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…
Plant Profile: Our Lord’s Candle (Hesperoyucca whipplei aka Yucca whipplei)
Also known as chaparral yucca, foothill yucca, Spanish bayonet, and Quixote yucca, this evergreen shrub is native to Southern California and Baja California where it grows in chaparral, coastal sage…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Rhinoceros Bush (Elytropappus rhinocerotis aka Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis)
Somebody thought this shrub or small tree had a connection with the ear of a rhinocerous, or so the common name and specific epithet suggest. The specific epithet, rhinocerotis, comes…
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: Hollyleaf Redberry (Rhamnus ilicifolia)
This evergreen shrub is native to western North American where it grows in chaparral and wooded areas in Oregon, California, Baja California and Arizona. It is a member of the…
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…
Plant Profile: Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia)
Native to coastal sage scrub and chaparral of Southern California and Baja, this evergreen shrub or small tree is a member of the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that also includes sumac,…
Invasive Plants and Their Native Alternatives: Beach Naupaka (Scaevola sericea var. taccada)
Also known as beach cabbage and sea lettuce, beach naupaka is a dense, spreading evergreen shrub growing 3-10’ tall. The medium green leaves are elliptical, waxy, fleshy, smooth and 1.5…
Plant Profile: Egyptian Balsam (Balanites aegyptiaca)
Egyptian balsam is a shrub or small tree native to much of Africa and parts of the the Middle East where it grows in arid and sub-arid tropics and subtropics…