Our Plants (List)

See Symphiotrichum chilensis ‘Puple haze’ California aster

Lady fern grows in shady, moist settings throughout the temperate climate of the Northern Hemisphere. The bright green fronds arise from the center of an expanding clump in the late winter following winter dormancy. As the clump matures it becomes more tolerant of dry periods, but this fern prefers some…

Four Wing Salt Bush is quite widespread in western North America from Canada into Mexico. In California it grows in various plant communities from the Transverse Ranges south and east, including the immediate coast and the interior deserts. It also thrives in the narrow portions of eastern California included in…

This species inhabits a range of plant communities in California, notable for their variety. Among these are the Channel Islands, all of which support a population. The compact island form was selected from little Anacapa Island off the eastern shore of Santa Cruz Island. Like the species, it grows as…

Quail bush grows in a wide range of plant communities throughout California and beyond. This speaks to its impressive toughness. It is one of relatively few plants that range from our southeastern desert to the coast, Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area. Quail bush grows as a rounded shrub…

Seascale is a member of coastal strand plant communities from Baja, Mexico, through Northern California. Coastal strand is one of the most restricted plant communities in California since it consists of the narrow strip of sandy land between the high tide mark and interior soil. Seascale thrives in this unique…

This native of wet areas grows as a spreading patch of upright stems with alternating lance-shaped leaves. In late summer and fall the stems are topped with an umbel of bright white flowers. The flowers are attractive to a variety of pollinators at a time of the year when nectar…

Baccharis pilularis, coyote bush, is common throughout the California Floristic Province, especially in coastal and interior coastal regions. It is often found in disturbed areas as a pioneer plant. It varies in form throughout its range. One form grows as an upright shrub to seven feet or so. This form…

Coyote bush is widespread in all of California’s coastal counties, the Channel Islands, Sacramento Valley and central Sierra foothills. It seems to prefer some coastal influence. Once it makes a foothold, it quickly grows into a vase-shaped shrub in the case of the consanguinea subspecies, or a fairly tidy mound…