico and the U. S. states of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. In California, it is known from San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Inyo Counties. In Arizona, it occurs in Yuma, Mohave, Pima, Pinal and Maricopa Counties. It has also been reported from Washington County in Utah, and from Clark County, Nevada. Onyxflower is a diminutive plant which lies in a small mat flat on the ground. Its habitat is sand. It radiates several prostrate stems in all directions, each only a few centimeters long. The thick pale green leaves are paddle-shaped and under 2 centimeters long. In the leaf axils grow dense bunches of tiny flowers. There are no petals, but each flower has five thin shiny white sepals that look like tiny fingernails; the genus name Achyronychia is Greek for "chaff fingernail".

Acleisanthes nevadensis (syn. Selinocarpus nevadensis) is a species of flowering plant in the four o'clock family known by the common names desert moonpod and desert wing-fruit. It is native to a section of the southwestern United States encompassing southern Nevada and adjacent corners of Utah and Arizona. One occurrence has been observed in eastern California. The plant grows in desert habitat such as scrub and rocky washes. This herb produces several spreading stems up to about 30 centimeters in maximum length, sometimes from a woody base. The stems are covered in many leaves with fleshy oval or rounded blades up to 3 centimeters long which are borne on petioles. The herbage of the plant is coated in thick, wide, white, furry hairs, interspersed with shorter, flat hairs. Some hairs are glandular. Flowers occur in leaf axils. Each is a trumpet-shaped bloom with a narrow, tubular green throat up to 4 centimeters long and a round white corolla face about a centimeter wide, sometimes tinged yellow or greenish. There are five long, protruding stamens and a long style tipped with a spherical stigma. The fruit is a ribbed, hairy body with five broad, white wings.

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.

Lotus argophyllus is a species of legume known by the common name silver bird's-foot trefoil. It is also sometimes classified as Acmispon argophyllus. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the southern California Coast Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Transverse Ranges, the Sierra Nevada, Southern California coastal zones, and the Channel Islands. It is found in chaparral, conifer forest, and other habitat types. Lotus argophyllus is a perennial herb growing prostrate to erect, the base of its stem woody and tough and upper parts coat in silky silvery hairs. The leaves are each made up of pairs of hairy oval leaflike leaflets around a centimeter long. The inflorescence is a cluster of many tubular yellow flowers each about a centimeter long, encased at the base in a calyx of silky-hairy sepals. The fruit is legume pod generally containing a single seed. Varieties: The varieties of this species include: L. a. var. adsurgens - San Clemente Island bird's-foot trefoil is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. It is rare. L. a. var. argenteus - Channel Islands silver lotus is endemic to several of the Channel Islands. L. a. var. argophyllus - Fremont's silver lotus is a more common variety which can be found in mainland distribution. L. a. var. fremontii is known only from the Sierra Nevada. L. a. var. niveus - Santa Cruz Island bird's-foot trefoil, endemic to Santa Cruz Island, another of the Channel Islands, is rare.

Acmispon brachycarpus (formerly Lotus humistratus) is a species of legume known by the common name foothill deervetch. It is native to western North America from Idaho to Texas to northern Mexico, where it is known from many types of habitat. It is an annual herb spreading upright or taking a clumpy or matted form. It is lined with leaves each usually made up of four hairy, somewhat fleshy leaflets each up to about 1 cm long. Solitary yellow, pea-like flowers appear in the leaf axils. The fruit is a legume pod variable in size and shape.

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.

Lotus heermannii is a species of legume known by the common name Heermann's bird's-foot trefoil. It is native to the coastal plains, canyons, and mountains of California and Baja California, where it is known from several types of oceanside and inland habitat. It is a mat-forming perennial herb spreading straight stems along the ground. It is lined with leaves made up of several hairy oval leaflets. The flower cluster is a cluster of 3 to 8 flowers each up to about a centimeter long. The petals are yellow, often with dark lobes. The fruit is a curved, beaked legume pod.

Lotus junceus is a species of legume known by the common name rush deervetch. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the northern and central coast and the coastal mountain ranges. It can be found from beaches inland to serpentine slopes and chaparral. It is a hairy, prostrate or spreading perennial herb lined with leaves each made up of small oval leaflets. The flower cluster bears up 8 yellow pea-like flowers each up to about a centimeter long. The fruit is a small beaked legume. The fruit beak curves a lot, the keel can exceed the wings, the calyces are entirely red sometimes, and the stems can be darker.

Acmispon maritimus is a species of legume known by the common name coastal bird's-foot trefoil. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in many types of mountain, desert, and scrub habitat, not necessarily near the coast. It is an annual herb quite variable in morphology, from petite to bushy, hairless to roughly hairy, and prostrate to erect in form. The slender stems are lined with leaves each made up of pairs of leaflets variable in shape and size. The flower cluster is a small array of 1 to 4 yellow flowers, each up to a centimeter long or so. The elongated flower corolla emerges from a tubular calyx of sepals. The fruit is a fairly straight legume up to 3 centimeters long. Laboratory studies have shown this species, which occurs in wildfire-prone habitat such as chaparral, to have an increased rate of seed germination after exposure to heat.

Lotus hamatus is a species of legume known by the common name San Diego bird's-foot trefoil. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of California and Baja California, where it grows in various types of scrub and canyon habitat. It is an annual herb taking a spreading or upright form. It is lined with leaves each made up of oval leaflets each about a centimeter long. The flower cluster is a small bunch of red and yellow flowers. Each flower is in a tubular calyx of sepals and is only a few millimeters long. The fruit is a narrow, bent legume pod up to 1.5 centimeters long, including the hooked beak at the tip.

Desert rock pea (Lotus rigidus), is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Mojave Desert in the Southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. It is found between the Colorado River and Death Valley, and south into Baja California. Other names include shrubby deervetch. It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 0.5-1.5 meter tall. The leaves are irregularly pinnate or palmate with 3-4 leaflets, 5-15 millimeter long. The flowers are yellow, turning red or purple as they age.

Lotus strigosus is a species of legume known by the common name strigose bird's-foot trefoil. It is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico, where it is known from many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is a prostrate annual herb. It is sometimes roughly hairy as its name suggests, but it may be somewhat woolly, fuzzy, or nearly hairless as well. Its slender branches are lined with leaves each made of several small leaflets. The flower cluster bears one or two yellow to orange or red pealike flowers, each with a corolla one half to one centimeter across. The fruit is a legume pod 1 to 3 centimeters long.

Acmispon wrangelianus is a species of legume known by the common names Chilean bird's-foot trefoil and Chile lotus. It is native to California, where it is widespread, and parts of adjacent states. Despite its common name, it is not from Chile. It can be found in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. This is a hairy, prostrate annual herb. Its slender branches are lined with leaves each made of generally four small leaflets. The inflorescence is composed of a solitary yellow pealike flower around a centimeter wide. The fruit is a legume pod 1 to 2 centimeters long.

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.

Howell's Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum var. howellii) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern California. It tends to grow in wet places.

Aconogonon davisiae is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common name Davis' knotweed. Aconogonon davisiae is native to the western United States from Washington, Oregon, and central and northern California (northern Coast Ranges and northern Sierra Nevada). There are also isolated populations in central Idaho It grows in high mountain habitat, such as talus and fellfields. Aconogonon davisiae is a perennial herb producing a decumbent or upright stem from a woody caudex, growing to a maximum erect height near 40 centimeters (3 feet). The leaves are oval and pointed or widely-lance-shaped to somewhat triangular, yellowish or pale green and waxy, slightly hairy, or smooth in texture. At the base of each leaf is a thin reddish sheath formed from the leaf's stipules which is known as the ochrea. Flowers occur in clusters of 2 to 5 in the leaf axils. The flowers are yellowish, greenish, or purple-tinged and just a few millimeters wide.

Aconogonon phytolaccifolium is a species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common name Poke knotweed . Aconogonon phytolaccifolium is native to the western United States: California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana. Aconogonon phytolaccifolium is a perennial herb up to 200 cm (79 in) tall. The lance-shaped or pointed oval leaves are 10 to 20 centimeters long and borne on petioles. The leaves have large stipules which form reddish ochrea up to 3 centimetres (1. 2 inches) long. The inflorescence is a long array of branching cluster of many white or greenish flowers. Each flower is about 4 millimetres (0. 16 inches) wide and has tiny protruding stamens tipped with yellow or pink anthers.