Siskiyou Mtns. Huckleberry (Vaccinium coccineum) is a rare native shrub that grows in northern California. It tends to grow in edges of wet meadows and slopes, at elevations from - feet.

Thin Leaf Huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum) is a native shrub that grows in northern California. It is moderately fast growing and long-lived. It grows in a semi-upright form to a height of 4.5 feet, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are purple and striking, and bloom in the late spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in wet places, at elevations from 3600-7200 feet.

With its dark, evergreen leaves and reddish bark, this attractive native shrub provides year-round interest in the garden. It is also an important wildlife plant. The berries are a food source for a variety of birds and mammals. The delicate, bell-shaped flowers attract bees and hummingbirds.

Evergreen Huckleberry grows in coastal California. In the garden, it is a slow-growing, medium-sized shrub that can serve as a hedge or groundcover. It is a low-water plant that tolerates nutrient-poor soil and shady conditions.

Grows best in loamy, medium draining soil. Prefers part shade or shade in coastal sites, and shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden.

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

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

Vaccinium uliginosum (Bog Bilberry or Northern Bilberry) is a flowering plant in the genus Vaccinium. It is native to cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, at low altitudes in the Arctic, and at high altitudes south to the Pyrenees, the Alps, and the Caucasus in Europe, the mountains of Mongolia, northern China and central Japan in Asia, and the Sierra Nevada in California and the Rocky Mountains in Utah in North America. It grows on wet acidic soils on heathland, moorland, tundra, and in the understory of coniferous forests, from sea level in the Arctic, up to 3,400 meter altitude in the south of the range.

Western Blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum ssp. occidentale) is a native shrub that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow in wet places, at elevations from 5000-11000 feet.

Mountain Hair Grass (Deschampsia atropurpurea) is a rare native grass that grows in Southern and Northern California, primarily in the Klamath Mountain Range and High Cascade Range regions. It tends to grow in meadows and streambanks, at elevations from 6600-7500 feet.

Valeriana californica is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name California valerian. It is native to Oregon, northeastern California, and Nevada, where it occurs in moist, forested mountain habitat. It is an erect herb up to half a meter tall with whorls or opposite pairs of deeply lobed leaves at intervals along stem. The inflorescence is a cyme of many funnel-shaped white or pink-tinged flowers each about half a centimeter long with three long, protruding stamens. The fruit is a ribbed achene about half a centimeter long which may be tipped with the featherlike remains of the flower sepals.

Valeriana occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common name western valerian. It is native to the western United States, particularly the northwestern quadrant, but it occurs as far south as Arizona and as far east as Colorado and South Dakota. It occurs in moist, forested mountain habitat. It is an erect herb growing 30 to 75 centimeters tall with whorls or opposite pairs of leaves at intervals along stem. The leaves are generally divided into lobes or are compound, with each leaf made up of a few oval-shaped leaflets. The inflorescence is a dense cyme of many funnel-shaped white flowers each 3 or 4 millimeters long with three long, protruding stamens. The fruit is a ribbed achene about half a centimeter long which may be tipped with the featherlike remains of the flower sepals. Valeriana occidentalis is found in the USA in the following states: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY. It is also found in British Columbia, Canada. A map of its distribution can be found on the USDA Plants Site. Valeriana occidentalis is found in the USA in the following states: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY. It is also found in British Columbia, Canada. A map of its distribution can be found on the USDA Plants Site.

Sitka Valerian (Valeriana sitchensis ssp. sitchensis) is a native perennial herb that grows in Northern California, primarily in the Klamath Mountain Range region. It tends to grow in moist places, at elevations from 4900-7200 feet.

Venegasia is a genus of North American plants in the tarweed tribe within the sunflower family. Venegasia carpesioides is the only known species in the genus. It is shrubby bush growing to 1. 8 m tall and prefers locations in moist canyons in southern California, and in Baja California. It is commonly known as the Canyon sunflower.

This plant is a great choice for a dry shady corner of a garden, though the plant is very versatile.
Tolerates full shade, as well as part shade or sun, and dry or damp conditions. Nearly always blooming.

Veratrum fimbriatum is an uncommon species of false hellebore, a type of plant closely related to the lily. Its common names are fringed false hellebore and fringed corn lily. It is endemic to California where it is a rare resident of the northern coastal scrub plant communities of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties. This flowering plant is a stout, hollow-stemmed perennial growing from a thick rhizome. The erect flowering plant bears several large, flat, green leaves near the base of the green stem. The large panicle inflorescence is packed with many distinctive, lacy-fringed flowers each up to a centimeter wide. The flower bud is club-shaped before it opens into a bloom of six frilly tepals, each of which bears two bright green or gold glands. The ovary and sepals extend straight outward as one thick stalk. The fruit is an oval-shaped capsule just under a centimeter long containing the seeds.

Glandularia gooddingii is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family known by the common name southwestern mock vervain. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it occurs in sandy and rocky desert habitat. It is a perennial herb producing several hairy, decumbent to erect stems up to 45 centimeters long. The hairy leaves are generally divided at the base into a few lobes, which are edged with large teeth or small lobes. The plant blooms in large, dense, head-like spikes of many flowers. Each flower has a calyx of hairy sepals and a pale purple-blue corolla up to 1. 4 centimeters long.

Verbena hastata (American vervain, blue vervain or swamp verbena) is a flowering plant in the vervain family, Verbenaceae. It is a herb with opposite, simple leaves which have double-serate margins, borne on stiffly erect, branching square stems. The flowers appear in summer and are purple. This is a common plant that occurs across North America. They are hardy and drought resistant. This species is a member of the diploid North American vervains which have 14 chromosomes altogether. Hybridization seems to have played some role in its evolution, presumably between some member of a group including the White Vervain (V. urticifolia), V. lasiostachys or V. menthifolia, and V. orcuttiana or a related species. In the recent evolutionary past, there has been an incident of chloroplast transfer of one of the latter or the Swamp Verbena to the mock vervain Glandularia bipinnatifida which is a close relative of the genus Verbena. It is unknown by what mechanism this happened, but it is suspected that hybridization is not responsible.

Vervain (Verbena lasiostachys) is a perennial herb in the Verbena family that grows in northern, central, and southern California, as well as Oregon. It is found primarily along the coast, in the Coast Ranges, foothills, and scattered inland locations. This aggressive spreader is a pioneer species that thrives in wet places, at elevations ranging from sea level to 8,200 feet.

Vervain has a long blooming season, with small pink to purple flowers densely clustered on spikes rising above its nettle-like leaves. It goes completely dormant in winter and grows quickly in early spring. Given its spreading nature, it should be used in areas where it can be controlled.

This plant is an excellent choice for butterfly gardens, attracting pollinators with its nectar-rich flowers. The flowers will also draw hummingbirds, making it a great addition to gardens looking to support a variety of wildlife.

Western Vervain (Verbena lasiostachys var. lasiostachys) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in open places, at elevations from 0-8200 feet.

Robust Vervain (Verbena lasiostachys var. scabrida) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in open places, at elevations from 0-4900 feet.

De la mina verbena (Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina') is an adaptable, mounding perennial that produces mounds of delicate green foliage and stunning dark purple blossoms with lavender highlights.  The blooms are lightly scented. Though more flowers are on the bush in spring, it blossoms throughout most of the year, making it a very attractive and versatile plant for any flower border, butterfly garden, or patio container. It grows fast to about 2 feet high and spreads to about 4 feet wide. It is evergreen but may be semi-deciduous in summer.

This shrub grows best in loamy, medium-draining soil but will tolerate clay soil provided it isn't over-watered. It uses little to very little water. To maintain a dense form, shear lightly in summer, and remove spent flowers. It prefers sun in coastal sites, part shade inland and is recommended for dry gardens. 

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

Verbena menthifolia is a species of verbena known by the common name mint-leaved vervain or mint vervain. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it occurs in many types of open, dry habitat such as desert scrub. This perennial herb produces one or more rough-haired, erect stems up to about 75 centimeters in maximum height. The hairy leaves are a few centimeters long and are divided near the base into a few narrow lobes which have serrated edges. The inflorescence is made up of one to three narrow, erect spikes of flowers up to 30 centimeters long. The flowers are spaced, not densely packed on the slender spike. Each flower has a small purple corolla 2 or 3 millimeters wide.

Bigleaf Crownbeard (Verbesina dissita) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in Southern California, primarily in the South Coast and Transverse Range regions. It tends to grow in dry disturbed or recently burned places, at elevations from 0-300 feet.

Veronica americana, variously called American brookline or American speedwell, is a plant native to temperate and arctic Asia and North America where it grows in streams and bottomlands. It is a herbaceous perennial with smooth stems 10-100 centimeter long that bear terminal or axillary racemes or spikes of soft violet flowers. The leaves are 1.5-8 centimeter long and 3 to 20 times as long as wide, short-petiolate, smooth, serrate to almost entire.

Vicia americana is a species of legume in the vetch genus known by the common names American vetch and purple vetch. It includes a subspecies known as mat vetch. It is a climbing perennial forb that grows from both taproot and rhizome. The leaves are each made up of oblong leaflets and have tendrils for climbing. It bears showy pea-like flowers in shades of lavender and fuchsia. The fruit is a hairless pod about 3 centimeters long that contains usually two light brown peas. American vetch is widespread across North America. It is a common understory plant in many types of forest and other habitats such as chaparral and it provides forage for wild and domesticated animals. This vetch is used to reclaim burned or disturbed land, such as that which has been cleared by wildfire or altered by human activities such as mining or construction. It is drought-tolerant and thrives in both dry and moist habitats.

Giant Vetch (Vicia gigantea) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in disturbed or recently burned places, at elevations from 0-700 feet.

Dog Violet (Viola adunca) is a hairy, compact plant with nodding purple flowers blooming from spring through summer. With dark green heart-shaped fragrant leaves spreading via rhizomes (horizontal underground stems), Dog Violet makes a low mat that covers the ground.

Dog Violet grows in shade or part sun, prefers well-drained soil and needs watering year round. Dog Violet hosts moths and butterflies. Native to meadows and forests, Dog Violet makes a great mat groundcover for woodland and meadow gardens.

Viola cuneata is a species of violet known by the common name wedgeleaf violet. It is native to southwestern Oregon and northwestern California, where it occurs in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, often on serpentine soils. This rhizomatous herb produces a hairless stem reaching a maximum height of a few centimeters to around 25 centimeters. The basal leaves have purple-veined green oval, rounded, or wedge-shaped blades borne on long petioles. Leaves higher on the stem are smaller. A solitary flower is borne on a very slender upright stem. It has five white petals with yellowish bases, the lateral two and usually upper two with purple spots. Their outer surfaces may be deep purple to red, and the lowest three are generally marked with purple veining.

Viola douglasii is a species of violet known by the common name Douglas' violet, or Douglas' golden violet. It is native to western North America from Oregon through California and into Baja California, where it grows in seasonally moist habitat, often on serpentine soils. This rhizomatous herb produces a cluster of erect stems just a few centimeters in length to about 20 centimeters in maximum height. The leaf blades are deeply dissected into several narrow lobes or compound, made up of leaflets, and borne on long petioles. They are hairless to softly hairy in texture. A solitary flower is borne on a long, upright stem. It has five bright or deep yellow petals with brown veining and brown outer surfaces. The largest lowest petal may be over 2 centimeters in length.

Viola hallii is a species of violet known by the common names Oregon violet and Hall's violet. It is native to southwestern Oregon and northwestern California, where it occurs in open areas in the forests and chaparral of the coastal mountain ranges, on gravelly soils, often of serpentine origin. This rhizomatous herb produces a cluster of hairless stems reaching a maximum height of about 22 centimeters. The leaves are each divided into three fleshy leaflets which are deeply divided into lance-shaped lobes and borne on a short petioles very similar to Viola beckwithii. A solitary flower is borne on a long, upright stem. It has five petals, the lower three cream-colored with yellow bases and red veining and the upper two dark red or purplish.

Viola palustris (marsh violet or alpine marsh violet) is a perennial forb of the genus Viola. It inhabits moist meadows, marshes, and streambanks in northern parts of North America and Eurasia. Viola palustris is a 5 to 22 cm, glabrous herb with petioles and peduncles from slender rhizomes. The cordate to reniform leaves are 2. 5 to 3. 5 cm wide with coarse, shallow, blunt teeth. Petioles are 2 to 17 cm. The white to lilac flowers are 10 to 13 mm long. Peduncles are about the same length as petioles. The lower three petals have purple lines. The lateral pair are lightly bearded.

The Yellow Pansy (Viola pedunculata) is a common and attractive wildflower of coastal regions of California and Baja California. It is also known as the California Golden Violet, or as the Johnny Jump Up, though the latter name is more usually associated with the introduced Heartsease, Viola tricolor. The Yellow Pansy grows on open, grassy slopes, chaparral, and in oak woodlands, from sea level to around 1000 meters. It is a perennial, growing from a spongy rhizome. The leaves are 1-5.5 centimeter, heart-shaped (heart-shaped) to deltate-ovate (oblong-triangular), scalloped or toothed, and smooth or hairy. The plant is often low-growing, but can reach heights of up to 40 centimeter. The flowers appear in March and April, and are always yellow. They are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by insects. Dried in air, the seeds weigh about 4mg each.

Viola purpurea is a species of violet which bears yellow flowers. It is known commonly as the goosefoot violet. It is a small plant which bears thick to fleshy toothed or ridged oval leaves which are mostly green but may have a purplish tint to them. The flowers are made up of bright yellow petals, the lowermost being streaked or veined with purple and the lateral petals with purplish undersides. There are several subspecies, most of which are known by the common name goosefoot violet. These subspecies are found across the western United States from Wyoming to California. It is a member of the chaparral plant community and the foothills and low elevation mountains.

Goosefoot Violet (Viola purpurea ssp. purpurea) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in , at elevations from 1600-8200 feet.

Viola sheltonii is a species of violet known by the common names Shelton's violet and fan violet. It is native to the western United States where it occurs in forests, woodlands, and chaparral habitat. This rhizomatous herb produces a cluster of stems up to about 27 centimeters tall. The fan-like leaf blades are each divided into leaflets which are deeply dissected into narrow segments, the whole blade borne on a long petiole. A solitary flower is borne on a long, upright stem. It has five yellow petals, the lower three veined with purple-brown and the upper two stained purple-brown on the outer surfaces.

Roger's red grape (vitis 'Roger's red') is a vigorous hybrid between the native vitis californica and the European vitis vinifera.  It is a vigorous, deciduous vine, prized for its flaming red foliage in fall.

This vine either needs to climb or will become a mounding, spreading groundcover. It is great for covering arbors or fence and can provide good shade in summer.  It is best pruned and shaped during the winter before the appearance of spring leaves. It is said to have higher than average resistance to Pierce's Disease.

Roger’s red is also wonderful for wildlife.  It will attract pollinators when it flowers in spring, as well as birds and wildlife, which feast on the prolific bunches of small red grapes which ripen in late summer. Note that the fruit is toxic to dogs.

California grape (Vitis californica) is a vigorous, deciduous vine that can be trained to cover an arbor or fence or serve as a groundcover if left unsupported. Its edible purple fruit ripens in late summer (though it is toxic to dogs), and its large leaves turn brilliant shades of orange and yellow in fall.

This fast-growing plant thrives with water but is highly drought-adapted once established. While it can tolerate heavy irrigation, excessive growth may require regular pruning to keep it in check.

California grape provides excellent cover for wildlife. Birds and other animals rely on its fruit, bees are drawn to its flowers, and it is one of the best plants for supporting butterflies in the fall.

Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and sun or part shade in inland sites. Selected for the garden by Cal Flora Nursery from possible hybrid found growing near the Russian River.

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

Desert Wild Grape is a native vine or shrub that grows in southern California. It tends to grow in streamsides, at elevations from 0-4100 feet, but it is found in more arid areas than its close cousin, Vitis californica. It grows in southern oak woodlands, coastal sage scrub, pinyon-juniper woodland, joshua tree woodland, and riparian habitats. In the wild it tends to climb over other plants with stems reaching up to 50 ft. In the garden it can be trained to climb up a trellis, fence or wall. It is deciduous and is leafless for several months every year. The flowers are inconspicuous, followed by the edible fruits which attract many birds. It may not fruit reliably if too close to the coast.

Fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) is a tree in the Palm family (Arecaceae). Commonly called desert fan palm or California fan palm, it is the only palm native to the western United States and is the country's largest native palm. It is an evergreen monocot with large sprays of creamy white flowers, up to 15 feet (5 meters) long, appear in summer, followed by abundant clusters of small, pea-sized black fruits.

Primarily found in Creosote Bush Scrub and Desert Riparian habitats such as rivers, seeps and springs, this palm is a keystone species in Desert Oases, and supports desert species of wildlife, such as the Western Yellow Bat, the Hooded Oriole and the Palm Flower Moth. 

Although Fan Palm grows near springs, it is actually quite drought-adapted in gardens. Place in well-drained soil in full sun. It is not necessary to prune dead leaves; however, this can be done by cutting them off close to the trunk. Remove these carefully in order to protect any bats or birds that may get crushed by the heavy leaves.

Whipplea is a monotypic genus containing the single species Whipplea modesta, which is known by several common names including common whipplea, yerba de selva, and modesty. It is a dicot shrub or sub-shrub in the Hydrangeaceae family, native to the Pacific Coastal region of the United States. Whipplea appears to have been first recorded in 1853 by the Scottish botanical explorer John Jeffrey in the Umpqua Valley near Mount Shasta, California, and named for Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple (1817-1863), American surveyor and engineer.

Narrow Leaf Mule Ears (Wyethia angustifolia) is a native perennial herb in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family that grows in central and northern California. It tends to grow in stream banks and springs, at elevations from 0-5,500 feet, from the coast to the Sierras. It is winter dormant and dies back to the ground. It has large flowers, up to 3" in diameter, that last from spring to summer.

Agnorhiza elata (syn. Wyethia elata) is a species of flowering plants known by the common name Hall's mule's ears. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from a section of the central Sierra Nevada foothills. It occurs primarily in a region stretching from Tuolumne County to Fresno County, but a few isolated populations have been found in Tulare County. Agnorhiza elata occurs in woodlands and pine forests. It is a perennial herb growing from a thick taproot and caudex unit. The hairy stem grows erect to a maximum height around one meter. The leaves have triangular blades up to 20 centimeters long. They are coated in woolly hairs and resin glands, and the edges are smooth or slightly serrated. The inflorescence is made up of one or more flower heads. The head has lance-shaped phyllaries and has up to 20 yellow ray florets which can be up to 6 centimeters long. The fruit is an achene over a centimeter long tipped with a pappus.

Wyethia helenioides is a species of flowering plants in the sunflower family commonly referred to as gray mule's ears. These are short, low growing golden-rayed wildflowers that resemble sunflowers. This species occurs chiefly in California's North Coast Range, Central Coast range and some parts of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Typical understory associated in sunny clearings of mixed oak forests in coastal California include Mimulus aurantiacus and Calochortus luteus.

Mule Ears (Wyethia mollis) is one of several species in this genus that are found in California. It is a native perennial herb in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family that grows primarily in the Sierra from Fresno County northward. It is slow growing and long-lived, developing an upright form, with active growth during the spring and summer. Flowers are yellow and striking, and bloom in the late spring. Leaves are white-gray and deciduous. It tends to be a pioneer species, growing in open grassy areas or recently burned sites, at elevations from 4500 to 10,600 feet. Afternoon shade is helpful. It can handle very cold, snowy winters. For southern California mountain gardens, Wyethia ovata would be a better choice.

Xerophyllum tenax is a North American species of plants in the corn lily family. It is known by several common names, including bear grass, soap grass, quip-quip, and basket grass. Xerophyllum tenax has flowers with six tepals and six stamens borne in a terminal raceme. The plant can grow to 15-150 cm in height. It grows in bunches with the leaves wrapped around and extending from a small stem at ground level. The leaves are 30-100 cm long and 2-6 mm wide, dull olive green with toothed edges. The slightly fragrant white flowers emerge from a tall stalk that bolts from the base. When the flowers are in bloom they are tightly packed at the tip of the stalk like an upright club. The plant is found mostly in western North America from British Columbia south to California and east to Wyoming, in subalpine meadows and coastal mountains, and also on low ground in the California coastal fog belt as far south as Monterey County. It is common on the Olympic Peninsula and in the Cascades, northern Sierra Nevada and Rockies.

Mission Manzanita is a shrub that grows up to 20 feet tall, and 20 feet in diameter. Its native range is very limited, comprising Southwestern and Pacific coastal California from San Diego county through north-central Pacific coastal Baja California, a small area in the foothills northwest of Pasadena in Los Angeles Country, a bit of southern Riverside County near Temecula, and Santa Catalina Island. Mission Manzanita is a slow growing shrub that resembles the true manzanitas (Arctostaphylos).

The form is upright or rounded, with one or multiple trunks. Leaves are oblong, glossy dark green on the top and very light colored with a felty texture on the underside. The edges of the leaves curl under as they age. Bark is smooth and a red-gray color. Flowers, which appear from December to February depending on rainfall, are white to pink in color blending to yellowish at the open end, 8-10 millimeter; in length and hang like bells in small clusters near the ends of branches. Fruit is glossy dark red to almost black, 7 millimeter; diameter and has very little flesh, being mostly a large, woody seed. The name Xylococcus comes from the Greek for "wood berry".

Mission Manzanita is found mixed southern chaparral ecosystems below 3500' elevation on dry, sunny slopes in a very limited range of coastal areas of southern California and northern Baja California. Coyotes and birds, including the California Thrasher and Scrub Jay, eat the fruit. Hummingbirds, especially the resident Anna's Hummingbird, drink nectar from flowers. Various birds nest in Mission Manzanita and many use it for cover. It re-sprouts from a basal burl after fires, and is extremely long lived. Some specimens are estimated to be over 400 years old.

Best to plant Mission Manzanita in early winter, on dry rocky slopes with fast draining soil. Put plenty of mulch and a few good sized rocks near the roots to prevent summer moisture loss. It likes regular light watering (1x every 2 weeks) during the first summer after planting, After established, it should survive the dry months with no supplementary water, though it can usually handle summer watering as much as once per month for it's first 2-3 years. After that, best to naturalize. This plant prefers to have its leaves in full sun, but likes its roots in the shade. Does best on north facing slopes.

Xylorhiza orcuttii is a perennial plant in the aster family known by the common name Orcutt's aster. It is native to southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in scrubby habitat in the dry canyons of the Sonoran Desert. It often grows in rocky and sandy substrates, clay, and alkaline soils amongst cactus. It is a shrub with branching, mostly hairless stems that may reach 1. 5 meters in length. The leaves are lance-shaped to oblong with smooth, toothed, or spiny edges. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head with up to 40 or more lavender or pale blue ray florets, each of which may measure over 3 centimeters in length. Flowering may begin as early as late fall or winter. The fruit is an achene which may be over a centimeter long, including its pappus of bristles.

Xylorhiza tortifolia is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Mojave-aster and Mojave woodyaster. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States, where it grows in canyons and other habitat. It is a perennial herb or subshrub with branching, hairy, glandular stems that reach 60 to 80 centimeters in length. The leaves are linear, lance-shaped, or oval, with pointed or spiny tips and spiny edges. The leaf surfaces are hairy and glandular. The inflorescence is a solitary flower head borne on a long peduncle. The head has a base with long, narrow phyllaries which may be over 2 centimeters long. The head contains up to 60 or more lavender, pale blue, or white ray florets which may be over 3 centimeters long. The fruit is an achene which may be over a centimeter long, including its pappus of bristles.

Yucca baccata (Datil Yucca or Banana Yucca) is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, from southeastern California north to Utah, east to western Texas and south to Sonora and Chihuahua. In California it is found primarily in northeastern San Bernardino County. It gets its name from its banana-shaped fruit. Banana Yucca is closely related to the Mojave Yucca (Y. schidigera), with which it is interspersed where their ranges overlap; hybrids between them occur. It is also related to Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) and is found primarily in Joshua Tree Woodland in California.

Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is an iconic symbol of California’s deserts, found in the Mojave Desert and parts of Utah. This tree-like monocot, related to lilies and palms, grows at elevations from 1,600 to 6,600 feet, occasionally reaching 11,000 feet. Its stiff, dagger-like leaves and clusters of greenish-white flowers give it a striking appearance.

Joshua trees rely entirely on the tiny Tegeticula moth for pollination. The moth lays its eggs in the flowers, and the caterpillars feed on some of the seeds, ensuring mutual survival. These trees also provide nesting sites for around 25 bird species and are the host plant for the Yucca Giant-Skipper butterfly.

Due to its slow growth and specific habitat needs, Joshua tree is rarely used in residential gardens. However, it can serve as a dramatic, sculptural feature in large desert or semi-desert landscapes. When transplanted, it requires careful watering to prevent rot.

For those in appropriate climates, the Joshua tree is a low-maintenance, drought-adapted choice that supports native wildlife.

Mojave Yucca is a species in the Agaveceae (Agave) family that is native to southern California. It grows in coastal sage scrub near the coast, in mountain chaparral, and in desert transition areas at elevations from sea level to 8,200 feet. Like others in this family it is a monocot, so the leaves have parallel veins. The leaves emerge from a central rosette, are succulent and quite stiff, with sharp terminal spines and long, tough fibers. Some of these fibers are typically visible along the edge of the leaves. Native people processed the leaves and used the fibers for cordage. In spring the plant produces a flower stalk 12-18 inches in height covered with white or cream colored flowers. The flower is pollinated by only a single species of Yucca Moth, and many of the flowers go unpollinated. The fruit is a large capsule holding dozens of black, wedge-shaped seeds. It reproduces only by seed, not by offsets as other Agaves do. Unlike most other members of this family, Mohave Yucca does not die after blooming, a trait it shares with Joshua Tree (Yucca Brevifolia). For this reason, it tends to grow taller with age, starting at ground level as a young plant and eventually reaching 10ft. or more. Older plants are usually branched and each branch carrying a leaf rosette. Areas that support older specimens have not been disturbed or burned for many years.

Zeltnera venusta is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common name charming centaury and canchalagua. This centaury is native to California and southern Oregon, where it grows in many habitats up to elevations around 1300 meters. It is an annual wildflower rarely reaching half a meter in height. The pointed oval leaves grow opposite on the thin stems. The inflorescence is tipped with one or more showy star-shaped flowers, each with a white-centered magenta (rarely all-white) corolla about 2 centimeters wide.

Ziziphus obtusifolia is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by several common names, including lotebush, graythorn, gumdrop tree, and Texas buckthorn. The plant is native to the South Central and Southwestern United States, the California deserts, and central through northern Mexico. It grows in shrubby and scrubby desert habitats, grasslands and prairie, woodlands, and other habitat types. It can be found among desert plants such as honey mesquite, smooth mesquite, ocotillo and creosote. Ziziphus obtusifolia is a shrub with many branches forming a thorny tangle which may exceed 3 metres (9. 8 ft) tall and approach 4 metres (13 ft) at times. The leaves are deciduous and are absent for much of the year, leaving the shrub a naked thicket of gray twigs coated in waxy whitish hairs. The ends of the twigs taper into sharp-tipped thorns. The thick, glandular gray or green leaves have oval blades 1 or 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a cluster of several dull yellow-green flowers. The fruit is a mealy, juicy drupe containing one seed. The fruit provides food for many species of birds and mammals. Birds use the shrub as a nesting site and the southern plains woodrat uses the twigs to build its houses.