Plant Profile: Stinging Lupine (Lupinus hirsutissimus)
Karen Native to dry rocky slopes of the coastal mountains of California and Baja California, this herbaceous annual is a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, that also includes beans, mimosa,…
Poisonous Plants: Pokeweed (Phytolaccaceae americana)
Pokeweed, also called inkberry and scoke, is a herbaceous perennial native to eastern United States, the Midwest, and the Gulf Coast where it grows in open woods, thickets and disturbed…
Plant Profile: Greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus)
Also known as rock poppy, wartwort, tetterwort, nipplewort, and swallowwort, this herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial is native to Europe and western Asia but has been introduced as an ornamental…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Giant Bindweed (Calystegia silvatica ?)
A fresco in the House of the Golden Bracelet shows a vine with heart shaped leaves and white trumpet-shaped flowers. This plant has been identified by some scholars as a…
Plant Profile: Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus)
Also known as field lupine, dwarf lupine, ocean-blue lupine and Douglas’ annual lupine, this native of western US grows on slopes and open or disturbed areas of California, Nevada, and…
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects: Suckering Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis)
Suckering shadbush is a deciduous, multi-stemmed large shrub or small tree native to eastern North America from Canada to Alabama. It is a member of the rose family, Rosaceae, that…
Plant Profile: Peyote (Lophophora williamsii)
Also called mescal button, this spineless cactus is native to southern Texas and northern Mexico, and is a member of the cactus family, Cactaceae, that also includes prickly pear and…
Plants of Ancient Pompeii: Lentil (Lens culinaris aka Lens esculenta)
Lentil is an annual and a member of the bean family, Fabaceae, that also includes lupines, alfalfa, and black locust. It was first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent by 6,000…
Plant Profile: Greenbark Ceanothus (Ceanothus spinosus)
Also known as redheart, this evergreen shrub is native to the scrub and chaparral of the coastal strip of southern California south of San Luis Obispo County to northern Baja…
Plant Profile: California Juniper (Juniperus californica)
Also known as California white cedar, sweetberry cedar, desert white cedar, and Cedros Island juniper this evergreen small tree is native to dry soils at moderate elevations in Arizona, California,…