Plant Profile: European Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)
Karen Also called common privet, this semi-evergreen or deciduous shrub is native to central and southern Europe, north Africa, and southwestern Asia. It is a member of the olive family, Oleaceae,…
Plant Profile: Coyotillo (Karwinskia humboldtiana)
Native to the prairies, plains, meadows, pastures, and savannas of southern and western Texas as well as much of Mexico, this evergreen shrub or small tree is a member of…
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: Hollyleaf Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia)
This evergreen shrub or small tree is native to the desert chaparral areas of the Mohave desert, coastal California, Baja California and Baja California Sur and is a member of…
Plant Profile: Chaparral Currant (Ribes malvaceum)
Endemic to California and Baja California where it grows in chaparral, foothill oak woodlands, and closed-cone pine forests, this deciduous shrub is a member of the gooseberry family, Grossulariaceae, that…
Plant Profile: Purple Needle Grass (Stipa pulchra aka Nassella pulchra)
This perennial bunch grass is native to California where it grows in a variety of habitats including grassland, chaparral and oak woodland. It is a member of the grass family…
Plant Profile: Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum)
Also known as greasewood, this evergreen spreading or prostrate shrub is native to California and Baja California and is the most abundant species in the California chaparral. It is a…
Plant Profile: Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla)
Also known as San Luis purple sage and gray sage, this semi-deciduous shrub is native to coastal Southern California and Baja California where it grows on dry open hillsides. It…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Teddy Bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)
With their soft fuzzy appearance and resemblance to teddy-bear’s arms these shrubs or small trees have a strong visual appeal that belies their danger to passers-by. They grow up to…
Plant Profile: Sticky Monkey Flower (Diplacus aurantiacus aka Mimulus aurantiacus)
Native to southwestern North America from southwestern Oregon south through most of California, to Baja California, this evergreen subshrub is a member of the lopseed family, Phrymaceae, a small family…