California Cord Grass Spartina foliosa. In marsh edges, tidally submerged, in narrow bands. Perennial from short rhizomes. Single 30-120 cm tall white green stems. Leaf blades 618″ long, base 0.25-1″ wide, flat when fresh. Narrow spike inflorescence 5-10″ long. Gas transporting tubes for oxygen transport. Threatened by invasive Common Cord Grass. Hybrids with invader are even more vigorous than either parent.
Alkali Heath
Frankenia salina. In high marsh, above Pickleweed. Round bushy shrub spreads by rhizomes. Tolerates salt and occasional flooding. Pores in small leaves secrete salt. Nectar is food source for insects. Habitat for small animals. Used in rock garden landscaping.
Salt-Water Cord Grass Spartina alterniflora. Forms dense clonal stands in intertidal wetlands. Single 3-5′ maroon stems. Leaf blade 8-20″ long, base 0.25-1″ wide, flat when fresh. Narrow spike inflorescence, larger and produces more pollen than native. Hybridizes with native creating taller, more vigorous stands not suitable for shorebird habitat. SF Estuary Invasive Spartina Project monitors and sprays imazethapyr herbicide yearly.
Lemonade Berry Rhus integrifolia. Shrub/small tree found on dry slopes in coastal chaparral communities. 30′ tall inland, 3′ tall and sprawling near ocean. Leaves simple, evergreen, leathery, 2-3″ long, 1-2″ wide, toothed and waxy above, paler below. Blooms Feb-May, blossoms sticky and clustered. Fruit dark red, sticky, tart . Uses: wildlife food and shelter, drought tolerant landscaping, stream bank stabilization. Sap may be allergenic.
Blue Elderberry Sambucus nigra. Deciduous shrub/small tree, to 20′ tall with single or multiple trunks. Opposite leaves pinnately compound with 5-9 elliptical, finely toothed leaflets, each 1-6″ long. Leaves smell can be “stinky” to “pleasant. Bunches of creamy-white flowers in flat-topped clusters have strong, unpleasant odor, attract many pollinators. Dull, bluish berries in summer or fall are edible, important food for wildlife.
Alkali/Saltmarsh Bullrush Bolboschoenus (Scirpus) maritimus. Perennial in low to mid elevations in marshes. Large dense clonal stands. Tolerates alkaline (pH 9) and saline sites. Triangular stem, compact flowerheads with 3 long leaf like bracts. 1 cm wide, elongated leaves on bottom 2/3 of stem. Competes with tule and pickleweed.
Common/Broadleaf Cattail Typha latifolia. Obligate wetland in fresh water up to 2.6′ depth. Intrudes into marshes when salinity decreases. Up to 10′ tall with broad leaves ¾ to 1½ inch wide. Yellowish, club-like spike of tiny male flowers extending directly above a brownish cylinder of female flowers. Can block channels. Used as a bioremediator to absorb pollutants in water treatment ponds. Native Americans made baskets, canoes, pillows, and more. Birds use cottony seeds for nesting.
California Lilac Ceanothus, spp. Large, diverse genus. Shrubs 1-6′ tall. Small oval leaves, glossy upper surface, with most species having 3 parallel veins and serrated edges. Tiny flowers in dense clusters bloom Mar-May look like tiny lilacs. Seed bearing capsules explode with audible ”pop” on hot days, scattering seeds. Many insects attracted to flowers. Birds and small mammals attracted to seeds.
Poison Hemlock Conium maculatum. Ornamental biennial from Europe starts as ground-level rosette. then grows tall stems 3-10′ tall. Leaves have fern-like appearance, finely divided. Ribbed, hollow stem has purplish streaks or splotches. Small, white flowers grow in many umbrella-shaped clusters, each supported by a stalk. When crushed, they have a rank odor. Toxic: alkaloids depress central nervous system and can be fatal if consumed.
Bristly Ox-tongue Helminthotheca echinoids. Up to 1 m tall with coarse branching stems with milky sap . Young plant with rosette leaves before bolting in Spring. Stem leaves oblong, alternate, 5–20 cm long, evenly bristly. Yellow flowers like dandelions. Rubbing the plant on skin can cause a severe rash . Has been used as an antihelminthic treatment for internal worm/nematode parasites.
Scarlet Pimpernel Lysimachia arvensis. A low growing annual with creeping habit. Bright green soft oval leaves directly attached to opposite sides of stems. Five petal salmon colored or sometimes blue colored radially symmetric flowers are produced singly in leaf axils. A poisonous weed from Europe found along roadsides and disturbed areas. When eaten by animals and humans causes gastroenteritis and fatality.
Pickleweed Salicornia pacifica. Perennial halophylic (salt loving) herb in salt marshes and alkali flats. Compressed leaves attached end to end. Small white flowers. Salt is accumulated in leaf tips, turn green to red and die off. Food for birds and mammals, esp. Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse. Green leaves can be used in salads, steamed or pickled.
Perennial Pepperweed Lepidium latifolium. Clonal perennial forb abundant in middle and high tidal brackish marsh zones and sub-saline seasonal wetlands. Numerous erect, semi-woody stems 2- 4′ tall originate from large, interconnected roots. Rosette leaves at first, then grows stems with lance shaped leaves getting smaller up stem. Small white flowers in dense clusters at tip of each stem. Becomes monoculture, outcompetes natives.
White Sweetclover Melilotus alba. Cultivated forage plant for bees, livestock and wildlife, escaped . Annual or biennial legume that can reach anywhere from 3-6′ tall. Taproot with lateral roots having N fixing nodules like other legumes. Round light green stems slightly terete (furrowed on all sides), glabrous (smooth), and often branched. The 0.5-1″ long alternate trifoliate leaves are sparsely distributed on stem . Narrow racemes of white flowers about 0.25-1″ long have tendency to hang downward from the central stalk of the raceme. Invasions can alter plant communities by changing the pollination and reproductive success of native plants.
Blue Gum Eucalyptus globulus. Large Australian native introduced in 1800s for lumber, windrows. Elongate, waxy bluish-green leaves can be straight or slightly sickle-shaped, alternate and dangle from short stems. Used in medical products, foods, perfumes, toothpastes, industrial solvents. Entire tree flammable, explosive. Toxic to local wildlife, leading to low species diversity. Tree line on Ellis Creek used by nesting herons and egrets.
Harding Grass Phalaris aquatica. Common to roadsides and vacant lots. Erect waist high stout perennial bunch grass . Grayish to bluish green leaves. Compact panicle seed head on long stalks. Planted for forage and fire repair. Spreads by seed and rhizome. Imported earlier for pastures but has low nutritive value for livestock.
Teasel, Wild Teasel Dipsacus fullonum. Biennial ornamental imported from Europe, now invasive. First year rosettes develop taproot, then tall flowering stalk second year up to 6′ tall. Flowers packed in dense oval shaped spiny inflorescence at top of spiny stem. Common Teasel has pink or purple flowers, straight flower bracts, stem leaves slightly fused at base. Fullers Teasel has white flowers, curve down flower bracts, and stem leaves strongly fused at base.
Wild Radish Raphanus sativus. Erect annual in high marsh zone and disturbed, weedy terrestrial habitats. A much-branched herb to 4′ tall, bristly toward the base and arises from a dense rosette of stalked, lobed, rough-to-touch leaves that usually wither before flowering. Stem leaves are smaller. Flowers 4 petalled, white, yellow or lilac colored flowers with 6 stamens, petals do not overlap. Vegetative state can be confused with black mustard (yellow flowers).
Saltmarsh Dodder Cuscuta salina. Parasitic plant, tapping wetland plants for nutrients using penetrating haustoria. Conspicuous orange yellow wire like stems blanket hosts, usually broadleaf halophytic herbs and subshrubs (Pickleweed, Gumplant). Patches can be seen from planes.
Italian Thistle Carduus pycnocephalus. Winter annual or biennial starts as rosette with taproot then develops tall prickly winged stems up to 6′ tall. Prickly, lanceolate leaves deeply cut into 2-5 pairs of spiny lobes, grow on stem. Flower heads thimble-sized, pink to purple flowers clustered in groups of 2-5 covered with densely matted, cobwebby hairs. Dense infestations and spines discourage foraging by stock and wildlife.
Stinkwort Dittrichia graveolens. Erect, fall-flowering annual, up to 2′ tall. Small linear to linear-oblanceolate leaves on stem have sticky glandular hairs covered in resin which emit strong aromatic odor that resembles smell of tarweeds. Small flowerheads with yellow to reddish disk flowers centers and short yellow ray flowers outer edge. Mediterranean native spreading rapidly throughout the world. Not palatable to animals, poisonous to livestock, and causes contact allergic dermatitis in humans
Black Walnut Juglans hindsii. Deciduous, planted by Native Americans near their homes. Leaves 1′ long with 13-21 leaflets, dentate margins, unpleasant fragrance. Vein angles bear tufts of hair. Nut has smooth, brown, thick shell containing small edible nutmeat. Hybridizes, only 3 natural, genetically pure groves remain of true N. Ca. species. Attractive to wildlife, resistant to oak root fungus, rootstock for English Walnut.
Cocklebur Xanthium strumarium. Common annual weed to 1.5 m tall with thick taproot that likes moist, disturbed areas. Large leaves with distinctive scent, broadly triangular, weakly three lobed, rough to the touch. Spineless stems. Large football shaped burred fruit mostly 0.5 to 1.7″ long with beaklike hooks at tip were the inspiration for Velcro. Toxic to livestock, burs a boon to sheep wool cleaning.
Purple Star-Thistle, Iberian Star-Thistle Centaurea calcitrapa, Centaurea iberica. Annual to perennial, mounding growth habit, 30 cm – 1 m tall. Plants form rosettes first growing season, the leaves deeply pinnately lobed and gray-hairy with light-colored midribs; older rosettes have a circle of spines in the center. Mature plants densely and rigidly branched, and have numerous spiny purple flowers surrounded by long, stout, sharp-pointed spines. Purple starthistle is like Iberian starthistle, which is also found in California, but differ in seed shape and bristles under flower head.
Wild Oat Avena fatua. Erect cool season annual grass with extensive fibrous root system. Stems round and hairless, over 3′ tall. Leaves flat, rolled in the bud, 2′ long. Tall membranous ligule with a rounded jagged top at collar region. Open branched nodding flower cluster of spikelets. Old variety of field oat planted earlier becoming weedy today.
Pacific Rush, Spreading/Soft Rush Juncus effusus. Juncus patens. Occurs in damp woods, bogs, wet pastures, and acidic soils. Thin round stems form thick clumps 1 m tall, with J. patens darker green and more definite ridges on stem. Rich brown color at base of stems. Many flowers form in compact spikelets located 2-4 cm from tip of stem. Used in low water landscapes. Stems used in basket weaving, mats, thatching, ropes
Alkali Mallow Malvella leprosa. In contrast to annual mallows, alkali mallow is a perennial with deep extensive root system. White-hairy stem up to about 2′ long, spreading along the ground, hairs star shaped. Leaves alternate, fan or kidney shaped, lobed and wavy along edges, 0.5-2″ wide with asymmetric base stalks 0.5-1″ long. Five petal flowers with cup-shaped corolla up to 0.7″ long in shades of white or pale yellow.
California Buckeye Aesculus californica. Deciduous tree/shrub with many low branches, rounded crown. Trees leaf out early spring and can drop leaves in hot summer. Dark green, palmate compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets. Candle-shaped clusters of flowers. Leathery pear-shaped fruits open to release glossy brown seeds. All plant parts toxic, but hummingbirds sip nectar; squirrels, chipmunks can consume seeds.
Wild Rose Rosa californica. Native roses sometimes form thickets or 3-8’ high shrubs. Grey-brown stems, thorns like prickly Velcro. Compound leaves, 2-3 paired leaflets, green above, paler below. Clusters of 1-2” pink flowers at end of stem, bloom May-Nov. Fragrant and edible fruits called hips, provide more vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus and iron than oranges. Become sweet after frost. Used for tea.
Greater Ammi, Queen Anne's Lace Ammi majus. Annual/biennial, like water hemlock & wild carrot, upland. TOXIC to livestock/water fowl – contains furocoumarins, nitrates. Glabrous stems 3′ tall with taproot. Glabrous compound leaves pinnately dissected 1-3 times, leaflets lanceolate, 0.25-1″ long, margins serrated, upper leaflets linear. Small white flowers, 5 petals, on compound umbels, 20-60 clusters, spreading, bracts pinnately dissected and linear. Fruits ovate with narrow ribs. Cultivated for dry flower arrangements, medicinal.
Red Willow Salix laevigata. Common riparian deciduous shrub/tree in or near creek. Can grow up to 50′ tall and wide within 10 years. Called red willow because newly emerging leaves are red and twigs are yellow to reddish. Leaves 3-4″ long, lanceolate, shiny green above, dull whitish green below. Yellow flowers in drooping catkins produce tufts of cottony, wind-blown seeds. Cuttings used in habitat restoration.
Curly Dock Rumex crispus. Common agricultural weed produces thousands of seeds, grows in wet, disturbed areas. New basal rosettes of leaves form in early winter over a taproot and the then grows erect unbranched stems 1.5-5′ tall which dies back in mid to late summer, turns distinctive rusty brown. Hairless leaves are alternate to one another along the stem. It has chemical defenses to reduce herbivory.
California Poppy Eschscholzia californica. State perennial flower found on arid soils, tolerates serpentine soil. Leaves alternately divided into round, lobed segments. Blooms throughout summer. Orange petals close at night. Coastal variety more yellow. When fruit dry out, they split and pop out seeds spreading several feet. Travelers are advised not to eat any food with poppy seed since it can trigger a false positive in drug testing.
Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium. Low growing rhizomatous perennial to 1.5′ tall, escaped from cultivation. Square stems covered with short, white hairs. Opposite and paired gray-green leaves emit strong spearmint fragrance when crushed. Pink-purple flower heads in whorls of many flowers on cylindrical spike up to 6″ long, with floral leaves underneath and bare stem between clusters. Prolific in flooded areas because it can germinate and survive under shallow water where most other plants die. Pennyroyal is a traditional folk remedy and culinary herb. Pennyroyal is frequently used as insecticide and pest repellent. Pennyroyal oil can be extremely toxic to both humans and animals, even in small quantities.
Redwood Sequoia sempervirens. The species name sempervirens means “always living.” They have red-brown deeply furrowed bark and the red wood so prized for building. Tall and narrow, they can grow fast when young, sometimes 3-5’ per year. After thousands of years growth a few have been recorded as the world’s tallest trees. Leaves 5/8–1″ long. flat. Small cones, 1” long, with dozens of tiny seeds. New trees can sprout from base of parent’s trunk.
Valley Oak Quercus lobata. Deciduous dense groves of valley oaks used to grow in groves along streams with other trees and were called “gallery forest.” Farther away from streams they spread out into savannas with luxiorous grass below. Bark checkered or fissured, becoming deeper as the trees age;. Leaves 2- 4.5″ long, half as wide, bluntly lobed. Acorns about 2” valued by Native Americans and by many wildlife species.
Marsh Baccharis Baccharis glutinosa (douglasii). In high brackish marsh zone. Clonal colonies of erect, semi-woody herb 3-6′ tall with herbaceous shoots and few branches. Lance-shaped leaves up to 1′ long with short winged petioles. Small, white flowerheads in flat-topped clusters in summer, fall. Foliage and inflorescences resinous and sticky. Dioecious: males whitish staminate flowers, females fluffy whitish pistillate flowers.
Spikeweed, Common Tarweed Hemizonia pungens. Annual up to 6′ tall, starts as rosette, stems branch rigidly ascending, tap-rooted. Yellow green leaves, upper leaves alternate, awl like, spine tipped, clusters of leaves in axils, +/- strong tarweed scent. Yellow ray and disc flowers in summer, chaffy bracts, spine tipped. Desirable part of ecosystem as food source, but weedy in pastures and NW State agriculture
Beardless Wild Rye, Creeping Wild Rye Elymus (Leymus) triticoides. Common to dry to moist saline meadows, tolerates alkaline soils. Cool season, strongly rhizomatous, perennial grass, forming a monoculture sod 40 cm to 1 m tall. Long leaf blades green to blue green, stiff, roll up a little under dry conditions. Narrow long spike seed head, 5-15 cm long. Currently used for soil stabilization and wildlife habitat.
Brass-Buttons Cotula coronopifolia. Found in muddy, anoxic (low oxygen) wetlands and brackish water, salt tolerant. Flat fleshy leaves store water during saline inundation. Red stems with green, blade shaped leaves with shiny cuticle (wax covering). Petal-less flower heads bright yellow discs look like buttons. Can reproduce by seeds or sprouting roots at stem joints.
Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia. Multi-stemmed evergreen shrub/small tree 6-8′ high, 4-5′ wide. Leaves sharply toothed, 4″ long, 1.5″ wide. Blooms in spring with dense clusters of small, white flowers petals, Butterfly-pollinated, mild Hawthorn scent. Copious red berries in fall-winter contain toxic, bitter-tasting cyanide compounds, but Native Americans ate them after mashing and cooking. Attractive to many fruit eating birds.
Black Mustard Brassica nigra. Winter annual crop from Europe now naturalized. Can be confused with other mustards and radish. Flowers have 4 sepals and 4 clawed, lemon yellow petals, with six stamens, 4 long and 2 short as is characteristic of mustards, and curling anthers. Grows profusely and produces allelopathic chemicals that prevent germination of native plants.
Himalayan Blackberry Rubus armeniacus. Sprawling rounded evergreen shrub, to 10′ tall. Spreads by roots and runners into large impenetrable patches. Stems up to 0.7″ thick, 5-angled, with many sharp, stout spines. Pinnately compound leaves, 3 to 5 leaflets, dark green upper surface and whitish underside covered in dense short hairs. Introduced in 1885 from India by Luther Burbank, spread by birds, displaces native species.
Basket Weave Sedge, Santa Barbara Sedge Carex barbarae. Clonal sedge growing from rhizomes, found in riparian areas. Green, triangular stems, up to 3′ tall. Tough narrow leaves with shredding, red-spotted or purple basal sheath. Erect and drooping spikes up to about 3″ long with long bract exceeding length of spikes. Birds will eat seeds and use grass fibers for nesting. Used for stream bank stabilization, eco-restoration. Long rhizomes used for traditional basket weaving.
Clover Trifolium spp. There are over 200 species in the genus Trifolium, Nonnative introduced from Europe used in agriculture and lawns. Leaves usually trifoliate. White clover, R. repens, used to be added to lawn seed before synthetic fertilizers since they are nitrogen fixing plants with symbiotic bacteria in the root nodules. A favorite plant for native and honey bees.
Coffeeberry Frangula californica. Rounded compact evergreen shrub 2-6′ tall. Branches bright gray or brown; twigs smooth to finely hairy. Simple leathery leaves 2-4″ long, elliptic to ovate, generally alternate, maturing to dark green. White star-shaped flowers attractive to birds and butterflies. Fruit ripens from green to orange/red to black in August-October. When red resembles the berry of the coffee plant. Food for diverse species.
Bird's-Foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus. A mat-forming perennial with stems up to 3′ long. Yellow flowers –pea type, orange center on some. Foliage is distinct blue green color with 5 leaflets. Tap root and lateral roots develop nitrogen fixing nodules. Cultivars used for pasture forage and hay.
Umbrella Sedge, Tall Flatsedge Cyperus eragrostis. Herbaceous grass-like perennial sedge from rhizomes found in riparian areas, ditches, damp grasslands. Can make 30 x 30′ clump. Green, triangular, tall, erect stems, 3-30″ tall. Long, thin, pointed leaves radiate from top. Summertime flowers in tough, rounded, greenish-yellow or beige spikelets. Prefers wet soil, clay or gravel, tolerates seasonal flooding. Weedy in rice fields.
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Boxelder Acer negundo. Riparian, deciduous, fast-growing tree to 60′ tall. Short trunk, wildly spreading branches, broad rounded crown like maples. Leaves pinnately compound with clusters of 3-5 leaflets, opposite, thin, shallowly lobed, light green. Male and female flowers on separate trees. Flowers in long, drooping clusters. Maple-like seeds attract some small birds. Follows cottonwood and willow species in colonizing stream banks.
Fremont Cottonwood Populus fremontii. Riparian, 30-100’, 1-4′ trunk diameter. Leaves heart-shaped, white veins, coarse teeth on margins, hang on stems that are laterally compressed near blade so leaves flutter in wind. Young bark smooth, becoming deeply furrowed with whitish cracked bark. Flowers bloom March-April in drooping 2-6” catkins. Wind dispersed fruit attached to silky, cottony hair. Used in stream bank restoration, traditional medicine.
Rabbit Foot Grass, Annual Beard Grass Polypogon monspeliensis. Clumping annual occurring in high brackish tidal marsh near pickleweed. Yellowish green leaves rolled in the bud, slender, flat, hairless. Pale green to light brown flower heads and seed heads have soft fur appearance. Sometimes planted as ornamental.
Coyote Brush Baccharis pilularis. Common upland evergreen 6-10′ tall round shrubs. Dwarf variety (2-4′ tall) planted along Adobe Creek. Leaves small, round to oval, hairless (glabrous), a little stick. Male flowers and female flowers on separate plants (dioecious) cover these plants in late autumn. Important food source and habitat for many species.
Italian Wild Rye, Rye Grass Festuca perennis (Lolium multiflorum). Widespread nonnative grass in fields, roadsides, disturbed areas across temperate world since widely planted as cover crop, forage, and lawn. Found in high and middle brackish tidal marsh zone. Can form dense mat monoculture. Narrow solitary spike 4-12″ long, regularly spaced alternately arranged spikelets attach edgewise directly to flowering stem.
Common Tule/Bullrush, California Bullrush Schoenoplectus (Scirpus) acutus, Schoenoplectus (Scirpus) californicus. Wetland obligate, in standing fresh water marshes. Rhizomatous, dense monotypic colony, 10′ tall. Stems 0.5-1.0″ thick. Terminal panicle inflorescence. Difference: California Tule – bright green triangular stems, Common Tule – grey green round stem. Used in wastewater treatment ponds for erosion control and host of beneficial soil bacteria. Native Americans used tules for housing, boats, clothes, food, and more.
Fennel Foeniculum Vulgare. Perennial, erect, hairless, aromatic herb 2 m tall with large taproot and finely dissected feathery leaves. Yellow flowers in terminal compound umbels 2-6″ across, May-September. Cultivated worldwide for leaves and fruits. Seeds taste like anise, but not as strong. Food source for butterfly larvae and birds.
Pacific Gum Plant Grindelia stricta. Bushy, highly branched subshrub with erect habit, over 1 m tall, grows in high tidal marsh zone. Fleshy deep green leaves, semi-evergreen. Gummy resinous flower heads with recurved phyllaries which can be chewed like gum (not tasty). Bright yellow daisy like flowers in open panicles. Used as modern-day medicine for poison oak rashes.
Meadow Barley Hordeum brachyantherum. Perennial in mixed vegetation valley grasslands. Ssp. brachyantherum is upright, while closest relative, California barley ssp. californicum, is shorter, more spreading. Growth habit open tuft with erect to slightly spreading, smooth stalks (culms) 1-3′ tall. Flower head a narrow, flattened spike, 2-4″ long, purplish in color, with bristle-like awns and a brittle central axis that breaks off in pieces from top down at maturity.
California Blackberry Rubus ursinus. Deciduous to evergreen mounding or prostrate shrub. Stems round, root at tips, prickles weak, slender, straight. Leaves simple or compound usually in groups of 3, sometimes 5, underside vein bears thin, red spines at regular intervals. Sparse white male and female flowers on separate plants, so berries not abundant. Sweet, edible fruits purple, red, or black, food for diverse wildlife.
Yellow Star Thistle Centaurea solstitialis. Gray-green to blue-green annual plant, 15 cm–1 m tall with a deep, vigorous taproot. Bright yellow thistle like flowers with sharp spines surrounding the base can produce 10,000 seeds per plant. Stems rigid, spreading, and typically branching from the base, covered with a loose, cottony wool giving whitish appearance and appear winged - leaf bases extend beyond the nodes. Basal leaves 2-3″ long and deeply lobed while upper leaves short (0.5-1″ long) and narrow with few lobes. Impacts native plant diversity, altering water cycles, and poisoning livestock . Biological control with Mediterranean insects used with minor success
Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgare. Branching, erect biennial, 2-6′tall with taproot. Stems stiff and thorny. Leaves rosette first year, mature leaves deeply lobed and hairy that end in extended, very sharp thorns and are beige in color. Blooms second year from June to September with large solitary purple gumdrop-shaped flower heads, spines extend all around base.
Jumea Jaumea carnosa. Found in low salt marsh, near pickleweed. Low perennial looks like a small Iceplant. Tolerates alkaline and saline soils and seasonal flooding. Succulent green opposite leaves on soft pinkish-green stems. Spreads by branching rhizomes. Small, fleshy yellow flowers. Boiled as a tea for fever; cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
Coast Live Oak Quercus agrifolia. Broad dense rounded crown, trunk erect or with widely spreading branches, which are often massive, gnarled. Leaves leathery, deep green, oblong to oval, 1-2.5″ with entire to toothed margins, upper surface strongly convex, paler beneath, with hairy-tufted vein axils. Wind pollinated. Single-seeded nuts 0.5-1.4″ called acorns, slender, conical. Flowers Feb-April, fruits mature Aug.- Oct. Important food source and habitat for many bird species.
Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Carrot, Bird's Nest Daucus carota. Same species as domestic carrot. Biennial, stiff solid stems with short white hairs, 30-60 cm tall (no purple spots like Poison Hemlock). Leaves tripinnate (finely divided and lacy) and triangular shaped, smell like parsley. Flowers small white clusters on flat dense umbels 10 cm across, spent umbels curl inwards forming “bird’s nest”. Entirely edible with herbal medicinal values e.g. diuretic, stimulant, contraceptive, and abortive. Companion crop in blueberries to attract beneficial insect.
Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola. Common winter annual or biennial that starts as basal rosette. Erect spineless reddish stem containing milky latex up to 6′ tall. Lower portions of stems may have bristly hairs. Waxy grey-green alternate leaves get progressively smaller as they reach its top and are egg shaped, deeply lobed or unlobed, with prickly edges, a row of prickly bristles on the lower midvein and undersides have whitish veins. Stems branch at the flower head containing small pale-yellow dandelion like flowers from April through October.
Cardoon, Artichoke Cynara cardunculus. Also called Artichoke Thistle. From Mediterranean area, grown as a vegetable in older times and used in landscaping currently. Large, deeply lobed leaves, with white downy hair making them pale grey green in color. Leaves, stems and fruit spiny – causes pain. Large violet-purple flowers in capitulum.
Salt Grass Distichlis spicata. Perennial, forms dense clonal mats with rhizomes and stolons, 1-3′ tall, looks like Bermudagrass. Inhabits upper high marsh that is irregularly flooded. Tolerates alkaline and saline soils. Salt glands in leaves excrete salt crystals. Dioecious (male and female separate plants). Nesting for birds and food for birds, butterfly larvae, voles.
