Plant Profile: Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus)
Karen Also known as wedgeleaf ceanothus, this evergreen shrub is native to Oregon, California, and northern Baja California, where it grows in several habitats, especially chaparral. It is a member of…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata aka Cassia fasciculata aka Cassia chamaecrista)
Also known as prairie senna, golden cassia, large-flowered sensitive pea, sleeping plant, and locust weed, this herbaceous annual is native to eastern North America and provides cover and food for…
Plant Profile: Threenerve Goldenrod (Solidago veluntina)
Native to western US and the northern half of Mexico, this herbaceous perennial is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes sunflower, dandelion, and lettuce. With a…
Plant Profile: California Coffee Berry (Frangula californica aka Rhamnus californica)
Native to California, southwestern Oregon, Arizona and Baja California, this large evergreen shrub grows in open woodland, brush canyon sides, and chaparral. It is a member of the buckthorn family,…
Plant Profile: Bunchleaf Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus)
Also known as foothills penstemon and foothills beardtongue, this evergreen herbaceous perennial is endemic to California where it grows in grassland, chaparral, and forests of all of the major coastal…
Plant Profile: Black Sage (Salvia mellifera)
Native to California, Baja, and Mexico, this semi-deciduous shrub is common in the coastal sage scrub and chaparral of Southern California. It is a member of the deadnettle family, Lamiaceae,…
Plant Profile: Woolly Bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum)
Native to dry slopes of south coast ranges of California and northern Baja, this evergreen shrub is a member of the deadnettle family, Lamiaceae, that also includes mint, rosemary, and…
Plant Profile: Birch Leaf Mountain Mahogany (Cerocarpus betuloides)
Native to California, Baja, Oregon, Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, this evergreen shrub or small tree can be found in the dry areas of foothills and mountains of California, often…
Genus Erysium (Wallflowers) for the Garden
Often called wallflower or blister-cress, Erysimum is a genus of about 150 species in the mustard family, Brassicaceae, that also includes cabbage, alyssum, and stock. The plants may be annuals,…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Goat’s Beard (Aruncus dioicus)
With its feathery plumes of tiny cream colored flowers moving gracefully over dark green leaves this shrub-like herbaceous perennial makes a beautiful presence in a woodland setting, beside a stream…